dylanks

As I'm about to reach GGL for the first time, I realized that there's not a good centralized guide to all things GGL, so I'm going to create a guide and would appreciate help from anyone that is interested, and then I'll publish a guide once we've gathered ideas here.

I would appreciate some crowd-sourcing assistance, as well as any tips from any newly-minted GGL! Second draft based on initial feedback:

A guide to BA Gold Guest List (GGL)

Overview

The British Airways Executive Club has several status tiers. The highest status that can be earned directly through flying is Gold Guest List (GGL). This guide attempts to help both new and experienced GGL members get the most from the perks and benefits available with GGL.

Qualifying

The detailed guide to earning status has information on requirements to reach all status levels, including GGL.

While requirements were changed in early 2015 to require 5,000 TP to initially qualify for GGL, you currently only need 3,000 TP to renew your status. GGL for life may be attained at 100,000 TP.

GGL is somewhat complicated to explain in that it's not a truly separate status level above gold, in that if you fail to reach 1,500 tier points as a GGL, your soft landing will be to silver, not to gold! Also, some of the perks of GGL are only retained when earning at least 5,000 TP.

For those people more familiar with mileage based systems, it's worth estimating that a minimum number of miles flown in business class to achieve GGL would be roughly 18 return trips between LHR and JFK, or 36 * 3,450 miles or 124,000 miles. Some members achieve GGL flying many more miles, while some qualify a bit faster by flying on partner F segments of 2,000 miles or less. The minimum number of miles flown to reach GGL is probably around 60,000-70,000 miles.

By comparison, someone flying in the lowest economy classes of G, O, and G on the same LHR-JFK route would need 125 return trips or 862,500 miles! So reaching GGL requires a significant amount of flying in Club World or First on BA and its partners each year, or a significant number of ex-eu tier point runs!

For the original author of this guide who is based in the US, the first year of qualifying for GGL looked like this (primarily in business and first class):



Starting as GGL

A few days after you reach 5,000 TP, your account should update from Gold to GGL. Shortly thereafter, you will receive the following:

• A welcome kit by post, including two cards, a GGL card and a separate Concorde Room (CCR) card
• A welcome phone call (sometimes in the middle of the night if you live in north america!)
• Eligibility for all GGL benefits

You will also no longer pay fees for cancelling, changing or booking award tickets. And you can transfer Avios to another member for free (TODO: verify).


GGL card



The GGL card looks nearly identical to the BA Gold card, with a small GGL in the top right corner. This card contains a new phone number for the GGL Priority Assistance line.

GGL Priority Assistance line

After getting GGL, you get access to the GGL Priority Assistance line, no matter where you live. It's open 24 hours a day, unlike most of the BA phone lines. You also get a direct email address, though you typically need to ask for this during a telephone call to the GGL helpline. Note that you will need to verify your status when calling, so there's no point in dialing this line if you are not a GGL. If you need to find the GGL line, dunk’s BA contact number tool is very useful.

CCR card



The CCR card gives you access to the following lounges that are usually reserved for first class passengers only, regardless of your class of travel:

• LHR T5 Concorde Room
• JFK T7 Concorde Room
• LHR T5 Arrivals Concorde dining area
• IAD Concorde Dining Room
• LHR T3 First dining area
• SIN Concorde Bar
• Future lounges with a separate Concorde area may also be available for CCR card holders

You may also invite one guest more than you would normally be allowed to invite into a particular BA lounge:

• Flying in First, you may invite two guests into any BA operated lounge, including the CCR
• Flying in any other class, you may invite one guess into the CCR
• Flying in any class, you may invite two guests into BA operated Galleries Club and Galleries First lounges

The Lounge access overview is an informative comparison of BA lounge access for all classes of travel, but does not cover a few of the Concorde areas within other lounges at the time this was written.

If you need to use CCR before your card arrives, then you can call the GGL helpline and they will email the relevant CCR so they know to expect you. If you forget the card, then there is a file binder with a list of names, but it's best not to rely on that as it will slow down your entry into the lounge.

The secret handshake of the CCR when not flying in First is a subtle flash of your CCR card to the poor BA agent who's job is to turn away the 90% of people who try to use the direct door to the CCR at T5 south just past the security checkpoint.

Be sure to check out the following CCR resources:

• LHR CCR dining menu
• JFK CCR guide

Gold and silver partner cards

You can nominate one person to Gold status and two people to silver status. To nominate them, simple add them as friends/family then click on nominate in the friends and family section in your account.

There are several strategies for optimising the maximum time for a partner to have status. The GGL timing thread has recent details. Note that it is not 100% clear if a partner will receive a soft landing or not when their year expires and they do not earn enough tier points to retain their status, but it is not a published benefit.

Also note that when you first qualify for GGL, you will not receive a new batch of partner cards until you qualify again for GGL. So reaching GGL right before the end of your tier point year will not earn you double the number of partner cards in a short stretch of time.

Hilton Diamond status

You will also achieve Hilton Diamond status when reaching GGL. To receive this, email the GGL team and give them your hhonors number. It may take up month to process. The main benefits of Diamond status are:

• Premium internet access
• Express check-in and late check-out
• Still water
• Space-available upgrades
• Executive lounge access

Just do your best to not be this guy:




Otherwise you may find yourself on the Hilton equivalent of the dykwia thread.

It seems to be pot luck whether requesting this will be a simple short phone call to BAEC armed with your hhonors number, or whether it'll involve calling several times over a month or two before the Heath-Robinson machine that makes it happen kicks into action.

GUFs

GGL earn extra GUFs based on tier points. 2 GUF1 are earned at 3,500 TP. At 7,000, 8,000 and 9,000 TP, you can choose one of the following:

• 2 GUF1
• Another GGL redemption (joker)
• 50,000 avios

To the disappointment of corporate-wage-slave, there are no further benefits about 9,000 TP other than reaching lifetime GGL more expediently.

GGL Redemption/Jokers

This is by far the most sought after benefit, as it allows you to make two return bookings per year on BA flights with avios booking into revenue available seats as follows:

• Book up to 5 seats using avios even when there are no redemption seats available
• Limited to 5 joker seats per cabin per flight
• Seats needs to be available in revenue classes (A for first, D for CW, T for WT+)
• All flights must be on BA metal (cannot be used on codeshares with AA, CX, etc.)

Jokers/GGL redemptions can only be used by calling the GGL priority access line.

The GGL redemption (otherwise known lovingly on FT as the 'joker') makes it possible to create redemption space where none existed subject to the criteria noted above. Once this space is created it can be used just like any other redemption space. For example, it can be booked in full with Avios or by upgrading a revenue ticket. In addition, it can be used with a GUF1 or GUF2 and/or with any of the two for one options such as the AMEX 2-4-1 or the Chase Travel Together coupon.

GGL renewal

If you reach at least 3,000 TP, your GGL status will renew, and you'll receive a new set of GGL cards, two silver & one gold nominations, 2 fresh jokers with any remaining jokers from the previous year expiring.

If you reach 5000 TP, you'll also receive a new CCR card.

corporate-wage-slave

Good idea! And congratulations in advance dylanks.

There is one answer there which is easy: the Concorde Card is needed for CCR access, not the GGL card, which in itself isn't a guarantee of entry after year 1. Judging from other posts, the Concorde Card is dispatched by post very soon after hitting 5k TPs. If you need to use CCR before the card arrives then you can call the GGL helpline and they will email the relevant CCR so they know to expect you. If you forget the card then there is a file binder with a list of names, but it's best not to rely on that.

Another answer which is also relatively easy, is that after getting GGL you get access to the GGL helpline, no matter where you live. It's open 24 hours a day. You also get a direct email address, though you typically need to ask for this during a telephone call to the GGL helpline. The number on your BAEC contact changes (I understand) to the Manchester (+44 161) number a few days after getting GGL. This is the only way to use Jokers (GGL Redemption), it can't be done online. GUFs can be done online.

KARFA

- the eligibility requirements are already in the sticky threads
- add them as friends/family then click on nominate in the friends and family section in your account
- call or email the ggl team and give them your hhonors number - may take up month to process
- call the ggl team and tell them you want to use a gold priority reward
- ggl card has nothing to do with CCR access. Sometimes you do need to show your CCR card
- a new set of cards, two silver & one gold nominations, 2 fresh jokers with any remaining jokers from the previous year expiring, based on getting 5000 TPs a new CCR card
- same as above except no CCR card

opalfruit

Re: Diamond status - seems to be pot luck whether requesting this will be a simple short phonecall to BAEC armed with your Hhonors number, or whether it'll involve calling several times over a month or two before the Heath-Robinson machine that makes it happen kicks into action.

My personal experience is of the latter, both for the initial match, and then for 'renewal' - which you have to re-request once your Hilton year ends.

littlefish

I'd agree a dedicated Guide would be useful. Firstly, things change and FT is great at helping keep up-to-date. Secondly, there are the 'standard' things you've listed but a Guide could also capture what else is good / not so good about GGL.
I've been GGL/CCR for six months now, so still finding my feet; infinitely knowledgeable in some areas () and unsure in others. Reading others' experiences is helpful and allows me to balance my expectations.

Feel free to PM me dylanks around queries you may want to pop in the Guide.
In my view the Guide should link to BAEC GGL pages, they don't google well!!
Gold Priority Reward is not unique to GGL, Golds get it too.
The CCR card is over and above GGL. Its courteous to show the White Card approaching the lounges (T5 and JFK, and indeed T5 arrivals for the Breakfast room).
The core stated GGL benefits are the dedicated phone line and the 2 Jokers (the Partner Cards kind of link-in too).

It would be interesting to explore what the unpublished benefits are/may encompass in the Guide.

I should also note, being a GGL doesn't suddenly grant you freebies or veto of the Fare Rules. You remain, an ordinary punter by & large.

Prospero

Great idea dylanks and thanks for spearheading this group effort Once the guide is in place, we can add a link to it from the general guide. This will allow FTers to find and contribute to the dedicated thread without having to wade through a general discussion.

PETER01

GB | GGL United Kingdom Europe/London

By phone Tel: 0800 408 1 111 (from the UK) +44 161 448 3048 (outside the UK) Fax: +44 (0)1787 881405

Maybe this will help for the guide?

dunk previously listed this for the information and is a good tool for all tier members.

http://app1-baft.rhcloud.com/finder.php

Schiehallion

It's perhaps also worth mentioning that the GGL team actually call you a couple of weeks after qualification to talk you through the benefits and how to make the most of them, and in my experience are good at answering all the daft questions that might come up (in my case whilst wide awake at 3am in Vancouver )

dylanks

Thanks for all the initial excellent information, I'm looking forward to putting this together! And thanks littlefish for sharing the equivalent of the CCR secret handshake.

opalfruit

Can we not share the GGL phone numbers publically? Don't want all those pesky Bronzes using it!

Schiehallion - I didn't get a welcome call, sadly.

PETER01

It's no big secret really and just a telephone number and is on this board/FT for folks to use when needed.

Even the Premier number is easily found on the web. I'd imagine anyone calling the wrong line of whatever status would get told to call the right number accoding to status.

Blues could call the Bronze line, Bronzes could call the Silver line etc and I really don't think that happens anyhow according to what I've heard from an FT'r (ex BA member of staff) I spoke to at a Do once.

Iamnotlost

Really good idea to consolidate this information. Having been "minted" only 4 months ago I have done a fair bit of rummaging about looking for bits of info. Especially things I know I read somewhere, sometime but which were not easy to track down again (also I am hopeless with the search function).

I did get the welcome phone call and was able to ask a couple of questions but I didn't actually know enough at that stage to ask the right questions and I could have made better use of the opportunity.

The most difficult thing for me was getting The Hilton Diamond status thingy. Had to chase that a couple of times. It does seem random whether it works first time or not from posts I have read.

I have read a few things recently about the best time to apply for the partner cards to maximise the benefit and that sort of info would be useful to refer to.

No bright ideas about what else should be included. Unless there really is a secret handshake I know nothing about!

eae

Congrats and welcome to the club!

bullroot

never had that call, nor heard of it, in 4 years of GGL

golfmad

The US GGL number is (877)-391-4641. They verify status at the start of the call using the member's account number so I don't think it's a problem making the number available in the information guide. This number routes through to the UK number.