Earlier this week British Airways, the UK’s national carrier, announced an overhaul of its loyalty points system. Previously named the ‘Executive Club’, BA’s loyalty programme has been rebranded ‘The British Airways Club’ and the airline has significantly changed the way flyers earn ‘tier’ loyalty points.
BA’s loyalty system changes will come into effect on April 1 2025, and it’ll see changes to the way loyalty points are earned. But that isn’t all – the thresholds for membership levels will change, too.
So, what exactly does the revamp to British Airways’ loyalty programme mean? Below we’ve laid out the changes, from the new way points are earned to how many you’ll need for each tier.
What has changed?
The big change is that flyers will gain ‘tier’ points based on the cost of the flight, rather than the distance. For every one pound spent, the flyer will get one point.
Previously, flyers have accrued points based on miles travelled rather than money spent. Some savvy travellers, therefore, have been able to gain points by travelling far on cheaper flights
How do you earn tier loyalty points with British Airways?
You’ll be able to accrue points through more than just flights. Tier points will be able to be earned through spending through British Airways Holidays, so packages that include hotels. They’ll also be earnable through non-mileage factors like paying for extra baggage and choosing your seat on flights, as well as through co-brand credit cards.
What are the new tiers and points thresholds?
British Airways’ loyalty programme tiers remain the same as before: Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Gold Guest List.
Here’s how many points you need for each tier of The British Airways Club, from April 2025.
- Bronze: 3,500
- Silver: 7,500
- Gold: 20,000
- Gold Guest List: 65,000 (with at least 52,000 earned through British Airways-marketed flights, qualifying add-ons and British Airways Holidays packages), and 40,000 to retain (with at least 32,000 earned through British Airways-marketed flights, qualifying add-ons and British Airways Holiday packages).
What’s the reaction been?
Some BA customers have been angered by the new loyalty programme rules, claiming it will be much harder to get the coveted gold status. On social media one user said the airline had ‘lost the plot with this announcement’, adding that it is ‘a guaranteed way to lose loyalty from your customers’.
Writing in God Save the Points, Gilbert Ott countered that BA has made ‘a data driven commercial decision to ensure that people are extracting program value in more logical proportion to what they offer out’.
British Airways has said that its new loyalty system uses ‘a similar model used by many other airline loyalty programs across the world’.
Colm Lacy, British Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: ‘Based on our Members’ feedback, we’ve built on the changes we’ve already made – including how customers collect Avios and their membership year – in a way that we believe better rewards their loyalty and reflects their changing travel needs.
‘While we have announced a number of positive changes today, I particularly wanted to highlight better rewarding our customers who book through British Airways Holidays and making this a permanent part of our proposition, removing the limit on earning. We know that many of our customers make their holiday plans during our annual January sale period, so it’s great to be able to announce this today.’
Recent British Airways news on Time Out
The new loyalty system follows the news that BA would be cancelling all flights from Southampton – ranked one of the UK’s ‘best’ airports by Which? – and axing loads of long-haul flights until next April (including from London Gatwick to New York’s JFK and Heathrow to Abu Dhabi). Earlier this week it was revealed that British Airways appears to be reducing services to short-haul holiday destinations like Greece next summer.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.