So, you think the new British Airways revenue earning tiers are bad? Think again – they are a *LOT* worse

With British Airways throwing out multiple babies with the bathwater with the recent announcement of the changes to their loyalty programme – The Club, I’ve had a think and tried to come up with some examples of how anyone is going to get Bronze, Silver, or Gold, let alone Gold Guest List.

And to say my jaw dropped hard is an understatement. It’s going to involve a lot of money.

The updated qualification standards

Let’s go through the new limits again

• Bronze: 3,500
• Silver: 7,500
• Gold: 20,000
• Gold Guest List (first time): 65,000 – with at least 52,000 earned through British Airways-marketed flights, qualifying add-ons and British Airways Holidays packages
• Gold Guest List (renewal) 40,000 to retain – with at least 32,000 earned through British Airways-marketed flights, qualifying add-ons and British Airways Holiday package

With no class of service bonus being given, other than bonus avios, this breaks down into some harsh numbers which require eligible spending to be met:

• Bronze – £3,500
• Silver – £7,500
• Gold – £20,000 
• GGL  – £65,000/£40,000

Those are sadly – the “Just getting started numbers”.  British Airways has gone in on the Eligible Spend concept. So for example, the following would qualify as eligible spend to earn Tier Points and Avios:

• The airfare itself
• Seat reservation
• Fuel Surcharge/Mandated fees
• Luggage
• Sustainable Air Fuel
• Holidays booked through BA Holidays.

As for:

• Airport taxes
• Government imposed taxes
• Other surcharges

these won’t earn a tier point in the new BA programme.

And those can make up large parts of fares – eg on a transatlantic economy fare costing £560, £380 of that will earn Tier Points. The rest will earn you nothing. 

Examples

Let us work through examples that BA give – World Traveller Plus LHR to JFK.

Under the old scheme, this would yield a 180 Teir Points return. A rather tidy incentive, with it possible to hit BA SILVER in under four return flights (Well, three returns and one outbound).

Under the new scheme, you would need SEVEN return trips to hit Silver-  with the four return trips (or three returns and a single) to get you Bronze.

Next, let’s do a laughable example of London to Nice.

Where to begin? Even in the old scheme, you’d get 10TP return on the cheapest base fare – requiring 40 return flights to hit silver (based on the forty-segment rule which granted you silver.

With the 40 flights to silver requirement gone, you’ll need to fly… 108 Returns to Nice to hit Silver.

Planning to qualify with partners? Think again

If I was to say partner-earning was gutted, it would be an understatement.

If you’re planning to earn on partners with the Joint Transatlantic venture, you’ll be “protected” – to a point, with the same revenue and earn model. On other airlines, it gets spicy… fast. Let’s take a look at some partners:

We’ll start with Cathay Pacific, where the Tier Points are based on a percentage of your miles flown—and a low percentage at that.

Sounds reasonable? Maybe not: Let’s do a little breakdown of London to Hong Kong – a distance of 5,994 miles. Here are some numbers to tell you how many tier points you’ll get

Ouch.

Things improve slightly with British Airways’ best friend and part owner – Qatar Airways.

I say this is better than what you could be earning on some airlines, but you’re still going to be spending more if you want enough qualifying tier points (especially if you’re going for Gold Guest List, which requires a minimum spend with BA).

Based on the London-Doha route (3,261 miles), round to the nearest Avios.

Unless you’re flying in the front cabins on high fares, do not be prepared to be rewarded for your loyalty.

Heck – even the Fly April to June promotion stinks

The airline has launched a jumpstart promotion for those who are hell-bent (or are stuck) on their new frequent flyer programme.

With these changes coming in, the airline is throwing in a sweetener, with limited-time bonus Tier Points when booking before 14 February 2025 for travel from 1 April 2025. Bonus Tier Points will be awarded based on cabin flown, from Euro Traveller to First. The bonuses are below:

• Euro Traveller: 50
• Club Europe: 100
• World Traveller: 70
• World Traveller Plus: 140
• Club World: 210
• First: 330

Considering how much “extra” you’re getting, and the new tier point levels, these are mere fiscal drops in a Tier Point ocean.

You’ve got the best part of four months to plan. Make the best of them

There are a lot of ways to cut this cake. And it will depend on what you want to do.

If someone else is buying your tickets

Again, if someone else is paying for your tickets, this whole thing is for the little people. You might have to fly a few more flights on the corporate coin to get your shiny card. Just don’t get too shocked when you move on, and the fares you fly can’t support your shiny metal card.

Go for broke and go for Gold.

If you value your Gold Membership and your renewal date is before 31 March, you might be able to hit it—but you’ll be paying a premium to do so – even with the sales seasons that are going on (plus the time involved for those longer distance flights that yield your points).

Or three long-distance return fares of Qatar Airways via Doha in business class will see you through nicely, with change.

Stablisle you status

For those of us who have Tier Point years ending before 31st March, and if you value the benefits of Silver or Gold Membership, consider a top-up Tier Point run to ensure you have the points to meet the requirements. If it’s not an inconsiderable amount of points, there could be value in a £400 Club Europe return to somewhere and get 160 tier points to cap off your status.

Look elsewhere

Finally, it could honestly be time to look beyond the “love” of British Airways and find another airline which will reward you for your flying habits – or even another alliance (if your flying needs can adapt). For those who live in the regions of the United Kingdom, it could open up a lot more options – without having to fly or go to London Heathrow at idiot o’clock in the boring, or connecting through a busy hub – especially if you’ve got to change terminals on the way.

Just make sure the status you fly with is what you require – be it lounge access, priority access to seating, reward flights or luggage allowances. It’ll all play into your final decisions.

References:

• BA Tier Point Examples: https://www.britishairways.com/content/executive-club/faqs/introducing-the-british-airways-club#examples
• BA New Tier Point Earning for oneworld and affiliate airlines: https://www.britishairways.com/content/executive-club/avios/collecting-avios/flights#others

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