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Old Jan 2, 2017, 6:09 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: EsherFlyer
** AA Domestic First on two cabin will earn business TPs and avios for departures on or after 11 January 2017 - see reference posts for more details **

** Note that the practice of AA Domestic 3-class service flights booking into A for 210 TPs when I was no longer available ceased in September 2017. Discussion here. **

Welcome to the thread. This is a continuation of the highly popular 2016 Tier Point thread. We keep track of other prices, as well as useful reference information for those planning tier point runs.

Please read the first few posts in this thread first as it contains lots of information which may answer your question.

This is a community-maintained wiki post. Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below!

Current Promotions of Interest
Sale Fares
  • from AMS/RTM to US ILN4T7S6/INX6T7S6 reported in this post and this post, e.g. NYC - €1,461, ORD - €1,492, LAS - €1,460, needs to be booked by 25 September, see linked post for details
  • from PRG to US ILN4T8S6 reported in this post, e.g. IAD - £1,033, MIA - £1,133, ATL - £1,080, needs to be booked by 21 September, see linked post for details

Advanced Promotion Fares
  • from DUB to US ILN8C1S6 reported here, e.g. NYC - €1,472, MIA - €1,578, see linked post for details
  • froM DUB to US ILN8S4C1 reported here, e.g. JFK - €1,427, MIA - €1,532, LAS - €1,667, LAX - €1,795, HNL - €2,095, this is an advanced purchase fare so no book by deadline, see linked post for details
  • from OTP to PHX ILN8R4C1 reported here, e.g. PHX - £1,252, see linked post for details
  • from AMS to BKK INCEU60 reported here, e.g. BKK - £1,216, see linked post for details

See here in post # 8 for a 2017 archive of exEU sale fare, and see here in post # 445 for a 2016 archive of exEU sale fares.

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This thread lists attractive tier point (TP) runs under £3 per TP grouped within different (departure) geographies

Please note that current availability is not guaranteed and all prices include taxes. Please use the following convention when adding tier point runs to this wiki post:
Date fare checked Price per Tier Point Total Price Total Tier Points Route Booking Classes Booking Channel Credit Notes (if applicable) Airlines

Please remember to:
  • Convert currencies to GBP, rounding to the nearest pound.
  • Post full routes and full booking classes.
  • Note any restrictions on booking in the Notes section.
  • List in order of price per tier point within the relevant departure area.

Please see the links at the bottom of the wiki for archives of runs from previous years.

From Europe

24APR £0.90/TP £400 440 TLL-BA/AY-HEL-LON-GLA-KOI-ABZ ; TLL-BA/AY-HEL-LON-GLA-SDZ-ABZ (see post #1221)
02NOV £1.33/TP £583 440 LHR-HEL-TLL/TLL-HEL-LHR-NCL//NCL-LHR-HEL-TLL/TLL-HEL-LHR IIIIIIIIII Google Flights armouredant 2 nested tickets, both other a Saturday night. BA ticket, BA & AY metal, AY A350 possible LHR-HEL
08FEB £1.33/TP £346 260 JER-LGW-RAK-LGW-RAK I/I/I/I BA.com ramops
14AUG £1.65/TP £593 360 OSL-HEL-AGP-HEL-OSL I-I-I-I ITA Flythe96flag SH J cabin + possible red-eye (!) AY
26JUL £1.81/TP £72.70 40 MAD-FRA Z lan.com Prospero 787 flat bed LA
1JAN £1.85/TP £444 240 JER-LGW/LHR-HEL J/I/I/J ITA Matrix flatlander Available most weekends first half of 2016, fare IM0R
23NOV £1.89/TP £377 200 DUB-LHR-MAD-SVQ r/t I-I-I-I-I-I ITA Lorcancoyle IM0B IB DUB to SVQ BA and IB flights (I2 for domestic under IB code), random dates in December available, A340 on some dates (helpfully pointed out by Temps that domestic Spain is only 20 TPs)
24NOV £1.91/TP £765.00 400 BUD-DOH-SHJ I/A/I/A QR.com Wozza2404 A320 QR
11AUG £2.10/TP £420 200 AMS-LHR-GLA-LSI-ABZ-LSI-GLA-LHR-AMS I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I ITA Matrix --> Priceline.com MrMutton
13NOV £2.56/TP £410 160 LHR-HEL ? BA.com Lorcancoyle wide open as flight+hotel, can reduce with TCB cash back BA

From North, Central and South America
26Jan £1.50/TP £960 640 LGA-CMH-DCA-PHL-RDU-CLT-ATL-MIA-PTY and return I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I/I ITA Matrix--> BookWithMatrix dot com --> AA.com HPN-HRL other routings available; reverse routing is £40 more - see post 388 AA
10MAY £2.50/TP £203 80 ORF-CLT-ORD I/I AA.com
21MAY £2.08/TP £250 120 YYZ-PHL/LGA-CLT-ORF/PHF I/I/I AA.com
22NOV £1.43/TP £172 120 DCA-(LGA/BOS/PHL)-CLT-RDU (one way, reverse works as well) I/I/I ITA->BWM->priceline.com

From Middle East, Asia and Australasia
23Feb £0.99/TP £356 360 TPE-xKUL-PEN(JHB)-xKUL-TPE Z http://www.malaysiaairlines.com ermen two day min stay, promo fare MH
04JAN £1.10/TP £44 40 KUL-PEN D http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/uk/en.html fitch Works in both directions, rtn £80 if you can make the timnings work MH
11Nov £0.85/TP £307 360 TPE-KUL-SIN-KUL-TPE Z http://www.malaysiaairlines.com neofung

From Africa


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Need a year-end TP run (ex-LON) to make / retain status?
Some tips for searching for the year-end TP run for newcomers, the below is indicative only, but hopefully provides a bit of guidance for relatively straightforward runs ex-LON. The guide to using ITA matrix in post #4 (see here) along with these ideas, might come in handy. Feel free to share results, problems or general questions in the thread as these may not always work and there might be better deals out there...

For overnight trips remember to check BA and Iberia for their flights and hotel option as well, can get hotel for almost no extra cost at times

Need 80 TPs or fewer
Club Europe return somewhere close by is best - DUB, AMS and JER usually cheapest. AMS and JER easier than DUB for an immediate turnaround. The BA.com low fare finder can be very useful.

If you need as few as 45 TPs you might consider booking economy flights and hoping for a proactive online upgrade offer - but they're not guaranteed to materialise (so not one if you have no more time left in your TP collection year). Alternatively, booking a return to one of the 40 tier point destinations with one way in CE and the return in ET (or vice versa if cheaper). Bilbao, Jersey and Amsterdam seems the most cost effective for this.

Need 85-120 TPs
Iberia flights via MAD to regional Spanish airports will get you 120 TPs as the domestic Spanish flights are 20 TPs in business. Under £300 including hotel can be available. Check BIO, GRX, VLC, BCN, SVQ etc. Example here

Need 125-160 TPs
Take a look at the shorthaul plus routes earning 80 TPs each way in business listed in the first post (here) MLA, IST, HEL and RAK are usually available. If time sensitive take a look at BA flight and hotel option to HEL, where you can usually get the last BA flight out on a Saturday, airport hotel and first return Sunday for well under £500.

Alternative options include positioning to JER and flying JER-LGW-XXX (AMS usually works well and avoids switching airports)

Need more than 160 TPs
You'll most likely be heading north then - OSL or VNO via HEL will get you 240 TPs, as will JER-LGW/LHR-HEL e.g. LHR-HEL-OSL for £520. Also the BA fare for LHR-HEL-TLL at ~£235 is still available and would get 200 TPs for a return.

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Historic information
2016 Archive
2015 Archive (6 months Jul to Dec)
2015 Archive (6 months Jan to Jun)
2014 Archive

.
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BA Tier Point Runs | 2017 master thread

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Old Apr 3, 2017, 7:15 am
  #1231  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ABZ
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 204
Thinking of ABZ-LHR-MAN-LHR-ABZ to get 160TP for Gold by 8th May.
I'd be doing it in one day with around 3 hours between flights for £340.

Anything I have missed regarding risks, or any better ideas?

Thanks.
w3andw4d is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 7:27 am
  #1232  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,201
Is this two one-ways or one return? If it's a return then your only risk is an unexpected overnight at LHR or (less likely) MAN if your outbound arrives after your return departs. Assuming you're ABZ based then that seems like a sensible and good value routing, albeit if you can handle a weekend away you might be able to go somewhere with an overnight and make it more of an experience. Time is short though and I fares will be scarce!
Cymro is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 7:34 am
  #1233  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,041
Originally Posted by Smid
Well, in which case the second question still stands. Looks like those are SAAB SF 340, a 34 seater turboprop, which offers economy or "all in" according to seatguru. Now, I know its listed as a codeshare with a business fare code, but, well technically business is clearly not available on it, who can argue that luggage in the hold, some free food and drink and a seat near the front is about the same as an Embraer 170 BA business product...

I'm asking these questions because it does sound interesting as a nice TP run to do, and did wonder how much of it will really be closer to business than economy overall.

Bouncing around Scotland in SAAB 340s is probably one of the least glamorous
ways of earning TPs.

Loganair do also have Twin Otters
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22740864-post12.html


They migh even have Britten-Norman Islanders? do they? they used to.
Hannibal Lecter is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 7:51 am
  #1234  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ABZ
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 204
Originally Posted by Cymro
Is this two one-ways or one return? If it's a return then your only risk is an unexpected overnight at LHR or (less likely) MAN if your outbound arrives after your return departs. Assuming you're ABZ based then that seems like a sensible and good value routing, albeit if you can handle a weekend away you might be able to go somewhere with an overnight and make it more of an experience. Time is short though and I fares will be scarce!
Thanks very much for your reply Cymro. I am indeed ABZ based and it would be all on one return. I'm not really seeing much else which fits in with my work schedule and as you say, time is getting shorter!

I'm currently sitting in the new lounge at CPH, much better than the old one!
w3andw4d is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 7:55 am
  #1235  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ABZ
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 204
Originally Posted by Hannibal Lecter
Bouncing around Scotland in SAAB 340s is probably one of the least glamorous
ways of earning TPs.

Loganair do also have Twin Otters
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22740864-post12.html


They migh even have Britten-Norman Islanders? do they? they used to.
Yes, they still do have two BN2 Islanders based in KOI. I would recommend a trip to the North Isles in Orkney (proper agricultural flying
w3andw4d is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 11:27 am
  #1236  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,041
Originally Posted by w3andw4d
Yes, they still do have two BN2 Islanders based in KOI. I would recommend a trip to the North Isles in Orkney (proper agricultural flying
If I decide to visit Orkney a visit to Highland Park distillery will be enough
to satisfy my interest in agricultural products
Hannibal Lecter is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 12:45 pm
  #1237  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ABZ
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 204
Originally Posted by Hannibal Lecter
If I decide to visit Orkney a visit to Highland Park distillery will be enough
to satisfy my interest in agricultural products
I can totally see your logic there!
May I also recommend Scapa single malt and the new local gin Kirkjuvagr, lovely stuff!

I am possibly slightly biased with Orkney being my homeland
w3andw4d is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2017, 11:24 pm
  #1238  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,932
Originally Posted by Ned1968
Touché - I salute you sir.

And raise you another £4 saving from ABZ
Interested to know how you got this? Certainly not on ba.com?
Guy Betsy is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 12:52 am
  #1239  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: BA Executive Club and OnBusiness
Posts: 721
Originally Posted by Guy Betsy
Interested to know how you got this? Certainly not on ba.com?
Won't price up on ba.com - this is a fare that ITA Matrix finds and prices but I don't know if anyone has actually managed to get it booked. It's too complicated for ba.com's multi flight page to cope with and it might only exist in theory.

The first person to call BA and get it ticketed over the phone will be famous in TP running circles!
Ned1968 is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 12:59 am
  #1240  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dubai
Posts: 821
Am i missing a different thread or is their simply now a lack of premium TP runs across the program ?

I can remember when i kind of started looking on here and there were huge amounts of runs at less than £0.75 across the US and even in Europe to HNL whereas the options in the wiki post nowadays look depressing ?

Is it just a sign of the times with the weakening pound ?
dolfinco is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 1:18 am
  #1241  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The North
Posts: 1,848
Bergen price increase?

I was looking at a weekend in Bergen in CE (80TP, or as of 1st April 160TP from the regions via Heathrow). Not the world's best value for solely TP but this is - or at least was - one of the cheaper options for a weekend break in Europe, with convenient flight times and somewhere a bit "different". From LHR these could be had for about £82 each way, and showed up most months as such on the Low Fare Finder for ages.

Took another look last night to find that the cheapest is now £25 more per leg, at £107 each way from LHR, across the board regardless of month. Does anyone have any idea what happened to the cheaper fare? I haven't seen anyone flag it up here as expiring, despite some discussion of BGO in the sale (afaik the cheap price wasn't restricted to the sale earlier in the year - certainly it was still available a couple of weeks back when I last looked).
squawk is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 1:20 am
  #1242  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 124
Originally Posted by dolfinco
Is it just a sign of the times with the weakening pound ?
The weaker pound doesn't help, but don't forget that AA domestic First now earns as business, which cut the TP earning of most US-based runs by a third overnight.
esspeebee is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 1:30 am
  #1243  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dubai
Posts: 821
Originally Posted by esspeebee
The weaker pound doesn't help, but don't forget that AA domestic First now earns as business, which cut the TP earning of most US-based runs by a third overnight.

Forgot about that.

Looks like im going to lose Gold this year then as just not enough value around IMO.
dolfinco is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 2:33 am
  #1244  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,219
Originally Posted by squawk
I was looking at a weekend in Bergen in CE (80TP, or as of 1st April 160TP from the regions via Heathrow).

Took another look last night to find that the cheapest is now £25 more per leg, at £107 each way from LHR, across the board regardless of month. Does anyone have any idea what happened to the cheaper fare?
Yes I'd also noticed that it'd jumped up to £213 from LHR. The £160 fare has come and gone in the past, so there's always a chance it'll return. But it's also an extremely cheap price for a CE fare, even for the likes of AMS and JER, so don't be too hopeful.
Foltan is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2017, 3:01 am
  #1245  
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,532
Originally Posted by dolfinco
Forgot about that.

Looks like im going to lose Gold this year then as just not enough value around IMO.
What about a couple of TLL runs or domestic MH flights? Excellent value IMHO.
florens is online now  


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