British Airways upends the Executive Club. Name and rules change: now you earn status based on how much you spend

There could not have been worse news with which to end 2024, in a very unexpected move British Airways is totally disrupting its loyalty program, indeed we could say that what will start on April 1 will be a completely new frequent flyer starting with the name: The British Airways Club.

If Flying Blue's was a scare., this one from BA on the other hand is a very bad Christmas present dressed up as an April Fool's Day. Needless to say, the My strategy for 2025 will take note of this news.

Getting the status will be (almost) impossible

This is not bad news; it is not even a simple devaluation, it is a total paradigm shift that BA has just announced. Less than 12 months after changing the status accumulation rules, leading all users to have the same accumulation period expiration date here is phase three of the revolution. After introducing The accumulation of Avios based on spending And not to the distance traveled, you complete the total devaluation of the FF made in the UK.

It becomes virtually impossible to achieve Gold status, unless you are an "executive" traveler, although the term disappears from the name of the program.

As always in these cases, the excuse for these changes is always "listening from the grassroots": "These changes were made based on feedback from our members" so in the press release BA justified this new vision, of course it is a "superscazzola" because no sane person could ever have suggested what will go into effect in less than 4 months.

The new levels of the British Airways Club

Goodbye TP, that is, goodbye to the accumulation of certain points based on distance and cabin. Now there are points and to simplify everything the conversion rate is 1 point = 1 pound spent. For qualifying expenses, it is good to know that ONLY the base fare and supplements imposed by BA and any extras (seat, luggage...) are included. Airport charges, passenger taxes, which are a real drain in the UK, are NOT included.

Here are British Airways' new status thresholds that will take effect April 1, 2025:

• Bronze: 3,500 points
• Silver: 7,500 points
• Gold: 20,000 points

Then the higher goals also remain, namely:

• Gold Guest List - new member: 65,000 points (including at least 52,000 earned through flights marketed by British Airways and British Airways Holidays)
• Gold Guest List - renewal: 40,000 points (including at least 32,000 earned through flights marketed by British Airways British Airways Holidays)

Right now I'm seriously thinking about taking status with RJ, thanks to this proposed status match And start a new status hunt from scratch. Because I will never spend 20 thousand pounds on BA tickets.

There will be accelerators

In a move already seen in other loyalty programs, see Flying Blue, BA also chooses to "sell" status in exchange for SAF money.

• You will be able to earn up to 1,000 points per year By purchasing sustainable aviation fuel credits. You will receive 1 tier point and 10 Avios per £1 spent on SAF credits.
• For UK citizens, there will also be an accelerator linked to BA credit cards on the market, but nothing comparable to what the ITA Airways American Express credit cards
• You will be able to Get points for shopping with British Airways Holidays, with the small problem that the points accrued 1 each pound spent, will be equally divided over all trip participants, not given only to those who pay the bill

How accumulation changes with partner flights

Those who read TFC know very well that British Airways' Gold has always been the status I am most fond of, but with these rules I will be forced to look elsewhere. If today the race was difficult, but certain, tomorrow it will not be so. Goodbye TP, now back to calculation based on a percentage of miles flown for non-alliance partners.

The point is that it will in any case be a bloodbath, i.e., money, if you want to aim for the Gold level, which is what is equivalent to Emerald onwWorld status, the one that opens the doors to the First Class lounges, coincidentally then all but the British Airways lounges.

To get an idea here are some examples of accumulation:

• with Cathay pacific, for flights after April 1 you will get 2 to 6% of miles flown on an economy ticket, up to 30% for a first class ticket
• With Finnair from 4 to 15% in economy and up to 50% in business
• With Qantas, economy comes in at a maximum of 6%, but business will be worth a maximum of 25% and first will be worth 30%
• Qatar is, perhaps, the one best treated economy up to 15% of the miles flown, business coming in at 50% and first class which in the most expensive version will come in at 60%

Transition period

Obviously, there are some Adjustments for this transitional phase, that is, for flights booked before February 14, 2025 and travel after April 1, the same will apply to British Holidays already booked. Certainly the explanation given is not crystal clear at 100% and is probably left deliberately interpretable.

Customers who already have reservations for travel after April 1, 2025 will be awarded Tier Points based on a conversion of the existing method. All existing bookings will earn proportionally the same number of Tier Points, or more, as they would earn today.

What is that supposed to mean? I don't understand it.

In conclusion

The same criterion of giving more points, not to those who fly the most, but to those who spend the most is now also being applied to status. If, paradoxically, one had to do, before, at least 12 intercontinental business class tickets to get to gold (140TP one way compared to 1500TP required) tomorrow it might only take one very expensive ticket, or at most two for an expenditure of 20 thousand pounds. Clear intent of BA to dispose of, probably, two-thirds of the Golds now active and stop almost everyone at Silver, which I remind you is equivalent to Sapphire oneWorld.

With these rules I absolutely will not be able to renew this card. and I will definitely look elsewhere, perhaps targeting Finnair, Qatar or Cathay Pacific. Four American Express partner carriers in Italy, in the case of Finnair and Qatar I would also retain the option of sharing Avios with BA and thus would change little or nothing for my life as a frequent traveler.

• executive club