Qatar credit cards could unlock direct Avios earning in Australia

Australian frequent flyers could soon have a welcome alternative to earning Qantas or Virgin Australia Velocity points through their credit card spending, following the inking of a ten-year “global strategic agreement” between Qatar Airways and Visa.

Under the partnership, Visa will work with Qatar Airways to develop co-branded cards “with key financial partners across key markets worldwide.”

Those cards will let you earn the Avios points currency for every dollar you spend, from your morning coffee to your weekly grocery run and pretty much anywhere else you’d swipe or tap a credit card.

The power of Avios is that this is not just the rewards currency of Qatar Airways Privilege Club, though which seats can be booked and upgrades snared.

British Airways and its siblings Are Lingus and Iberia also use Avios – indeed, you can easily move Avios between your BA and Qatar Airways accounts as a 1:1 transfer without any fee.

There’s currently no way to earn Avios on any Australia credit card, either as a direct earn on spending or a transfer, so the launch of an Australian Qatar Airways Visa Avios card will have huge appeal to not only Qatar Airways flyers but the who often use British Airways for flights around the UK and into Europe.

And with both Qantas and Virgin Australia being airlines partners of Qatar Airways – the former though shared membership of Oneworld, the later via a bilateral “strategy partnership” – Avios have a strong local appeal.

In edition to earning Avios, Qatar Airways says its co-branded Visa cards will also offer “features, such as complimentary worldwide airport lounge access, travel insurance, premium concierge service and much more.”

And while there’s no been no mention of any Qatar Airways Visa card providing complimentary status or even some form of spending-based fast track to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold or Platinum status, that’s certainly another lever Qatar Airways can pull to boost the card’s uptake.