The hidden jewel in the Qatar Airways sale? Helsinki
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I ran an introductory article on the new Qatar Airways sale yesterday.
Since then, it has become a little clearer where the good deals are to be found.
There are a few things you need to know about Qatar Airways sales:
The best deals get scattered around. One city may have a great deal to Johannesburg but a bad price to Cape Town, whilst another city may have the reverse.
All Qatar Airways flights are not created equal. The A380, A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft are the most modern although you are guaranteed a flat bed in business class whatever you do. Some shorter flights may be on short haul aircraft into Doha but those will also have flat beds in business unless the plane gets swapped at the last minute. My review of Qatar Airways A380 business class is here, 777 business class here and 787 business class here.
Qatar Airways flights earn Avios and BA tier points. A trip to Asia will earn at least 560 tier points return (140 points x 4 flights of over 2000 miles, due to the connection in Doha).
This current sale has, from some cities, got better pricing when two people travel together. If you would be booking for two, search for two people to see accurate pricing.
In general, you must book on the Qatar Airways website by 6th September and travel between 15th September and 30th June. No travel allowed between 15th December to 10th January.
Business class pickings from the UK are slim.
However, the £979 return fares from the UK to Dubai in Business Class are in theory still available to book until 31st August. Full details are here. I say ‘in theory’ but I was struggling to find them last night. The ‘sale’ price to Dubai is £1,600 which is widely available.
The full UK sale list is here. The prices don’t seem too special – £3,000 to Australia, £2,000 to Asia, £1,600 to the Middle East is the ‘new normal’ these days in business class. I don’t get excited about anything at these levels.
Yesterday I mentioned that it is worth looking at the following pages on the Qatar website for pricing ideas:
Qatar Airways Copenhagen deals
In most cases you must book on the Qatar Airways website by 5th September and travel between 15th September and 30th June. No travel 15th December to 10th January.
However, it seems I missed one. This time around Helsinki seems to have the best deals.
This is positive news. Finnair flies to Helsinki from Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin and London and you can book Finnair flights using Avios points. If you need to stay overnight, there is a good Hilton at the airport which I reviewed here and which is 30,000 Hilton points.
The Qatar Airways / Helsinki deals page is here.
Note that Helsinki flights do not start until 10th October. The flight to Doha will be on a short-haul A320 aircraft but equipped with fully flat business class seats.
This is what you can get (prices are business class, return). I have highlighted the ‘two together’ price where it was shown, there may also be ‘two together’ discounts for other cities.
Australia €2,009 (€1,910 if two travel)
Bangkok €1,229 (€1,150 if two travel)
Delhi €1,169
Dubai €789 (€750 if two travel)
Hong Kong €1,779
Kuala Lumpur €1,429
Maldives €1,559
Phuket €1,189
Ras Al Khaimah €779
Tokyo €1,269
Helsinki is also a lovely city in its own right if you do decide to spend a day there. The list of Helsinki deals is here.
Is it worth the trouble? Well, clearly you need to see what you would be paying out of the UK and compare it to a Helsinki price. If you need the BA tier points then these fares are definitely worth it. If you have time to spare – especially if you do a day in Helsinki – it is worth it. If you can use Avios for a Reward Flight Saver ticket to Helsinki then, again, it is worth it.
After all, the chance to go to Tokyo for a touch over £1,000 in Business Class doesn’t come along often – especially with 560 British Airways tier points.
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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