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British Airways extends Executive Club elite status – for Gold members only

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British Airways is about to announce another 12 months extension of elite status for some Executive Club members.

The screw continues to tighten, however. This latest extension will only benefit Gold and Gold Guest Lists members, although there is a carrot for Silver members.

There will be no further extensions to American Express 2-4-1 companion vouchers or any other vouchers. This shouldn’t be a surprise as BA started to expire 2-4-1 vouchers on 1st October last year.

British Airways Executive Club status cards

Who gets an extension?

Gold Guest List members

If you are a Gold Guest List member (you can learn how to earn the elite Gold Guest List status here), and your tier point year ends between July 2022 and December 2022, you will receive a full 12 month extension.

Gold members

The extension announced today covers Gold members of British Airways Executive Club who have a tier point collection end date between 1st July 2022 and 30th September 2022.

If your tier point year ends during this three month period, your existing status level will be rolled over automatically for another 12 months.

Silver members

A different policy has been announced for Silver members whose tier point year ends between 1st July 2022 and 30th September 2022.

There is NO extension.

However, the number of tier points you need to retain your status is being halved, from 600 to 300 tier points.

Given that you can earn 160 tier points from a single Club Europe return flight to ‘far’ Europe (here are some ideas), I consider this reasonable.

The reduced threshold will not show for you on ba.com but your status will be extended automatically if you reach the 300 point threshold.

Everyone else

By everyone else, I mean:

  • Gold members with a tier point year ending after 30th September 2022
  • Silver members with a tier point year ending after 30th September 2022
  • All Bronze members
  • All Blue / basic members

…. you continue to benefit from the reduced tier point requirement.

British Airways status extension

The following tier point rules apply until 31st December 2022:

  • Bronze status will require 225 tier points (was 300 tier points)
  • Silver status will require 450 tier points (was 600 tier points)
  • Gold status will require 1,125 tier points (was 1,500 tier points)

You can confirm this on ba.com here.

Let me clarify how this works, because it has caused confusion in the past.

Let’s assume you are currently Silver and your tier point year ends on 8th February 2023. To requalify you must EITHER:

  • earn 450 tier points by 31st December 2022, or
  • earn the full 600 tier points by 8th February 2023

What about American Express 2-4-1 companion vouchers?

There are NO extensions to companion vouchers or Gold Upgrade vouchers.

Vouchers began to expire on 1st October so it would be very unfair to those members who have already lost a voucher to extend those which remain.

Conclusion

It is clear that not everyone will be happy with the changes which will be announced today.

However, realistically, BA and the rest of the airline industry needs to make a call. The good customers of 2019 will not be the good customers of 2023. People change companies or get promoted into roles which need less travel. Many companies will be permanently cutting back on business travel.

The industry has to decide when it should cut people loose. Businesses need to start rebuilding their elite tiers from those who are travelling now, not those who were travelling four years ago. BA has taken the first steps today to doing that.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (190)

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

  • Qrfan says:
    20 Apr20 April 14:00

    Does anyone know if ba are still extending guf2 vouchers by 6 months upon request? If so, what’s the best medium to request it? Thanks.

    • e14 says:
      20 Apr20 April 14:26

      12 months / over the phone

      • HH says:
        20 Apr20 April 15:29

        This is news to me! I have a GUF2 expiring in June, so all I need to do is call and ask for an extension?

    • Nectar collector says:
      20 Apr20 April 19:14

      I had one expiring in March 22, rang up the gold line and they offered me a 6 month extension straight away.

  • DAJ says:
    20 Apr20 April 14:09

    So I have TP reset 8 July. Currently Silver on 640 TP’s but with flying between now and end of June, I will have over 1200 TP’s thus hitting Gold just before TP reset of 8 July. Will my Gold status be extended to Aug 24 or still remain at Aug 23?

    • ChrisC says:
      20 Apr20 April 14:26

      August 23.

    • Mark says:
      20 Apr20 April 14:28

      August 23. The extension only applies to those who are already gold, who’s collection year ends between 1st July and 31st September (and wouldn’t have requalified anyway). The longest anyone therefore gets out of this is an extension to October 23, if they are already Gold and their tier point collection year ends on 8th September (and wouldn’t have requalified anyway).

      You will get a soft landing to Silver (and then Bronze) though, unless you requalify for Gold next year.

    • DAJ says:
      20 Apr20 April 14:34

      Thanks for the clarification.

  • John says:
    20 Apr20 April 15:12

    Year date is 8 December. So if I earn 1,125 points after that, later by the END of December, would that qualify for Gold going forward?

  • Elemy says:
    20 Apr20 April 15:55

    I’m so confused… I’m GGL with card expiry year end 8 July 2023, I assume tier point end 8 June 2023 (still says 2022 due to the extension). Do I have to earn the reduced tier points of 2250 by Dec 2022? Ie only 6 months (Hardly helpful) Or the reduced points by june 2023? Or do I have to earn the full 3000 if I don’t requalify at the reduced 2250 by Dec 2022? Help, I’m clearly so confused!

    • Rob says:
      20 Apr20 April 16:19

      Yes, 2250 by NYE (assuming the GGL threshold is reduced too)

      • Elemy says:
        20 Apr20 April 17:05

        Gosh you think they’d try and smooth out the transition rather than an all or nothing, 1 year extension versus nothing if you’re one month later!

  • Nomad says:
    20 Apr20 April 16:13

    Just to be clear, if you currently have no status, 450 TPs would be sufficient before the end of year to get Silver? Was considering doing some weekends in Helsinki on the reduced price of £245 for Y Return in A350.

  • Ross says:
    20 Apr20 April 16:55

    Goodness, I have been unbelievably lucky here. Qualified for Gold unusually, and for the first time ever in 2019 and will have managed to keep it until 2023 now. To be fair I am very loyal to oneworld & BA, and I’d be very loathe to lose Gold now – so maybe it’s having the desired effect.

    • Helena says:
      21 Apr21 April 09:34

      I’m in the same boat really! I had two business class fares with Qatar this year in quick succession and the lower TP requirement meant I hit gold. A nice little bonus! I also got the status match for Aitalia

  • Thrifty Scot says:
    20 Apr20 April 17:15

    I’m presently Bronze, I will become Silver once BA finally get around to adding my double tier points, my TP collection year ends 8th Sept 2022, what does ot mean in essence for me?

    • AJA says:
      20 Apr20 April 17:59

      As it stands you don’t get much. If you do get your TP points giving you Silver you will be Silver until 31 Oct 2023.

  • Pablo says:
    20 Apr20 April 17:31

    Do we know what happened to the double avios promo?

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

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