Jan 1, 2018, 5:20 am
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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Advanced Promotion Fares
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:
Please see the links at the bottom of the wiki for archives of runs from previous years.
From Europe
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
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Historic information
2017 Archive
2016 Archive
2015 Archive (6 months Jul to Dec)
2015 Archive (6 months Jan to Jun)
2014 Archive
BA Tier Point Runs | 2018 master thread
Jul 7, 2018, 2:27 pm
#2866
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP/LTP, BA GGL/CCR/GfL, HH D/LTD, SPG/MR Plat/LTP
Posts: 10,076
I'm a little uncertain of the time span you quote, is end of October the EOL for your present card, as membership years shift on the 8th of each month? or does 'end October' possibility to earn by that time (i.e. new membership year November 8?.
Assuming the first alternative, and the rather large number of TP neded in a short time, you'll need to do some longer travel. Now is the time to look at the two advanced purchase Business fares specified in the Wiki; OTP-PHX and AMS-BKK, both requiring 28 days advance purchase, but the OTP is limited to end of August, and next period in late November. Check out the advice in the posts that are linked from the Wiki, and, if needed, please return for questions, and you'll find many fellow posters willing to give you a hand.
Should you consider the OTP-PHX run, please also check the PHX Mini-Do thread . If it fits your plans, you have the chance to meet other TP-runners anywhere on a plane, in a lounge or why not at HGI PHX on August 25?
Good luck with Gold requal!
Edit: madfish beat me to it, but I had to refill empty wine glass too
Last edited by onobond; Jul 7, 2018 at 2:31 pm Reason: in the post
Jul 7, 2018, 3:28 pm
#2867
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
Last edited by madfish; Jul 7, 2018 at 3:36 pm
Jul 7, 2018, 3:48 pm
#2868
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP/LTP, BA GGL/CCR/GfL, HH D/LTD, SPG/MR Plat/LTP
Posts: 10,076
Jul 7, 2018, 5:37 pm
#2869
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 1
really new to this, is it to late to get 800+TP over the upcoming month and a half ex.uk?
or have i missed the boat (love to visit the west coast)?
or have i missed the boat (love to visit the west coast)?
Jul 7, 2018, 11:20 pm
#2870
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
You can always find routes that will give 800+ TPs, the issue is would you want to pay those prices.
As shown in the posts immediately above this, OTP/PHX is your best option in terms of price, although positioning to OTP may be fairly expensive. There is a 28 day advance purchase on this fare so would need to book soon for mid-end August. Alternatively, DUB/AMS can offer some reasonable fares at times, but I haven’t seen anything special of late.
Jul 8, 2018, 2:46 am
#2871
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: BHX
Programs: BA GGL CCR GfL, SQ Gold, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat, Cafe Nero Loyalty Card (7 Stamps)
Posts: 7,330
thanks.
I was just querying the 1040 to for £1400. Business to get those points would be much more costlier. Would you be booking very far in advance?
HEL-PHX feels like it is possible. Just wondering what's the most cost effective way to book it for next points year.
my brother in law who was gold said he used to get upgraded far more as silver. Is that true or likely due to flights he went on do you think?
I was just querying the 1040 to for £1400. Business to get those points would be much more costlier. Would you be booking very far in advance?
HEL-PHX feels like it is possible. Just wondering what's the most cost effective way to book it for next points year.
my brother in law who was gold said he used to get upgraded far more as silver. Is that true or likely due to flights he went on do you think?
Plug a simple OTP-PHX into Google flights and look at dates mid-late August and you'll see the fare. Then it's a case of tweaking to find the right routing for the TPs.
As for upgrades, there are myriad reasons why people get upgraded. Generally when people hit Silver they get an upgrade or two to give them a look at what the next cabin up looks like. The issue here is generally if you're flying business tickets you likely won't stay Silver for long; so the amount of upgrades seems disproportionate.
That said, yes there are plenty of people who would say Golds typically get fewer upgrades than Silver. My upgrade rate as a GGL is fairly good on leisure heavy routes; but my jaw would hit the floor if I were upgraded on a route like JFK, LAX or SIN.
Jul 8, 2018, 8:59 am
#2872
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Shoreham By Sea
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,334
Its the OTP PHX offer still working?
Looking to do a Vegas trip in October. More than happy to route myself from PHX to LAS.
All the fares I’m finding are over £2000.00
Looking to do a Vegas trip in October. More than happy to route myself from PHX to LAS.
All the fares I’m finding are over £2000.00
Jul 8, 2018, 9:27 am
#2873
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,046
Airbus only tp run
I hope that the board will be able to help me with an interesting and exciting challenge. I am considering doing an Airbus only tier point run with the following characteristics:
Starting point: NCL
Dates: 27th December to 3rd January
Objective: Fly on as many Airbus types by as many different oneworld operators as possible
Compulsory aircraft: A350, A380 - longhauls required on both
Desirable aircraft: A330, A340
Allowed but neither required nor desirable: A320 family, other Airbus aircraft (including Beluga - that's my favourite
)
Cabin: Business Class (First Class also permitted)
Cash budget: Let's say GBP 5,000 for the time being, but there might be potential to go north if necessary
Avios/miles budget: Nil for the time being, again there may be potential to do something if necessary
Aircraft not allowed: Manufactured by Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier etc...
oneworld airlines not allowed: Qatar
Other airlines not allowed: airlines not in oneworld
Destinations not allowed: places where UK nationals require a visa
Hopefully I will keep time in the air and in transit to the maximum and time in hotels to the minimum. All ideas, comments and insights are welcome. Many thanks in advance.
Starting point: NCL
Dates: 27th December to 3rd January
Objective: Fly on as many Airbus types by as many different oneworld operators as possible
Compulsory aircraft: A350, A380 - longhauls required on both
Desirable aircraft: A330, A340
Allowed but neither required nor desirable: A320 family, other Airbus aircraft (including Beluga - that's my favourite
)Cabin: Business Class (First Class also permitted)
Cash budget: Let's say GBP 5,000 for the time being, but there might be potential to go north if necessary
Avios/miles budget: Nil for the time being, again there may be potential to do something if necessary
Aircraft not allowed: Manufactured by Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier etc...
oneworld airlines not allowed: Qatar
Other airlines not allowed: airlines not in oneworld
Destinations not allowed: places where UK nationals require a visa
Hopefully I will keep time in the air and in transit to the maximum and time in hotels to the minimum. All ideas, comments and insights are welcome. Many thanks in advance.
Jul 8, 2018, 9:34 am
#2874
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,246
A350 probably has to be AY or CX, do you fancy HEL and HKG? Not sure where IB will be sending theirs.
Jul 8, 2018, 9:38 am
#2875
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,046
Jul 8, 2018, 10:44 am
#2876
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 12
For clarity, this fare is available, bookable, is in business and can earn 1040TPs for the price of £1400(ish).
Plug a simple OTP-PHX into Google flights and look at dates mid-late August and you'll see the fare. Then it's a case of tweaking to find the right routing for the TPs.
As for upgrades, there are myriad reasons why people get upgraded. Generally when people hit Silver they get an upgrade or two to give them a look at what the next cabin up looks like. The issue here is generally if you're flying business tickets you likely won't stay Silver for long; so the amount of upgrades seems disproportionate.
That said, yes there are plenty of people who would say Golds typically get fewer upgrades than Silver. My upgrade rate as a GGL is fairly good on leisure heavy routes; but my jaw would hit the floor if I were upgraded on a route like JFK, LAX or SIN.
Plug a simple OTP-PHX into Google flights and look at dates mid-late August and you'll see the fare. Then it's a case of tweaking to find the right routing for the TPs.
As for upgrades, there are myriad reasons why people get upgraded. Generally when people hit Silver they get an upgrade or two to give them a look at what the next cabin up looks like. The issue here is generally if you're flying business tickets you likely won't stay Silver for long; so the amount of upgrades seems disproportionate.
That said, yes there are plenty of people who would say Golds typically get fewer upgrades than Silver. My upgrade rate as a GGL is fairly good on leisure heavy routes; but my jaw would hit the floor if I were upgraded on a route like JFK, LAX or SIN.
I take my hat off to you sir.
I also need to go to LA and Miami around the end of Aug. Can anyone recommend good routes to shoot for those destinations.
Jul 8, 2018, 10:55 am
#2877
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
Jul 8, 2018, 10:58 am
#2878
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: BA GGL, CCR - TK G
Posts: 809
🙄
Jul 8, 2018, 10:59 am
#2879
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: BA GGL, CCR - TK G
Posts: 809
Upgrade to f on the otp run
By the way. Is there anyway to get the lax jfk leg upgraded to f on the AA overnight ? Just curious