Watch a YouTube series on planning a British Airways tier point run

HfP reader Matt Jones dropped me a note to highlight three YouTube videos he has published on how to put together a British Airways tier point run.

This is, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, a series of flights which are specifically designed to maximise the number of British Airways tier points earned. The route is normally circuitous, to put it mildly, but the cost is often less than a direct flight from the UK.

Historically, Hawaii was the archetypal BA tier point run. You would start in Helsinki, or somewhere else that got you 80 tier points to the UK. You would transfer to the A318 London City to New York JFK flight, which offered 210 tier points instead of the usual 140.

In New York, you would swap to an American Airlines flight to the West Coast, ensuring it was over 2,000 miles. This would trigger 210 tier points if it was a two-class aircraft with only a First and Economy cabin. You would change again to your Hawaii flight, bagging another 210 tier points for a 2,000+ mile flight on a two-class plane. This route would get you 1,420 tier points return and could cost as little as £1,000 in Business Class, although usually £1,500 – £2,000.

It’s a bit trickier these days, but the principle is the same. The big changes are the loss of the City – New York flight, meaning no more 210 tier point transatlantic trips, and the downgrading of two class American Airlines flights in First to 140 tier points.

What I like about Matt’s videos is that he is a middle aged guy like myself and his videos reflect that. He doesn’t jump around and shout as much as an oversugared teenager would, at least no more than he has to to ensure the videos are lively and interesting.

Part 1 is here and the other two parts follow on. The whole thing is 40 minutes long.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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.

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.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.