Qatar Airways has added Raffles Hotel Singapore bars and restaurants to its Avios earn & burn options. A rare local accrual opportunity for Privilege Club members, and an easy way to extend expiring miles!
Avios collectors based in Singapore, or those visiting the Lion City, have a new way to boost their balance or even spend their stash if they wish, thanks to a new partnership between Qatar Airways Privilege Club and the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore.
This tie-up allows you to earn and redeem Avios at selected dining venues and retail outlets within the hotel, simply by linking a Visa credit card to your Privilege Club account.
Earning Avios at Raffles Singapore restaurants
To take advantage of the offer, Privilege Club members must link their Visa payment card to their Qatar Airways account.
To do so, log in to your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account and link your Visa card under the “Card Earn” programme.
You can link multiple cards to your account, if you wish.
Once done, simply use that card for payment at Raffles Singapore, and earn:
- 5 Avios per US$1 spent on dining
~3.8 Avios per SGD - 2 Avios per US$1 spent on shopping
~1.5 Avios per SGD
These Avios points are awarded directly to your Privilege Club account by Qatar Airways, and are in addition to your regular credit card points earning, which can potentially be as high as 4 mpd in some cases.
Avios are awarded on qualifying spend of at least US$14 (~S$18) per transaction, and all earnings are automatic and direct to your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account, after your Visa card is linked.
Where to earn and spend Avios at Raffles Singapore
The following venues are eligible for Avios earning and redemption:
Dining (5 Avios per US$1)
- Butcher’s Block: Wood-fire cuisine meets whole-animal butchery under the direction of Chef Jordan Keao, for a refined dining experience.
- 藝 yì by Jereme Leung: MasterChef Jereme Leung’s sophisticated take on regional Chinese cuisine.
- Tiffin Room: Serving traditional North Indian fare in a heritage setting, complete with table-side service.
- Raffles Courtyard: A garden alfresco venue offering Southeast Asian delights and local favourites.
- The Grand Lobby: Indulge in Afternoon Tea beneath Victorian pillars, with pastries by Executive Pastry Chef Tai Chien Lin.
- Writers Bar: A literary-themed cocktail bar paying tribute to the many writers who have stayed at Raffles over the past century.
- Long Bar: Home of the Singapore Sling and famous for its nostalgic peanut shell-throwing tradition.
(Photo: Raffles Singapore)
Shopping (2 Avios per US$1)
- Raffles Boutique: Located in the Raffles Arcade, the boutique offers elegant souvenirs, gourmet goods, and curated home decor, all inspired by the hotel’s rich heritage.
Earning Avios on Raffles hotel stays
This deal is only for restaurant and shopping spend, so using your linked card to pay for a hotel stay at Raffles Singapore will not allow you to earn Avios points.
Instead, Qatar Airways has a partnership with Accor Live Limitless, allowing you to earn both Avios and ALL Reward points on Accor hotel stays, including at Raffles Hotels and Resorts.
(Photo: MainlyMiles)
You can also transfer Qatar Avios points to and from ALL Points.
Burning Avios at Raffles Singapore restaurants (tip – don’t!)
You can also redeem Avios for purchases at these Raffles outlets, but the rate is poor at 0.65 US cents (~0.84 Singapore cents) per Avios point.
For example, for a US$65 bill (~S$84), 10,000 Avios can be deducted from your account instead, if you wish.
Business Class flight redemptions, on the other hand, should net you at least 2 Singapore cents per mile in value.
Once you pay for your purchase using your linked credit card, provided you have sufficient Avios to redeem the bill in full using points, you will receive a notification in the Qatar Airways mobile app after completing the payment, within 30 days.
This will prompt you to choose between collecting and spending Avios for the transaction.
Don’t worry – the default method is to collect Avios on all transactions.
If you have not chosen whether to collect or spend Avios for the transaction within 8 hours, Avios will automatically be collected on your purchase – the option to spend Avios will no longer be available.
If you opt to spend Avios for Raffles hotel restaurant transactions – which we don’t recommend unless you are cashing out of a small balance to exit the programme – a cashback equivalent to the amount paid will be credited to your linked payment card within one week.
Avios points can offer great award value
As many of our readers know, Avios points can be great value for award redemptions in the region and beyond, including:
- Cathay Pacific intra-Asia awards in long-haul J seats online, with no fuel surcharge, like Singapore – Hong Kong in Business Class for for 22,000 Avios
- Bangkok Airways Singapore – Koh Samui flights for just 6,000 Avios
- Qatar Qsuite awards from Singapore to Europe for 70,000 to 75,000 Avios
- Finnair Business Class awards to Europe (now only 62,500 Avios, with minimal taxes)
- A wide range of UK domestic flights on Loganair, often priced at over GBP200 (~S$350) one-way, for only 6,500 Avios, with minimal taxes and fees to pay
(Photo: MainlyMiles)
Avios points can be transferred free and instantly 1:1 between your Qatar Airways and British Airways accounts, and onwards to other programmes like Finnair Plus and Loganair Loyalty, to take advantage of all these sweet spots.
If you’re not already holding an Avios balance, now might be a good time to start. With four Singapore banks offering direct conversions into either the Qatar Airways or British Airways programmes, topping up to a useful redemption level could be easier than you think – drinking or dining at Raffles will just make it easier!
Singapore Bank to Avios transfer partners
= Good transfer ratio
= Lousy transfer ratio
You can currently transfer your Citi Miles or ThankYou Points to Qatar Airways Avios with an uncapped 30% bonus, between now and 31st May 2025.
Do note that OCBC offers a poor transfer ratio to Avios compared to other programmes like KrisFlyer, while HSBC cardholders should only be transferring to British Airways Avios, then to Qatar Airways Avios from there if necessary, to get a far better deal.
A good way to keep your Avios balance alive
Qatar Airways Avios work on an activity-based expiry policy, meaning any earning or redemption will ‘reset the clock’ for all Avios in your account – keeping them alive for another 36 months (three years).
That means any points you accrue from dining or shopping at Raffles Singapore will not only top up any existing Avios you have, but will also ensure your entire balance is good for another three years – very handy if your stash is imminently expiring.
For Avios collectors based in Singapore, this new partnership between Qatar Airways and Raffles Hotel is a welcome addition, with the ability to automatically accrue up to 5 Avios per US dollar spent on dining – around 3.8 mpd in SGD terms – quite a generous earn rate on top of credit card points.
While redemptions at a rate of 0.65 US cents per Avios aren’t the best use of your hard-earned points, the option adds flexibility for those sitting on an excess balance. Just be sure to link your Visa card in advance and allow Qatar’s app to prompt you before deciding whether to earn or burn (earn is the default, thankfully).
This is also a nice option for those looking to keep their Avios alive – with each qualifying transaction at Raffles resetting the clock on your entire balance for another three years. That could be an easy option for occasional users or those with large Avios balances accrued years ago, but with no imminent travel plans.
(Cover Photo: Raffles Singapore)
