Qatar has added some new restrictions when booking awards for friends and family. There are now two separate groups you can book awards for: ‘My list‘ (FAQ here) and ‘Family and Friends Pool‘ (FAQ here)
- You can add up to four people to your list
- You can add up to six people to your family and friends group (up to 9 if previously added)
- These members cannot have an existing Qatar Airways Privilege Club account
- Miles earned by family and friends go towards the primary member
- You can book award flights only for people on your list or family and friends group
- You must meet the activation requirement (credit a flight to Qatar Airways Privilege Club or earn points on a combo card. The account must also be active for 30 days) to add people to your list or your friends and family group.
These changes appear to be aimed at point brokers who purchase award miles and then book tickets with miles (normally in business or first). While I’m sympathetic to trying to shut down these middlemen to free up pricing space, I don’t think it should come at the expense of real users, and these changes are clearly too harsh and poorly thought out. Looks like there may still be some work to do.
I’m also really against anything that makes earned miles that much harder to use. For example, the activation state seems too extreme. Just a good reminder that the best miles are redeemed miles.
