Qatar Airway Introduces Oryx Kids Club – A New Loyalty Program For Kids

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Qatar Airways’ loyalty/rewards program is called “Privilege Club” but, to be a member, a traveler has to be at least 12 years of age. Now, however, in what appears to be an attempt to fill the age gap leading up to when a child can join the Privilege Club, Qatar Airways has introduced a new loyalty program for kids – the Oryx Kids Club

Qatar Airways Oryx Kids Club

According to the airline the club is an “exciting new flying club for the airline’s youngest passengers, designed to put even more fun into flying for children“.

Solid facts about the program still appear to be a bit thin on the ground but here’s what we know so far:

• Kids between the ages of 2 and 11 will be allowed to register
• It’s a “frequent flyer program designed just for young passengers“
• Kids will earn Qmiles “which they can redeem for attractive awards and exclusive benefits“
• Kids will also earn Qpoints which “which allow them to upgrade to a higher tier“
• Onboard, Oryx Club members can expect to receive a “cuddly toy” and “new long-haul activity pack with fun games inside”
• Qatar Airways is also introducing new kids meal boxes which will be “more exciting, nutritious and varied” but it’s not clear if these will be limited to Oryx Kids Club members.

Image Qatar Airways

Per Qatar Airways:

As part of the initiative, the Oryx Kids Loyalty Programme will also be launched in coming months for children ages 2-11, offering them the opportunity to enjoy value-added benefits while travelling with Qatar Airways as well as the ability to earn Qmiles, which can be redeemed for attractive awards. In addition, they will also be eligible to earn Qpoints, which moves them to a higher tier, offering exclusive benefits.

The programme will also feature a specially-designed secure section on the Privilege Club website where children can view their own dashboard, Qmiles balance, travel history and much more, keeping young loyalty members updated about their membership account.

Although the loyalty programme is for young travellers, parents will also play a key role in managing their child’s account, making it an exciting opportunity for parents and children who plan to travel together, so both can enjoy the mutual benefits provided by Privilege Club.

That still leaves a number of questions unanswered.

Thoughts

This sounds like a good idea up to the point that you remember that Qatar Airways also offers the “Family Program” which allows a Privilege Club member to nominate up to 9 close family members to earn miles in his/her account.

The minimum age for enrolment in the Family Program is just 2 so parents can make sure their children’s travels don’t go unrewarded and that they contribute towards the family’s miles pool (more details here).

So, with that in mind, these are the questions Qatar Airways will have to answer before we know just how good or bad an idea the Kids Club is:

1. At what rate will Oryx Kids Club members earn miles?
2. Can kids club members still belong to the Family Program?
3. Are the Qpoints the club offers the same as the Qpoints adults and kids 12 and over earn (i.e are they earned at the same rate, is the tier structure the same and are the benefits the same)?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Tiers – How will the Kids Club compare?

The answers to these questions are important because:

1. If the Oryx Kids Club doesn’t allow kids to earn miles at the same (or better) rate than they do when they’re part of the family program the value of the Kids Club questionable.
2. If for some reason Kids Club members can’t be part of the Family program (and I’m not sure why that would be the case) there’s a risk that families will end up with small and unusable miles balances in their kids’ accounts – it would be far better to have the children contributing into the family pool.
3. If the Qpoints that are being awarded aren’t the same as the ones earned by Privilege Club members then there may be better alternatives out there. The American Airlines AAdvantage program and British Airways Executive Club both allow young children to be members and you can credit Qatar Airways flights to both.

Bottom Line

If the answers to the questions I’ve raised are positive then the introduction of the Oryx Kids Club sounds like a nice thing for Qatar Airways to do….but I remain cautious.

The reason I’m being cautious and would like further clarification is because, if the answers to the questions I’ve raised are positive, I don’t see all that much difference between the Oryx Kids Club and the full Qatar Airways Privilege Club….so what’s the point?

This seems like a lot of effort for Qatar Airways to go to if it’s essentially all about a cuddly toy and an activity pack…so what am I missing or what haven’t we been told?