Originally Posted by
Paralytic
Its not quite that simple. I've never done a TP run and would not do so for Bronze. But, if I was a few TPs short of Silver, I'd consider it, depending on the cost.
The 100% status bonus for the flights I do each year results in 10s of thousands of additional Avios that go towards personal flights.
So, it would be a simple calculation - are the potential savings the Avios might bring me worth more than the cost of the flight, taking into account the risk factors in redemption flight availability. I'd also take the free seat selection into account and potentially the small savings of lounge access and not having to buy food/drinks.
I doubt I'd ever do a TP run to reach Gold though.
Agree with everything above. Have also never done a TP run, but I have been known to occasionally take an indirect routing if the timings are convenient and the pricing is similar (i.e. LHR-JFK-DCA instead of LHR-IAD or LHR-BWI). In these cases WTP bookings (even T fares) book into Y or B, and J bookings (usually) book into A on the short-haul, so it's an additional 20-60 TP each way, and sometimes the timings are even more convenient when adding a connection. The downside is that BA.com doesn't automatically spit these options up so you have to create them with multi-city or (more likely) call and book on the phone.