Qatar Qsuites are some of the most coveted airplane seats ever crafted. As repeat TPG award winners, Qsuites are widely considered to be the best business class experience — particularly for couples, as select seats can be combined and converted into a double bed.
There are three popular airline currencies for booking Qsuites:
These three programs offer a great deal for airfare that can otherwise breach $4,000 one-way. It’s certainly possible to book with other airline currencies, of course; the problem is that those miles tend to either be difficult to earn or pass along prohibitive fuel surcharges — or both.
Of the above three popular currencies, Qatar Airways Avios are not the cheapest. But you may want to book through Qatar, anyway. Here’s why.
Related: 4 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Iberia and British Airways
Use the Qatar Airways calendar to book well beyond other airline sites
When booking through the Qatar Airways website, you’ll see available dates up to 361 days into the future. This works in your favor when searching for Qatar Qsuite availability.
For comparison, American Airlines allows you to book up to 331 days in advance.
British Airways, on the other hand, allows flights to be booked up to 355 days early.
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However, Qatar’s website gives award space that’s about a week further out than British Airways — and a full month before anyone can book with AAdvantage miles.
There’s generally plenty of availability at the end of Qatar’s calendar. You can even confirm that these seats are Qsuites by referencing TPG’s ultimate guide to Qatar Qsuites.
Related: How to book Qatar Qsuites to the Maldives for just 85,000 points
So why is this such a big deal? There are two main reasons that you should consider taking advantage of Qatar’s lengthier-than-normal calendar.
1. General availability
Because Qsuites are such hot commodities, this is a good tactic for when you’re having a really hard time finding award inventory. Qsuites are generally scattered throughout the calendar, but sometimes it’s challenging to find anything.
However, since Qatar opens up its calendar before any other program, you should have an easier time finding seats, especially for multiple people. You may even be able to secure a quad seating arrangement for travelers of four.
2. More easily dictate your dates
Again, Qsuites can get scooped up quickly — particularly for popular dates. Many of us who are looking for these seats have to plan our vacation around when they’re available. Not everyone can do that.
If you can plan a vacation a year in advance (perhaps you’ve got PTO at the same time every year), this can be a huge help. Exactly 361 days before you’d like to take your vacation, hop on Qatar’s website and check your dates to see if you can confirm flights.
Still, that’s no guarantee of availability — especially during peak season.
Earning Qatar Avios is easier than you think
Currently, the only flexible rewards programs that transfer to Qatar Airways are American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
However, there’s an easy trick that makes Qatar Avios quite literally one of the easiest rewards currencies to earn: You can convert British Airways Avios to Qatar Avios instantly at a 1:1 ratio. And British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner of the following transferable currencies:
Dozens of credit cards earn these rewards — including popular options like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. You can read our guide to the best travel credit cards to see which one is best for you.
In other words: You can, by proxy, convert all transferable currencies to Qatar Avios. That makes your Qsuite bucket list item one of the easiest to achieve with just a credit card welcome bonus or two.
Related: How to transfer your Avios between British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus accounts
Bottom line
The Qatar Airways award calendar opens further into the future than both American Airlines and British Airways — both of which are extremely popular booking platforms for reserving Qatar’s Qsuites.
By using Qatar Avios to book your flights, you can call dibs on seats that those with AA miles and British Airways Avios can’t even see yet. And the fewer travelers you’re forced to squabble over availability with, the better.
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