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Hey all. I’m not looking for a “it’s not worth it” or “why would you bother” or “depends how often you fly”… And especially no “why keep flying with BA” type responses.
But for those that have done tier point runs, how much have you spent in time and cash to maintain/upgrade status?
I’m genuinely looking at doing:
LHR-MAN-LHR-SOF-LHR.
Over three days (can’t really justify any more annual leave to actually see Sofia properly).
Flights £400, plus about £200 for 2 nights hotels.I did one to Tallin via Helsinki a while ago, 2 nights. I really enjoyed it. The double TP offer has replaced runs for me.
I did one to Tallin via Helsinki a while ago, 2 nights. I really enjoyed it. The double TP offer has replaced runs for me.
Yeah, I really wish I (and the wife) had the annual leave left this year to do that, hence considering cramming it in (also so I’m away from the kids for the least possible time).
Another option I looked at was LHR-MAN-LHR-BUC(all in one day)-LHR, so only two days away and only one hotel cost.
Now I say all this in writing and not just in my head, it does sound a bit exhausting!
I know you said about the annual leave, but is there no way you could do this as a BA holiday for the double TPs? Don’t forget you could spread it out and do it over 2/3 weekends.
You’ve not said how many TPs you’d get nor what status level you’re after but the comments you apparently don’t want are actually the comments that will be of most benefit to you when deciding wether to do this or not.
Knowing how many TPs you want / need will get you the best answers on how to get them.
Flight and hotel via Madrid can be good, ie. LON-MAD-OVD-MAD-LON.
Flight and hotel via Madrid can be good, ie. LON-MAD-OVD-MAD-LON.
Base is 40+20 each way as IB domestics aren’t 40 tps
You’ve not said how many TPs you’d get nor what status level you’re after but the comments you apparently don’t want are actually the comments that will be of most benefit to you when deciding wether to do this or not.
Knowing how many TPs you want / need will get you the best answers on how to get them.
I see your point, and sorry I wasn’t clear. I probably am going to do this (or a variation of), just more interested in other people’s experiences/thresholds than advice on my plan.
Flight and hotel via Madrid can be good, ie. LON-MAD-OVD-MAD-LON.
Base is 40+20 each way as IB domestics aren’t 40 tps
Yes, but it’s all about cost per TP.
There’s also TP runs via SOU at weekends. No more than 40 TPs in CE per sector.
LON-PMI-SOU-XXX-SOU-YYY-SOU-ZZZ-LON.
There are also Air Nostrum IB domestics such as VLC-PMI-IBZ-VLC. 20 TPs in CE.
OTP and SOF on a cost per TP are more likely to be cheaper.
@Richie, did you get the double TPs with a 2 night stay?
£600 for 3 days in Sofia doesn’t seem that bad. If you would spend that normally even if you were already gold, then it isn’t actually costing you any money and the only time cost is the futile flight to MAN, which seems ok to me.
£600 for 3 days in Sofia doesn’t seem that bad. If you would spend that normally even if you were already gold, then it isn’t actually costing you any money and the only time cost is the futile flight to MAN, which seems ok to me.
I’m literally only planning to travel for TP (not holiday). LHR-MAN, hotel, MAN-SOF (vai LHR), hotel, SOF-LHR, with very little time on the one morning in Sofia. Total cost £600.
But you’ve not answered the question how many TPs would that earn you for that £600
There may be other routes that get you more TPs ot the same for less £
LHR SOF return (if day’s connection is over 1hr, or 2 overlapping bookings if the 50 minute connection) pricing at around £240 per trip on several days in November December and January, so just around £500 for 320TP, no hotel required, or night stop near LHR if consecutive days…
The Double TP Holiday is actually one of the few ‘benefits’ for those of us outside of London – no need to position out of LHR, we already are 😀
Being time-rich, I am currently doing a couple of Eastern Europe trips per year on the BA Holiday terms – flight+car and book own hotel(s) – alongside the ‘proper’ holidays long- and short-haul. Best holiday (flight & car) price: £566 (plus 80k points for the hotel) for 480TP (40-80-80-40 x2). Best flight-only price: €248 for 160TP (a OTP-LHR-OTP day trip nested, to get over the shiny card line).
In all cases, the car is picked up and a holiday made of it (e.g. local travel or a Transylvanian road trip) – have no need to nest the trips e.g. for work reasons. Spent more on these this year, as the next year will be full of redemptions/ companion vouchers/ GUFs…
I hope that rambling on helps a bit!
£600 for 3 days in Sofia doesn’t seem that bad. If you would spend that normally even if you were already gold, then it isn’t actually costing you any money and the only time cost is the futile flight to MAN, which seems ok to me.
I’m literally only planning to travel for TP (not holiday). LHR-MAN, hotel, MAN-SOF (vai LHR), hotel, SOF-LHR, with very little time on the one morning in Sofia. Total cost £600.
Right I see, well I don’t think that’s worth it but you said not to go there in your first post. I always schedule my TP runs to include some time to do other stuff, even if it makes it cost a little bit more. I did do a TP run to Sofia, stayed 2 nights and spent about £450 total, but I wanted to go anyway with my friend, who took Wizz Air and stayed in a hostel for a total spend of £100 (only because he got a free lift to/from LTN or STN, not sure which).
I’ve only ever done a futile TP flight once, which was LHR-FRA return in CE for £80, out Saturday night back first thing Sunday morning, outrageous price difference to spend any more time there, but even the hotel was a mattress run.
@Richie, did you get the double TPs with a 2 night stay?
It was pre-pandemic and before BA offered double TPs.
But you’ve not answered the question how many TPs would that earn you for that £600
There may be other routes that get you more TPs ot the same for less £
Ah, I understand why you’re asking. 240 points, which is exactly what I need.
LHR SOF return (if day’s connection is over 1hr, or 2 overlapping bookings if the 50 minute connection) pricing at around £240 per trip on several days in November December and January, so just around £500 for 320TP, no hotel required, or night stop near LHR if consecutive days…
Fair challenge. The issues I have with this approach are:
a) the time/cost/faff of having to get to the LHR twice, the risk of issues at the 50min turn around, and missing out on the lounges both ends (Inc a T3 crawl, potentially).
b) if I do it on consecutive days, that’s £100 Heathrow hotel on top of your £500, so closer to the £600 I’m already planning.
c) I don’t get a morning looking around Sofia.
d) I’ve got friends in Manchester I could try and see during the stopover.When is your membership year end?
For cheaper hotels near Heathrow choose Premier Inn or ‘Cranford’ or ‘Hatton Cross’ for your search and get a local bus for £1.75 with your contactless card to the Terminal.
When is your membership year end
January 8th. Also, unless I’m reading the T&C of the dummy booking wrong (which I don’t think I am), cancellation appears to get a full refund, minus a £15 cancellation fee.
Does that sound right?
Booked the following recently for next May: Mad-Lhr-Jfk-Lax-Jfk-Dub in CW/BC throughout on BA/AA. Should just about be enough to maintain Silver. Cost was £1290.
I’m looking at BA holidays (flight plus car) to Porto and Glasgow/Edinburgh next summer/autumn . Due to all the domestic connections I should get 640 TPs for around £1500, but will have had 2 actual holidays out of that (northern Portugal and Spain, and 5 days driving up to the Highlands) so it feels like a decent deal.
I’m in the unfortunate position that my year end date is 8th Aug and needed another 120 tier points to retain Silver all to be done within a four week window . So took day trips to Jersey and Amsterdam and a few days in Edinburgh with my wife.
Probably cost £850 but flight prices are so high at present and it took a lot of screen staring to work out what destinations were cheapest and when. My solution was to use Google Flights and leave the destination field blank. Up pops a map with the prices to pretty much all of Europe. Zoom in to pick up the smaller destinations.Hi davestat,
which particular benefits on Silver justify points runs? do you plan to fly much next year when those benefits would apply? £850 sounds a lot
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