Last Updated: 20 Feb 2024
Navigating the world of British Airways' Tiers and Statuses can be challenging. To help understand the perplexities of the subject, we gathered your questions and sat down with our in-house Avios expert, Alisha Collins.
In this blog, Alisha will address some of the most frequently asked questions that puzzle RFF members about the BA Executive Club, and help us decode the mysteries of BA Tiers and Statuses.
Let’s dive in.
What's the Difference Between Avios Points and Tier Points and Status?
Think of Avios points and Tier points as your magic beans and golden goose in the fairy tale of British Airways reward seats. Intrigued? Let's break it down.
First up, the magic beans - Avios points. These are your rewards earned from flying with the likes of BA and Qatar, holidaying with BA Holidays, and even from the day-to-day credit card spending and ancillary spends. Bought something from the BA Portal? That's some Avios for you. Converted your Nectar points? You've guessed it, Avios. These points can then be used to offset the cost of reward seats on BA flights.
Now, onto the golden goose - Tier points. These points are primarily earned when you fly with BA and other airlines in the Oneworld Alliance. As these points accumulate, they culminate into a Tier status, which comes with its own set of bragging rights and benefits
To sum it up, while Avios points are your currency for Avios reward seats, Tier points are your VIP ticket to enhanced travel experiences.
What are the BA Tiers?
If the BA Executive Club were a game, tiers would be the levels you unlock as you accumulate points. Let’s take a look at them.
Blue Tier:
This is where the journey begins, the moment you step into the BA Executive Club. As a blue member, you start collecting Avios and Tier Points, personalise your details and preferences, and gain access to member-only offers. In this tier, you earn 6 Avios points per £1 spent.
Bronze Tier:
When you've gathered 300 Tier Points and completed at least 2 eligible flights a year, you get promoted to Bronze. Here's where the perks begin to roll in. You get priority check-in and boarding, free seat selection seven days before departure, and 6 Avios points per £1 spent.
Silver Tier:
Attainable at 600 Tier Points and with at least 4 eligible flights a year, a Silver membership is when you start living the good life. It comes with priority boarding, free seat selection at booking, access to business lounges, extra baggage allowance, and 7 Avios points per £1 spent. You're no longer just a traveller; you're a Silver-tier globetrotter.
Gold Tier:
The crème de la crème. Once you've amassed 1500 Tier Points and flown on at least 4 eligible flights a year, you hit Gold. With this comes first-class check-in and boarding, free seat selection at booking, access to First lounges, extra baggage allowance, additional Avios reward seat availability, and 9 Avios points per £1 spent. Congratulations, you've hit the big time.
How Long Does My BA Status Last?
The duration of your membership varies depending on when you achieve it. But you're guaranteed at least a year of usage, and if you play your cards right, you might even squeeze out 18 to 23 months, or possibly more.
Here's how it works: your status sticks with you for the remaining time in your current membership year. But that's not all. It extends to the entirety of the following membership year, PLUS a cherry-on-top bonus period of 7 to 8 weeks.
So let's say your membership year ends in June, but you earn your Silver Wings in January. You can enjoy all the Silver benefits till next June, and then an entire year after that, plus a few additional weeks until your card expires – and this is even if you don't earn any more tier points in the meantime.
How Do I Earn BA Tier Points?
To earn BA Tier Points, you need to fly. This might be primarily with BA, but you can also accumulate Tier Points with some other BA partners in the Oneworld Alliance. Make sure to enter your British Airways Executive Club number when booking a Oneworld flight. The Tier points will then automatically be credited to your account. The number of Tier points you rack up is calculated by two main factors: the class of flight you're travelling in and the distance of the flight.
To give you a rough idea of how much you can earn, here are some estimates per class:
- Economy: 5 – 80 Tier Points
- World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy): 90 – 100 Tier Points
- Club Europe (European Business): 40 – 80 Tier Points
- Club World (Long Haul Business): 140 – 240 Tier Points
- First Class: 210 – 240 Tier Points
Remember, these figures aren't set in stone but they can provide a helpful guide. For more precise information, you can always rely on the BA Tier Points Calculator on the British Airways website.
Can I Earn Avios and Tier Points on BA Reward Flight Bookings?
The leap from Blue membership to the next tier, say Bronze, requires certain criteria to be met. Firstly, you must accumulate enough Tier Points within a given membership year to cross the tier's threshold. For Bronze, that's 300 tier points. You earn these on what we call 'eligible flights.’
However, if you're booking British Airways reward seats, these flights are not eligible. On such bookings, you will earn neither Avios nor Tier Points. Also, note that reward flights do not count towards the two 'eligible' BA flights you need, along with 300 Tier Points, to be promoted to Bronze, or the four 'eligible' flights, along with 600 Tier Points, to get promoted to Silver.
Can BA Tier Points Be Transferred?
While the concept of sharing is great and Avios points can be transferred among BA Executive Club members, the same does not apply to Tier Points. This means they remain exclusively yours and can't be moved between BA Executive Club members.
What is BA Lifetime Status?
BA Lifetime Status is a Gold membership for life, automatically renewed every year. It’s awarded to the most loyal of travellers who’ve consistently chosen BA as their go-to airline over the years.
BA has been offering the Lifetime Status perk since 2013. However, reaching this coveted status involves a lifetime of tier-point collection. The first is your annual tier point balance, which resets every year on your membership anniversary and contributes towards achieving Bronze, Silver, or Gold status for the upcoming year. The second is your lifetime tier point balance. This figure represents all the tier points you've ever earned, right from when you kickstarted your membership. You need 35,000 lifetime tier points to unlock lifetime Gold status. Bronze or Silver lifetime statuses are off the table - it's Gold or nothing.
But here's the reality check: if you've been consistently hitting Gold status (which requires 1,500 tier points per membership year), it'll still take you just over 23 solid years to land Lifetime Gold. And if you're a Silver-status regular, accumulating an average of 600 tier points annually, prepare for a 60-year marathon.
While the prospect of Lifetime Gold status might seem enticing, the reality is that it's a privilege reserved for those who maintain a high frequency of flights consistently over several decades.
What Happens to My BA Tier Points and Status at the End of the Year?
Unlike Avios, which you accumulate and spend as a reward currency, Tier Points function differently. Essentially, they act as a measure of your engagement with BA's flights and services over a year. It's important to note that Tier Points aren't something you can spend, and they operate on an annual cycle. They accumulate over your membership year based on your flight activity and help you ascend to different BA statuses - Bronze, Silver, or Gold.
But, what happens when your membership year ends? Simply put, your Tier Points reset to zero. This is because BA's elite status is not an everlasting award; it's evaluated on a year-to-year basis. To retain your status or aim for a higher one, you must meet the minimum requirements for each status within each membership year. As soon as the new year kicks off, your Tier Points counter goes back to zero.
If I Upgrade My Flight, Do I Earn More Tier Points?
The quick answer to this question is "yes", but it comes with a pinch of "terms and conditions," so let's break it down.
The number of Avios and Tier Points you earn depends on a few primary factors: how much you pay, the length of your flight and the class of travel. The rule of thumb is that higher classes equate to more earnings. So, if you originally book a lower cabin class, and later decide to upgrade to a higher cabin, your Tier Points will reflect the upgraded class.
But before you rush to upgrade, be mindful of a couple of conditions. First, this rule only applies if you’re ticketed with a British Airways flight number. This means if your flight is operated by another airline, even if it's a BA partner, the rule doesn't apply. Second, you'll only score the upgraded Avios and Tier Points if you upgrade with cash. This means that if you use Avios to upgrade, you're only eligible for the Avios and Tier Points of the original class you booked.
Can I Exchange Avios Points for Tier Points?
No, you can't swap your Avios for British Airways Tier Points or vice versa. While both Avios and Tier Points play pivotal roles in your BA experience, they have different uses and can't be swapped or exchanged.
Can I Buy BA Tier Points or Status?
While you can buy Avios points, you can't buy Tier Points or Status. That's right, no shortcuts or fast tracks here. Your Tier Points and subsequent Status are earned the old-fashioned way - through consistent and frequent flying with BA and its OneWorld Alliance partners.