I wonder if you can give me some advice.

Pre Covid I’d travelled a lot with Qatar and gained Gold Status (which obviously has a OW equivalent). However, both mine and my partners gold Qatar status is due to expire at the end of the year.

I am reasonably new to the Avios game and a couple of years ago started to earn companion vouchers. I’ve used two of the premium vouchers and have one of the original also due to lapse, but lacking Avios is probably going to mean I lose that unless I can gain or buy enough to use it before the end of the year.

The question I have is whether there are any other options (such as how best to use it) with regards to my Qatar Status or do I just let it lapse? I was hopeful I could use my OW status for benefits such as free seat selection in CW but seemingly that’s reserved for BA status holders only.

Qatar fare prices are cost prohibitive when compared to companion vouchers. However, living in Manchester makes gaining BA status in my own right quite difficult.