BA Executive Club change to spend-based status earning

[Flashback]

We knew it was coming..... but we thought 1st April 2026. Nope, 1st April 2025.

Introducing The British Airways Club: More ways to earn Tier Points than ever before

British Airways has today announced changes to its loyalty programme, introducing new ways to earn Tier Points to progress through the Tiers.

mediacentre.britishairways.com

It's brutal.

Of course it was 'due to member feedback', so we only have ourselves to blame.

After more than a decade of BA Gold ....... it'll be bye bye from me. There's no way I'll get close to spending £20,000 / year, even with some of the other ways you can earn TP via BA Holidays, BA AMEX etc.

As I'm only 0% of the way to GFL, no point pursuing. At least the handcuffs are off and I can now just book the best J/F fare available at the time.

 

[moa999]

Sorry for those chasing BA LT status.

new lifetime status levels will be:

GfL- 550,000 Tier Points
GGLfL- 1,500,000 Tier Points

And essentially a new TP is a £ (or A$2) spend ex Govt fees.

Conversion of existing TO done by multiplier -
Members’ proportional progress towards Lifetime thresholds (presumably as of 1 April 2025?) will be preserved and be based on the % of their current progress.

For example:

• Current balance – 17,500 Lifetime Tier Points
• This will be converted to – 275,000 Lifetime Tier Points

 

[Flashback]

The irony is the name change from British Airways Executive Club to British Airways Club.

Mainly executive travellers will hit the new qualification rates ..... due to expensive / flex tickets being purchased.

 

[SYD]

Sorry for those chasing BA LT status.

new lifetime status levels will be:

GfL- 550,000 Tier Points
GGLfL- 1,500,000 Tier Points

And essentially a new TP is a £ (or A$2) spend ex Govt fees.

Conversion of existing TO done by multiplier -
Members’ proportional progress towards Lifetime thresholds (presumably as of 1 April 2025?) will be preserved and be based on the % of their current progress.

For example:

• Current balance – 17,500 Lifetime Tier Points
• This will be converted to – 275,000 Lifetime Tier Points

Yep. Glad i didn’t bother chasing LT OWE with BA. I was well past QF LTG before I realised it was a credible option. Although, I suspect if I’d started 10 yrs ago, I wouldn’t have had OWE every year in between (which I did with QF). Nor be close enough to LT OWE now….I’d be in a similar boat to QF LTP (unattainable).

The grass isn’t always greener….

 

[Flashback]

Yep. Glad i didn’t bother chasing LT OWE with BA. I was well past QF LTG before I realised it was a credible option. Although, I suspect if I’d started 10 yrs ago, I wouldn’t have had OWE every year in between (which I did with QF). Nor be close enough to LT OWE now….I’d be in a similar boat to QF LTP (unattainable).

The grass isn’t always greener….

Indeed. Voting with my feet and using my Avios where it makes sense to now most likely. There will be other options I feel, which eventually will also get closed down. As we tend to travel J anyway it'll just be BFOD. Paid lounges in the UK will get super busy, even though they're already past breaking point.

 

[jase05]

Brutal changes especially for those that fly MH, CX and QF in particular. QR and AY get looked after a little better but still not great.
Looks like this could be my last year of Gold although I’ll have to crunch my numbers as there probably isn’t many viable alternatives out there

 

[Flashback]

Brutal changes especially for those that fly MH, CX and QF in particular. QR and AY get looked after a little better but still not great.
Looks like this could be my last year of Gold although I’ll have to crunch my numbers as there probably isn’t many viable alternatives out there

AS maybe, but they're probably soon behind. As I said, handcuffs off so can now just fly BFOD.

 

[jase05]

AS maybe, but they're probably soon behind. As I said, handcuffs off so can now just fly BFOD.

We generally do anyway but it was nice to get a few extras but oh well

 

[RB001]

From 1 April 2025 British Airways are moving to a revenue model for earning status.

Perfect date to start!

 

[Flashback]

We generally do anyway but it was nice to get a few extras but oh well

For comparison, I've also got *A Gold but even doing every single flight in paid J it's a mine field, as the program I was using wouldn't accept all paid J buckets. The status game is over for me for now most likely, unless something simple comes along. But even then... I've found *A status to be pretty useless, too. VS or AF/KLM are an option if status matters but COS access to lounges is fine for us.

Did similar for hotels in 2020 and it's been rather nice and stress free to not worry about where we stay, does it earn etc.

 

[p--and--t]

https://loyaltylobby.com/2024/12/30/british-airways-moves-to-revenue-based-tier-points-from-april-1-2025-read-it-weep/

 

[jase05]

For comparison, I've also got *A Gold but even doing every single flight in paid J it's a mine field, as the program I was using wouldn't accept all paid J buckets. The status game is over for me for now most likely, unless something simple comes along. But even then... I've found *A status to be pretty useless, too. VS or AF/KLM are an option if status matters but COS access to lounges is fine for us.

Did similar for hotels in 2020 and it's been rather nice and stress free to not worry about where we stay, does it earn etc.

Yeah, we only fly J I internationally so the only real difference would be losing access to the F lounges but at the end of the day so be it I guess

 

[dairyfloss]

BA has now made their move on Tier Points and tying them to revenue. Commences April 2025. Looks like it would be very difficult for all but the biggest spenders travelling in premium cabins to make Gold (OWE) or even Silver (OWS).

Introducing The British Airways Club: More ways to earn Tier Points than ever before

British Airways has today announced changes to its loyalty programme, introducing new ways to earn Tier Points to progress through the Tiers.

mediacentre.britishairways.com

Also being discussed on AFF, over here: BA Executive Club moves to revenue based earning

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

BA has now made their move on Tier Points and tying them to revenue. Commences April 2025. Looks like it would be very difficult for all but the biggest spenders travelling in premium cabins to make Gold (OWE) or even Silver (OWS).

Introducing The British Airways Club: More ways to earn Tier Points than ever before

British Airways has today announced changes to its loyalty programme, introducing new ways to earn Tier Points to progress through the Tiers.

mediacentre.britishairways.com

Cheers,
Matt.

Equivalent AUD spend:

bronze (OWR, QF Silver) $7000
silver (OWS, QF gold) $15000
gold (OWE, QF platinum) $40000

 

[MEL_Traveller]

As posted in another thread, for reference, the new levels will require, in AUD:

bronze (OWR, QF silver) $7000
silver (OWS, QF gold), $15000
gold (OWE, QF Plat), $40000

edited to add… apparently the above spend limits do not include taxes and fees! So you’d need to spend a fair bit more than the above!

 

[SydneySwan]

Why don't BA scrap their loyalty scheme altogether and just compete with their fellow LCCs Ryanair and EasyJet?

 

[jase05]

As posted in another thread, for reference, the new levels will require, in AUD:

bronze (OWR, QF silver) $7000
silver (OWS, QF gold), $15000
gold (OWE, QF Plat), $40000

edited to add… apparently the above spend limits do not include taxes and fees! So you’d need to spend a fair bit more than the above!

Obviously you have to do a percentage on BA too but with some decent long haul fares on QR you could possibly get there a bit cheaper. CGK-JFK return in Flex J will get you around 11,000 TP’s for about $14k but yeah still going to be near enough to $30k to retain Gold

 

[p--and--t]

Why don't BA scrap their loyalty scheme altogether and just compete with their fellow LCCs Ryanair and EasyJet?

Patience grasshopper

 

[moa999]

Some other interesting parts
- Credit card TP earn capped at 2500 - so 70% of bronze but 12% for gold
- Real push to book hotels and other add-ons through BA Holidays (which generally means no hotel status)
- Discrimination among oneworld carriers (AA and IB tickets fall under the £ system, QR and AY earn at double rates to others
- For RTW ticket bookers, DONEx earns more than AONEx on mileage based carriers (quite strange)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I’m even more happy with my lifetime silver now! Even getting bronze on BA and other carriers when they go spend-based is going to be a slog.

I’m happy with business chicken, and a higher-group boarding.