Goodbye Tier Points: New British Airways Revenue-Based Status Rewards Vacation Packages And Big Spending
British Airways is rebranding its Executive Club frequent flyer program, renaming it The British Airways Club. Along with this change, they’re revamping how earning elite status works and adding benefits between tiers, moving to revenue-based status and increasing the number of activities that help you earn status.
This change will occur April 1, 2025. Both new and existing bookings will be affected.
- Earning status credits from flights. Tier Points will be awarded at a rate of 1 Tier Point per £1 of “eligible spend.” This includes the base fare, carrier-imposed charges (fuel surcharges), and ancillaries such as seat selection and extra baggage.
- New status thresholds. Bronze: 3,500; Silver: 7,500; Gold: 20,000; Gold Guest List: 65,000 (at least 52,000 must come from British Airways-marketed flights, qualifying add-ons, and BA Holidays) with 40,000 to retain (including at least 32,000 from BA-marketed flights, add-ons, and BA Holidays).
Currently tier points are based on fare class and route: Bronze is 300 or 25 paid British Airways flights; Silver is 600 or 50 paid BA flights; Gold is 1,500; and Gold Guest list is 5,000 (3,000 to renew).
A member who flying for status alone would need about £20,000 (~ US$25,000) in qualifying ticket spend to reach Gold.
- Earn elite credits by donating money to BA err ‘Contribution to Sustainable Aviation Fuels’ members can earn Tier Points (and Avios) by purchasing a contribution to SAF at a ratio of 1 tier point and 10 Avios per £1 spent, up to 1,000 Tier Points per year. Avios can also be used as payment for these contributions with landing page to go live April 1. That means you can redeem Avios for up to 1,000 tier credits. That’s 5% of the way to Gold.
- British Airways Vacation Packages count towards status. Travel packages will count towards status based on cost of the package, with no limit to tier points earned, at a ratio of 1 tier point per £1 spent.
Where there are multiple travelers on the same British Airways Holidays booking, tier points will be split amongst the travelers (whether they’re crediting points to a frequent flyer program account or not). As a result, tier point-chasers may wish to book themselves through BA Holidays along with package elements (like hotel) to capture tier points for all of the non-flight spending, and book others separately.
- Co-brand credit card spend will count towards status. This won’t start until ‘later’ in 2025, but British Airways American Express Premium Plus Cardmembers will be able to earn up to 2,500 Tier Points through credit card spending, 12.5% of the way to Gold which is quite modest. I had hoped this offer would apply to U.S. co-brands when it happened.
- New milestone rewards. BA is introducing rewards earned between tiers to keep customers incentivized to fly – similar to what American Airlines and now Alaska Airlines do although this system isn’t yet fully fleshed out yet. Initially, they’ll offer members bonus Avios at the 2,500, 4,000, and 5,000 tier point levels between Bronze and Silver, with additional milestone benefits coming but not yet ready to announce.
Managing Flight Bookings For Future Travel
There are (3) types of customers under this new program’s transition: those who have already made bookings for travel April 1 onward, those who make bookings now for April 1 forward travel, and those making bookings starting April 1.
For those with existing bookings made before this announcement, BA commits that members will receive at least the same tier point value as they would have received in the old program.
BA gives an example of a London – New York coach flight, which appears to multiply tier points by 13 1/3, and that’s roughly what to expect.
Anyone booked ahead in the current “Double Tier Points” promotion that runs through June 30, 2025 will see a similar principle for conversion, having their double tier points honored.
Additionally, new bookings made by February 14, 2025 for travel April 1 onward will receive bonus tier points, on top of the tier points laid out in this new system.
- Euro Traveller: +50
- Club Europe: +100
- World Traveller: +70
- World Traveller Plus: +140
- Club World: +210
- First: +330
Earning Status On Partner Airline Flights
For partner flights, where partner loyalty programs are spend-based, they expect to receive ticket value and award tier points based on spend but for other airlines earning will be based on distance and fare class.
Details are here.
How This Changes Your Strategy
These changes are generally good for customers flying the most expensive fares and less good for value flyers. They’re good for those who can move their hotel bookings through BA Holidays (and are willing to lose elite status credit, status recognition, and hotel points in the process) and for those willing to donate cash to BA under the narrative of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and use their U.K. British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card.
Travelers who used to upgrade short-haul from Economy to Club Europe to chase tier points aren’t going to have that incentive anymore.
Leisure travelers may wish to consider Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan since that program no longer requires a minimum number of their own flights for status, so may be a more viable way to earn status. That’s especially true for those who can book British Airways flights through Alaska channels for the biggest bonuses.
BA status really doesn’t offer much in the way of benefits to its own members that it doesn’t offer similar tier elite members of other programs.
However, Alaska elites don’t have access to is Gold Upgrade Vouchers, Gold Guest List privileges (though anyone considering a move like this wouldn’t have been earning GOld Guest List), Extra Award Inventory (‘Gold Priority Award’), priority phone customer service, or credit towards BA’s own lifetime status.
Change To Lifetime Status
British Airways will convert tier points both for lifetime credit earned as of now, and for the number of points required, in adapting their lifetime status rules for achieving Gold and Gold Guest List.
For instance, someone halfway to earning Gold For Life would still be at least halfway of the way there when they translate into new tier points. However it’s not a straightforward ratio where everything is being multiplied by a fixed number, but something a bit more opaque.
Now, the program’s Terms and Conditions in Section 7.4 say they must give six months’ notice for changes to lifetime status criteria. They’d argue they really aren’t changing it, just translating or changing the way tier points are calculated, while the benefits do not change.
What Comes Next
BA hasn’t shared all of the details of these elite program changes. There are between-tier milestones still to be announced, and details on how spend with their American Express co-brand credit card will work. Those should be coming soon, once they’re ready, rather than waiting until the April 1 rollout of the new elite program.