How to beat British Airway’s dramatic points purge and achieve coveted gold status

Frequent flyers were quick to criticize British Airways’ announcement last week that it would dramatically change its loyalty program from April 1.

Simply put, passengers will no longer receive points for the distance traveled, but for the amount they spend. In turn, this means it will be much harder to achieve BA’s coveted gold driver status.

This provides privileges such as airport lounge access, priority seat reservation and boarding, plus additional baggage allowance. Likewise, it will also be much more difficult to achieve silver or bronze statuses.

Outraged travelers took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize the move, which they said would “no longer reward loyalty” and drive them into the arms of rival airlines.

“BA is washing its hands of the leisure market and doing everything it can to attract the shrinking pool of full-fare business travellers,” says Rob Burgess on travel website Head For Points.

Here we explain exactly how the loyalty program works, what the new rules mean for you, and how you can continue saving money on your family flights.

What exactly is the BA loyalty system?

Membership of the British Airways Executive Club, which will be renamed The British Airways Club from April 1, grants passengers privileges corresponding to four different levels: blue, bronze, silver and gold.

Anyone can join for free and it makes sense to do so because even the basic blue tier gives you free internet on board. If you advance to bronze, you will be able to choose your seat one week before traveling, with preferential check-in and priority boarding.

Silver members get coveted lounge access, additional baggage allowance, and the ability to choose their seats when booking. And Gold members receive additional benefits, such as use of the Concorde Room at Heathrow Terminal 5.

How do you overcome the levels?

You earn tier points when you fly with BA or one of its Oneworld airline partners. Oneworld is one of the three major global airline alliances where you can earn privileges and rewards through its network of members, including Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways.

Tier Points are different from Avios, which is a reward currency to spend on flights, hotel rooms, supermarket purchases and car rentals. Tier points cannot be spent, but determine your status when flying with BA and its Oneworld airline partners.

How do you earn level points?

Under the previous system, you could earn tier points depending on the distance of your flight as well as your fare class. With the new scheme, it’s how much you spend that earns level points, rather than the distance flown.

One tier point is equivalent to £1 in the price of your ticket (excluding taxes such as Air Passenger Duty).

If you spend extra money on seat selection for a flight and booking additional luggage, you also qualify for points. Non-air taxes and fees, such as airport charges and taxes, do not earn tier points.

Under the old scheme, bronze could be achieved with 300 level points (soon to be 3,500), silver with 600 (7,500), and gold was more achievable with 1,500 level points, but will soon require 20,000 level points.

For example, a return flexible economy fare to New York this week costs from £366 plus tax and would give you 70 tier points for the 3,461-mile flight.

Under the new plan, you would earn 366, the same as the price of the ticket minus taxes. Tier points are only valid for one year, so you should start accumulating them each year.

Who wins with the new system?

The clear winners are business travelers whose companies can’t resist the cost of business class fares.

Rhys Jones, aviation editor at Head For Points, says most families and leisure travelers will find it difficult to achieve above bronze status without spending thousands of dollars on a British Airways holiday package.

“More and more high-end leisure travelers are looking at the numbers and seeing that there is no real reason to fly with BA anymore,” he adds.

How else can I earn points?

British Airways Holidays packages will also offer Tier Points which are split equally between the people on your booking (toddlers and younger children cannot earn Tier Points!).

There are 26,000 listings on the website from £200 per person.

For every euro spent, you will receive one tier point plus Avios points.

For example, if you book a flight and hotel for two people to Barcelona for £1,000, you and the other passenger will each receive 500 tier points plus Avios points. Whoever makes the reservation also receives 1,000 bonus Avios points.

Any more tips for cheaper flights?

If you use your Avios points to reduce the cost of a flight, you will be awarded the full flight fare with tier points.

For example, a return economy flight in August from Gatwick to Catania in Sicily would normally cost £401 per person, but if you use 65,000 Avios each, it would cost £145.07.

You would still be eligible for 395 tier points (not including tax) and if you book before February 15, you will receive 100 bonus tier points.

What happens if I book before April 1?

BA is at pains to point out that customers who have already booked will not lose out when their tier points are converted from the old system to the new.

It has also announced that it is offering bonus level points.

for reservations made before February 14 for travel on or after April 1, depending on cabin class. However, as these only range from 50 euros for the first traveler to 330 for the first traveler, this is a symbolic offer.

Can I go from gold to blue?

Not right away. Someone with gold status who hasn’t earned tier points since April 1 would drop to silver in the first year and bronze in the second before reaching blue in the third.