Qatar Airways has introduced a new platform allowing members of its Privilege Club to bid and spend Avios on “unique events and experiences”.
The Privilege Club Collection gives members access to events and packages across sports, leisure, culture and music categories, offering a combination of ‘auction’ listings (for which members must bid Avios) and ‘buy now’ listings (items that are available for a fixed number of Avios).
There are currently only ‘auction’ listings on offer and these include VIP tickets to concerts at The O2 arena featuring artists including John Mayer, Depeche Mode, Liam Gallagher and The Jonas Brothers, as well as pitch side tickets to Qatar Airways-sponsored sports matches such as those played by Paris Saint-Germain, and limited-edition items and memorabilia such as signed jerseys.
If a member places a winning bid, they will be notified and the Avios will be deducted from their account. All other participants will receive a notification that the auction has ended and any blocked Avios will be released back into their accounts.
Should members not have sufficient Avios, they can also use the platform to purchase additional Avios to top-up their accounts.
To use the site you must be a member of the Privilege Club and must have Avios within this account. The terms and conditions state:
“If your Privilege Club Account is linked with a Partner loyalty programme (such as the British Airways Executive Club) you must move your Avios from that loyalty programme to Privilege Club to use them to participate on the Platform.”
Qatar Airways’ new group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said:
“Our vision for Privilege Club is to build a loyalty proposition which offers value and inspires our members. In the last year, Privilege Club has seen the adoption of Avios, and the establishment of global partnerships with leading banks and hotels.
“The latest evolution of our member-centric approach is the Privilege Club Collection, which not only boosts Avios’ spending opportunities, but also offers exceptional once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Qatar Airways decided to adopt Avios as its reward currency for its Privilege Club in 2022, with Avios also collected on flights booked with oneworld and other partner airlines.
At the end of last year Finnair confirmed it will adopt the Avios loyalty currency for its Finnair Plus frequent flyer programme from March 2024.
For more information on how you can redeem your frequent flyer perks for benefits beyond reward flights and room upgrades, see our previous feature published in the June 2023 issue of Business Traveller.
