Qatar Airways Dropped Its Rule Against Booking Avios for Friends. Only a 30-Day Wait Remains.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club removed its restrictions on redeeming Avios for other people on September 15, 2026. You no longer need a flight credited to Qatar or a co-branded card purchase before adding someone to your booking list. The one rule left is that your Privilege Club account must be at least 30 days old.
The short version
In June 2026, Qatar limited award bookings for others to a My List of up to 4 Privilege Club members and a Family & Friends list of up to 6 non-members.
Adding anyone to My List required a flight credited to Qatar or a partner airline, or one co-branded credit card transaction.
On July 22, 2026, Qatar exempted its own Gold and Platinum members.
On September 15, 2026, the activity requirement disappeared for everyone. The 30-day account age rule stays.
Qatar Avios take 1:1 transfers from American Express, Citi, Capital One and Bilt, and Amex is paying a 30% bonus through September 27, 2026.
What did Qatar Airways change in June 2026?
Qatar Airways Privilege Club introduced two lists in June 2026 for booking Avios awards for other people. My List held up to 4 people who already had Privilege Club accounts of their own. Family & Friends held up to 6 people without accounts. Both required the main account to be 30 days old, and My List added a qualifying activity test on top.
The activity test was the part that hurt. According to Frequent Miler's copy of the terms, Qatar required members to have "flown a flight accrual with Qatar Airways or any partner airline" or to have made one co-branded card purchase before anyone joined the list. Names on My List were then locked for 6 months. Everyone added had to be 18 or older, and children under 2 were not eligible for Family & Friends at all.
A member who had never flown Qatar and held no Qatar card had no way to book a seat for a spouse or a child. That describes most Americans who reach Qatar Avios through a bank transfer.
What happened on July 22 and September 15?
On July 22, 2026, Qatar Airways Privilege Club exempted its own Gold and Platinum members from the qualifying activity rule, by phone immediately and online from August. Status earned with other oneworld airlines did not count. On September 15, 2026, the airline updated its My List terms again and dropped the activity requirement for every member.
Upgraded Points and One Mile at a Time both confirm the single remaining line in the My List terms: your Privilege Club account "must have been created at least 30 days prior" to adding a name.
Qatar made the change without an announcement. Thrifty Traveler and Travel on Points spotted it the same day.
Why does this matter for US credit card points?
Qatar Airways Privilege Club is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One and Bilt. Avios also move at 1:1 between Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Finnair accounts, so Chase Ultimate Rewards reach Qatar through a British Airways account in two steps. The June rule hit exactly these members, because a bank transfer never involves a Qatar flight.
Privilege Club has its own award chart for Qatar Airways flights, and it usually prices Qsuite business class below what British Airways charges for the same seat. That is the reason to hold Avios in a Qatar account rather than a BA account when you plan to fly Qatar.
The timing lines up with a live bonus. American Express is adding 30% to Avios transfers through September 27, 2026, and Qatar is included. Our post on the Amex 30% Avios bonus covers the mechanics. The 90,000-point offers on the three Chase Avios cards, covered in our Avios cards post, end up in a British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus account and move to Qatar from there.
What should you do now?
Open a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account today if you do not have one. The 30-day clock starts at account creation, not at your first transfer, so an account opened on September 15 clears the wait on October 15.
Add the people you book for to My List once the account is 30 days old. The list holds 4 members.
Use Family & Friends for anyone without a Privilege Club account. That list holds 6.
Keep points in the bank program until you have a specific flight. Transfers to Qatar are one way.
Book while the rules are relaxed. Qatar introduced the restriction quietly in June and removed it quietly in September. A program that reverses itself twice in three months can do it a third time.
What this means for you
If you were holding off on Qatar Avios because you could not book for family, the block is gone. Open the account now, since the 30-day wait still applies. If you have Amex points and a Qatar flight in mind, the 30% bonus through September 27 is the better of the two dates to plan around.
For the basics on moving points between programs, read our beginner's guide to transfer bonuses.
Subscribe to the TravelPointsPro newsletter for the next program rule change, on the day it happens.
FAQ
Can you book Qatar Airways awards for someone else now?
Yes. Qatar Airways Privilege Club lets you book for up to 4 people on My List and up to 6 on Family & Friends once your account is 30 days old. No flight or card activity is required as of September 15, 2026.
Do you still need to fly Qatar Airways before booking for others?
No. Qatar Airways Privilege Club removed the qualifying activity requirement on September 15, 2026. The rule had required a flight credited to Qatar or a partner airline, or one co-branded card transaction.
Which US programs transfer to Qatar Avios?
American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One and Bilt transfer to Qatar Airways Privilege Club at 1:1. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus, and those Avios move to Qatar at 1:1.
Did elite status ever get around the rule?
Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold and Platinum members were exempted on July 22, 2026. Status from American, Alaska or other oneworld airlines did not qualify. The exemption no longer matters, since the rule is gone for everyone.
Is the Amex 30% Avios transfer bonus still live?
Yes. American Express Membership Rewards transfer to British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Qatar Airways Avios with a 30% bonus through September 27, 2026.
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