I don't believe this is true. I have been told consistently this year that non-Golds have to pay a change fee now for redemption bookings - F or otherwise. The OP should have been exempt if the booking was made before this unwelcome change came in, but for bookings since November I don't think it is the case that "First trumps everything". Are you quite certain that F redemptions carry no change fee? In that case BA owe me some money.