If you've been sitting on a pile of Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios and hoping to book flights for a partner or relative, there's finally some good news. The airline has quietly scrapped the restrictive rules it introduced in July 2026 around using your points to book for other people.
When the changes first landed, Privilege Club became one of the strictest loyalty programs going. To redeem Avios for anyone other than yourself — even a travel companion — you first had to add them to your profile's "My List" or "Friends & Family" sections. And adding someone wasn't simple either: you needed to have done at least one of two things — credited an actual flight to your Privilege Club account (flying Qatar Airways or a partner), or made at least one eligible transaction with the program's co-branded credit card.
That meant point collectors who built balances through credit card transfers — arguably the program's biggest audience — were locked out of booking for anyone else unless they jumped through extra hoops. The stated logic was likely fraud prevention, since rewards brokers operate a grey market in booking awards for strangers. But critics argued the policy went well beyond what other airlines ask, punishing ordinary members rather than just brokers.
Now the rules have been quietly pared back. The only remaining requirement to add someone to your list is that your Privilege Club account is at least 30 days old — a basic anti-fraud measure most programs already have. In practice, members who previously didn't qualify are finding they can add travellers again, which confirms the change is real rather than just a website tweak.
Why the about-face? Most likely economics. Privilege Club earns money from its transferable points partnerships whether members redeem quickly or not — airlines get paid when points move in. If the harsh rules discouraged people from transferring points or opening accounts in the first place, the program would be losing more than it gained. A policy meant to boost flight crediting and card spend may simply have cost the program growth elsewhere, and executives noticed.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is simple: you can once again pool the value of your Avios across friends and family, which matters a lot with a program like Qatar's, where Avios can unlock excellent business and first class redemptions on one of the world's best-rated airlines. If you transferred points in and were waiting to book for someone else, you're unblocked — just remember your account needs to be at least 30 days old before you can add travellers. It's also a rare example of a loyalty program listening to pushback and reversing course, which may make Privilege Club feel like a slightly safer place to park points from other transferable currencies.