British Airways launches ‘Lifetime Gold’ for an exalted few

If you log in at ba.com you will see that there is a new feature.  On the top line, next to My Avios and My Tier Points you will see ‘My Lifetime Tier Points’.

And, if you scroll down the page, you will see ‘Date of joining the club’ – with a very precise (in my case) ’17 December 1996′ next to it.

This is all linked to the new benefit launched yesterday – lifetime Gold membership of British Airways Executive Club.  Full details are here.

BA has certainly set the bar high.  To qualify for Lifetime Gold, you need to accumulate 35,000 tier points.

This represents 1,750 return flights to Manchester in economy!  More likely, it represents 125 Club World return flights to the US.  This is a pretty tough call unless you are on the road full time, for pretty much half your working life.

(Interestingly, BA is counting all tier points, whichever airline they were earned on.  There is no minimum requirement to have flown a proportion of these on British Airways.)

There is no sign yet of Lifetime Silver, although the wording on the website:

It also gives every Member of the Club the chance to accumulate enough Lifetime Tier Points to achieve the new rewards we’ll be introducing in the future – starting with the launch of Gold membership for life.

…. implies that other others will be forthcoming in time.

It is worth remembering, of course, that Lifetime Gold technically means for the lifetime of British Airways, and not YOUR lifetime!  After all, when BA bought bmi, all of the bmi flyers who thought they had ‘lifetime Gold’ after achieving ten years of Gold status with bmi, were told to take a running jump …..

At some point in the next few years, the EU and the US will agree to loosen the restrictions on who can own airlines, and at that point IAG is likely to get swallowed by an overseas airline.  That may be the end of your lifetime Gold!

I am hugely unlikely to ever achieve lifetime Gold, given that I try to avoid spending money on flights when possible.  To be honest, I was surprised that my tier point balance since 1996 is as high as it is …. but I am still over 100 Club World flights to New York away from the target!

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2025)

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

Get 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

30,000 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 £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Up to 60,000 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.