Qatar Airways offering 30% transfer bonus for Citi and HSBC cards

Qatar Airways has launched a 30% transfer bonus for Citi and HSBC cardholders, which runs from now till 31 May 2024.

While this doesn’t match the all-time-high of 40% we saw in June 2022, it’s still an attractive deal that can help you achieve some excellent redemptions, including Business Class from Singapore to Europe for the equivalent of just ~54,000 miles, or the United States for the equivalent of just ~73,000 miles.

Closer to home, you can also take advantage of some short-haul sweet spots to Kuala Lumpur (an opportunity to try the excellent Qatar Premium Lounge at Changi) or Koh Samui.

Qatar Privilege Club 30% transfer bonus

Offer Details

From 1-31 May 2024, Qatar Privilege Club members will earn an uncapped 30% bonus when converting loyalty points from eligible partners.

More than 20 banks are participating worldwide, and in Singapore both HSBC and Citibank are eligible. 

No registration is required, but your points conversion must be completed by 31 May 2024 to be eligible for the bonus.

There will be some lead time involved (at least with Citi; HSBC transfers are instant but a bad idea for reasons I’ll cover below), so don’t leave it till the last minute. I’d say you should give at least five working days to be safe.

Transfers from Citi

Here’s how many Avios you can expect when transferring Citi Miles or ThankYou Points.

10,000 Citi Miles	10,000 Avios 13,000 Avios
25,000 TY Points	10,000 Avios 13,000 Avios

Citi Miles and ThankYou Points normally convert into Qatar Avios at the same ratio as KrisFlyer miles, so a 30% bonus is certainly worth considering if you can think of uses for them in the near future. 

Transfers from HSBC

Unfortunately, it’s not the same story with HSBC cards because unlike Citi, HSBC does not offer the same rate across all partners, and the conversion ratio is normally a terrible 35,000 HSBC points = 10,000 Avios.

This is 40% higher than the rate charged for other partners like Asia Miles, KrisFlyer and Flying Blue. In fact, you could convert HSBC points into British Airways Avios at a rate of 25,000 HSBC points = 10,000 Avios, then immediately transfer those Avios to Qatar Privilege Club at a 1:1 ratio! 

Because of this, it makes no sense at all to transfer HSBC points to Qatar Privilege Club, even with a 30% bonus.

35,000 HSBC points	10,000 Avios 13,000 Avios

In any case, transfers to Qatar Privilege Club are only available to HSBC TravelOne Cardholders. While this is scheduled to change from 28 May 2024 when points pooling is finally added among HSBC cards, there’s always the possibility of a tech-related delay pushing the timeline into June and therefore missing the bonus window.

Regardless of whether you choose to transfer points from Citi or HSBC, do note that the bonus will not be reflected on the bank’s portal, since it’s fulfilled by Qatar Airways. You’ll still see the regular rates reflected. 

When will the bonus be credited?

The regular number of Avios will be credited initially. 

The 30% bonus will be credited in a separate transaction by 15 June 2024. 

Terms & Conditions

The terms and conditions for the transfer bonus can be found at the bottom of this page.

What can you redeem with Qatar Privilege Club?

I’ve made no secret of my distrust of Qatar Privilege Club. This is a programme that thinks nothing of unannounced devaluations (and to be fair, revaluations too), or quietly adding back junky award segment fees.

That said, I have to concede that the programme does have some sweet spots, and the absence of fuel surcharges when redeeming Qatar Airways flights via Qatar Privilege Club is also an attractive feature.

As a reminder, here’s how much it’d cost to fly from Singapore to the following destinations via Qatar Airways (Qatar Airways has no award chart; consult the QCalculator for quotes).

Award rates between Singapore and Europe are extremely competitive, with Qatar Privilege Club requiring just 70,000-75,000 Avios compared to KrisFlyer’s 103,500 miles (not to mention a wider network of destinations). With a 30% transfer bonus, you’d only need to use 53,846-57,692 Citi Miles to enjoy this redemption. 

It’s a bit more marginal for the USA, but keep in mind again that Qatar Airways serves additional destinations that Singapore Airlines does not, such as Boston, Chicago, Miami and Washington DC. With a 30% transfer bonus, you’d only need to use 73,077 Citi Miles to enjoy this redemption. 

Even if you don’t plan to fly with Qatar Airways, there are some excellent partner redemptions to consider. Qatar Privilege Club partners with Bangkok Airways, which allows you to redeem tickets on the Singapore to Koh Samui route for just 6,000 miles (or 4,600 Citi Miles under this promotion). Commercial tickets on this route are often expensive, so there’s potential for great value here.

Here’s some other examples of sweet spots worth considering (with the operating carrier in brackets):

Remember, the prices above are before the 30% bonus; factor that in and the deal is even sweeter. 

Do note that you may need to transfer your Avios to British Airways in order for some of the options above to appear, as the Qatar Airways website does not display all partner awards. Here’s a guide to the process, which is really quite straightforward once you know where to click.

Qatar Privilege Club caveats

While Qatar Privilege Club does not impose fuel surcharges on Qatar Airways flights, you will have to pay a non-refundable award segment fee as follows:

Since all flights will invariably involve a layover in Doha, a round-trip award redemption from Singapore to Europe would have US$280 of these junk fees tacked on, which can’t be refunded should you cancel the booking!

All this to say: there’s value in Qatar Privilege Club, but you should confirm that there’s award space available on the dates and routes you want (Qatar’s website normally doesn’t let you search with a zero balance, but there is a workaround).

What’s more, you should ensure that it’s regular award space, and not the more expensive Flexi awards, which cost 2x the price. Flexi awards are labelled with “Q2” tags; for example, DOH-SIN prices out at 50,000 Avios normally, but 100,000 Avios for a Flexi award.

Finally, you should book awards as soon as Avios come into your account. Qatar Airways is one place I don’t feel confident holding miles!

When do Qatar Avios expire?

Qatar Privilege Club Avios do not expire, so long as you earn or redeem at least 1 Avios every 36 months. Should you fail to do this, you can revalidate your Avios within one year of the end of the 36-month period by paying a fee. 

Qatar Privilege Club Platinum members enjoy non-expiring Avios.

Qatar Airways reviews

In case you’re wondering what the Business Class experience on Qatar Airways is like, here’s a collection of reviews of their cabin products and lounges:

• Review: Qatar Airways B777-300ER Qsuites Business Class
• Review: Qatar Airways B787-9 Business Class
• Review: Qatar Airways A350-900 Non-Qsuites Business Class
• Review: Qatar Al Mourjan Garden Lounge
• Review: Qatar Premium Lounge London Heathrow
• Review: Qatar Premium Arrival Lounge Doha
• Review: Qatar Premium Lounge Singapore
• Qatar Premium Lounge Bangkok

Conclusion

Qatar Airways is now offering a 30% transfer bonus for Citi and HSBC Singapore cardholders, which runs till the end of May 2024. This has the potential to be good value, assuming you can find regular awards and not the dreaded “Q2” space. 

Because of Qatar Airway’s history of unannounced devaluations, I would certainly not be comfortable transferring miles speculatively. Only do so if you have a specific redemption in mind that you can book immediately after converting points. 

If you want to participate in this offer, remember to give yourself sufficient lead time, since transfers must be completed by 31 May 2024 to qualify.