UPDATE: Qatar Airways’ new My List restrictions are now live. Privilege Club members can now create a personalized list of up to four other Privilege Club members for whom they may redeem Avios for award flights. Those members must be adults, must accept the invitation, and must remain on the list for at least six months.

There are also some important eligibility limits. A member may only be part of one My List at a time, and members who are already part of an existing Family & Friends group are not eligible to be added to My List. Qatar also says accounts must be at least 30 days old and must have completed at least one qualifying activity, such as a flown flight accrual or eligible co-branded credit card accrual transaction, before a member can create a My List.

Thus, the restriction I warned about below has now arrived. This may help reduce fraud and make Avios redemptions more secure, but it also makes Qatar Airways Privilege Club far less flexible for anyone who occasionally redeems miles for people outside a small pre-selected circle. Be warned.

My original article from May 12, 2026 is below.

Qatar Airways is tightening the screws on Avios redemptions, and while this is being framed as an anti-fraud move, it also represents a real loss of flexibility for Privilege Club members.

Qatar Airways Adds New Avios Redemption Limits To Combat Fraud

Currently, you can book an award from your Qatar Airways Privileges Club account for anyone…there are no restrictions as long as you have the traveler’s full name, passport number, and date of birth. Not surprisingly, that has led to a lot of fraud: the gray market for points resellers is big business and Qatar Airways made it easy enough for others to sell their points…until now.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is introducing a new “My List” feature that limits who members can redeem Avios for. Under the new rules, a member can add up to four other Privilege Club members to a personalized redemption list.

Those people must be adults, they must accept the invitation, and once added, they are locked in for six months. A Privilege Club member can only be part of one My List at a time, though that person can still create his or her own My List.

That sounds fairly simple, though the interaction with Qatar’s existing Family & Friends program isn’t clear to me.

Qatar already allows members to add up to six people to a Family & Friends group. Those people cannot be existing Privilege Club members. With the new My List feature, it appears Qatar is effectively creating a 6 + 4 structure: six non-Privilege Club Family & Friends nominees plus four Privilege Club members on My List.

Thus, your practical redemption limit will now now capped at 10 pre-identified people.

These changes are set to go into effect in early June 2026, though I have not found an exact date.

Miles Become More Inflexible…

For years, one of the useful things about many frequent flyer programs was the ability to redeem miles for almost anyone. A spouse, a parent, a friend, a cousin, a colleague, or even someone you were helping out in a pinch. That flexibility has been restricted by many loyalty programs and is now being restricted by Qatar Airways.

I understand why Qatar is doing this. Avios have become highly liquid. You can move them between British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Finnair, and that flexibility is great for legitimate members. It is also attractive to fraudsters. If a bad actor compromises an account, links it, moves Avios, and books a ticket for a third party, the damage can happen very quickly. If transferred from, say, from British Airways to Qatar Airways to book a last-minute Qatar Airways trip, fraudsters can get almost instantly get away with it.

A closed list makes that a bit harder. It does not make fraud impossible, but it adds friction and therefore while I do not like this change or any change that makes miles less flexible, I can at least appreciate why it is being implanted.

Still, let’s not pretend this is only a consumer-friendly security enhancement. It is also a significant restriction. If you have a large family, help friends with award bookings, or occasionally redeem for someone outside your immediate circle, Qatar Privilege Club will shortly become less useful.

The six-month lock-in also matters. You cannot simply add someone, book a ticket, remove that person, and add someone else the next day. Qatar is deliberately closing that loophole.

CONCLUSION

Qatar Airways is creating a tighter Avios redemption system built around named nominees: up to six Family & Friends members plus four “My List” members. That may help combat fraud, and I do not blame Qatar for wanting to protect accounts.

But the tradeoff is obvious. Avios are becoming more secure by becoming less flexible. For some members, that will be a reasonable compromise. For others, especially those who redeem for people outside a small circle, it is a clear devaluation of the program’s usefulness.

What do you think about these changes to Qatar Airways Privileges Clubs and its Avios?

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