Where will your Avios take you?

Can your business bills earn Avios?

Short answer: Yes. B2Bpay lets you pay almost any business bill by credit card, even suppliers and billers who don't accept cards. Your card earns its points as normal, and the B2B Points you earn through B2Bpay can be converted to Avios in Qatar Airways Privilege Club at 2 B2B Points to 1 Avios.

Australian businesses have a lot of spend they can't avoid: supplier invoices, insurance premiums, professional services and subscriptions. Most of it goes out by bank transfer or BPAY and earns nothing. Paid through B2Bpay, that same spend can build an Avios balance. So the practical question is: where could those Avios take you?

What are Avios, and why should business owners care?

Avios is the points currency of Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and also of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Finnair. Avios move between those programs at 1:1, which makes them one of the more flexible currencies in travel loyalty.

For Australian business owners, Qatar Airways Privilege Club stands out for three reasons:

• No fuel surcharges on award redemptions.
• Fixed, predictable pricing.
• Access to Qsuites, Qatar's fully enclosed business class, which has won the Skytrax World's Best Business Class award several times.

Qatar flies direct from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Doha. From that one hub, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North Asia are all within reach of a points redemption rather than a cash fare.

How B2B Points connects your business spend to Avios

1. Pay your business bills through B2BpayUse an eligible credit card, including for suppliers, landlords and trade accounts that only take bank transfer. Your card earns points as normal.
2. Collect B2B PointsB2B Points are B2Bpay's flexible rewards, earned on the bills you pay through the platform.
3. Convert to AviosConvert B2B Points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios at 2 B2B Points = 1 Avios. Other reward partners include Qantas and Virgin Australia Velocity; see B2B Points for the current list and earn rates.

Most business bills earn nothing on their own. B2Bpay sits in the middle and makes those payments card-eligible, so spend that used to disappear without a trace counts toward something useful. Fees are fixed and transparent, with nothing hidden in the fine print: see what's included in your B2Bpay fees.

Where could your Avios take you from Australia?

These are the redemptions experienced points travellers use Avios for from Australian departure cities. Award pricing and availability change, so treat this as a guide to what's possible, not a fixed schedule, and always confirm with Qatar Airways Privilege Club before you book.

The Qsuites factor: why points travellers prioritise it

Qsuites is a fully enclosed private suite. On a 14-plus hour flight from Australia to Europe, it changes the experience:

• Sliding doors and a lie-flat bed.
• Dine-on-demand service.
• Middle seats that can be configured into a double for couples travelling together.

Book through Privilege Club to avoid surcharges. Programs such as British Airways Avios can book Qatar flights, but they add surcharges that can put hundreds of dollars on the award. Booking directly through Qatar Airways Privilege Club avoids them, and the taxes and carrier charges are low by business class standards.

Book early. Privilege Club members can book award seats up to 355 days ahead, before partner programs can see the same seats. On popular routes in peak periods, booking early is often the difference between getting the seat and missing out.

Keeping your Avios active while you build your balance

Avios in Qatar Airways Privilege Club don't expire as long as your account has some earning or spending activity at least once every 36 months. A single hotel booking through a partner such as Booking.com resets the clock.

That suits a business strategy well. There's no deadline to redeem by: you build the balance steadily through ordinary business spend, then book when the right trip comes up and seats are available.

What to check before booking an Avios award

• Availability. Award seats aren't always available on the dates you want. Qsuites seats are limited and peak periods book out early, so flexible dates help a lot.
• Transfer time. If you're moving B2B Points to Avios, allow time for the transfer to complete before you try to book.
• Conversion rates. Rates between programs are not always 1:1. Check the current rate before you plan a redemption.
• Peak and off-peak pricing. Privilege Club uses peak and off-peak pricing on many routes. Travelling outside school holidays and the summer rush can cut the Avios you need by a meaningful amount. Qatar's award calendar shows pricing month by month.

Turning everyday business bills into Qsuites seats

Rent, suppliers, professional fees and subscriptions: that recurring spend doesn't stop. The question is whether it's working for you on the way out. B2Bpay also helps in other ways:

• Less admin. B2Bpay connects with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, so payments reconcile automatically.
• Cash flow. Paying by credit card may give you your card's interest-free days, which can help with timing between invoices and due dates. See interest-free days and cash flow.
• Simple to start. Straightforward set-up, no lock-in contract and transparent fees.

Ready to start earning Avios on your business spend?

If your business bills leave your account without earning a single point, B2B Points could change that. Your ordinary spend on suppliers, rent and overheads could go toward your next Qsuites booking instead. Join B2Bpay for free to pay all your business bills and be rewarded along the way, and check the current earn rates on the B2B Points page before you start.