FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,033
If I manage my travel year correctly, I will do exactly 0 TPs (spending Avios instead of cash) and accept the soft landing to Silver for a year.
Despite my minor concern regarding the quality of champagne in the regular lounges and a bit more queueing, there's simply little value in Gold (especially at outstations) and BA have shown themselves quite unworthy of loyalty. 15 years straight as a Gold with nary a gesture from BA.
Of course there's nothing stopping you for undertaking a massive TP run once Silver, which basically gets you two years of Gold.