British Airways improves and extends its Bonus Tier Point offer - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

The airline announced in December that it was changing the way members earn Tier Points, to make the programme more rewarding and promised to share updates with members throughout the year.

The latest offer, which, like the initial offer, requires members to ‘opt in’, replaces the airline’s first Bonus Tier Point offer, helping members achieve and keep their status – especially those flying in premium cabins. It’s expected the airline will always offer members a Bonus Tier Point proposition in addition to the general 1 Tier Point for £1 earning mechanism.

As part of the evolution of the airline’s previous British Airways Executive Club to The British Airways Club, members now earn both Avios and Tier Points based on their spend – widely known in the airline industry as a ‘spend-based earn’ model.

Members are awarded 1 Tier Point for every £1 they spend*. Customers need to have opted into the previous or latest offer to be rewarded with additional Tier Points, depending on the cabin they’re flying in. What’s more, the airline says that anyone who booked a flight or holiday package under the previous Bonus Tier Point offer announced in December, will automatically receive the new Bonus Tier Point values. They simply need to opt into the offer before they travel. 
Detailing the changes, Chief Commercial Officer Colm Lacy, said it was right for the airline to update its loyalty programme, but recognised that speculation about the changes has led to concern about what it would mean for customers. A new series of videos has been shared with customers today to help clarify the changes, with relatable scenarios to show how each level of status can be achieved. These can be found at www.ba.com/introducing-the-british-airways-club.

Lacy said: “We’re confident that moving to this model is the right thing to do for our customers, but we acknowledge that we need to reassure them that there are now lots more ways to earn status. We’re implementing a system that allows us to flex and adapt to respond to our customers’ needs, and the Bonus Tier Point campaign is a perfect example of this.

“Moving to a spend-based model is reflective of most loyalty programmes in the UK, so it was a logical step in the evolution of The Executive Club.

“Our members have a deep emotional connection with our loyalty scheme and their status means a lot to them – we’re confident the changes we’ve made fairly reward members for their travel with us.”

Ways to earn status

Flights – 1 Tier Point for £1 of eligible spend*

Holiday packages with British Airways Holidays – 1 Tier Point for £1 per person on the whole package spend

Purchasing a contribution to Sustainable Aviation Fuels** (SAF) – up to £1,000, equivalent to 1,000 Tier Points

Seat selection

Extra baggage

Spending on the British Airways American Express Premium credit card will earn up to 2,500 Tier Points. More detail will be announced closer to the launch date

Lacy added: “We now have a way to reward leisure customers that we haven’t in the past. The British Airways Holidays proposition is more generous than ever with the new uncapped reward system awarding 1 Tier Point for every £1 per person spent on a holiday package. Now we’ve upgraded the latest Bonus Tier Point offer, it’s even more rewarding.”

Lacy also confirmed the new model meant members who flew frequently with the airline and earned their status based on the number of sectors they flew, could still qualify for the airline’s Bronze or Silver Tier status by taking 25 and 50 flights respectively. “We crunched our data and it shows that under the new model, Bronze and Silver members can still re-qualify based on around the same number of average-priced standard fare flights as previously.

“However, we’ve heard that our members wanted more clarity, certainty and reassurance, so we’ve found a way to re-introduce earning by sector for flights with a BA flight number to support members who use British Airways’ flights to commute.”

Members who earn enough Tier Points to renew or upgrade their status by 31 March 2025 will have a full year of status through to 30 April 2026, while collecting Tier Points under the new model for the following year.

“I hope it’s clear that these changes aren’t about reducing the number of members in each Tier but making sure that we get the level of recognition right for each individual.” Lacy confirmed.

The airline has also confirmed that British Airways American Express Premium Plus Cardmembers will be able to earn up to 2,500 Tier Points by spending on their card. More details of this offer will be announced closer to the launch date.

Image Credit: © British Airways