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BA Holidays doubles down – now with free lounge access and Fast Track plus double tier points

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There was a lot of interest amongst Head for Points readers on Wednesday about the new BA Holidays offer of double Executive Club tier points.

You can read the full article here and find the details on ba.com here, but to summarise you will earn double tier points on BA Holidays bookings completed by 30th September. You could earn Executive Club Silver status with just one trip to Europe if you book it correctly.

British Airways 787

The only snags are:

  • at least two people must travel
  • you must stay at least five nights
  • you must book a hotel or car hire for every night of your stay

If you can work around these restrictions, it is well worth a look if you are seeking British Airways elite status.

BA Holidays has now doubled down

A new element has now been added to the offer.

If you spend £1,500 per person or more, and are travelling for 5+ nights from Heathrow, you will receive priority check-in, Fast Track security, priority boarding (from 21st June) and access to the Galleries Club lounges at Heathrow.

If you are already booked into Business Class, either Club Europe or Club World, BA has thought about you too. As long as you spend £2,500 per person or more, you will be upgraded to the Galleries First lounge and can use The First Wing to check in.

Existing bookings qualify so don’t rush out and claim free cancellation on your existing booking in order to rebook. It isn’t necessary.

Your outbound flight must be on or before 30th September.

Conclusion

Taken together, the offers of double tier points, lounge access, fast track security and priority boarding do make BA Holidays an attractive proposition this Summer.

If I had to criticise anything about this new offer, it is the £2,500 minimum spend required to get into Galleries First and use The First Wing. We’re not talking about Luthansa’s First Class Terminal here – it isn’t such an improvement over the standard Galleries Club lounge that you need to impose a £2,500 threshold.

In any event, at certain times of day BA is sending everyone to Galleries First anyway, since the passenger numbers don’t justify opening two lounges.

You can find out more on BA Holidays here. The dedicated home page for the ‘double tier points’ offer, which includes all the small print you need to study, is here.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (25)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Tom says:
    28 May28 May 04:52

    Is this the ‘gamechanger’ BA announcement you mentioned in the chat thread yesterday, Rob?

    • Tom says:
      28 May28 May 05:09

      I now see from the newest article that this announcement isn’t the gamechanger! I’d delete my comment above if I could see how to!

    • BSI1978 says:
      28 May28 May 05:09

      No, see other post – that’s coming later.

  • Dave says:
    28 May28 May 05:20

    This would be a “game changer!” if we only had somewhere to go. Just had my Las Vegas flight for July cancelled again.

  • Jon says:
    28 May28 May 07:02

    Well as long as the riffraff stay in the club lounge and don’t use the First checkin

  • The Lord says:
    28 May28 May 07:07

    Is fast track security even open?

    • Mark says:
      28 May28 May 12:32

      Having got back from Italy last night, where fast track was open, even if it says Fast Track on your boarding pass, it would be helpful if BA would pay the bill! I had to persuade the official to let me through with the assistance of Amex Platinum. BA need to renew their contract with both Malpensa and Linate for fast track access.

  • BJ says:
    28 May28 May 07:18

    When is BA ever going to get it that there is a problem with the lounge experience – they need to get everybody out of them except those flying in WTP, CW and F. Alternatively they should create separate lounges for F, CW/WTP, and Y elites/promos.

    • Lady London says:
      28 May28 May 09:46

      BJ gloves off this makes you sound like a snob.

      BA has many, many business travellers whose companies will only pay Y at their salary level. Lots of those travel every week for work and work for BA’s large corporates. Miles and points and especially lounges make this bearable, keep them motivated and flying BA. These people are the wellspring of later.VP’s and up when they keep flying BA and make it to better classes.

      Believe me every single status privilege I’ve had I’ve earned by flying and as I work for large corporates as well as independently for my own stuff if I’m travelling intensively or longhaul and lounge access to work and recover is non-negotiable.

      • BJ says:
        28 May28 May 10:43

        I tried to answer you over at your other comment. I get you and I have sympathy to your position but at the end of the day I want a good lounge experience and I want BA to take the steps necessary to deliver it. This requires different solutions at different airports and at dfifferent times perhaps. My complaint is not about denying passengers, it’s about BA getting their act together and delivering something worthwhile. Some people spend hours in lounges just to drink, perhaps simlke dilutions like restricting access to lounges to 90 minutes before departure for non -connecting passengers might in itself be enough to improve the situation. If BA woukd seriously address the issue then everybody including elites in Y could have a more pleasant lounge visit.

    • Jonathan says:
      28 May28 May 11:17

      My father-in-law has to fly longhaul Y (or WTP if >10 hours) almost weekly for business. He puts 1,000% more cash in BA’s pocket every year than I do with my 2-3 longhaul J/F flights booked in sales at £1000-1800 plus a few S/H weekend breaks.

      He deserves his lounge access (via. LTG) far more than I do.

      I’d also say most business travellers just want to sit in the corner for an hour with a soft drink & do some work. It’s the holidaymakers turning up 4 hours early to try & drink their bodyweight in booze that clog the lounges up.

      • kitten says:
        28 May28 May 12:45

        that was my point, and also BJ’s I think. It’s why I can’t stand American lounges and only use them because the vast majority of their terminals are so poor.

        As you say, there’s a big difference between a road warrior and someone who hardly ever travels and just wants to sink drinks.

      • ChrisW says:
        28 May28 May 17:45

        I would refuse to do that job. I hope he is paid very well for the discomfort.

    • ChrisW says:
      28 May28 May 20:56

      I’d argue BA makes more money from a high status business traveller who flies long haul WTP every month because of a strict travel policy than the rich couple who just splurge on an annual Club World holiday each year.

  • Stuart says:
    28 May28 May 07:40

    I’m guessing with this benefit it will mean the all the lounges will reopen very soon to accommodate everyone

  • John Caribbean says:
    28 May28 May 07:49

    Do existing bookings qualify for double tier points too?

    • AJA says:
      28 May28 May 08:06

      Only if it is an existing BA Holidays booking where booked as one initially ie adding hotel or car for part of the time afterwards doesn’t count. And holiday is booked for departure any time between 9 June and 30 Sep and is 5 days or longer!

  • AJA says:
    28 May28 May 08:21

    The thing about the invite to the Galleries First is that for two people you’re looking at £5k spend. For that I’d want CCR access! And even then I would want a guarantee that I could go on my holiday. I am looking forward to the cancellations and people taking BA to MCOL because they take away the Galleries First access on the re-booked flights.

    • kitten says:
      28 May28 May 12:47

      For £5K I’d want my shoes polished. Licking would not be excluded.

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