British Airways announced changes to its Executive Club membership program effective April Fool’s Day in 2025.
We briefly covered these very unfortunate changes yesterday (read more here) and noted that there is a significant change in the lifetime program also that affects me personally.
You can access BA here.
Lifetime Requirements from April 1, 2025:
- Gold: 550,000 (£550,000)
- Gold Guest List: 1,500,000 (£1,500,000)
My Current BA Lifetime Progress:
I have another 280 Tier Points from last month’s flights that have yet to be posted (nothing new with BA).
80 Tier Points are coming from two Iberia flights this coming Saturday and 280 Tier Points from two long-haul flights in business.
These take me to 31,005 Tier Points, 3,995 Tier Points short of lifetime Gold.
When we convert these to new Lifetime Tier Points, I will be 62,779 points short.
To reach this tier, I must spend 62,779 GBP on eligible British Airways, American Airlines, and Iberia flights.
As we pointed out yesterday, you can still earn Tier Points based on the ticketed fare class and flight distance on Oneworld partner airlines. The percentages are carrier-specific.
The earnings on airlines like Finnair and Qatar Airways are good’ish, while Qantas and Cathay Pacific are awful.
BA can further adjust these partner earnings at their whim if they deem that these changes encourage members to fly more on partner codes (remember, Oneworld airlines don’t credit per operating airline but who markets the flight).
Conclusion
This is a good reminder that these businesses can change every aspect of the program and change features at a whim that significantly affects those who have been part of them for years or decades and made “commitments” to reaching certain milestones over a long period.
I had some flights with BA in the early 2000s and got active with them again after they bought and dismantled their local competitor, BMI, and merged the Diamond Club into the Executive Club.
I was a Gold Guest List member with Concorde Room Access for a few years when I traveled more with Oneworld, but I have never been a “committed” BA flier. I fly with airlines from all alliances that offer competitively priced tickets and take me where I need to be. I don’t enjoy traveling through Heathrow or London or flying on BA.
The question is also that BA has committed to giving members 6 months’ notice of changes made to the lifetime program, yet they are rolling out these negative enhancements in only three months.
British Airways should have given members a proper 12-month notice of these changes rather than implementing them in 3 months and announcing them between Christmas and the New Year.
BA’s Frequently Asked Questions:
Lifetime Tier Points
How many Lifetime Tier Points do I need to achieve Lifetime status?
From 1 April 2025 the way Members earn Tier Points is changing and the number of Lifetime Tier Points needed to reach the Lifetime Tiers is also being updated to reflect this.
Lifetime Tier thresholds from 1 April 2025:
Gold for Life: 550,000 Lifetime Tier Points
Will my current Lifetime Tier Point balance change?
Yes, Lifetime Tier Point balances will be adjusted to reflect the changes to how Tier Points are earned from 1 April 2025 and the new Lifetime thresholds.
Your proportional progress towards the next Lifetime threshold will be carried over. For instance, if you’ve collected 50% of the Lifetime Tier Points required for Gold for Life, your new balance will equal 50% of the new threshold.
For example:
Current balance – 17,500 Lifetime Tier Points
This will be converted to – 275,000 Lifetime Tier Points
Or , if you’re already a Gold for Life Member, your Lifetime Tier Point balance will be proportionally transfered, or set to at least 550,000 tier points, whichever is higher.
Here’s an example:
Current balance – 50,000 Lifetime Tier Points
This will be converted to – 750,000 Lifetime Tier Points
How do I earn Lifetime Tier Points?
From 1 April 2025 all the new ways Members can earn Tier Points will count towards your Lifetime Tier Point balance.
This means you’ll be able to earn Lifetime Tier Points on:
Flights
Qualifying add-ons
British Airways Holidays package bookings
Buying contributions to Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF*)
Travel dates
I have a flight booked after 1 April 2025. Will the way I earn Tier Points change?
From 1 April 2025, you’ll earn Tier Points based on total eligible spend.
For flights booked before 30 December 2024 for travel from 1 April 2025, that are marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia, Tier Points will be awarded based on a conversion of the existing method.
This means any bookings you’ve already made will earn proportionally the same number of Tier Points, or more, as today.
Examples for flights booked before 30 December 2024 for travel after 1 April 2025
London Heathrow to New York booked in Economy (O class):
- Today you earn 20 Tier Points each way
- From 1 April 2025, we’ll convert this to 267 Tier Points each way
- When you fly, you’ll earn Tier Points based on this converted amount, rather than eligible spend
London Heathrow to Madrid in Club Europe (I class)
- Today you earn 40 Tier Points each way
- From 1 April 2025, we’ll convert this to 534 Tier Points each way
- When you fly, you’ll earn Tier Points based on this converted amount, rather than eligible spend
You’ll also earn Tier Points for any qualifying add-ons purchased as part of your trip.
I booked to travel before 1 April 2025 and later made some changes. Will this impact my Tier Points?
From 1 April 2025, you wi’ll earn Tier Points based on total eligible spend.
For flights booked before 30 December 2024 for travel from 1 April 2025, that are marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia, Tier Points will be awarded based on a conversion of the existing method.
This means any bookings you’ve already made will earn proportionally the same number of Tier Points, or more, as today.
Flights taken before 31 March 2025 earn Tier Points based on the distance-based method. Use our flight calculator to check how many Tier Points your trip could earn.
How are my Tier Points impacted if I change a booking for travel after 1 April 2025 and the new price is higher or lower?
From 1 April 2025, you’ll earn Tier Points based on total eligible spend. You’ll also earn Tier Points for any qualifying add-ons purchased as part of your trip.
If you make any changes to your trip and your ticket price changes, the Tier Points you earn will be based on the total eligible spend for your updated ticket.
For flights booked before 30 December 2024 for travel from 1 April 2025, that are marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia, Tier Points will be awarded based on a conversion of the existing method.
This means any bookings you’ve already made will earn proportionally the same number of Tier Points, or more, as today.
What happens if I fly before 1 April 2025, but my flight isn’t added to my account until after the changes?
Any flights you take before 1 April 2025 earn Tier Points under the current distance-based method and will count towards your previous qualification period.
What happens if I have a booking that includes flights both before and after 1 April 2025?
Any flights you take before 1 April 2025 earn Tier Points under the current distance-based method and will count towards your previous qualification period.
Any flights taken from 1 April 2025 will earn Tier Points based on total eligible spend.
For flights booked before 30 December 2024 for travel from 1 April 2025, that are marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia, Tier Points will be awarded based on a conversion of the existing method.
This means any bookings you’ve already made will earn proportionally the same number of Tier Points, or more, as today.
Partner airlines
Will there be any exceptions to the new way of earning Tier Points after 1 April 2025 for flights marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia
Yes. In some cases, where the fare paid is unavailable or hasn’t been disclosed, you’ll earn Tier Points based on a percentage of miles flown. The cabin and booking class will also be considered, as shown in the table below.
For example, if you fly 1,000 miles in Business Lowest you’ll earn 250 Tier Points which is 25% of the miles flown.
Additionally, for flights booked before 30 December 2024 for travel from 1 April 2025, that are marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia, Tier Points will be awarded based on a conversion of the existing method. This means any bookings you’ve already made will earn proportionally the same number of Tier Points, or more, as today.
These are the rates we’ll use:
Your travel class What you’ll receive
Economy Lowest (Q, O, G) 25% Avios, 4% Tier Points
Economy Low (K, L, M, N, S, V) 50% Avios, 7% Tier Points
Economy Flexible (Y, B, H) 100% Avios, 15% Tier Points
Premium Economy Lowest (E, T) 100% Avios, 12% Tier Points
Premium Economy Flexible (W) 150% Avios, 25% Tier Points
Business Lowest (R, I) 150% Avios, 25% Tier Points
Business Flexible (J, C, D) 250% Avios, 50% Tier Points
First Lowest (A) 250% Avios, 40% Tier Points
First Flexible (F) 300% Avios, 60% Tier Points
Will there be any changes to how I earn Tier Points on flights marketed by oneworld or other partner airlines?
From 1 April 2025, flights marketed by American Airlines (AA) and Iberia (IB) will earn Tier Points based on total eligible spend. You’ll also earn Tier Points for qualifying add-ons on flights marketed and operated by Iberia.
For flights marketed by oneworld or other air partners, you’ll earn Tier Points based on a percentage of how many miles you fly, as well as your booking class and the cabin you fly in.
There are no changes to how you collect Avios on our partner airlines.
You can check how many Tier Points your partner airline flight will earn under the new method by visiting our flight earn information page and selecting the partner airline you wish to view from the list.
We’ll update these pages as any further changes to how Members earn Tier Points with our partner airlines from 1 April 2025 are confirmed.
How will I earn Tier Points on bookings where there’s a combination of British Airways and partner airline marketed flights?
Flights marketed by British Airways or a partner airline that awards based on total eligible spend will earn Tier Points based on the pro-rated ticket price for those flights.
Flights marketed by other air partners will earn Tier Points, where applicable, based on how far you fly, as well as your booking class and the cabin you fly in.
Avios
Are you changing how Avios are collected?
No. We’re changing the way Members earn Tier Points and the number of Tier Points needed to reach the British Airways Club Membership levels.
You already collect Avios when you fly based on total eligible spend and you can find more information on our Collecting Avios on flights page.
Do I still earn Tier Points on a cash ticket discounted with Avios?
Yes. Members who use Avios to part-pay the price of a cash ticket will continue to earn Tier Points and Avios based on the full, total eligible spend for the booking, before the discount is applied.
Additionally, Members who choose to part-pay or pay in full using Avios for pre-paid seating, baggage or airport promotional upgrades will now also be eligible to earn Tier Points for their qualifying add-ons, as well as Avios.
Tier Points and Avios aren’t awarded on Reward Flight bookings.
