British Airways has improved the new rules for its loyalty programme after the airline was criticised for planned changes to how frequent fliers earn travel perks.
In December, BA said it would overhaul the way customers can accrue Tier Points – which unlock access to benefits such as free seat selection, depending on the tier. The move was branded “hugely positive” for those booking package holidays with the airline and high spending travellers at the time, however, critics warned it was less good news for some customers hoping to get benefits such as free lounge access via the rewards scheme.
This week, British Airways announced it would reintroduce a refreshed “sectors travelled” element, offering another way for regular BA travellers to earn Bronze and Silver status.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
The airline also announced a second “more generous” Bonus Tier Point offer, which will replace the launch offer that was announced in December.
How is the British Airways Tier Points system changing?
The British Airways Executive Club will rebrand to The British Airways Club and implement the changes from 1 April, 2025.
Under the new system, members will earn Tier Points based on the cost of their flight and, for the first time, additional spending such as seat selection and excess baggage.
They will be able to earn one Tier Point for each £1 of eligible spend, however, BA is recalculating Tier thresholds.
The Bronze threshold will change from 300 to 3,500. Silver will increase from 600 to 7,500, and gold will rise from 1,500 to 20,000.
Members will be able to earn Tier Points and collect Avios by buying a contribution to Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), earning up to 1,000 Tier Points per year. Avios can be used as a form of payment, via a dedicated landing page which will have launched by 1 April, 2025.
British Airways Holidays customers will also be able to earn Tier Points based on the price of the entire package, with no limit in place.
In December, BA said it would make it “possible to earn elite status in fewer trips than under today’s offer”.
Under the revised rules, announced on 5 February, 2025, British Airways will reintroduce a model which means frequent BA fliers who earned their status based on the number of sectors they flew can still qualify for the airline’s Bronze or Silver Tier status by taking 25 and 50 flights respectively.
Chief commercial officer Colm Lacy said: “We crunched our data and it shows that under the new model, Bronze and Silver members can still re-qualify based on around the same number of average-priced standard fare flights as previously.
“However, we’ve heard that our members wanted more clarity, certainty and reassurance, so we’ve found a way to re-introduce earning by sector for flights with a BA flight number to support members who use British Airways’ flights to commute.”
How will British Airways Club members be affected?
In December, Gilbert Ott, founder of travel website God Save the Points, told MoneyWeek the changes would be "a net positive for many, but there will be winners and losers".
“A huge positive is that hotel spend booked through British Airways Holidays will count, not just flights, which will help people let more of their travel count towards perks," he added.
“A high spending traveller will be able to earn more perks in one flight than they may have across an entire year before, but someone flying on the cheapest economy tickets will really need to fly a lot to achieve the higher tiers in the new system. "
While December’s announcement seemed to be good news for corporate travellers with employer-paid tickets, the outlook wasn’t as positive for leisure travellers and small business owners, according to Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer website Head for Points. Speaking before this week's changes, he said gold status would “be very, very difficult, bordering on impossible, for leisure travellers”.
What else is British Airways introducing in 2025?
Later this year, BA American Express Premium Plus Cardmembers will be able to earn up to 2,500 Tier Points by spending on their card.
In December, the airline also promised new milestone benefits between tiers in 2025. It will start with gifts of 2,500, 4,000 and 5,000 Bonus Avios at milestones within Bronze and Silver, and more benefits will be announced in due course.
Customers who have already booked travel after 1 April will get Tier Points based on a conversion of the existing method, earning proportionally the same number of Tier Points, if not more.
British Airways’ new Bonus Tier Points offer
British Airways has also improved and extended its limited time Bonus Tier Points offer, which was announced in December and applied to people booking before 14 February, for travel from 1 April, 2025. Members must “opt in” for the previous or latest offer to get the additional Tier Points, depending on the cabin they are flying in.
This revised offer will apply to bookings on flights with a BA code, made from now until 31 December, 2025, for flights taken from 1 April this year.
BA has now said it’s expected the airline will always offer members a Bonus Tier Point proposition in addition to the one Tier Point for £1 earning mechanism.
How to get Bonus Tier Points
The Bonus Tier Points will be awarded based on the cabin, from Euro Traveller to First.
| Type of flight | Initial Offer | New offer |
|---|---|---|
| Euro Traveller | 50 | 75 |
| Club Europe | 100 | 175 |
| World Traveller | 70 | 150 |
| World Traveller Plus | 140 | 275 |
| Club World | 210 | 400 |
| First | 330 | 550 |
Customers who booked a flight or holiday package under the previous Bonus Tier Point offer will automatically get the new Bonus Tier Point values, provided they opt into the offer before travelling.
Customers who earn enough Tier Points to renew or upgrade their status by the end of March this year will have a full year of status to 30 April, 2026, while collecting Tier Points under the new model for the following year.
Lacy said: “We’re confident that moving to this model is the right thing to do for our customers, but we acknowledge that we need to reassure them that there are now lots more ways to earn status. We’re implementing a system that allows us to flex and adapt to respond to our customers’ needs, and the Bonus Tier Point campaign is a perfect example of this.
“Moving to a spend-based model is reflective of most loyalty programmes in the UK, so it was a logical step in the evolution of the Executive Club.”
What are British Airways Tier Points?
Tier Points are collected by flying on almost all flights with British Airways and the airline's oneworld partners. They unlock Executive Club benefits.
The more Tier Points you earn, the more benefits you will get as you change tiers.
Tier Points are separate to Avios points; Tier Points can’t be spent on rewards and will reset back to zero each year. Passengers can earn Tier Points and Avios at the same time.
There are four different tiers - Blue, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
You automatically become a Blue Member when you join the British Airways Executive Club - which is rebranding as The British Airways Club.
Currently, you need 300 Tier Points to get to the Bronze tier.
Tier Points are based on a percentage of miles flown and the amount you earn depends on ticket type and fare class.
For instance, BA uses a rate of 100% for First, Business and Premium Economy fares, and 25% for the lowest economy fare.
Under the present system, a passenger flying from London Heathrow to New York JFK on a British Airways economy fare can earn 20 Tier Points, BA’s online calculator shows. They'd earn 210 if they took the same flight in first class.
The same calculator shows passengers flying from London Heathrow to Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris in the lowest economy class can earn five tier points, or 40 as a business class passenger.
As of 1 April, new ways to earn Tier Points will be introduced, and the thresholds will change.
Members will be able to earn one Tier Point for each £1 of eligible spend (which includes the base fare and the Carrier Imposed Charges but not non-airline taxes and fees). The eligible spend would need to be £3,500 within the year to reach the Bronze tier via this route.
When booking a British Airways holidays package and any eligible add-ons, such as seat selection, extra baggage or cabin upgrades, the eligible spend will be the full amount spent.
What benefits do British Airways Tier Points offer?
The type of benefits available depend on the tier - the Blue Tier has the fewest perks, with higher tiers offering more.
British Airways Blue Tier
The benefits of being a Blue Tier member are:
- Collecting Avios
- Sharing Avios through a Household Account
- Member-only offers
- Purchasing Avios
- Gifting Avios
- Transferring Avios (a fee applies for all tiers except Gold)
- Combining Avios
- Reward Flight Saver - which British Airways says is their best deal on short-haul flights
- Access to the Avios mobile app
- Priority waitlist
- Seating preference stored and offered where possible
- Meal preferences stored and offered where possible
- Free Wi-Fi messaging onboard
British Airways Bronze Tier
As well as the benefits outlined in the Blue Tier level, Bronze members get:
- Free seat selection seven days before departure. This doesn’t include group rate bookings and exit row seats on long-haul flights
- Priority check-in (except at London City Airport)
- Priority boarding (except at London City Airport)
- Status freeze for Maternity/Paternity/Adoption
- 5% discount on all purchases at The Wine Flyer
- Bronze members collect seven Avios per qualifying pound (GBP) spent when flying with British Airways or American Airlines and six Avios per qualifying euro (EUR) with Iberia.
British Airways Silver Tier
In addition to Bronze and Blue benefits, Silver Tier members can enjoy:
- Free seat selection at the time of booking. This doesn’t include group rate bookings and exit row seats on long-haul flights
- Priority check-in
- Priority boarding (except for Silver Members or Sapphire card holders at London City Airport)
- Additional baggage allowance (but not on baggage only fares)
- Lounge access when flying with British Airways and partner airlines
- Reservation Assurance - ensuring an economy seat on the chosen British Airways flight, even if the flight is full
- 10% discount on all purchases at The Wine Flyer
British Airways Gold Tier
As well as the other benefits in the other tiers, Gold Tier members get:
- Free seat selection at the time of booking, except for group rate bookings
- Priority check-in
- Priority boarding
- 15% discount on all purchases at The Wine Flyer
- Use of British Airways First and other oneworld first class check-in desks
- No booking or service fees for Priority Reward bookings
- Additional reward flight availability in economy
- Gold Priority Reward
- Gold Upgrade for Two voucher (at 2,500 Tier Points in one year)
- Two Gold Upgrade for One vouchers (at 3,500 Tier Points in one year)
- One Gold Executive Club partner card and two Silver cards (at 5,000 Tier Points in one year and 3,000 Tier Points thereafter)
- Concorde Room access (at 5,000 Tier Points in one year and 3,000 Tier Points thereafter)
-
Zelenskyy moves to appease Donald Trump – what happens now?Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is conceding ground to secure the least-worst deal possible, says Emily Hohler
-
Rolls-Royce stock jumps 15% – could it climb further?Aircraft-engine group Rolls-Royce’s CEO has been hailed as a hero for spearheading the firm’s recovery. And the future looks bright, says Matthew Partridge
