Avios Newbie here, Upgrade Questions
May 15, 2024, 6:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2023
Posts: 13
Avios Newbie here, Upgrade Questions
I'm flying LAX-DOH for work but they're only paying for a fully refundable Economy ticket. I want to upgrade to Business using my Avios points. I only have a BA account with a few thousand points, but plenty of Amex points. Should I just transfer them to my BA account or does it make more sense enrolling In Qatar's Privilege Club and transferring the Amex points direct? Any tips or catches I should look out for? Do seats appear closer to the departure date? I'm locked into dates/flight times unfortunately.
May 16, 2024, 3:42 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2023
Programs: QR Gold
Posts: 20
You have to transfer them to BA -> “combine” your BA and QR accounts -> you can transfer avios between the accounts for free.
Seats can pop up closer to the time but it’s unlikely and I wouldn’t count on it. You may get lucky at the airport and be able to upgrade there if they are not fully booked.
The points you transfer from Amex will be stuck as avios with BA/QR so only transfer if you are able to upgrade/want to risk it at the airport and are happy for them to potentially remain unused.
Seats can pop up closer to the time but it’s unlikely and I wouldn’t count on it. You may get lucky at the airport and be able to upgrade there if they are not fully booked.
The points you transfer from Amex will be stuck as avios with BA/QR so only transfer if you are able to upgrade/want to risk it at the airport and are happy for them to potentially remain unused.
May 16, 2024, 5:43 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2023
Posts: 13
You have to transfer them to BA -> combine your BA and QR accounts -> you can transfer avios between the accounts for free.
Seats can pop up closer to the time but its unlikely and I wouldnt count on it. You may get lucky at the airport and be able to upgrade there if they are not fully booked.
The points you transfer from Amex will be stuck as avios with BA/QR so only transfer if you are able to upgrade/want to risk it at the airport and are happy for them to potentially remain unused.
Seats can pop up closer to the time but its unlikely and I wouldnt count on it. You may get lucky at the airport and be able to upgrade there if they are not fully booked.
The points you transfer from Amex will be stuck as avios with BA/QR so only transfer if you are able to upgrade/want to risk it at the airport and are happy for them to potentially remain unused.
May 17, 2024, 10:23 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 353
Thanks for the tips. How long do Amex points take to transfer to BA Avios? I've only transferred to Virgin and that is pretty much instantaneous. I don't want to make the transfer at the airport and they don't show up in my BA account in time (and then they're stuck there).