crazyegg

Hello all, appreciate your collective wisdom on this.

Normally Silver but currently 3/4 through my first (and probably only) year as Gold.

As the majority of my LH travel has been using reward flights this year, my projected TP for the year is currently only 530.

I know I have the easy option of upgrading a couple of upcoming domestic flights (or doing a mini TP run) to ensure that I pass the 600 mark, but do you think it's necessary?

I guess the simple question is, how safe is my Silver status for next year?

Worcester

If you have taken 4 flights on BA metal then under the rules you will drop to Silver. But there have been other people reporting that they initially have problems (probably due to ropey IT). I suppose calls to BA can fix this.

MsCapricorn

"If you have taken 4 flights" - is this correct?

NWIFlyer

No, it's not - the soft landing still currently occurs if you have zero flights and zero TPs, so the OP should be fine.

MsCapricorn

Thanks. I was worried I would need to do a day trip before 8 October

Worcester

I am sorry if what I said was incorrect I am sure I read that elsewhere on FT.

Gshumway

4 flights are only to (re)qualify, not for a soft landing.

sxc

I don't think there is anything in the T&C that formally documents soft landing though? So they could unilaterally take away this "benefit"?

crazyegg

Thanks all. I do have the 4 BA flights.

It's the sudden withdrawal of this unofficial policy that worries me. Would be just my luck and would take me few months to get back to Silver if that were to happen.

I can't go back to bronze :-/

I may push the TP to 600 just to be safe

larryflyer

I'm also 'normally' silver, but (thanks to abnormal travel patterns last year) I'm part-way through what will almost certainly be my only year as gold. In my case, I'm only 4 months in.

The '4 flights' comment upthread gave me a brief moment of panic - glad it was soon corrected!

Since I have no realistic prospect of re-qualifying as gold, and no need to re-qualify as silver (thanks to soft landing) I'm treating this as a year when I can resort to mostly burning, rather than earning, avios. In 'normal' years I struggle to earn enough TPs for silver, so can't afford to do many (if any) long haul redemptions.

This year is definitely payback time - just booked a TATL eastbound redemption in F, and the corresponding westbound in WT (no premium cabin availability, and the WT seat was only available as a Gold benefit). I'll keep checking for something better nearer the date of travel, but if worst comes at least I'll be in 26C (exit row) on a 777, which seems to be one of the best seats in WT.

Despite all the grumbles around here, BAEC is delivering for me at the moment.

:D!

Same here, will be gold next year and therefore silver the next "thanks" to a bereavement , and cheap ex-Scandinavia / QR J.

BAEC is delivering, but BA isn't. My strategy is earn elsewhere and burn on BA shorthaul. (I can't bring myself to pay cash for HBO plus it avoids the moral dilemma of pretending to have a Ukraine credit card)