oneworld elites now able to use Heathrow FastTrack security
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The shuffling of benefits for airline elite members goes on.
Last month I reported how British Airways was now letting its Bronze tier member use Priority Boarding – a decision which may or may not prove to be sensible in the medium term. It has also tightened up the baggage rules for Gold and Silver members.
The latest tweak involves the use of the FastTrack security lanes at Heathrow.
As of last week, Fast Track security at Heathrow is available to ANY oneworld Emerald or Sapphire member if they are travelling on a British Airways, Iberia or American Airlines flight.
I was wondering whether those people who get a free Cathay Pacific Gold card via American Express Platinum now have the same benefits as a BA Silver card holder? I think they do.
Historically, there were two things that a Cathay Gold couldn’t get with BA that a BA Silver could :
Extra baggage allowance, and
Fast Track security access
The ‘extra baggage allowance’ issue was fixed back in January, when ‘additional baggage’ became a guaranteed oneworld benefit across all member airlines at the Sapphire level (BA Silver = oneworld Sapphire = Cathay Gold).
The ‘fast track’ issue has now been fixed as well, as of last week. More details can be found in this Australian article here – I can’t find a oneworld release anywhere.
All of the other BA Silver benefits (business class check-in, lounge access, free seat selection) have always been available to Cathay Gold holders.
Yet another reason, then, to feel confident that you can gain status in a different oneworld airline apart from BA and not miss out on anything when flying with them ….
PS. See this post for more details about getting Cathay Pacific Gold by getting an Amex Platinum card.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2023)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £12,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
30,000 points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
EDIT: Applications for this card are temporarily suspended due to IT issues with the British Airways On Business SME loyalty scheme.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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