The new Qatar Airways credit cards from Cardless are running limited-time offers through end of the year.
- Visa Signature offer has a 60,000 point initial bonus (up from 40,000): 30,000 after first purchase and 30,000 after $3,000 spend within 90 days.
- Visa Infinite offer has an 80,000 point initial bonus (up from 50,000): 40,000 after first purchsae and 40,000 after $5,000 spend within 90 days.
In addition, both new and existing cardmembers earn double points on spending through end of the year, so 4x on restaurant and 2x on other spend for the Signature product and 6x on restaurant spend and 2x on other spend for the Infinite product. (Qatar Airways spend is not doubled.)
Last month these cards also added full rebate on reward fees as a benefit. Here are the product basics:
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card metal card, $499 annual fee, there’s a bonus of 50,000 Avios: 25,000 after first transaction and 25,000 more after $5,000 spend within 90 days.
Cardmembers receive Gold status the first year, plus 150 Qpoints after earning the initial bonus (it takes 270 Qpoints to re-earn Gold, and also helps towards platinum). Furthermore, you can spend on the card towards status – 2 qpoints for every $1500 spend – so card spend alone can earn your status with minimum Qatar flight segments.
Earning is 5x on Qatar Airways; 3x on restaurants; 1x on everything else.
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Signature Credit Card $99 annual fee, there’s a bonus of 40,000 Avios: 20,000 after first transaction and 20,000 more after $3,000 spend within 90 days.
The card comes with Qatar silver for a year and earns 2 Qpoints towards status for every $2,000 spent. Silver gets you airport priority, Qatar lounge access and 2 guest passes annually plus extra baggage allowance.Earning is 4x on Qatar Airways; 2x on restaurants; 1x on everything else.
Qatar Airways al Safwa Lounge
Both cards now come with a full and complete refund of the reward fees paid with the card when booking award flights on the airline through Qatar Airways channels. This comes in the form of statement credits after completion of travel.
- The benefit is achieved upon spending $15,000 on the card in the first year of cardmembership, or $25,000 in subsequent years.
- Eligible cardmembers receive a full and complete refund of their reward fees.
- There are no limits to this benefit, saving up to $600 for first and business class and up to $300 for coach roundtrip redemptions.
I already liked the premium card because it comes with Gold status which is oneworld sapphire – and therefore gets American Airlines and Alaska Airlines lounge access as well as American Airlines business class Flagship lounge access even on domestic itineraries.
In my experience it’s simple even to credit a domestic flight to American AAdvantage and just provide my partner oneworld sapphire number for lounge entry. And this card is the simplest way of ‘buying oneworld sapphire’ and is cheaper than an Admirals Club membership, and cheaper than the Citi co-brand that comes with membership, plus it’s Flagship access not just base lounge access.
If I were eligible, I’d definitely consider the premium card – a year of oneworld Sapphire and 80,000 points is a no-brainer to me and I’d spend hard through end of year to earn the redemption fee rebate. Unfortunately I’m already a Cardless cardmember, and though they told me earlier this year that they plan on dropping their ‘one card per customer’ rule I understand that has not yet happened.
One current card or one lifetime card?