Fury as British Airways overhauls loyalty points system, making ‘gold status impossible for economy travellers’
British Airways has announced an overhaul of its loyalty programme, increasing the number of points its members will need to reach each status.
To qualify for gold status - which features benefits such as access to First lounges and enhanced baggage allowance - customers will need to earn 20,000 points in a year, up from 1,500 points currently.
A British Airways source said the new programme is not comparable with the existing one because of changes in how points are earned.
This includes awarding points based on the amount spent - including through the airline's package holiday division - rather than distance flown.
The overhaul, which comes into effect from April 1 next year, includes changing the scheme's name from the British Airways Executive Club to the British Airways Club.
Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer website claimed the changes mean the airline is "effectively washing its hands of the leisure market" and going "all-in" to attract business travellers.
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He added: "With a gold card now available for just over one-and-a-half £12,000 fully flexible Club World return flights to New York, it is clear who the target market now is.
"Realistically, it will now be impossible to earn gold for small business travellers, economy travellers or self-funded leisure travellers.
"Even silver will be a major stretch."
But British Airways says it is introducing more ways than ever before to earn Tier Points - including seat selection, excess baggage, contributions to Sustainable Aviation Fuels and co-brand credit card spend.
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The potential to earn Tier Points on British Airways Holidays packages will also now be unlimited, which means customers could earn status by purchasing one or two British Airways Holidays packages.
The carrier's chief commercial officer, Colm Lacy, said: "We have introduced more ways than ever before to earn Tier Points. including packages with British Airways Holidays, spend on co-brand credit card and when paying for extras such as seat selection and additional baggage.
"The changes we have announced today underline our continued investment in our loyalty programme and in our customers.
"Based on our members' feedback, we've built on the changes we've already made - including how customers collect Avios and their membership year - in a way that we believe better rewards their loyalty and reflects their changing travel needs."
'A HUGE BLOW TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY'
By James Flanders, The Sun's Chief Consumer Reporter (and BA Executive Club Holder of 20 years)
I have been a member of the British Airways Executive Club since childhood, thanks to my upbringing as an expat frequently travelling between London and the Far East.
Whether you hold Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or the prestigious Gold Guest List membership, frequent travellers have long been rewarded with various perks.
These include global lounge access, bonus Avios (BA’s term for airmiles), and complimentary upgrades to the front of the plane.
However, today's announcement from British Airways is a significant blow to every member who travels for leisure and occasionally for business.
The most substantial change is the shift to a purely revenue-based system for earning Tier Points, which determine your eligibility for Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Gold Guest List status.
From April 2025, Tier Points will be earned based on the cost of your ticket, not the distance you fly.
This new system heavily favours those purchasing expensive tickets, typically business travellers on company accounts who choose flexible fares, which often cost more than double a standard refundable ticket with a small fee.
Due to this change in earnings, BA will significantly increase the number of Tier Points required to reach each threshold, exacerbating the situation.
Effectively, for every £1 you spend, you'll earn 1 Tier Point.
For example, under the new system, it will require 20,000 Tier Points to reach certain statuses, compared to the current 1,500.
This makes it almost unattainable for most leisure travellers and small business owners, requiring an annual spend of around £20,000 on flights.
Even those taking approximately four return long-haul business class flights a year will struggle to achieve Silver status from April 1, especially given that business fares between London and the US can cost less than £1,500 each way.
The only slight consolation in this situation is the ability to earn up to 2,500 Tier Points through spending on the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card, although this comes with a hefty £300 annual fee.
To add insult to injury, British Airways is reportedly planning to quietly eliminate its 'soft landings'.
Currently, this policy cushions the impact for members who do not requalify for their current tier status by allowing them to descend gradually through the tiers rather than dropping directly to the base Blue tier at the end of their membership year.
Scrapping this policy is just another blow, that will undoubtedly erode customer loyalty with British Airways.
But the news has sparked fury among regular British Airways on the social media forum X, formerly known as Twitter.
One person said: "As my travel is 100% self-funded, there's no way I can maintain status with British Airways. And if I don't get any status perks then there's no point in choosing to spend with them, is there?"
Another said: "This is a significant change. The amount of people I known who are loyal to British Airways based on having the ability to earn Gold or Silver status are probably all going to have their heads turned now. Why pay a fare premium to be loyal, when the loyalty carrot is removed."
Someone else added: I've been British Airways Silver for 12 years, doubt I can even make bronze with this."
