British Airways Announces Plan to Revamp Tier Points from April 2025: What Does it Mean for Travellers?

Overview of the Changes

The key update is the introduction of a new Tier Point system. Members will earn Tier Points based on how much they spend on their flight instead of the distance flown and, for the first time, on extras like choosing seats and extra baggage. For every £1 spent on eligible items, members will get 1 Tier Point, and the Tier thresholds will be adjusted to match this new system. The entry point for Bronze status will shift from 300 to 3,500, Silver will move from 600 to 7,500, and Gold will escalate from 1,500 to 20,000 (more on this later).

Members will also be able to earn Tier Points and Avios when they contribute to Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). This method can get them a maximum of 1,000 Tier Points annually. Starting April 1, 2025, they can also use their Avios as payment by visiting a designated landing page. 

Another major change to the programme affects holiday packages. British Airways Holidays customers will be able to earn Tier Points based on the total cost of their package, without any restrictions on the amount. According to the airline, this will allow them to reach elite status faster and with fewer trips than the current offer allows.

Later in 2025, the airline will also introduce the ability to earn Tier Points through credit card usage. Holders of the BA American Express Premium Plus Card can earn up to 2,500 Tier Points based on their spending. Further details about this offer are expected to come as the launch date approaches.

Lastly, British Airways is adding new “milestone moments” between Tiers. Members will now be able to access special rewards even before advancing to the next Tier level. Starting with Bronze and Silver levels, members will receive Bonus Avios gifts at 2,500, 4,000, and 5,000 milestones. Additional benefits will be disclosed in the upcoming months.

What Are Tier Points?

Travellers can earn Tier Points when booking British Airways cash fares as well as flights through BA’s oneworld alliance partners, although you can’t earn them on British Airways reward seats. The more Tier Points you earn, the more privileges you’ll unlock as you progress through different tiers.

Unlike Avios, Tier Points are not spendable and reset to zero annually, although they can be earned simultaneously with Avios. The British Airways Club, renamed The British Airways Club from April 1st, offers four membership tiers: Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

First-time members are automatically placed in the Blue category. Under the current guidelines, members must collect 300 Tier Points to advance to the Bronze tier. The amount of Tier Points earned is tied to the distance flown and varies by ticket type and fare class. BA assigns a 100% earning rate to First, Business, and Premium Economy fares and a 25% rate to the lowest Economy fares.

For example, a flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK on an Economy fare with British Airways earns a traveller 20 Tier Points, while a First Class ticket on the same route earns 210 Tier Points, as per BA's Avios Calculator.

What Perks Can You Get From Tier Points?

Perks vary according to membership tier, with the Blue Tier offering the most basic benefits and higher tiers providing additional advantages.

British Airways Blue Tier

Benefits for Blue Tier members include:

• The ability to earn Avios and book British Airways reward seats
• Creating a Household Account to share Avios
• The option to buy or gift Avios
• Avios transferability (a transfer fee is applicable for all but Gold members)
• The ability to merge Avios accounts
• Access to the Reward Flight Saver, which offers excellent deals on short-haul flights
• Use of the Avios Calculator on the app
• Priority on waiting lists
• Storage and prioritisation of seating and meal preferences
• Complimentary onboard Wi-Fi messaging

British Airways Bronze Tier

Bronze members receive all Blue Tier benefits plus:

• Complimentary seat selection starting seven days before departure (excludes group rates and exit row seats on long-haul flights) on all flights, including British Airways reward seats
• Priority check-in (not available at London City Airport)
• Priority boarding (not available at London City Airport)
• A pause in status for Maternity/Paternity/Adoption
• A 5% discount on purchases from The Wine Flyer
• Seven Avios for every pound spent with British Airways or American Airlines and six Avios per euro with Iberia.

British Airways Silver Tier

Silver Tier members enjoy all the benefits of Bronze and Blue Tiers, along with the following:

• Immediate free seat selection upon booking (excludes group rates and exit row seats on long-haul flights)
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding (except for Silver Members or Sapphire card holders at London City Airport)
• An additional baggage allowance (does not apply to baggage-only fares)
• Lounge access on flights operated by British Airways and partner airlines
• Guaranteed Economy seat availability on preferred flights
• A 10% discount on all purchases from The Wine Flyer

British Airways Gold Tier

Gold Tier members receive all the benefits of the other tiers, plus:

• Free seat selection at booking for all but group rate bookings
• Enhanced priority check-in
• Enhanced priority boarding
• A 15% discount on all purchases from The Wine Flyer
• Access to British Airways First and oneworld First Class check-in desks without booking or service fees for Priority Reward bookings
• Increased reward flight availability in economy
• Gold Priority Reward
• A Gold Upgrade for Two vouchers at 2,500 Tier Points within a year
• Two Gold Upgrade for One vouchers at 3,500 Tier Points within a year
• A BA Club Gold partner card and two Silver cards at 5,000 Tier Points in one year and 3,000 Tier Points thereafter
• Access to the Concorde Room at 5,000 Tier Points in one year and 3,000 Tier Points annually thereafter

How Will the New System Affect Tier Points?

The biggest change is that passengers will now earn Tier Points based on the amount they spend rather than the distance flown. In the past, points were collected based on the miles travelled, which allowed travellers to earn points by flying long distances on more affordable tickets. Now, points can be collected not only from flights but also from spending on British Airways Holidays, which includes hotel packages. Points can also be earned from activities unrelated to mileage, such as paying for extra baggage, selecting flight seats, and using co-branded credit cards.

Starting April 1, each £1 of qualified spending, which includes base fares and Carrier Imposed Charges but excludes non-airline taxes and fees, will now earn one Tier Point. To reach the Bronze tier using this new system, a member must spend £3,500 annually. To reach Silver, the requirement has risen to £7,500, and reaching Gold will require £20,000.

For entry into the Gold Guest List, members must earn 65,000 Tier Points, with at least 52,000 points coming from BA-marketed flights, additional services, and holiday packages. Maintaining Gold Guest List status will require earning 40,000 Tier Points annually, with a minimum of 32,000 points from BA-marketed flights, add-ons, and holiday packages. The total expenditure on a British Airways holiday package and any qualified add-ons such as seat upgrades, additional baggage, or seat selection will also count towards Tier Points.

The airline has announced that customers with existing bookings for travel after April 1, 2025, will receive Tier Points based on a conversion from the old system. This ensures that these bookings will yield at least the same, if not more, Tier Points as they would under the current system.

This adjustment will also standardize the Tier Point collection period for all members from April 1 to March 31 each year. This update builds on a previous change in 2023 that linked Avios earnings to both flight costs and ancillary expenditures.

British Airways is also initiating a temporary promotion for bonus Tier Points for members who book flights before February 14, 2025, for travel starting on April 1st of the same year. Those booking in Euro Traveller will receive 50 bonus Tier Points, with increases to 70 for World Traveller, 100 for Club Europe, 140 for World Traveller Plus, 210 for Club World, and 330 for First.

Speaking about the change, Colm Lacy, Chief Commercial Officer, British Airways, said, "The changes we have announced today underline our continued investment in our loyalty programme and 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. While we have announced several positive changes today, I particularly wanted to highlight better rewarding our customers who book through British Airways Holidays and making this a permanent part of our proposition, removing the limit on earning. We know that many of our customers make their holiday plans during our annual January sale period, so it's great to announce this today." 

Want to see how many Tier Points you’ll earn on your next trip? Use our British Airways Tier Points Calculator below to quickly check your route and start planning your next status upgrade.

Final Thoughts

The update is generally positive as it allows British Airways Holidays spending to contribute towards earning perks, not just flights. This means high spenders could gain more perks from a single flight than they previously could in an entire year. However, those looking for economical options and cheaper flights through services such as Reward Flight Finder (RFF) must fly much more frequently to reach the higher tiers.

The new system makes achieving gold status extremely challenging for these groups. The required spend for silver and gold statuses — £7,500 and £20,000, respectively — is based on net fares, excluding taxes and charges, which is a major increase to the actual spending. Previously, strategic spending allowed customers to achieve tier statuses for a fraction of these costs. This revamped system raises the bar and could potentially alienate budget-conscious travellers who may find these new financial thresholds challenging.

Stay tuned with RFF for more news and updates on the revamp.