Qatar Airways, one of the major and premium carriers in the Middle East has moved to clarify how Privilege Club status for its flights will be extended and renewed for the year 2026. Ever since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, the Middle Eastern airspace has been dealing with continuous disruptions in the form of flight cancellations and rescheduling.
Now, Qatar Airways has outlined new protections for members whose travel plans and tier review dates have been disrupted in recent months.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club 2026 guidelines
In an email to subscribers, Group CEO Hamad Al-Khater shared that the airline will be implementing tier status extensions for all members whose status was due for renewal during this period.
The airlines stated that eligible members will be contacted through email with further details coming through in the upcoming days. Addressing the operational halt, Al-Khater said: “On 28 February 2026, following the outbreak of conflict in our region, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority took the decision to close Qatari airspace, and we suspended our scheduled operation immediately. That decision was guided at every stage by one principle: the safety of our passengers and our people.”
While a full schedule of its operations has not yet been reinstated, the carrier has noted that its flight offerings are growing daily, pending authority approvals.
Addressing the backlog of traveller concerns, Al-Khater added that every open booking, refund request or unresolved complaint is a priority for the team and they are working to resolve each case.
What is Qatar Airways Privilege Club?
Qatar Airways is valued for its luxury offerings. The airline topped Sytrax’s rankings of the best airlines in 2025. It offers a Privilege Club to its frequent passengers, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers better rewards the more flights one takes with the airline.
By signing up, members can collect air miles to unlock perks. Distance-based rewards include earning Qpoints and Avios.
Qpoints are accumulated over a 12 or 24-month basis and basically determine one’s loyalty status with the airline. These are earned based on booking class and route. Other ways to accumulate Qpoints include booking vacation packages with Qatar, shopping and dining in Qatar Duty Free, spending with a Privilege Club credit card from Doha Bank or flying with a partner airline.
Avios are easier to collect as one rises through the airline’s membership tiers, depending also on the flight class. These can also be earned by flying with partner airlines, hotel stays, car rentals or spending on partner credit cards such as American Express.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club tiers
The airline’s privilege club has four tiers: burgundy, silver, gold and platinum. These are the respective benefits of each:
| Burgundy | 100% mileage per family member on all flights eligible for earning Avios10% discount on seat selectionShop & pay with Avios at Qatar Duty Free and Member Service Centre150 Qpoints in a 12-month period to upgrade to silver |
| Silver | 15kg extra baggage allowance25% Avios tier bonus on eligible flights by Qatar AirwaysPriority stand-byPriority check-in
Priority boarding 20% discount on seat selection Lounge access 135 Qpoints over 12 months or 270 Qpoints over 24 months to retain300 Qpoints in a 12-month period to upgrade to gold |
| Gold | 20kg extra baggage allowance75% Avios tier bonus on eligible flights on Qatar AirwaysPreferred seats40 Qcredits to redeem for upgrades, excess baggage and much more
Al Maha 'meet and assist' service 270 Qpoints over 12 months or 540 Qpoints over 24 months to retain600 Qpoints in a 12-month period to upgrade to gold |
| Platinum | 25kg extra baggage allowance100% Avios tier bonus on eligible flights by Qatar Airways60 Qcredits to redeem for upgrades, excess baggage and much moreNo Avios expiry540 Qpoints over 12 months or 1,080 Qpoints over 24 months to retain |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club status maintenance
For years, the carrier has used a system where each member has an individual tier review date, usually 12 months after their last qualification or renewal.
If a member fails to reach the required Qpoints by that date, their status is downgraded to the next lower tier, provided there has been some activity on the account over the preceding 24 months. In the absence of any accrual or redemption activity for two years, accounts typically revert to Burgundy, the entry-level tier.
However, in March 2024, the airline revised its tier renewal guidelines and allowed members to still retain benefits from the programme at the Burgundy level if they fall short of higher tiers.
Many members whose tier review dates fall in the first half of the year rely on heavy travel in March and April to earn the remaining Qpoints needed to renew Silver, Gold or Platinum. With itineraries cancelled, rerouted on partner airlines or postponed altogether, that strategy suddenly became less reliable. However, as per the recent directive, the status of these members may be extended by around 12 months from the original expiry date.
But for members whose renewal dates did not fall before, during or after the disruption window, the standard renewal rules remain in place. These members still need to meet the usual Qpoints and Qatar Airways flight activity thresholds within their individual qualification periods.
