Qatar Airways is launching a U.S.-based credit card. Actually, they’re launching two, and I’m especially excited to see what the super premium card (Visa Infinite) has to offer.

• They haven’t released details of the card yet, but if you sign up to be on the wait list (they’ll send you a note when the card is available) you’ll earn extra points with your initial bonus.

• And their points can be moved back and forth with British Airways, Iberia, etc. – Avios currencies are flexible that way. It also means it’s really easy to get their points in the U.S., since you can transfer points from all the major flexible bank currencies into one or more of the Avios programs. Great for combining points!

What’s more the card isn’t from Chase, Citi, or Bank of America. It’s a Cardless product. It’s great to have card options beyond the usual suspects.

Join the waitlist and you’ll be eligible for:

• 10,000 extra Avios when approved for the premium Visa Infinite Qatar Airways co-brand and meeting the minimum spend requirement
  
• 5,000 extra Avios when approved for the Visa Signature Qatar Airways co-brand and meeting the minimum spend requirement

To be eligible for these additional bonus points on top of the regular bonus offer you’ll need to get the card within 30 days of applications going live in “early May.”

Qatar offers one of the best values for award travel. I’ve generally booked them through American AAdvantage, but they’ve made a huge push to improve their own program. They’ve aggressively reduced the cost of awards.

And redeeming for travel on their flights (as opposed to on oneworld partners) gives access to QSuites – one of the best business class experiences in the world – and great lounges as well. Their al Safwa lounge is probably my favorite airport lounge in the world in terms of aesthetics.