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Old Jan 1, 2018, 5:20 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: OWBA
Welcome to the thread. This is a continuation of the highly popular 2017 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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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 JER to PDX IKN8T1S6 reported in this post, e.g. PDX £1,082, needs to be booked by 8 May, see linked post for details

Advanced Promotion Fares
  • from OTP to PHX ILN8C8S4 reported here, e.g. PHX - £1,296, see linked post for details
  • from AMS to BKK INCEU60 reported here, e.g. BKK - £1,340, see linked post for details

See here in post #9 for a 2018 archive of exEU sale fare, and see this post in the 2017 thread for last years’ 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
Code:
3Feb 200TPs DUB-LHR-HEL/HEL-LHR all I class ba.com
From North, Central and South America

23Sep £1.48/TP £650 (US$853) 440 TPs JFK-CLT/BOS-LAX-LAS and return all I class aa.com
6Sep £1.50/TP US$457 240TPs RIC-CLT-DCA-BOS, BOS-LGA/PHL-CLT-RIC all I class aa.com
Jan/Feb wide open £1.94/TP £700(US$883) 360 TPs SEA-CLT-MCO-PHX-SEA all I class aa.com



From Middle East, Asia and Australasia
18Jan £1.58/TP £883 560 CMB-xHKG-CGK return I cathaypacific.com ermen CX
28Feb £1.44/TP £575 400 MCT-DOH-BKK-DOH-MCT A/R/R/A travel.americanexpress.co.uk QR
21Feb £1.53/TP £860 560 HKG-CMB-MEL return I Expedia.com.hk Firemin UL
16Mar £1.22/TP £687 560 CGK-CMB-DXB return I srilankan.com Firemin UL
01Apr £0.87/TP £314 360 PEN-KUL-KTM return Malaysian.com cgtechuk MH
01Apr £1.19/TP £335 280 KUL-PER return Malaysian.com cgtechuk MH
01Apr £1.28/TP £335 360 PEN-KUL-PER return Malaysian.com cgtechuk MH
05Apr £2.00/TP £320 160 CAN-HKG-TPE return CathayPacific.com littlevoices CX/KA (flexible fare, bookable up to 24 hours in advance, allows stopovers, book with CX directly)

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. Some information on how to use ITA matrix is in post #4 of this thread (or just click 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 along with UK domestic returns. Additionally you may find that trips in to mainland Europe require a one night stay whereas the cheapest domestic CE returns do not have any minimum stay so can be booked as a same day return. If doing a back to back AMS and JER can be easier than DUB for an immediate turnaround - more information can be found in the back to back thread listed in the forum dashboard. 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). UK domestic route, Bilbao, Jersey and Amsterdam seem 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 of this thread, 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.
DUB-LHR-HEL return (or return to LHR) is currently a very efficient way of hitting 200-240 TPs
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Historic information
2017 Archive
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 | 2018 master thread

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Old Jun 15, 2018, 4:12 am
  #2656  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL, A3 Gold, M&M SEN, FlyingBlue Gold, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Amb
Posts: 902
Excellent, thanks nufnuf77 and OverTheHorizon.
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Old Jun 15, 2018, 4:26 am
  #2657  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Aberdeen
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold
Posts: 751
Originally Posted by stijnec
Trying to book below tp run to PHX, but have some issues when trying to book. would prefer to pay in EUR to avoid currency conversion charges, but cannot get aa.com to quote below in EUR, USD only, When trying to pay in USD, I have to enter my country of residence (Netherlands) at which point the transaction is cancelled.
Any advise on how to book (in EUR) will be highly appreciated.
I had trouble booking a similar ex OTP to PHX last weekend (spookily I'm on the same flight on 05th April - say hi, I'm in 1f) and got really frustrated with it for various reasons.
I eventually called the UK call centre who were very helpful and everything paid in GB£. Hope you get it sorted ok and see you there!
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Old Jun 15, 2018, 4:38 am
  #2658  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Wolverhampton
Programs: BA Silver, Hilton Diamond, Marriot Gold, Radisson Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 1,607
Originally Posted by Wozza2404
I did this about 18 months ago for a SYD trip - Dropped my bags at T5 in the morning for the LHR-SIN flight, and off I went on my SVG B2B.

Despite even checking at the gate that my bags had been loaded when I was waiting for my LHR-SIN later that evening, they didn't show up in SYD until 4 days later.
It does sound as if while the ability to check a bag in 12 hours early seems to exist, the process doesn't work. I know it costs more but I would use the left luggage. The less scrupulous might do it to claim the money from travel insurance on delayed luggage though...
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Old Jun 15, 2018, 9:38 am
  #2659  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Ancaster, ON, Canada
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 487
Looking for tier point run suggestions... I relocated to Canada last year and my local airport is now YYZ (unfortunately!).
I need to get about 500 TPs before Dec to maintain Gold.... I know Canada is woefully served by OW so my options are limited. BUF is also easy driving distance as a start point..
Any suggestions gratefully received!
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Old Jun 15, 2018, 9:13 pm
  #2660  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oxford (&Western Isles )
Programs: BA GGL, CCR; RyanAir MillionMiler :( ;
Posts: 756
Are there any decent J fares to LAX or PHX during Sept? I think the OTP fare is not working in Sept and this one end Aug31. Thanks in advance.


American (AA) ILN8C1S4 AMS to PHX
General notesBASIC SEASON BUSINESS EXCURSION FARES I APPLIES FOR ROUND TRIP FARES FOR ADULTCategory 3: Seasonal restrictionsPERMITTED 20NOV THROUGH 26NOV OR 18DEC THROUGH 01JAN OR 01JUL THROUGH 31AUG ON THE OUTBOUND TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
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Old Jun 16, 2018, 8:33 am
  #2661  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: EDUU
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, HH Diamond, PC Plat Amb, BA EC Gold, Asiana Diamond, TK Elite
Posts: 193
Originally Posted by LondonTechTraveller
Thanks - taking a look I see that LATAM fares go as low as £171 for the one way journey FRA-MAD around half the price of Iberia and £151 the other way around.
FRA-MAD and returns on LATAM book into booking class Z, which from May 10th do not earn any TP or Avios.
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Old Jun 17, 2018, 4:50 pm
  #2662  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Taif, KSA
Programs: BA GGL, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,908
Has anyone managed to get the LAX-PTY to price at ~£700 recently? I can’t seem to get it to work, even allowing for the change of rules requiring >24 hours in PTY. Flying march 26th or later.
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Old Jun 17, 2018, 9:58 pm
  #2663  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP/LTP, BA GGL/CCR/GfL, HH D/LTD, SPG/MR Plat/LTP
Posts: 10,076
Originally Posted by Jamier45
Has anyone managed to get the LAX-PTY to price at ~£700 recently? I can’t seem to get it to work, even allowing for the change of rules requiring >24 hours in PTY. Flying march 26th or later.
A quick search on ITA returned lowest prices of £816 för your date and the following weeks.
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 3:45 am
  #2664  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 21
Planning a week in NY in august, starting ex-eu. For once I have the full week-end to come back, and I'd like to try to cram a nice TP addition around it..
Any ideas ? My current plan is PAR-LHR-JFK on Mon 30th July, and I just get a JFK-LHR-AMS on Aug. 5th, but so far I haven't really had much luck getting more stuff crammed in the return part (I've managed to add stops in BOS/PHL for the outbound leg, but I'd rather add flights in the return leg).

Any ideas ?
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 4:09 am
  #2665  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
Am off to LAX next February. I did look at a possible LAX-PTY run whilst I was there but I can't seem to get a decent price for my dates at all. I have tried quite a few variations on itamatrix but not having much success, I land at LAX on 14 February around 1850 (I am not averse to taking a flight from LAX that evening) and leaving 17 February at 1750 (I would prefer to get back to LAX on 16 February if possible).

Anyway the best I can find around those dates was a mediocre value run from LAX-SJU. Any suggestions?
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 4:13 am
  #2666  
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,261
Originally Posted by KARFA
….Anyway the best I can find around those dates was a mediocre value run from LAX-SJU. Any suggestions?
I can't believe you're the one asking the question for once
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 4:14 am
  #2667  
DVT
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 523
Originally Posted by KARFA
Am off to LAX next February. I did look at a possible LAX-PTY run whilst I was there but I can't seem to get a decent price for my dates at all. I have tried quite a few variations on itamatrix but not having much success, I land at LAX on 14 February around 1850 (I am not averse to taking a flight from LAX that evening) and leaving 17 February at 1750 (I would prefer to get back to LAX on 16 February if possible).

Anyway the best I can find around those dates was a mediocre value run from LAX-SJU. Any suggestions?
I believe there's now a restriction of an overnight in PTY - could be that.
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 4:32 am
  #2668  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
Originally Posted by mikeyfly
I can't believe you're the one asking the question for once
Haha, Occasionally I am allowed to do so

Originally Posted by DVT
I believe there's now a restriction of an overnight in PTY - could be that.
Thanks. I think I did try arriving PTY 15/2 and departing 17/2 to do two nights just to see but that didn't seem to improve the fare - my notes are at home so I can't see exactly what I tried. May have to go for the one night in SJU instead, or even just have a holiday in LAX!
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 5:01 am
  #2669  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: near Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL (OWE), SA LifePlat (*G), BD Gold to the end, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,911
Originally Posted by KARFA
...May have to go for the one night in SJU instead, or even just have a holiday in LAX!
Like mikeyfly, I cannot believe what I am reading. By all means KARFA you are entitled to ask the occasional question, but for one of our FT stalwarts to contemplate going all the way to LAX to have a holiday???
What hope is there for the rest of us.
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 5:10 am
  #2670  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP/LTP, BA GGL/CCR/GfL, HH D/LTD, SPG/MR Plat/LTP
Posts: 10,076
Originally Posted by KARFA
Am off to LAX next February. I did look at a possible LAX-PTY run whilst I was there but I can't seem to get a decent price for my dates at all. I have tried quite a few variations on itamatrix but not having much success, I land at LAX on 14 February around 1850 (I am not averse to taking a flight from LAX that evening) and leaving 17 February at 1750 (I would prefer to get back to LAX on 16 February if possible).

Anyway the best I can find around those dates was a mediocre value run from LAX-SJU. Any suggestions?
As posted upthread, PTY and other convenient TPrun destinations now need a stopover (>24h). Even if skipping what you had planned for the day of departure, and arriving back to LAX midday 17 Feb, there is still something funny with the fares for this period. Except for some TP-wise meagre routings like LAX-LAS-DFW-LIR, all other tickets books into D fare. I dont have EF, but if you do, you might check if all I inventory is booked (Spring Break ?) or maybe not loaded yet, which would be strange as I inventory easily available 1 month later. For PTY (with stay >24h) it looks like £1100-1200 , admittingly not looking for mega-segment runs, as your time is limited. With TPs (40+140+40)x2, the £/TP quota is 2.516, so not really fitting in this thread
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