Worth Chasing Gold?

Wozza2404 · Dec 4, 12, 11:18 am

Ok, I started flying BA because the LTSBPDA promo left me with a massive bowl of Avios to use. So, back in May I joined BAEC, and after taking advantage of a couple of BA promos I made it to BAEC Silver in Sept.

Now, I had no real interest in pursuing any higher status, but a trip I'm taking in Feb will take me within 100TPs of Gold. If I POUG a couple of short European hoppers, that will reduce to 20TPs.

My question is, is there any real reason for me to spend to POUG money and chase that Gold card? Does it mean anything over being Silver?

Also, how long does the status last? Is it 12 months from the date you move up a tier?

windowontheAside · Dec 4, 12, 11:32 am

It lasts for the rest of your membership year and the whole of the following year.

So if your year ends in June, and you hit gold by January, you keep that status for 18ish months.

Is it worth chasing? Well for the sake of a few points I would say yes. Silver gets the main benefits in terms of lounge access, priority boarding etc but the Flounge at LHR is nice, and the option to book (and cancel) flights using Avios with no booking fees is a useful perk.

YMMV but after several years in silver with no upgrades, I've had at least three TATL upgrades to CW in the last six months which I'm sure has something to do with my status.

So for me - yes I'd put a bit of effort into chasing gold if I needed just a few more points. But I wouldn't go all out if I were hundreds of points short.

Padmeister · Dec 4, 12, 11:35 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wozza2404

Ok, I started flying BA because the LTSBPDA promo left me with a massive bowl of Avios to use. So, back in May I joined BAEC, and after taking advantage of a couple of BA promos I made it to BAEC Silver in Sept.

Now, I had no real interest in pursuing any higher status, but a trip I'm taking in Feb will take me within 100TPs of Gold. If I POUG a couple of short European hoppers, that will reduce to 20TPs.

My question is, is there any real reason for me to spend to POUG money and chase that Gold card? Does it mean anything over being Silver?

Also, how long does the status last? Is it 12 months from the date you move up a tier?

Hi Wozza,

If i was that close to Getting Gold i would have to go for it out of Sheer Curiosity! and the Shiny Card

Remember even if after 12 months you think "I can't see what all the fuss is about" you will still have a "soft" landing to Silver.

The nice Benefit of the First Class lounge no matter what class of travel your in is a nice perk! for 1, Elemis Spa treatment, The Gold Line etc etc!

https://www.britishairways.com/trave...club/_gf/en_gb

So if i was you mate if its not going to break the bank and your in ear shot of it then why not go for it!

windowontheAside · Dec 4, 12, 11:39 am

Don't hang your hat on the Elemis spa though - I haven't managed to bag a slot yet in 6 months!

layz · Dec 4, 12, 11:41 am

I'd say go for it if you're going to be that close.

I'm a new gold and I do think the F lounge is a nicer place, it's less crowded than the regular galleries (at least it was on my one and only visit so far). Also worth noting as well as the free flowing champagne you can also order food from the menu if there's nothing you want at the buffet.

Still yet to see if it'll give me any better treatment onboard or when dealing with irrops. Way too early to tell.

One great benefit is that you'll get a soft landing to silver, so next year would be a good year to burn Avios without needing to worry about maintaining status.

So I'm now gold, my membership year ends in February, I'll be gold through 2013 until Feb 2014 where I'll drop to silver (unless I maintain gold) in Feb 2015.

corporate-wage-slave · Dec 4, 12, 11:53 am

If you spend a lot of time in T3 or T5 - particularly if you are on connecting flights a lot - the Flounge is a very pleasant place to spend time (if you avoid the Monday morning rush hour in T5), as far as waiting rooms go.

Your problem there may well be that once you have got used to Flounge, going "up" to Galleries Club may prove a rather distressing experience.

The other two benefits I would add is that you get better seating allocations; also you get better Avios redemption options in WT, ET and particularly Domestic.

MNManInKen · Dec 4, 12, 11:56 am

If you're that close, then I'd say it's worth going for Gold - access to the F lounge and the soft landing the year later to Silver are a nice bonus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by windowontheAside

YMMV but after several years in silver with no upgrades

I'm Silver and I do get the odd upgrade; as I normally book CW it's usually an upgrade to F

angatol · Dec 4, 12, 12:16 pm

What is the trip you're taking in Feb and have you booked it yet? There's a massive amount of difference you can make in the routing to acquire almost any additional points you need, providing time is not of the essence.

Wozza2404 · Dec 4, 12, 12:16 pm

Seeing as it looks like it will be valid for 18 months and I'll get Silver for another 12, I might have a crack at it.

I've got to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised by BA. Don't get me wrong, their F comes nowhere near the likes of EK, but CW is a nice experience (when the get the temp right on the UD). I also really like the look of those WTP-CW UuA flights. Seem like great value. The amount of sales compared to EK and EY is also a plus.

Here's a question: If it's valid for the remainder of the membership year AND a further year, what happens to those who earn thousands of TPs every month? Do they have a Gold Elite card for life within 12 months?!

windowontheAside · Dec 4, 12, 12:26 pm

No - all points are zeroed out at year end. So they may requalify in a matter of weeks, but they get the rest of that year and the next, and that's it. It's not cumulative.

So - if year ends in June, then earlier this year their totals get zeroed. Then in July or Aug they make gold again, then they're set for the rest of this year (which they don't really need as they're already covered) and then from June 2013-June 2014. And that doesn't change whether they fly no more for the rest of the year or amass hundreds of points a month.

ColdWalker · Dec 4, 12, 12:37 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by windowontheAside

No - all points are zeroed out at year end. So they may requalify in a matter of weeks, but they get the rest of that year and the next, and that's it. It's not cumulative.

So - if year ends in June, then earlier this year their totals get zeroed. Then in July or Aug they make gold again, then they're set for the rest of this year (which they don't really need as they're already covered) and then from June 2013-June 2014. And that doesn't change whether they fly no more for the rest of the year or amass hundreds of points a month.

Additionally there are levels of membership above gold. Firstly gold guest list (GGL) and then Premier.

SpurMan · Dec 4, 12, 12:37 pm

There are goals for Golds after the 1500 though. GUFs, CCR card, partner cards all can be earned at various levels of TP accrual.

layz · Dec 4, 12, 12:50 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdWalker

Additionally there are levels of membership above gold. Firstly gold guest list (GGL) and then Premier.

But you can't get Premier with tier points. It's invitation only by the board of directors.

Earn 3000 TP two years in a row and you get gold guest list. If you earn 5000 TP in one year you'll go straight to GGL. 5000 points also gets you a Concorde Room card which means you'll have access to all lounges in T5.

GGL also can invite two guests into the lounge, I'm not sure of the guesting rules for the CCR card - I'm sure others do though

4500 TP gets you a silver (or gold if GGL) partner card and of course there's the gold upgrades for 2 which apply at 2500 TP and at other stages.

All this is technically gold though, so they can say that gold is their highest regular tier (due to Premier not being a status achievable through normal channels), but if you look at threads here you'll see that BA treat GGL members very well.

Genius1 · Dec 4, 12, 12:54 pm

Within 100 TPs, I would say yes, go for it.

I was Gold for two years before dropping back to Silver in June this year, and really did value the benefits of F lounge access, particularly at LHR and SYD, and also the QF Domestic Business lounges when travelling in Y (as opposed to the crowded Qantas Clubs).

I also received my first (and only to date) op-up from CW to F as Gold, and felt I was treated well when thing went wrong at the start of my ex-EU to HKG (provided with a taxi from LGW to LHR by Special Services).

F check-in was a nice, but not necessary, benefit.

The soft landing to Silver was very valuable, however.

MNManInKen · Dec 4, 12, 12:56 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by layz

Earn 3000 TP two years in a row and you get gold guest list. If you earn 5000 TP in one year you'll go straight to GGL. 5000 points also gets you a Concorde Room card which means you'll have access to all lounges in T5.

GGL also can invite two guests into the lounge, I'm not sure of the guesting rules for the CCR card - I'm sure others do though

4500 TP gets you a silver (or gold if GGL) partner card and of course there's the gold upgrades for 2 which apply at 2500 TP and at other stages

All of this stuff is covered comprehensively by this wiki/sticky thread: Your guide to the Executive Club, attaining status and earning Avios, so let's not go down the route of repeating it all.