FF Battle: Emirates Skywards vs. Qatar Privilege Club.

Some programs excel more than others in the battle of frequent flyer memberships. When both programs are from the same region, the comparisons may come naturally. So let’s battle this one out: Emirates Skywards vs. Qatar Privilege Club. Both of these programs are Middle Eastern, have competitive destinations, and are major international connecting hubs. 

Emirates Skywards is the loyalty program of Emirates Airlines, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Qatar Privilege Club is Qatar Airways’ loyalty program, which is based in Doha, Qatar. Emirates flies to 137 destinations, whilst Qatar flies to over 170 destinations. Both airlines are continuing to expand their destinations in the coming years. With Emirates and Qantas having a partnership and the newly formed partnership between Qatar and Virgin Australia, many Australian’s may be wondering which frequent flyer program might be best for them. Let’s compare both of these middle eastern based airline programs.

Note: Qatar Privilege Club uses an Avios miles currency, similar to British Airways, whilst Emirates uses miles. Throughout this article you may see me refer to either miles, points or Avios.

How Do You Join?

Emirates	Qatar
Signing up is free and members can start earning points immediately. Sign up using their website.	Signing up is free of charge. Visit their website for more details.

What Are Their Airline Partners?

Emirates and Qatar members have the privilege of booking flights with their airline partners and can also earn and redeem miles on these flights (subject to airline availability).

How Do You Earn Points?

Emirates	Qatar
1. Each time you fly with Emirates and their partner airlines. Miles are calculated based on the destination and cabin class.	Booking a flight through Qatar Airways, Oneworld Airlines or its airline partners. Earning Avios through this method varies from distance flown, booking class and tier status.
2. Hotels. By booking your stay through Emirates hotels you could earn 1 skywards mile for every $4US spent. Also booking through Emirates Skywards Hotels using your cobranded Emirates Skywards credit card could earn up to 10,000 Skywards miles per night. Signing up for Your World Rewards and linking it to your Skywards and Marriot Bonvoy account can earn you twice on flights and hotel stays. Other hotel partners include; 25hours hotels, ALL- Accor Live and Limited, Aloft hotels and more.	Booking a hotel through Qatar Airlines Privilege Club. Hotels include Accor Live Limitless, Booking.com, Dusit Doha Hotel, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Honors, Hyatt Hotels, Kaligo, Marriott Bonvoy and Qatar Airways Holidays, plus so much more! Some perks include a transfer of 10, 000 Hilton Honors points to 1000 Avios.
3. Skywards Everyday: download the app and link your existing VISA or Mastercard to start earning points at participating retailers and partners. Retailers include Mont Blac, Tag Heuer, Pret a Manger, Superdry and so much more.	Link your Visa or Mastercard to your Privilege Club account to start earning Avios on everyday spending through Privilege Club partners.
4. Dubai Mall: Earn up to 1 Skywards Mile per USD 1 spent at Dubai Mall.	Shop at Retailers within Qatar including 974 Delights, Arabesque Cafe, F45 Training Qatar, Karisma Cosmetics and so much more. Simply link your payment card to your Privilege Club membership to start earning points. Members can also link their payment card to start earning points on lifestyle options such as AlJabor Pools, AlKhaleej Tankful Insurance, Alreem Dental Center and more. For a full list of partner retailers and lifestyle brands, click here.
5. Other partners include The Bicester Collection, Arabian Adventures, ASmallWorld, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Official Store, Get Your Guide, Heathrow Rewards and Marhaba.	Other partners include: Ajo eSim, Takaful Insurance, AlReem Dental Centre, Farfectch and more.
6. Skywards Miles Mall allows customers to shop through its online store and earn up to 129 Skywards Miles for every AUD 10 spent. Retailers include Adore Beauty, Sephora, Rebel Sport, Target and more! Members can also redeem miles to spend on gift cards across Australian brands.
7. Credit Cards. Commonwealth Bank transfers 5 of its award points to 1 Skywards Mile. American Express points can be converted to Skywards points. AMEX conversions differ from card to card.	Qatar Airways Privilege Club members can earn points from their everyday spending through credit cards such as American Express, Ahli Islamic Bank, Bank of New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank and so much more. Transferring credit card points to Avios varies from each bank. Commonwealth credit card holders enrolled in the Awards Program can earn 1 Avios for every 3.5 CommBank Award points. Whilst Virgin Money credit card holders can transfer 3 Virgin Money points for 1 Avios. For a full list of credit card providers, click here.
8. Car rentals such as CarTrawler, Avis, Budget and more.	Members can earn Avios through car rentals such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and more. Privilege Club members who rent a car with Hertz can enjoy up to 10% off car rental rates, earn 500 Avios for standard rentals and earn 250 Avios for contract rentals.

What Tier’s Does Emirates Skywards and Qatar Privilege Club Offer?

Emirates	Qatar
Blue- Sign-up tier.	Burgundy: Sign-up Tier.
Silver – Earn 25,000 miles or take 25 flights with Emirates or their airline partners.	Silver: Earn 150 Qpoints within 12 months. To retain Silver status, earn 135 Qpoints within the last 12 months or 270 Qpoints within the last 24 months before the renewal date.
Gold – 50,000 miles or take 50 flights.	Gold. Earn 300 Qpoints within 12 months. To retain Gold status, earn 270 Qpoints within the last 12 months or 540 Qpoints within the last 24 months before the renewal date.
Platinum – 150,000 miles or more and take one qualifying flight in first or business class.	Platinum. Earn 600 Qpoints within 12 months. To maintain Platinum status, earn 540 Qpoints within the last 12 months or 1080 Qpoints within the last 24 months before the date of renewal.

What are Qpoints?

Qpoints are used for members to upgrade or retain tiers. Members can earn Qpoints by flying with Qatar Airlines or any Oneworld member airline. The main difference between Avios and Qpoints is that Qpoints is used to gain elite status such as Gold and Platinum status. Avios can be redeemed for booking flights, upgrades or excess baggage. Avios can be earned through credit cards and is mainly used as a spendable currency through Qatar Airways. 

When Do Miles/Avios Expire?

Emirates	Qatar
Valid for three years and expires in the third year at the end of the member’s birth month. Emirates miles do not expire if a member holds a co-branded credit card or has Platinum Tier elite status. Earning or redeeming miles within the three years also does not renew the expiry.	Avios expire after 36 months when no other Avios have been earned or redeemed. Qatar also offers members a chance to revalidate their Avios within a year after the 36-month period for a fee. Avios do not expire for Platinum members unless they lose their membership tier.

What Is The Cost of Buying Miles?

Emirates	Qatar
USD 30 for 1000 miles. Members can buy 100 000 for the blue and silver tier or 200 000 for Gold and Platinum tier status.	AUD44.35 for 1000 miles. At the time of writing this post, Qatar had an up to 50% bonus on their Avios. Members can buy up to 250,000 Avios for $9107.50 with a bonus of 125 000 bonus Avios (as of 4th December 2024).

How Many Points Do I Need To Book A Flight?

As always this section does vary from tier status, destinations and cabin class. For this example, let’s search Sydney to Dubai for Emirates and Sydney to Doha for Qatar Airways.

Note: This is not definite and only gives an approximation.

Emirates	Qatar
Sydney to Dubai 9:10 pm – 4:30 am Direct for 30,000 miles + AUD 353.06.	Sydney – Doha 9:40pm – 4:50am  Direct for 35 000 Avios.

Conclusion

Both Emirates and Qatar are well reputable Frequent Flyer programs that offer their members amazing benefits. When deciding on which program is right for you it’s important to base this on your preferences and travel goals. Some people decide to have frequent flyer programs to maximise their benefits. Overall, both programs provide members with a comprehensive loyalty program that rewards frequent flyers with valuable benefits, privileges, and opportunities to earn and redeem points for travel and lifestyle rewards.