Qatar Airways Privilege Club + Avios for Indians 2026 — Earning, Status, Redemption
By Kabir Malhotra (Kabir Malhotra writes about how Indian travel buyers actually pay — UPI vs credit card vs forex card surcharges, reward-point math on the top travel credit cards, RBI tokenisation, EMI-on-flights and the small fees that compound across a year of bookings.) · Published · 13 min read
Qatar Airways switched Privilege Club to Avios as its core currency in 2023 — a structural change that gave Indian flyers access to a much wider redemption universe including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and Qantas Avios. With lower award taxes than Emirates and 90+ weekly Doha flights from India, this is the loyalty programme more Indians should be using.
The 2023 Avios switch and why it changed the calculus for Indian flyers
Qatar Airways' Privilege Club programme went through a fundamental restructure in March 2023. The old "Qmiles" currency was replaced with Avios — the shared loyalty currency used by British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Vueling Club and (separately) Qantas Frequent Flyer. The change wasn't cosmetic: post-2023, Avios earned on Qatar Airways flights can be transferred 1:1 between Privilege Club and BA Executive Club, between Privilege Club and Iberia Plus, and so on. This effectively gave Indian Qatar Airways flyers access to BA's Avios award chart (which prices several short-haul European Business Class awards meaningfully cheaper than Qatar's own chart), Iberia's discounted off-peak awards to South America, and the rest of the multi-airline Avios ecosystem.
The other structural change in 2023: Privilege Club split status from the spending currency. Qpoints are now the status currency (you earn Qpoints by flying Qatar Airways and qualifying oneworld partners, and Qpoints determine your tier — Burgundy / Silver / Gold / Platinum). Avios are the spend-and-redeem currency. The two don't interchange.
For Indian flyers, this matters because Qatar Airways now operates 90-plus weekly flights from India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad). It's the most-direct competitor to Emirates on every India-Europe / India-Africa / India-Americas routing via the Gulf, and the award taxes on Privilege Club redemptions are meaningfully lower than Emirates Skywards. DOH-LHR in Business Saver via Privilege Club costs roughly 70,000-90,000 Avios + ₹15,000-25,000 in taxes; the comparable Skywards redemption is 90,000 miles + ₹40,000-50,000 in taxes. That ₹20,000-25,000 difference in cash taxes per redemption adds up across a year of premium flying.
This guide covers Privilege Club end-to-end for Indian flyers: how to earn Avios from Indian credit cards and Qatar flights, how Qpoints status works in 2026, where the Avios sweet spots actually are (including the BA short-haul Europe Avios redemptions accessible via transfer), and the limitations.
The four Privilege Club tiers and the Qpoints required
Privilege Club has four published tiers as of 2026: Burgundy (entry), Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Status qualification is now based on Qpoints, earned on flights operated by Qatar Airways and select oneworld partners (American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Sri Lankan Airlines).
Burgundy: free entry. No status benefits. The default state.
Silver: 25 Qpoints in 12 consecutive months. Benefits: oneworld Ruby equivalent — priority check-in, priority boarding, slight earning bonus on Avios. Achievable for an Indian flyer who does roughly four BOM-DOH-Europe round trips in Economy Flex per year.
Gold: 80 Qpoints in 12 months. Benefits: oneworld Sapphire — lounge access at all oneworld lounges worldwide (BA Galleries Club, AA Admirals Club, JAL Sakura Lounge, Cathay, Iberia, Sri Lankan — this is the genuinely useful tier for an Indian flyer). Achievable on roughly seven BOM-DOH-Europe round trips in Economy Flex Plus per year, or four to five in Business Saver. This is the tier I'd target for an Indian flyer doing 4-6 international trips on Qatar / oneworld per year.
Platinum: 160 Qpoints in 12 months. Benefits: oneworld Emerald — First Class lounge access regardless of cabin flown (Qantas First Lounge LAX / SYD, Cathay First The Pier and The Wing, JAL First Lounge, BA Concorde Room access where eligible, AA Flagship First Lounge). Plus guaranteed Business award seats, additional baggage. The mile threshold requires fifteen-plus BOM-DOH-Europe round trips in Economy Flex Plus or eight to ten in Business per year — realistic for Indian senior executives on heavy travel schedules, not for leisure flyers.
The Qpoints earning rate by cabin and booking class on Qatar Airways-operated flights is published on qatarairways.com — the rough scale: Economy Promo (cheapest) earns 0.5-1 Qpoints per sector, Economy Classic earns 1-2 Qpoints, Economy Flex earns 2-3 Qpoints, Business Promo earns 4-5 Qpoints, Business Flex earns 7-10 Qpoints, First Promo earns 8-10 Qpoints, First Flex earns 12-16 Qpoints per sector. The numbers vary by sector distance — long-haul earns more Qpoints per sector than short-haul.
The math: a BOM-DOH-LHR-DOH-BOM trip in Business Saver earns roughly 18-25 Qpoints (depending on exact fare bucket). Four such round trips a year is 72-100 Qpoints — comfortably across the 80-Qpoint Gold threshold. Three round trips puts you at Silver but not quite Gold. For Indian flyers planning to chase Privilege Club Gold, four Business Saver round trips per year to Europe is the realistic minimum. Eight Economy Flex round trips also gets there but is more flying for less comfort.
Like KrisFlyer and Skywards, credit-card-transferred Avios do NOT earn Qpoints. Status comes from flying. Avios from credit cards fund redemptions only.
Earning Avios on Indian-departure Qatar Airways routes
Privilege Club awards Avios on Qatar Airways-operated flights based on the cabin and fare bucket flown, not strictly on distance. The published earning rates are: Economy Promo 100 percent of distance, Economy Classic 125 percent, Economy Flex 200 percent, Business Promo 300 percent, Business Flex 500 percent, First Flex 700-800 percent. The percentages are multiplied by the distance flown in miles.
The six most-flown Indian-departure Qatar Airways routes and their distances:
Delhi (DEL) to Doha (DOH): distance 2,917 km / 1,813 miles. Economy Classic one-way earns 2,266 Avios, Economy Flex earns 3,626, Business Promo earns 5,439, Business Flex earns 9,065.
Mumbai (BOM) to Doha (DOH): distance 2,464 km / 1,531 miles. Economy Classic earns 1,914 Avios, Economy Flex earns 3,062, Business Promo earns 4,593, Business Flex earns 7,655.
Kolkata (CCU) to Doha (DOH): distance 4,233 km / 2,631 miles. Economy Classic 3,289, Business Promo 7,893.
Bengaluru (BLR) to Doha (DOH): distance 3,372 km / 2,095 miles. Economy Classic 2,619, Business Promo 6,285.
Chennai (MAA) to Doha (DOH): distance 3,477 km / 2,160 miles. Economy Classic 2,700, Business Promo 6,480.
Hyderabad (HYD) to Doha (DOH): distance 3,156 km / 1,961 miles. Economy Classic 2,451, Business Promo 5,883.
A round-trip BOM-DOH-LHR in Business Promo earns roughly 17,000-20,000 Avios on the QR flights alone (depending on the exact long-haul DOH-LHR distance counted). Combined with credit-card transfers, this is the meaningful earning pattern for the Indian Qatar Airways flyer.
The Qpoints earning on the same routes is what matters more for status — see the Qpoints calculator on qatarairways.com for the per-route, per-fare-bucket breakdown. As a rule of thumb, longer Indian routes (CCU, MAA, COK) earn more Qpoints per round trip than shorter ones (BOM, DEL).
oneworld partner earning — Qatar lets you earn Avios from BA, Cathay, AA, JAL flights
Privilege Club credits Avios on flights operated by ten oneworld airlines plus Qatar Airways itself. For Indian flyers, the partners that matter most are:
British Airways: BA's own loyalty programme is BA Executive Club, also Avios-denominated. You can either credit BA-operated flights to BA Executive Club (their home programme) or to Privilege Club. The earn rate is the same in both cases. The strategic choice: credit to Privilege Club if you're chasing Qatar Gold (Qpoints) and the BA flight earns Qpoints toward your Privilege Club tier. Credit to BA Executive Club if you have specific BA-side benefits (Gold Guest List, lifetime status build-up). Most Indian Avios optimisers credit BA-operated flights to Privilege Club specifically because Qatar's Saver redemptions out of India are better-priced than BA's redemptions out of LHR.
Cathay Pacific: useful for Indian flyers connecting through Hong Kong to East Asia / North America. CX BOM-HKG-JFK in Business credits a meaningful Avios chunk to Privilege Club (~25,000-30,000 Avios) plus 6-8 Qpoints toward status. Cathay's own Asia Miles is the alternative; pick Privilege Club if you want a single Avios balance for European-focused redemptions, Asia Miles if you want HK-Asia redemption flexibility.
Japan Airlines (JAL): limited Indian routings (JAL doesn't fly to India in 2026), but if you're routing via Tokyo on a JAL ticket, credit to Privilege Club for Avios + Qpoints.
American Airlines: useful for the Indian flyer with intra-USA flying after the international leg. AA-operated domestic US flights earn modest Avios on Privilege Club; not the best value but cleaner than juggling AAdvantage separately.
Sri Lankan Airlines: relevant for Indian flyers using UL for Maldives / Colombo / regional routing. Credit to Privilege Club for Avios; their own FlySmiLes is the alternative.
The Star Alliance / Skywards equivalent benefit Privilege Club Gold gives you (oneworld Sapphire) lets you access all oneworld lounges worldwide regardless of which oneworld airline operated the flight you're on — Cathay The Pier in HKG, JAL Sakura Lounge in NRT, BA Galleries Club in LHR, Iberia in MAD, AA Admirals Club at every major US airport. For an Indian flyer who flies multiple oneworld airlines a year, consolidating Qpoints into Privilege Club Gold gives you a single status that unlocks the entire alliance lounge network.
The Avios universe — transfers between BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and Qantas
This is the structural advantage of being in the Avios ecosystem versus being in Skywards. Avios are shared (with 1:1 transferability) between five programmes:
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (your primary balance if you're earning from Indian Qatar flights and Indian credit cards).
British Airways Executive Club (BA's home programme; useful for BA-specific reward chart advantages, e.g., BA's short-haul Europe Business Class redemptions are sometimes cheaper than Qatar's chart).
Iberia Plus (Iberia's home programme; useful for Iberia's off-peak award discounts to South America — IBR LHR-EZE / MAD-EZE in Business Saver during off-peak can cost 50,000-60,000 Avios, materially less than the BA or QR chart on the same route).
Aer Lingus AerClub (Aer Lingus's home programme; useful for transatlantic Business Class to USA from Dublin — DUB-JFK in Business via AerClub Avios off-peak is around 60,000 Avios).
Vueling Club (Vueling's loyalty programme; useful for cheap intra-Europe Vueling redemptions, low-value individually but a stash for cheap European positioning flights).
Qantas Frequent Flyer uses a separate "Qantas Points" currency that is NOT directly interchangeable with Avios — there's a distinct Qantas Points / Avios conversion offered occasionally but not as a normal transfer. Don't confuse Qantas Points with the Avios universe.
The transfer mechanics: log into your Privilege Club account, navigate to the Combine Avios tool, choose the partner programme (BA / Iberia / Aer Lingus / Vueling), enter the amount, confirm. Transfers process instantly to within 24 hours. Free of charge.
The strategic implication: for any specific redemption, check the award chart in ALL FIVE programmes and transfer to the cheapest one. A LHR-MAD short-haul Business Saver on BA / Iberia might cost 17,500 Avios via BA Executive Club but 22,500 Avios via Privilege Club's own chart — transfer your Avios from Privilege Club to BA, then redeem via BA. This trick is the single biggest value-add of being in the Avios ecosystem vs Skywards (which has no transfer partners).
The reverse also matters: if you earn Avios from British Airways' BA Amex card (UK-issued, used by Indian NRIs in UK or Indian travellers with UK family billing addresses), transferring those BA Avios to Privilege Club to redeem on Qatar Airways out of India is a common optimiser play.
Indian credit cards that earn Avios — fewer than KrisFlyer but useful
Indian credit-card transfer partners for Privilege Club / Avios are narrower than KrisFlyer but the key ones are well-covered:
HDFC Infinia: 1 reward point = 1 Avios via SmartBuy transfer to Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Annual cap on SmartBuy airline transfers is typically 100,000 points per calendar year on Infinia. Effective earn: ₹3 lakh of retail spend produces 10,000 Avios.
HDFC Diners Club Black: 1:1 transfer to Avios via SmartBuy, with a lower annual cap (typically 60,000 points).
Citi PremierMiles and Citi Prestige: 1:1 transfer to Avios via Citi Rewards portal. Legacy holders only (Citi exited Indian consumer cards via the 2023 Axis acquisition).
Standard Chartered Ultimate: 1 reward point = 1 Avios, transferred via the SC360 Rewards portal. Ultimate earns 5 reward points per ₹150 on most spend — comparable to Infinia in effective rate. SC also runs occasional transfer bonuses (30-50 percent extra Avios on transfers, typically 2-3 times a year) — time large transfers to bonus windows.
Axis Atlas via EDGE Miles: 1:1 transfer to Avios. Atlas at 10 EDGE Miles per ₹100 of direct travel spend remains the most efficient per-rupee feeder. ₹1 lakh travel spend = 10,000 Avios.
American Express Membership Rewards (Platinum Travel / Platinum Charge): 1 MR point = 1 Avios on transfer to BA Executive Club. This is a meaningfully better Amex ratio than Skywards or KrisFlyer get from Amex (which are 4:1 and 2:1 respectively). For Indian Amex holders, BA Executive Club via Amex MR is the right transfer target — then move Avios from BA to Privilege Club via the Avios Combine tool if you want to redeem on Qatar.
The math: a 90,000-Avios DOH-LHR Business Saver redemption from Privilege Club can be funded by ₹27 lakh of Infinia retail spend, ₹9 lakh of Atlas travel spend, ₹27 lakh of SC Ultimate spend, or ₹45 lakh of Amex MR spend (1 MR per ₹50, 1:1 transfer to BA, transfer to Privilege Club). Atlas is most efficient per rupee; Amex MR is decent if you have legacy Platinum Travel and want to use it for Avios specifically.
One Indian-specific tactic: Standard Chartered Ultimate transfers to BA Executive Club run periodic 35-50 percent transfer bonuses. During a 50 percent bonus, ₹3 lakh of SC Ultimate spend (which earns 10,000 reward points) becomes 15,000 Avios after the bonus. Watch the SC360 Rewards portal in March / September / November windows.
The Privilege Club / Avios award chart and the sweet spots from India
Privilege Club's award chart is distance-based with bands. The key Indian-relevant one-way Saver redemptions:
India to Doha (DOH): Economy Saver ~10,500 Avios, Business Saver 30,000-35,000 Avios. Award taxes ~₹3,500-5,000 in Economy, ~₹7,500-10,000 in Business. Cash Business fares BOM-DOH run ₹60,000-90,000; per-Avios value on the Business Saver redemption nets out around ₹1.50-₹2.50 per Avios.
Doha to Europe (DOH-LHR/CDG/FRA/AMS/BCN): Economy Saver ~30,000 Avios, Business Saver 70,000-90,000 Avios (the range depends on specific city — LHR is at the higher end at 90k, CDG/FRA/AMS at 80-85k, secondary Europe cities at 70k). Award taxes ~₹15,000-25,000 in Business (lower than Skywards' ₹40,000-50,000 on the comparable DXB-Europe routing). Cash Business fares DOH-LHR run ₹130,000-200,000; per-Avios value net of taxes clears ₹1.30-₹2 per Avios on the Business Saver.
India to Europe routed via Doha (BOM-DOH-LHR / DEL-DOH-FRA, etc.) as a single connected award: Economy Saver ~45,000-50,000 Avios, Business Saver 100,000-120,000 Avios + ₹20,000-30,000 taxes. Compare to Skywards (90,000 miles + ₹40-50k taxes via DXB) and KrisFlyer (92,000 miles + ₹4,500 taxes via SIN). Privilege Club sits between KrisFlyer and Skywards on per-mile value for India-Europe Business, and is materially better than Skywards because of lower taxes.
Doha to Africa (DOH-Nairobi / DOH-Cape Town / DOH-Johannesburg): Business Saver 60,000-75,000 Avios + manageable taxes. Strong value for safari and South Africa trips routed via DOH.
Doha to USA (DOH-JFK / DOH-LAX / DOH-ORD): Business Saver 110,000-130,000 Avios. Taxes ~₹25,000-35,000.
Doha to Maldives (DOH-MLE): Business Saver 35,000-40,000 Avios. Sweet spot — comparable to the Skywards DXB-MLE redemption but at lower mile cost.
India to Maldives routed via Doha: Business Saver 55,000-65,000 Avios + low taxes. A genuinely good redemption that doesn't get talked about enough.
The BA Avios short-haul Europe trick — using Privilege Club Avios for European Business Saver
This is the single biggest tactical advantage of being in the Avios ecosystem rather than Skywards. BA Executive Club's reward chart prices short-haul intra-Europe Business Class flights meaningfully cheaper than Privilege Club's own chart prices comparable redemptions.
BA's distance-based zone chart for short-haul Europe Business Class:
Zone 1 (under 650 miles, e.g., LHR-CDG, LHR-AMS, LHR-DUB): 12,500 Avios + £35 in cash off-peak; 15,000 Avios + £50 cash peak.
Zone 2 (651-1,151 miles, e.g., LHR-MAD, LHR-ZRH, LHR-BCN, LHR-VIE): 17,500 Avios + £45 cash off-peak; 21,000 Avios + £55 peak.
Zone 3 (1,151-2,000 miles, e.g., LHR-IST, LHR-ATH, LHR-LIS): 21,000 Avios + £50 cash off-peak; 25,000 Avios + £55 peak.
The play: an Indian Privilege Club member with 50,000 Avios can transfer to BA Executive Club (1:1, instant) and book two short-haul European Business Saver legs at 17,500 Avios each, leaving 15,000 Avios for a Zone 1 redemption later. That's three short-haul European Business Class flights from 50,000 Avios — vs the Privilege Club chart which would price the same redemptions at 25,000-35,000 Avios each (75,000-105,000 Avios for three flights).
The real Indian-flyer use case: you've flown BOM-DOH-LHR on a Privilege Club Business Saver redemption (100k Avios). Now you want to extend onward to Madrid, Vienna and Lisbon over a week. Transfer 50,000 Avios from Privilege Club to BA, redeem three intra-Europe Business Saver hops via BA Executive Club. Total trip cost: 150,000 Avios for India-Europe-multi-city Business, vs 200,000+ Avios if booked entirely on the Privilege Club chart.
The catch: BA charges higher fuel surcharges than Privilege Club on long-haul Avios redemptions (BA LHR-JFK Business Saver costs roughly the same Avios as Privilege Club DOH-LHR Business Saver but with £400+ in cash taxes vs Privilege Club's ₹20-25k). Use BA Avios for short-haul Europe; use Privilege Club Avios for India-Doha and Doha-Europe; use Iberia Plus Avios for off-peak South America. The Avios ecosystem rewards optimising across the five programmes — that's the structural advantage.
Putting it together — a realistic Privilege Club / Avios strategy for 2026
For Indian flyers, here's the 2026 playbook for Privilege Club / Avios.
Open Privilege Club if you haven't. Open BA Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub and Vueling Club as well — they're free, and the Combine Avios tool requires both accounts active to transfer between them.
Pick a primary credit-card feeder. Axis Atlas (10 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on travel, 1:1 to Avios) is the per-rupee best. Standard Chartered Ultimate (5 RP per ₹150, 1:1 to Avios, frequent transfer bonuses) is the per-bonus-window best — time large transfers to SC's 35-50 percent bonus promotions. HDFC Infinia at 1:1 with 100k annual cap is a solid third. Amex MR via BA Executive Club at 1:1 is the right Amex play.
Decide your status target. Privilege Club Gold (80 Qpoints in 12 months) is the genuinely valuable tier — oneworld Sapphire lounge access at hundreds of airports worldwide. Four BOM-DOH-Europe round trips in Business Saver gets you there. Don't pursue Platinum unless you're doing 8+ Business round trips a year — the threshold isn't realistic for leisure flyers.
Focus redemptions on the strong corridors: India-Europe Business Saver via Doha (100-120k Avios, ₹20-30k taxes) is the headline value. India-Maldives Business Saver via Doha (55-65k Avios, low taxes) is the under-talked-about sweet spot. India-Africa Business Saver via Doha (90-110k Avios) wins for safari trips. Avoid burning Avios on Economy redemptions where per-mile value rarely clears ₹1.
Use the Avios Combine tool aggressively. Any specific redemption — check Privilege Club, BA Executive Club, and Iberia Plus charts. Transfer to whichever is cheapest. The 1:1 transfer between Avios programmes is the structural advantage you're paying for by being in this ecosystem rather than KrisFlyer or Skywards.
Watch Standard Chartered Ultimate's transfer bonus calendar (March / September / November typically). A 50 percent bonus on a 60,000-point transfer becomes 90,000 Avios — that's most of a DOH-LHR Business Saver redemption from a single transfer.
Don't hoard. The Avios programmes have devalued individually but the ecosystem's flexibility (transfer to wherever is cheapest) gives you partial protection against any single programme's nerfs. Still — earn and redeem within 18-24 months, not five years.
Frequently asked questions
Are Privilege Club Avios the same as British Airways Avios?
Yes, for transfer and value purposes. Post the 2023 Avios switch, Privilege Club uses Avios as its core currency, and Avios are transferable 1:1 between Privilege Club, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub and Vueling Club. The redemption charts differ between programmes (BA charts short-haul Europe Business Class cheaper than Privilege Club; Privilege Club charts long-haul DOH-Europe Business cheaper than BA's comparable LHR-Europe routings), so the optimiser play is to check all five charts and transfer to the cheapest for any specific redemption.
Why are Qatar Airways award taxes lower than Emirates?
Doha airport charges are lower than Dubai's, and Qatar Airways absorbs a larger share of fuel surcharges on award tickets than Emirates does. A DOH-LHR Business Saver redemption typically costs ₹15,000-25,000 in cash taxes on top of the 70,000-90,000 Avios; the equivalent Skywards DXB-LHR Business Saver costs ₹40,000-50,000 in taxes on top of the 90,000 miles. The ₹20-25k tax difference per redemption is the single biggest reason Indian Avios optimisers prefer Privilege Club over Skywards for India-Europe Business redemptions.
Can I status-match from Skywards Gold to Privilege Club Gold?
Sometimes yes, on a campaign basis. Qatar Airways occasionally runs status-match offers for elite members of competing programmes (Emirates Skywards Gold, Etihad Guest Gold, Lufthansa Senator, etc.) — typically a six-month trial with a flying threshold to lock in permanent Gold. There's no published permanent status-match form on qatarairways.com in 2026, but writing to Privilege Club customer service with credible evidence of your flying pattern occasionally produces an offer. Success rate is similar to Skywards — around 30-40 percent for credible asks.
What's the best-value Privilege Club redemption from India?
India-Maldives Business Saver routed via Doha at 55,000-65,000 Avios plus low taxes (~₹6,000-10,000 total). Cash Business fares India-MLE via DOH run ₹130,000-180,000, putting per-Avios value at ₹1.90-₹2.90 net of taxes — comparable to the strongest KrisFlyer redemptions. India-Europe Business via DOH at 100-120k Avios + ₹20-30k taxes is the higher-spend headliner. Avoid Economy redemptions where per-Avios value rarely clears ₹1.
Should I credit BA-operated flights to Privilege Club or BA Executive Club?
Privilege Club, if you're chasing Privilege Club Gold (Qpoints qualification). BA-operated flights credit Qpoints toward your Privilege Club tier the same way Qatar-operated flights do. Credit to BA Executive Club only if you specifically want to build BA tier status (Gold Guest List, BA's lifetime status structure) or if you have a BA-specific reason. Most Indian Avios optimisers credit everything to Privilege Club and use the Combine Avios tool to move Avios between programmes for redemption purposes.
Does Standard Chartered Ultimate really do 50 percent Avios transfer bonuses?
Yes, intermittently. SC360 Rewards runs transfer bonuses to BA Executive Club (and via Combine, into Privilege Club) several times a year — typically 30-50 percent extra Avios on transfers, with windows lasting 2-4 weeks. The largest bonuses tend to land in March, September and November in recent years. Time your large transfers to bonus windows — a 60,000-point transfer at a 50 percent bonus becomes 90,000 Avios, materially shifting the economics on big redemptions. Don't transfer outside bonus windows unless you have a specific imminent redemption.