Why BA (Executive Club)?

[TonyHancock]

As an introduction to this thread on British Airways Executive Club, here's a summary of the key program features:

1. Overview​

The Executive Club is the frequent flyer program of British Airways that was started in 1995. Members earn Avios Points for redemptions and Tier Points to move through the ranks of status. Avios require activity once every 36 months to remain valid.

2. Tiers​

The Executive Club is made up of 5 tiers, plus one additional access card to exclusive lounges and one invitation-only tier. Bonus points are earned on BA, IB, AA and JL coded flights, unless otherwise noted.

• Blue
  This is the entry-level to the program and allows members to collect Avios, Tier Points, save their details and preferences and receive member-only offers.
• Bronze
  Attained at 300 Tier Points and 2 British Airways flights or 25 British Airways flights, this tier includes all previous benefits, plus a 25% Avios bonus, priority check-in and boarding and allows free seat selection 7 days before departure. Bronze status is equivalent to oneworld Ruby.
• Silver
  Attained at 600 Tier Points and 4 British Airways flights or 50 British Airways flights, this tier improves the Avios bonus to 50% and allows free seat selection at time of booking, includes all previous benefits, plus provides access to Business class lounges and additional baggage allowance. Silver status is equivalent to oneworld Sapphire.
• Gold
  Attained at 1,500 Tier Points and 4 British Airways flights, this tier improves the Avios bonus to 100%, includes all previous benefits, plus provides First class check-in, access to First class lounges and additional reward flight availability. Gold status is equivalent to oneworld Emerald.

At 2,500 Tier Points, members receive one voucher for the traveller and a companion to upgrade one travel class.

At 3,500 Tier Points, members receive two vouchers for just the traveller to upgrade one travel class.

At 4,500 Tier Points, members can nominate a partner for an Executive Club Silver partner card.

At 5,000 Tier Points, members receive an invitation for the Gold Guest List and a Concorde Room Card.

• Lifetime Gold
  Attained at 35,000 Tier Points, this is one of the few lifetime oneworld Emerald tiers available to earn in a loyalty programme. Lifetime Gold status is equivalent to oneworld Emerald.
• Gold Guest List
  Members receive two Executive Club Silver partner cards and one Executive Club Gold partner card, to share benefits with those who matter most. Booking redemptions is easier, and a dedicated team is at your call to help with reservations, similar to Qantas’ Platinum One. At British Airways lounges GGL members can also bring two guests with them, instead of the usual one. Partner hotel status with Hilton at the Diamond level is also offered. Members can also make a redemption booking for up to 5 people that is booked into a revenue class, commonly referred to as a Joker, twice a year. Renewal only requires 3,000 Tier Points. Gold Guest List status is equivalent to oneworld Emerald.

At 6,000 Tier Points, members receive an additional Joker.

At 7,000, 8,000 & 9,000 Tier Points, members are able to choose between:

• An additional Joker
• An additional two vouchers for just the traveller to upgrade one travel class
• 50,000 Avios points

Attained at 100,000 Tier Points, the Lifetime Gold Guest List is one of the few lifetime oneworld Emerald tiers available to earn in a loyalty programme. Members also receive a Concorde Room Card for life. Lifetime Gold Guest List status is equivalent to oneworld Emerald.

• Concorde Room
  The Concorde Room card is attained at 5,000 Tier Points, as previously mentioned. It provides access to the best lounges British Airways offers, the London Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York JFK Terminal 7 Concorde Rooms, usually only accessed by those travelling in First class. It also provides access to the Concorde Bar, a lounge within a lounge concept at Dubai and Singapore. Edit: As at May 2018 Concorde Room cardholders are no longer able to access the Concorde Bar in SIN.

3. Premier​

This tier is not earned merely through flying, but is awarded by British Airways to individuals who are considered commercially important. Similar to Qantas’ Chairman’s Lounge, each member has to be approved by the board.

4. Lounges​

British Airways operates a number of lounges.

Terraces & Executive Club
A precursor to the Galleries brand of lounges.

Gallaries
Galleries lounges are the newer lounges in the network, and are split into 3 distinct groups.

• Galleries Club lounges are essentially Business class lounges, accessible by Business class passengers, Executive Club Silver members and oneworld Sapphire members. Features include hot and cold food, self-serve bar, showers and tarmac views.
• Galleries First lounges are essentially First class lounges, accessible by First class passengers (although British Airways First class passengers may want to seek out the Concorde Room if offered), Executive Club Gold members and above and oneworld Emerald members. In addition to previously listed features of Galleries Club lounges, a larger buffet is offered or an a la carte menu. There is also a Champagne Bar, Kids Zone and Business Centre.
• The Galleries Arrivals lounge is located in London Heathrow Terminal 5 and available for use by First or Business class passengers, Executive Club Gold members and above arriving on a longhaul flight.

Concorde Room
The Concorde Room is available solely to British Airways First class passengers, and Premier & Concorde Roomcardholders. The Dining Area features private booths and a gourmet menu, the Business Centre features seats from an original Concorde jet, and private cabanas provide a daybed, bathroom and shower. Edit: As at May 2018 Concorde Room cardholders are no longer able to access the Concorde Bar in SIN.

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So what has driven me to the fickle mistress that is BA? :?:

Well......where do I start? First up QF has played a big part, the changes last year really knocked me for six. I used the mASA extensively and also traveled on OW airlines. Whilst relatively minor the lack of Lifetime QF Platinum also played its part.

That is all very well I hear you say but why BA and not AA? The redemption rates with AA are much better I am told.

Whilst redemptions do matter they are not the most important thing for me. My travel is booked the best part of 12 months out and is primarily to the UK, 5-7 times per year. In order to maximise the benefits of status I like to fly with the airline I hold status with. I have been P1 with QF for four years and enjoyed the benefits associated with it.

The use of mASA's with QF, alongside two or three paid J fares allowed me to average about $5k per UK trip in J. This also allowed me to maintain P1 status and reap the rewards of multiple complimentary upgrades and excellent service recovery when things went, or looked as though they might go wrong.

I worked out that if I could hit GGL in year one, 5000 TP's, I had a shout at maintaining that level in subsequent years. (3000 TP's per year) Why did GGL matter I hear you ask? Well on the way to that level one picks up upgrade vouchers and upon reaching GGL one collects "jokers" that allow redemptions into revenue buckets. In some respects this will give me similar opportunities as mASA's. :idea:

What I did not realise is just how inexpensive some ex Europe fares could be, and by using MH/UL for positioning into the UK I could book a series of returns from Norway for under $5k per flight in J. Of course there is a bit of faffing about, four hours of unnecessary flying and the associated time on the ground.

So for the foreseeable future I have a sustainable means of flying J and maintaining status. As with all FF schemes there is always the spectre of devaluation lurking in the background but for the time being I am happy with my lot.

I hit GGL in just over ten months and in the penultimate flight to make GGL received an op up to F on a LHR-SIN sector.

Three of my UK/US work colleagues are particularly happy as I was able to gift a gold status and two silvers.

So for the next nine months I will be a QF P1 and a BA GGL..........but it is the P1 that will go by the wayside.

 

[alieninperth]

The first one seems to compare pretty well with the ex CPH sale fare. There really are some great deals ex EU on BA. It seems that so far, you have made the right choice.

 

[Danger]

It's nice to here a person's reasoning and logic behind changing FF programs.

 

[andye]

I am a much smaller fish than TH but I switched to BAEC for a number of reasons.

I travel to Europe on average twice a year (typically once for work in J and once with family in Y). I try to visit the UK to see family at some point on those trips.

Work travel is my main source of SCs. Can book own route but only if you can beat the employer's quote. BAEC enables me to find a routing using OW airlines that involves London while still earning enough SCs to get OWS. The flights might include QF (who I like flying) but staying with QFF would penalise me for flying CX/MH/BA etc

Avios are more valuable to burn than QF points

Don't visit the US regularly enough to achieve the 4 flights for status on AA.

I do find that the QF Lounge dragons are stricter with guesting rules with BA OWS rather than QF SG (would usually allow children as uncounted). However the family lounge access in Y is not the be-all and end-all for me. Things like priority check-in, priority security and service recovery are all helpful when doing Y trips with family

 

[siri]

Few months ago, I got BA Bus class from syd to Spore, one way for 100K points and 500 dollars taxes. I thought it was a good bargain. Few yrs ago I took Japan Air, Syd-Tokyo-Amsterdam return and got almost 600 status points.. Good for a one trip.

 

[bryanjones]

Just had my first leg in Club World. Service was amazing and it was a lightly loaded 777 BLR-LHR. Is all BA business class having reverse seats? I had no one next to me on both sides but would find it awkward on a fuller flight.

 

[TonyHancock]

Just had my first leg in Club World. Service was amazing and it was a lightly loaded 777 BLR-LHR. Is all BA business class having reverse seats? I had no one next to me on both sides but would find it awkward on a fuller flight.

The long haul Club World setup is as as you describe. (Club Europe is basically Y with a seat free next to you.)

I like to get a window seat, preferably where I do not have to climb over someone's legs to get out. On the 777 service from SYD to LHR this is usually 16A or 16K.

There can be the odd awkward moment when the divider between seats is down.

 

[bryanjones]

Thanks for the confirmation - I just did a search and found you could get one leg on CX. Got me thinking that perhaps they were matching - could get to SYD return for 21,506 not including the positioning flights, with CX from LHR. Dates in mar and june

 

[andye]

Thanks for the confirmation - I just did a search and found you could get one leg on CX. Got me thinking that perhaps they were matching - could get to SYD return for 21,506 not including the positioning flights, with CX from LHR. Dates in mar and june

You are right. You can get BA codeshares on CX metal for the second leg of LHR-HKG-SYD routes. Good for TPs (more than on a direct LHR-SIN-SYD) and variety

 

[TonyHancock]

You can get BA codeshares on CX metal for the second leg of LHR-HKG-SYD routes. Good for TPs (more than on a direct LHR-SIN-SYD) and variety

I'm on CX, MEL-HKG, as a BA code share at the end of the month. Looking forward to it....and of cause the TP haul.

 

[katiebell]

How do the BAEC SC and avios earn rates compare with QF FF? What risks are there that everything may be lost if we are found to be resident in Aus (even if using a UK address)?

 

[TonyHancock]

I can give a couple of examples of TP and Avios hauls:

SYD-LHR (BA16) 240 TP and 26413 (In J as a BA GCH*)
MEL-HKG (BA4566 - CX metal) 140 TP and 11490 Avios (In J as a BA GCH)
HKG-LHR (BA32) 140 TP and 14948 Avios (In J as a BA GCH)
LHR-SIN (BA15) 160 TP and 16858 Avios (In J as a BA GCH)

2000 miles is the tipping point. A good example is with QF in Australia where MEL-PER is under 2000 miles and SYD-PER just over - earn in J is as follows:

SYD-PER - 140 TP and 2550 Avios as a BA GCH
MEL-PER - 40 TP and 2101 Avios as a BA GCH

BA has a decent calculator for TP and Avios earn and it can be found here.

I value an Avios as almost twice the value of a QFF point.

I am not sure how closely BA follows a member's residence. I have a UK residential address as well as an Australian one and am a UK citizen so it is not something I have considered.


*GCH = Gold Card Holder = OWE

 

[andye]

I have never heard of any adverse effect of signing up with an 'inaccurate' address.
In the past, there were lower requal requirements if you were based in the EU so it was quite common for people to say they were not at their primary address. Never heard of issues
If you reach Bronze Silver Gold etc you will be posted your card to your registered address and you may want to retrieve it

 

[LGW]

I just joined BAEC as I want to get Emerald with One World. I earned 660 Tier Credits in my first month, but have only flown 2 segments with BA. I have BKK-HKG-LHR return next month in First Class plus 2 trips intra Europe in Club Europe. Which will give me an additional 700 tier credits so I'll easily attain Gold. Is it worth me trying for the 5000 Tier Credits? Also, Tony Hancock, why do you value Avios at about double that of Qantas points?

 

[TonyHancock]

Also, Tony Hancock, why do you value Avios at about double that of Qantas points?

Check out the redemption rate for MEL-PER with Avios against QFF points.

GGL is a step above QF P1 in my opinion. The ability to open up rewards availability twice is a top notch benefit. Don't forget this is for a return trip on BA metal. I am currently in J having paid Y+ and used a GUF and a joker. ðŸ

 

[LGW]

I think I may as well go for the 5000 tier points. I have 1 year to do it and it will just mean some flights via Hong Kong on my way home to England.

Did you notice any benefits as you progressed past Gold? I now have 2 return First to LHR from BKK booked, along with a return LHR-JFK First and several Club Europe flights. all up, I have just over 2000 worth of tier points booked up to November.

 

[Isochronous]

I would move over to BA but for the ongoing stories about downgrading of service and generally low levels of respect for passengers

 

[LGW]

I would move over to BA but for the ongoing stories about downgrading of service and generally low levels of respect for passengers

May I ask if this is in all travel classes? I have had relatively good experiences in First Class.

 

[TonyHancock]

Did you notice any benefits as you progressed past Gold?

BA is a bit weird when it comes to status recognition. I had a couple of comp ups to F as I progressed past Gold but only one op-up as a GL. Like QF and VA I find crews hit and miss, but mainly hit. I like to have a laugh and a joke with the crew and usually enjoy my BA flights because of that. I have rarely had a bad crew but have had a couple of SIN-LHR with indifferent service.

 

[drron]

Well I am seriously considering making BAEC my primary program because AA is not as good as it once was and i am LTP anyway with them.
Helped by the fact my sister now lives in Devon so I have a trusted UK address i can use.
Reasons-some really good fares to Asia in premium cabins.
-premium cabin awards still seem to have reasonable availability.
-but mainly salivating thinking of being in the F cabin on BA when Mr.Hancock has missed the beep and still in J.Upstaged by a convict.oh the ectasy for me.

 

[TonyHancock]

Probably time for a bit of an update. (I noticed this thread referenced over the weekend)

I am still wedded to BA and still making the most out of Ex EU fares. SVG is my go to starting point because the back to backs are by far the easiest of the three Norway choices. My last booking, for October 2017, came in at AUS$4.3k, and is SVG-LHR-HKG-MEL-HKG-LHR-SVG. I have used points to book my back to backs which has worked out at 4500 Avios and approx AUS$100 each way for Club Europe. The trips to SVG are becoming a little tiresome but I always complete them as ticketed to avoid any potential hassle. The reduction in flights to SVG has meant that the trip to the UK is a bit more painful - it means landing from HKG in the early morning and then hanging around for a late morning flight to SVG and it's subsequent return.

My return to the UK next month will complete my ninth ex EU trip since this thread started back in October 2015. I have also completed an F reward, a W+ to J trip using an Gold upgrade, a cheapish MH paid J trip and a combination of QF J to BKK (Joining the points upgrade lottery!!) and EY Paid from BKK to LHR.

I have a further three ex EU's booked and another Y+to J SYD-LHR trip using a GUF1 (Gold Upgrade for One). I also have a LHR-SAN-LHR Y+ to J using a GUF in April.)

Last year I managed 8000 TP's and at 7000 selected two GUF1's and at 8000 another Joker. these give me a lot of options for the unplanned short notice trips to the UK/Europe.

Experience has taught me to take the QF option (Code share) up to HKG on the way to Europe and the CX option back to MEL to avoid the Fred Perry supper menu on QF!!!!!

I still like flying with QF and enjoy the J product on the A330's. I prefer the BA bed to the QF Skybed and A330 suite bed, but the BA product overall is not the greatest..........however for sub AUS$5k returns it does the job and I do enjoy my visits to the CCR at LHR.

The GGL phone line is something QF could learn a lot from. I have only ever received excellent customer service from staff members who absolutely know their stuff and get "things" done.

I probably average 2-3 complimentary upgrades to F per year but the LHR-SIN-LHR and LHR-HKG-LHR routes are more often than not sold out in F.

BA continues to enhance its product offerings but I have not really suffered these. I am conscious that I am in a comfortable "loop" at the moment and need to keep my eyes open for other options - just in case, but overall I am relatively happy with my lot.