Qatar Airways Privilege Club adopted Avios as its miles currency in Apr 2022, followed by Finnair Plus in Mar 2024.
In this short guide, I’ll share the steps to transfer Avios from Qatar Airways to Finnair (and back if needed).
Why transfer Avios from Qatar Airways to Finnair?
But, why would anyone want to transfer Avios from Qatar Airways Privilege Club to Finnair Plus?
1) Finnair Plus is not a credit card transfer partner
Starting with the obvious, Finnair Plus is not a direct transfer of any credit card in Singapore. The only way to convert your credit card miles/points to Finnair Avios is via Qatar Airways or British Airways.
Related: Credit Card Transfer Partners in Singapore
2) Qatar Airways Privilege Club’s transfer bonuses
Privilege Club’s biannual transfer bonuses is a huge deal as it allows you to save even more miles on award rates that are already low.
By transferring Qatar Avios (after bonus) to British Airways or Finnair, travellers could book one-way flights in Business Class between Singapore and Europe for as little as 46k miles. Ridiculously good, if you compare it to what other FFPs are asking for a similar route.
Related: Cheapest ways to fly between Singapore and Europe using Miles
There are other great redemption opportunities using Avios.
3) Finnair awards load on Finnair Plus first
Finnair guarantees at least 2 Business Class award seats per flight on its long haul routes.
With a standard Business Class award rate of just 62.5k miles + ~S$85 in taxes/fees bookable on British Airways, it’s obvious why these award seats are in hot demand.
But if you’d like to guarantee your Finnair Business Class seats a year in advance, booking it via Finnair Plus gives you “pre-sale access” 6 days before British Airways members can book them. But note that this comes with an additional award booking fee of 120 Euros (S$155) per ticket, for flights to/from Singapore.
| Route | Airline | FFP | Miles Required | Taxes & Fees | Bookable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore ↕ Northern Europe | Finnair | British Airways | 62.5k | ~S$85 | 355 days prior |
| Finnair Plus | 62.5k | ~S$240 | 361 days prior |
4) Transfer Avios to anyone for cheap
As pointed out by Flor in Suitesmile Chat, Finnair Plus members can transfer Avios to anyone for a flat fee of just 10 Euros.
How to transfer Avios from Qatar Airways to Finnair?
Moving Avios between Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus requires a middle man: The British Airways Club.
💡 Remember: Transferring Avios between frequent flyer programs (FFPs) in the Avios family is always free, instant and at a ratio of 1:1. And yes, you can transfer back and forth or combine Avios as many times as you want (no restrictions).
Here’s how to transfer Avios from Qatar Airways to Finnair:
- Sign up for a British Airways and Finnair memberships, if you haven’t already
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all 3 accounts
- Log in and link your Qatar Airways and British Airways accounts here
- Log in and link your Finnair and British Airways accounts here
- Transfer Avios from Qatar Airways to British Airways
- Then transfer the Avios from British Airways to Finnair
And…you’re done!
