British Airways silver - the 4 eligible flights?
May 27, 2019, 6:50 pm
#61
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 427
Hi guys, so I don't currently have any status with BA.
However I'm probably going to pickup 560 tp by flying to BKK with Qatar and crediting it to BAEC.
As I haven't flown any BA flights for years, I understand I need to also fly 4 BA cash flights to obtain Silver.
I'm hoping that these additional flights (when combined with the Qatar flight tp tally) will take me to at least 600 tp in total.
Now, my question is, can I book; pay and fly the BA flights some time after the Qatar flights and pickup the silver status at that point? i.e. will the 560 tp from the Qatar flights 'sit in a bank' waiting to be activated?
If yes, would a cheap/short return journey (such as LHR to INV) immediately activate bronze, and then if I book a further return flight flight of that kind a bit later, this would then activate the silver?
Any guidance appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
However I'm probably going to pickup 560 tp by flying to BKK with Qatar and crediting it to BAEC.
As I haven't flown any BA flights for years, I understand I need to also fly 4 BA cash flights to obtain Silver.
I'm hoping that these additional flights (when combined with the Qatar flight tp tally) will take me to at least 600 tp in total.
Now, my question is, can I book; pay and fly the BA flights some time after the Qatar flights and pickup the silver status at that point? i.e. will the 560 tp from the Qatar flights 'sit in a bank' waiting to be activated?
If yes, would a cheap/short return journey (such as LHR to INV) immediately activate bronze, and then if I book a further return flight flight of that kind a bit later, this would then activate the silver?
Any guidance appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
May 27, 2019, 6:58 pm
#62
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,176
Yes the tier points will remain in your account until the end of your membership year when they will be zeroed out.
Once you have the 2 BA qualified flights you will become bronze and when you get the other 2 you will become silver. Again this would need to be within your current membership year i.e. the year in which you earned the 560. Though your status extends to the end of the month after your membership year ends.
There are several short return flights in addition to INV you could take such as LON-AMS.
Once you have the 2 BA qualified flights you will become bronze and when you get the other 2 you will become silver. Again this would need to be within your current membership year i.e. the year in which you earned the 560. Though your status extends to the end of the month after your membership year ends.
There are several short return flights in addition to INV you could take such as LON-AMS.
May 27, 2019, 10:21 pm
#64
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,395
@Aston100 - you’re probably well aware (in which case, apologies), but - given the different mentions here of ‘instant’ and ‘immediately’ - it might be worth reiterating that all required qualifying sectors must actually be flown before the relevant status / status upgrade is triggered.
May 28, 2019, 1:43 am
#65
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The North
Posts: 1,844
Please disregard the below, as the bonus mentioned doesn't apply to QR flights.
One other thing to bear in mind, which may or may not impact on when you decide to do your 4 BA flights, is that you get a 25% base Avios bonus for Bronze.
Assuming you first did 4x QR flights, with say a week at your destination, your TP balance would be 140, 280 <destination> 420, 560. You’d only “hit” Silver after your third flight, but as this is a transfer in Doha and there is usually at least a few days delay in crediting, you’d only really have Silver after your long haul QR flights are over. You’d therefore get the 50% Silver bonus Avios for the 4 flights, but as these sound like they are short haul, that may not add up to much.
By contrast, if you could fit in at least some of your four flights before your QR trip, sufficient to accrue at least 20TP, your TP balance would be: 20TP, 160TP, 300TP when you arrive at your destination. If you were staying there a week, your status would have updated to Bronze, so your return long haul QR flights would earn 25% bonus Avios.
Obviously, this depends entirely on how flexible you are about those four flights. If you need to make them anyhow, and that is after your QR flights, it probably isn’t worth worrying about for the relatively small bonus. On the other hand, if you are making a short haul trip or two for “fun”/primarily to accrue the extra TP, you might have the flexibility to do these before your QR trip. It will also depend on the relative cost of flights, of course - there isn’t much point paying say Ł400+ for very short notice flights simply to rack up 20TP before your QR trip, if doing it 3 months later is < Ł100 and you’ve got that flexibility.
Assuming you first did 4x QR flights, with say a week at your destination, your TP balance would be 140, 280 <destination> 420, 560. You’d only “hit” Silver after your third flight, but as this is a transfer in Doha and there is usually at least a few days delay in crediting, you’d only really have Silver after your long haul QR flights are over. You’d therefore get the 50% Silver bonus Avios for the 4 flights, but as these sound like they are short haul, that may not add up to much.
By contrast, if you could fit in at least some of your four flights before your QR trip, sufficient to accrue at least 20TP, your TP balance would be: 20TP, 160TP, 300TP when you arrive at your destination. If you were staying there a week, your status would have updated to Bronze, so your return long haul QR flights would earn 25% bonus Avios.
Obviously, this depends entirely on how flexible you are about those four flights. If you need to make them anyhow, and that is after your QR flights, it probably isn’t worth worrying about for the relatively small bonus. On the other hand, if you are making a short haul trip or two for “fun”/primarily to accrue the extra TP, you might have the flexibility to do these before your QR trip. It will also depend on the relative cost of flights, of course - there isn’t much point paying say Ł400+ for very short notice flights simply to rack up 20TP before your QR trip, if doing it 3 months later is < Ł100 and you’ve got that flexibility.
Last edited by squawk; May 28, 2019 at 3:20 am
May 28, 2019, 2:44 am
#66
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Accor Live Limitless Gold, Hilton Honours Gold, Avis Preferred Plus
Posts: 1,806
One other thing to bear in mind, which may or may not impact on when you decide to do your 4 BA flights, is that you get a 25% base Avios bonus for Bronze.
Assuming you first did 4x QR flights, with say a week at your destination, your TP balance would be 140, 280 <destination> 420, 560. You’d only “hit” Silver after your third flight, but as this is a transfer in Doha and there is usually at least a few days delay in crediting, you’d only really have Silver after your long haul QR flights are over. You’d therefore get the 50% Silver bonus Avios for the 4 flights, but as these sound like they are short haul, that may not add up to much.
By contrast, if you could fit in at least some of your four flights before your QR trip, sufficient to accrue at least 20TP, your TP balance would be: 20TP, 160TP, 300TP when you arrive at your destination. If you were staying there a week, your status would have updated to Bronze, so your return long haul QR flights would earn 25% bonus Avios.
Obviously, this depends entirely on how flexible you are about those four flights. If you need to make them anyhow, and that is after your QR flights, it probably isn’t worth worrying about for the relatively small bonus. On the other hand, if you are making a short haul trip or two for “fun”/primarily to accrue the extra TP, you might have the flexibility to do these before your QR trip. It will also depend on the relative cost of flights, of course - there isn’t much point paying say Ł400+ for very short notice flights simply to rack up 20TP before your QR trip, if doing it 3 months later is < Ł100 and you’ve got that flexibility.
Assuming you first did 4x QR flights, with say a week at your destination, your TP balance would be 140, 280 <destination> 420, 560. You’d only “hit” Silver after your third flight, but as this is a transfer in Doha and there is usually at least a few days delay in crediting, you’d only really have Silver after your long haul QR flights are over. You’d therefore get the 50% Silver bonus Avios for the 4 flights, but as these sound like they are short haul, that may not add up to much.
By contrast, if you could fit in at least some of your four flights before your QR trip, sufficient to accrue at least 20TP, your TP balance would be: 20TP, 160TP, 300TP when you arrive at your destination. If you were staying there a week, your status would have updated to Bronze, so your return long haul QR flights would earn 25% bonus Avios.
Obviously, this depends entirely on how flexible you are about those four flights. If you need to make them anyhow, and that is after your QR flights, it probably isn’t worth worrying about for the relatively small bonus. On the other hand, if you are making a short haul trip or two for “fun”/primarily to accrue the extra TP, you might have the flexibility to do these before your QR trip. It will also depend on the relative cost of flights, of course - there isn’t much point paying say Ł400+ for very short notice flights simply to rack up 20TP before your QR trip, if doing it 3 months later is < Ł100 and you’ve got that flexibility.
May 28, 2019, 5:58 am
#68
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 427
Thanks for the replies people.
Are there any tips on when is a good time (and when is a good route) to pickup the last 40 tp from 2 return flights?
When I did a quick look for LHR-AMS the prices were nearer Ł200 pp on days & times that were convenient for me.
I would ideally want to take advantage of a visit to the destination, rather than just stepping off and back on to the same aircraft at AMS. Hence am open to other destinations that are cheap and a convenient distance for a long weekend.
BHX is my nearest airport, but I can fly from MAN or anything in London (preferably LCY if possible).
Thanks.
Are there any tips on when is a good time (and when is a good route) to pickup the last 40 tp from 2 return flights?
When I did a quick look for LHR-AMS the prices were nearer Ł200 pp on days & times that were convenient for me.
I would ideally want to take advantage of a visit to the destination, rather than just stepping off and back on to the same aircraft at AMS. Hence am open to other destinations that are cheap and a convenient distance for a long weekend.
BHX is my nearest airport, but I can fly from MAN or anything in London (preferably LCY if possible).
Thanks.
May 28, 2019, 6:20 am
#69
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
If you are a brand-new member, rather than simply an existing member who's never earned a higher-tier status, there could be some implications flowing from when you first credit a flight to BAEC. But I am not an expert in this, and in any event it sounds like your QR flight dates are probably now fixed, in which case there's nothing much you can do about that anyway.
Otherwise, I can't immediately think of any particular time constraints. There is no longer any such thing as earning it too early, unlike in the previous system when your membership year reset on earning a higher status. And status is simply a tool for future flying, not an achievement or a badge of merit, so there's no virtue in having status in itself.
May 28, 2019, 9:24 am
#70
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Gold, BA Silver, Hertz President's Club
Posts: 483
I'm not an expert with TP collection. However, I've also earned 560TP off a set of flights this year with Cathay Pacific. Some tips I've found recently and how I got my four flights:
- It depends on what your usual style of travel is. For me, it's the cheapest thing in Y with a Oneworld airline regardless of connections unless there is an astoundingly good deal in a premium cabin.
- I also don't like to do flights just for the sake of TP unless it's positioning. For me, it's a waste - I try to leverage free stopovers or the (up to) 24hr 'connection'.
- BA did an offer recently which was 5,000 Avios for Ł100 off a WT/WT+ fare. I used that to get a sub-Ł180 R/T to JFK. It's good value for mileage flown, but not brilliant for TP collection (I got 40TP, Ł4+/tp).
- I'm doing an upcoming day trip to VCE. Ł109 for 45TP (Y out, J in). Again - not brilliant for TP value but both places make for interesting places to visit, and short trips.
- It depends on what your usual style of travel is. For me, it's the cheapest thing in Y with a Oneworld airline regardless of connections unless there is an astoundingly good deal in a premium cabin.
- I also don't like to do flights just for the sake of TP unless it's positioning. For me, it's a waste - I try to leverage free stopovers or the (up to) 24hr 'connection'.
- BA did an offer recently which was 5,000 Avios for Ł100 off a WT/WT+ fare. I used that to get a sub-Ł180 R/T to JFK. It's good value for mileage flown, but not brilliant for TP collection (I got 40TP, Ł4+/tp).
- I'm doing an upcoming day trip to VCE. Ł109 for 45TP (Y out, J in). Again - not brilliant for TP value but both places make for interesting places to visit, and short trips.
May 28, 2019, 11:56 am
#71
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,503
A question about the end of the membership year vs. the end of that month.
My membership year ends 1/8/20. I will not have requalified for Silver or even Bronze by that point (no BA revenue flights in 2019). I will be in Europe the third week of January. If I pick up my four BA/IB segments that week, and then pick up the rest of my 600 TP in the next couple of months (mostly flying AA), does that still count? Or do I have to wait until February 1 to start to pick up my four segments, which means that I'd have to do it when I come back to Europe a few months later?
My transatlantic flights are on VS PE to help towards my primary status which is DL Platinum, BA Silver is my back-up status so I don't mind not having it for a couple of months as I'll just avoid AA during that period unless I'm flying domestic J.
My membership year ends 1/8/20. I will not have requalified for Silver or even Bronze by that point (no BA revenue flights in 2019). I will be in Europe the third week of January. If I pick up my four BA/IB segments that week, and then pick up the rest of my 600 TP in the next couple of months (mostly flying AA), does that still count? Or do I have to wait until February 1 to start to pick up my four segments, which means that I'd have to do it when I come back to Europe a few months later?
My transatlantic flights are on VS PE to help towards my primary status which is DL Platinum, BA Silver is my back-up status so I don't mind not having it for a couple of months as I'll just avoid AA during that period unless I'm flying domestic J.
May 28, 2019, 11:59 am
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
My membership year ends 1/8/20. I will not have requalified for Silver or even Bronze by that point (no BA revenue flights in 2019). I will be in Europe the third week of January. If I pick up my four BA/IB segments that week, and then pick up the rest of my 600 TP in the next couple of months (mostly flying AA), does that still count? Or do I have to wait until February 1 to start to pick up my four segments, which means that I'd have to do it when I come back to Europe a few months later?
May 28, 2019, 12:01 pm
#73
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 397
A question about the end of the membership year vs. the end of that month.
My membership year ends 1/8/20. I will not have requalified for Silver or even Bronze by that point (no BA revenue flights in 2019). I will be in Europe the third week of January. If I pick up my four BA/IB segments that week, and then pick up the rest of my 600 TP in the next couple of months (mostly flying AA), does that still count? Or do I have to wait until February 1 to start to pick up my four segments, which means that I'd have to do it when I come back to Europe a few months later?
My transatlantic flights are on VS PE to help towards my primary status which is DL Platinum, BA Silver is my back-up status so I don't mind not having it for a couple of months as I'll just avoid AA during that period unless I'm flying domestic J.
My membership year ends 1/8/20. I will not have requalified for Silver or even Bronze by that point (no BA revenue flights in 2019). I will be in Europe the third week of January. If I pick up my four BA/IB segments that week, and then pick up the rest of my 600 TP in the next couple of months (mostly flying AA), does that still count? Or do I have to wait until February 1 to start to pick up my four segments, which means that I'd have to do it when I come back to Europe a few months later?
My transatlantic flights are on VS PE to help towards my primary status which is DL Platinum, BA Silver is my back-up status so I don't mind not having it for a couple of months as I'll just avoid AA during that period unless I'm flying domestic J.
May 28, 2019, 12:03 pm
#74
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,503
On the assumption that you mean 8 January 2020 (all membership years end on the 8th of a month), then any flights you take that are scheduled to depart on 9 January 2020 local time will count towards status in your new year. So in the third week of January, you will be fine: all those flights will count for the 2020/21 membership year.
My plan is:
January 8, 2020: Status ends
January 10: Arrive in London on VS
January 13-16: Do four cheap IB/BA segments to get away from January in London
February/March: Pick up 580 TP doing mostly transcon US AA domestic J flights. Enjoy 22 more months of BA Silver and repeat in 2022 unless they gut the program by then.
May 28, 2019, 12:06 pm
#75
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Falkirk, Scotland,VS Red, BA Gold, HH Diamond,UK Amex Plat
Programs: Master of the Privy Purse des Muccis
Posts: 17,899
Hi,
Remember that you will still enjoy the silver status benefits until the card expires ( end of Feb for a Jan 8th status year expiry) including AA lounge access in the US when flying AA.
Regards
TBS
Remember that you will still enjoy the silver status benefits until the card expires ( end of Feb for a Jan 8th status year expiry) including AA lounge access in the US when flying AA.
Regards
TBS