Qatar Airways just made it harder to use your transferable credit card points to book Qsuite for a companion. As of June 2026, the airline tightened its rules for booking award seats for others, specifically targeting the practice of transferring points to a friend’s account to grab two Qsuites on the same flight.
Here’s the short version: You can no longer transfer Avios to another person’s Qatar Airways account and have them book their own seat as a separate passenger. The airline now flags this as a “third-party booking” and can cancel the reservation. But you still have three solid workarounds—and one new trick that actually makes the process easier than before.
Photo by Lukas Souza on Unsplash
What Changed in 2026
Ben Smithson broke the news last week: Qatar Airways now requires the Avios used for a booking to belong to the account holder traveling, or to a direct family member listed on the account. If you transfer 70,000 Avios to your friend’s account so they can book their own Qsuite, Qatar’s system will flag the mismatch between the Avios source and the traveler’s name.
This kills the old “transfer and book separately” method that points bloggers have recommended for years.
The rule applies to all Avios bookings, not just Qsuite. But because Qsuite is the most sought-after business class product on earth (and the one you’re most likely to book months in advance), this change hurts the most here.
Why now? Qatar has been bleeding revenue from third-party points brokers who buy Avios in bulk and book seats for strangers. The airline wants to ensure Avios are used by the actual account holder. Your weekend trip with a friend got caught in the crossfire.
The Three Ways to Still Book Two Qsuites with Points
You have three legitimate options. One is slightly worse than before. Two are actually better.
| Method | How It Works | Avios Cost (DOH-JFK round trip, June 2026) | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Account | Pool Avios with your companion in one household account | 70,000 per person (same as before) | Complies with new rules; only one account to manage | Requires proof of same address; takes 24 hours to set up | Couples or roommates who live together |
| Book Both on One Itinerary | Use your Avios to book two seats on the same PNR | 70,000 per person | Simple; no account sharing; you control the booking | Must have enough Avios in your account; companion can’t modify their seat | Solo travelers with enough points for two |
| New Award Calendar “See More Dates” Hack | Use Qatar’s updated calendar interface to find two-seat availability | 70,000 per person (off-peak) or 85,000 (peak) | Shows exact days with 2+ Qsuite seats; easier than old method | Requires flexible dates; calendar only shows 30 days at a time | Anyone with schedule flexibility |
Method 1: Set Up a Qatar Airways Family Account
This is the most direct fix. Qatar allows you to pool Avios with up to eight family members living at the same address. Once you’re in a family account, any member can use the pooled Avios to book for any other member.
How to do it:
- Log into your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account.
- Go to “Family Account” under your profile.
- Add your companion (name, date of birth, address that matches yours).
- Qatar will verify the address. This usually takes 24 hours, but I’ve seen it clear in four.
- Once approved, transfer your Avios into the family pool.
- Your companion can then book their Qsuite using the pooled Avios.
Pros:
- Fully compliant with the new rules.
- You can pool Avios from multiple sources (Amex, Chase, Citi, British Airways).
- Each member keeps their own tier status.
Cons:
- You must share a residential address. No exceptions.
- It takes time to set up. Don’t try this the day before departure.
- If you move, you need to update the address for all members.
Who it’s best for: Couples, siblings, or close friends who live together.
Method 2: Book Both Seats on One Itinerary
This is the simplest method if you have enough Avios in your own account. You book a single reservation for two passengers. You are the primary traveler; your companion is listed as the second passenger. Both seats are on the same booking reference.
How to do it:
- Search for your flight on qatarairways.com.
- Select “2 Passengers” under number of travelers.
- Use Avios as your payment method.
- Enter your companion’s details (name, date of birth, passport number).
- Pay the taxes and fees for both seats.
Pros:
- No account sharing required.
- You control the entire booking.
- If you need to cancel or change, you handle it once.
Cons:
- You need double the Avios in your account (140,000 for two one-way Qsuites from Doha to JFK).
- Your companion can’t log into their own account to manage their seat selection or add baggage.
- If you cancel, both seats are gone.
Who it’s best for: Solo travelers who’ve hoarded enough Avios for two, or business travelers expensing one seat and paying points for the other.
Method 3: The New Award Calendar Trick (This Is the Game Changer)
Here’s the piece that most travel blogs are missing. Qatar quietly rolled out a new award calendar interface in May 2026. It shows you exactly which dates have two or more Qsuite award seats available—without you having to search day by day.
How to use it:
- Log into your Qatar Airways account.
- Run a standard award search (e.g., Doha to New York, June 2026).
- Switch the payment method to “Avios” on the search results page.
- On the right side of the screen, you’ll see a button that says “SEE MORE DATES” .
- Click it. A calendar pops up showing 30 days of availability.
- Green dots = 2+ Qsuite seats available. Yellow = 1 seat. Red = 0 seats.
This is the feature Max Miles Points covered in their recent YouTube video. It’s a massive improvement over the old system where you had to click into each individual date to see if two seats were available.
Pros:
- Instantly find dates with two Qsuite award seats.
- Saves 20–30 minutes of clicking per search.
- Works for both one-way and round-trip.
Cons:
- Only shows 30 days at a time. You have to manually scroll to the next month.
- Calendar doesn’t show the exact number of seats, just green/yellow/red.
- Still subject to Qatar’s dynamic pricing. Green doesn’t mean cheap.
Who it’s best for: Anyone with flexible dates. If you can move your trip by a day or two, this calendar will find you two Qsuites that you’d otherwise miss.
Photo by PiggyBank on Unsplash
Real-World Example: Booking Two Qsuites from Doha to JFK
Let’s make this concrete. You want to fly Doha to New York JFK with a companion in Qsuite. You have 150,000 Avios in your account (transferred from American Express Membership Rewards).
Step 1: Log into your Qatar account. Search Doha to JFK, one-way, two passengers.
Step 2: Switch to Avios. Click “See More Dates.”
Step 3: The calendar shows June 28 as green. Click it. The flight at 9:15 AM shows “2 seats available” at 70,000 Avios each.
Step 4: Proceed to booking. Enter your companion’s details. Pay $210 in taxes and fees total ($105 per person).
Step 5: Choose your seats. Qsuite has door-closing privacy. Pick two middle seats in the same row if you want to talk, or two window seats if you want separate space.
Total cost: 140,000 Avios + $210. That’s roughly $2,800 in value per seat if you’d paid cash ($5,600 total for two). You’re saving about $5,390.
Why This Matters Right Now (June 2026)
Qatar is flying more Qsuite-equipped aircraft than ever before. The airline has retrofitted 12 additional Boeing 777s with Qsuite in the last six months, meaning more routes and more seats. But demand has also spiked—everyone wants to try the product before the new “Qsuite Next Gen” launches in late 2027.
The rule change came without warning. If you had plans to use Avios for a companion booking in July or August, you need to act now. Family accounts take time. The calendar hack works best for fall and winter 2026 when availability is wider.
FAQ
Q: Can I still transfer Avios from my Amex or Chase account to my companion’s Qatar account? A: Yes, you can still transfer points to their Avios account. But they can only use those Avios to book a seat for themselves if you are listed as a family member on the same address. Otherwise, Qatar will flag the booking and may cancel it.
Q: Does the new rule affect bookings made before June 2026? A: No. If you already have a Qsuite booking for later this year with a companion on a separate PNR, you’re fine. The rule applies to new bookings only.
Q: Can I book two Qsuites using two different points programs (e.g., 70,000 Avios from my account and 70,000 Avios from my companion’s account)? A: Not on the same reservation. Qatar requires one form of payment per PNR. You’d have to book two separate reservations, which now violates the new rule unless you’re in a family account.
Q: What if I’m traveling with someone who has their own Avios and we’re not family? A: Your best bet is Method 2: book both seats on your account using your Avios. Then have your companion reimburse you. You can also consider transferring your Avios to British Airways Executive Club and booking Qsuite through BA’s program, which doesn’t have the same companion restriction (but BA charges higher fuel surcharges on Qatar flights).
Q: Is the “See More Dates” calendar available on the mobile app? A: Not yet. It’s currently only on the desktop website. The mobile app still shows the old day-by-day interface.
Q: Can I use the calendar trick to find Qsuite on the A350? A: Yes, but note that not all A350s have Qsuite. Qatar’s A350-1000s do. The A350-900s have a mix. The calendar will show “Qsuite” in the seat map if available.
Affiliate Disclosure
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Last updated: 2026-06-23