BA Executive Club thresholds?

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    Senator
    Participant

    Dear fellow passengers,

    I have searched through the BA web site to understand if there are published thresholds for Silver and Gold. I am not able to find this information in the same fashion LH M&M and AF/KLM FB display this.

    What I know is that as a resident of Sweden I require 400 Tier Points for Silver (I currently have 360, and my qualification period is through April 2010). However, what is required for Gold and are there different thresholds for none-UK residents?

    I am looking for an option to my usual LH/SK/LX/OS flights and in my experience BA provides a better overall value (to me) over AF/KLM, and I would like to use BA/AY as my second choice rather than AF/KLM. This despite all of the latest rumblings about bags and assigned seats etc. I rarely fly on full fare business, but on discounted business fares and I obviously do not have a Gold card (yet). However, I find the onboard and ground product at BA superior to AF/KLM so I am debating to move in this direction. I’ve had AF/KLM Platinum this year on the basis of a matching programme in Sweden, and I have accumulated miles for Silver. Now, I have one none-Star Alliance long haul left in 2009 and I am debating to go for FB Gold using AF, or work on my BA Gold by choosing BA. I have already re-qualified for LH Senator already (nine years and counting), and I do in certain years travel enough to make Hon, but I travel often on Star Alliance carriers that do not qualify for Hon so this is out of the question, or in some cases LH price themselves out of the discussion.


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    For Europeople, you need 400 for Silver and 800 for Gold.

    Note: once you reach Silver, your points get reset to 0 and then you have a year to make 800 for Gold; you cannot qualify for Gold by reaching 800 points in one year.

    In the UK, the threshold is 600 for Silver, 1500 for Gold.

    Clearly set out here for UK members:

    http://www.britishairways.com/travel/echome/public/en_gb?link=TOP_echome

    and here for Europeeps:

    http://www.britishairways.com/travel/echome/public/en_fr


    Binman62
    Participant

    You need 600 for silver and 1600 for Gold if based in the UK. If you are resident in Europe or simply have a European address, the requirement is 400 and 800. If you use a European address or are based there then you do not get some of the UK benefits. I am not sure if Amex companion voucher for example is valid, if the credit card is based in the UK but the executive club is based /registered in Europe. Perhaps others will know?
    I too have been unable to locate the details of thresholds which seem to have been removed for some reason in the latest update to the club pages. They were generally easy to locate.


    Senator
    Participant

    Thanks VK, I knew you would come through on this one.

    While you sent the French page to me, I know found it on the Swedish page. I failed to scroll down to the bottom of the Executive Club landing page. I contiuned to look in other sections.

    Just so I understand this clearly;
    Assume I fly ARN-LHR in CE on Nov 1, this gives me the required 400 TPs. Then from Nov 1, I must earn another 800 TP in one year or is it between Nov 1 and my original date of April 30?

    Thanks!


    flyingformiles
    Participant

    If you reach Silver on 1 November your membership year is reset to 1 November and you go back to 0 Tier Points.

    From 1 November you have 12 months to get either…
    1. 400/600 Tier Points to retain Silver
    2. 800/1,500 Tier Points to get Gold


    Senator
    Participant

    Thanks Flyingformiles. Much appreciated


    JonathanCohen09
    Participant

    Does that then mean that, if you live in the UK, you actually need to get 2100 points to get to Gold. You need 600 to get to silver, you are then reset to zero and need 1500 points in your Exec club year to get to Gold?

    Can someone who knows please tell me if that is correct or am I mistaken. If that is the case then it seems to me to be a little misleading to say that you need 1500 to reach Gold status for the first time.

    I ask because some of my clients want me to start flying with BA and before I make that decision I want to see whether or not I can reach Gold as I enjoy Platinum status in Skyteam and would like to be able to reach Gold with BA/Oneworld if I am to fly with them.


    Hess963
    Participant

    For UK residents qualifications–you need 600 tier points to advance to silver and on top of that another 1500 tier points for gold. In total 2100 tier points. These points are for renewal as well.

    Yes, every time you have reached the next level–your tier points account is reset to “0” tier points. I felt mislead when I first reached silver status and my tier points is reset to zero–stupid me !! forgot to read the small quotes bearing this–I was angry as I have lost a lot of tier points at that time !!
    So just in case for the future wait till you change to silver–try as good as the minimum points of 600 or 400 to be recorded respectively and then collect for your gold status—otherwise the tier points are gone !!

    It is really indeed a huge difference if you live in UK and need 2100 points for gold, while outside UK you need 1200 points. No wonder that a lot of Brits go for Star Alliance(LH) or Skyteam(AF/KLM).


    JonathanCohen09
    Participant

    Thank you very much Hess963,

    I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my question. It is a shame that there is such a difference for UK residents and also that the actual number of points required is hidden in the small print and not immediately obvious.

    Given the information you have given me i think it unlikely that I will bother as I am not prepared to risk loosing my Platinum status in Skyteam just to try and gain Gold in BA/Oneworld.

    I wonder why they operate this system as in my home program you can progress all the way to platinum in a year as long as you do the number of miles or sectors required.

    Unfortunately another reason not to fly BA as opposed to being encouraged to fly with them.


    Hess963
    Participant

    Hi everyone !!

    Hi FT09–you probably think my question is weird-but how will you describe the platinum status of skyteam? I mean which airline in this group is the best to choose to gain this status ?? You might have read that AZ and OK are conducting some status matching at the moment. I am really not interested in it –normally as frequent flyer–it is a gold mine to get the opportunity to get those chances–but with those airlines mentioned before–I was not tempted enough.

    If I try to be a skyteam status holder which airline in the group will you recommend and why ??

    Thanks in advance !!

    Hess


    JonathanCohen09
    Participant

    Hi Hess,

    your question is not strange at all and my answer is very simple. I came to Skyteam through CSA Czech Airlines, by accident really. I was and still travel very frequently to Central and Eastern Europe including Russia/CIS and they have an excellent network in the region with some very good prices so I joined OK Plus, CSA’s frequent flyer programme.

    If you fly 100,000 Skyteam miles or fly 70 sectors you will achieve Platinum Status or if you fly 50,000 Skyteam miles or 30 sectors you will achieve Gold. Your status will be valid throughout the Skyteam network in terms of lounge access etc. I like the fact that you can qualify either by miles flown or by the number of sectors you fly.

    CSA are also unique in as much that once you achieve Platinum, gold or Silver status then as long you have paid all but the very lowest economy fares you will be upgraded to business class on a space available basis. the upgrades are allocated strictly in order of your status and when you check in so if you are Platinum you will be upgraded ahead of all Golds and Silvers but not a fellow Platinum who checked in before you. The upgrades are usually done at the gate before departure.

    If you go to http://www.czechairlines.com you will find all of the details. If you have any other questions then i will be happy to answer them. If OK are offering a status match at the moment then that is even better for you as you can be gold immediately and who knows you might even get to Platinum?

    I hope the above is helpful and answers your question?


    Senator
    Participant

    Hi again,

    Just for the record; Air France has higher qualification requirements for French residents. Secondly, Lufthansa has higher qualification requirements for German residents. I think there is a notion that home-based carriers have higher loyalty and better schedule match; hence, customers will travel on home carrier anyway.

    The real strange programme is SAS Eurobonus. They have even different levels in their three home markets (Denmark, Sweden, Norway). A Swedish resident will have up to 30-40% higher qualifcation requirements over a Norwegian. Furthermore, the Rest of the World (ROW) has very low levels for a Gold Card with the exception of the US. Not very simple to understand.

    However, if you live in Continental Europe or the UK and fly a fair amount of high econ and business fares, but not enough to make Gold on LH or BD, I suggest the SAS EB programme. Threshold for Europe is only 45.000 points. A return LHR-ARN in business will yield 5.600 points in business. Two long-haul flights should be enough, while two long haul flights on BA would only get me to Silver I believe.

    An intra-Scandinavian award flight is only 12.000 points, so one ticket ARN-LHR in business is almost enough for a free flight in Scandinavia. Considering a last minute fare between OSL-ARN could be €400 return, it is not a bad deal.


    frustratedflyer
    Participant

    I find the post above about BA’s thresholds rather confusing. As a BA Executive Club gold card holder I only have to get 1500 points in a year to maintain gold. I don’t remeber the resetting of the year when I moved from Silver to Gold but if it does happen you still get a full 12 months to earn 1500 so it is still only 1500 tier points in a year.


    Hess963
    Participant

    Hi everyone !!

    First FT09 — thank you for the detailed infos over OK and answers of my question. How is CSA’s C class seat/service longhaul anyway??
    Have not tried them yet.

    To Senator–you are right with your assumption–pax prefer to fly directly and therefore their homecarrier gets normally the bid.
    While the infos over SAS Eurobonus – specially regarding the qualification for the different Scandinavian countries–very confusing !!
    But it sounds interesting.

    To frustratedflyer–yes, the renewal is still 1500 points–only when you try to get gold in one year than you have to accumulate the total points of 2100 points fo UK resident Only when you are already gold status–you have to earn 1500 points every year.

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