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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
Feb 21, 2018, 12:32 am
#1171
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
For AA try using bookwithmatrix as it’s similar to use than powertools
Feb 21, 2018, 12:49 am
#1172
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Sunny Wales
Programs: BA Gold (Oh yeah!)
Posts: 66
Thank you all (esp. Ubiest), I'll try to call BA in the morning,
Feb 21, 2018, 1:04 am
#1173
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 169
Alternatively, you can create something quite similar with google flights and book via American.
This is quite similar to ubiest's example, I think:
https://www.google.com/flights/?curr...=ONEWORLD;eo=e
If you have a bit more time, a slight tweak makes going back via New York possible, with the lie flat seat in business from LAX-JFK.
good luck
This is quite similar to ubiest's example, I think:
https://www.google.com/flights/?curr...=ONEWORLD;eo=e
If you have a bit more time, a slight tweak makes going back via New York possible, with the lie flat seat in business from LAX-JFK.
good luck
Feb 21, 2018, 1:04 am
#1174
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
Feb 21, 2018, 2:09 am
#1175
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: BCN
Programs: BA GGL, IB, LH, IHG Gold
Posts: 582
Alternatively, you can create something quite similar with google flights and book via American.
This is quite similar to ubiest's example, I think:
https://www.google.com/flights/?curr...=ONEWORLD;eo=e
If you have a bit more time, a slight tweak makes going back via New York possible, with the lie flat seat in business from LAX-JFK.
good luck
This is quite similar to ubiest's example, I think:
https://www.google.com/flights/?curr...=ONEWORLD;eo=e
If you have a bit more time, a slight tweak makes going back via New York possible, with the lie flat seat in business from LAX-JFK.
good luck
Flying through BOS seems the only way to be on the European side of the Pond on Sunday evening.
Feb 21, 2018, 2:44 am
#1176
Join Date: May 2006
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, GGL, SPG Gold , HHonors Diamond ,Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 567
I've had a number of PMs over the festive period regarding the OTP-PHX fare, and how to maximise the TP yield from this fare. I thought it would be wise to lay out the information here (and following on from KARFA's excellent post upthread) should anyone else be looking towards their own requalification for BA Gold in 2018.
A reminder that this fare is only available for the following dates:
The total maximum TPs you can squeeze out of this fare is 1,040 for approximately £1,540 - or a respectable (£1.48 per TP).
To achieve this, you will likely need about 4 days (minimum) to take the optimum routing (in my opinion), flying OTP-LHR-HEL-LHR-JFK-PHX-JFK-LHR-HEL-LHR-OTP. Of course, you may decide to drop the last LHR-OTP sector in order to save time/cost of positioning flights from wherever you are based, which would reduce the total TPs accrued by 80. Optimum routing would use the best aircraft/airline combinations for your respective sectors, and also having the opportunity to use the best lounges at your transfer points possible with the following factors (note, these are my opinions and you may agree/disagree with some or all of them):
I have provided the routing below, as a screenshot from ITA Matrix:
The best tool by far to search for this fare is ITA Matrix. The routing codes (I use) for this itinerary are as follows (text provided below):
There are a host of other options/routings/flights/dates that you can play with, should something else fit your needs better than my suggestions above.
Booking is best to use Powertools to click-through to AA.com (plenty of information in post 4 of this thread), or you can use www.bookwithmatrix.com, but I only have limited success with an itinerary as complicated as this. You can book with BA on a 125- ticket should you wish, but AA are just so much more flexible/accessible when it comes to the inevitable schedule changes.
Enjoy
A reminder that this fare is only available for the following dates:
The total maximum TPs you can squeeze out of this fare is 1,040 for approximately £1,540 - or a respectable (£1.48 per TP).
To achieve this, you will likely need about 4 days (minimum) to take the optimum routing (in my opinion), flying OTP-LHR-HEL-LHR-JFK-PHX-JFK-LHR-HEL-LHR-OTP. Of course, you may decide to drop the last LHR-OTP sector in order to save time/cost of positioning flights from wherever you are based, which would reduce the total TPs accrued by 80. Optimum routing would use the best aircraft/airline combinations for your respective sectors, and also having the opportunity to use the best lounges at your transfer points possible with the following factors (note, these are my opinions and you may agree/disagree with some or all of them):
- Using AY A359 for LHR-HEL-LHR sectors where at all possible
- If AY A359 not possible, use AY for shorthaul (I find this a better option than BA CE)
- Use of CX F lounge in LHR T3
- Use AA to cross the Atlantic from LHR-JFK (My opinion is that AA is better J product for a day flight - the seat and wifi are the main reasons)
- Use of AA Flagship lounge in JFK T8
- Use BA to cross the Atlantic from JFK-LHR (An 747 UD seat on BA is a better overnight option than AA, allowing for maximum sleep and literally only the bottle of water required from the service provided)
- JFK is used as the entry/exit point to the US as it is an easy inter-terminal connection AA-AA on the outbound, and the use of the BA CCR for the return if you have the correct credentials to have access
I have provided the routing below, as a screenshot from ITA Matrix:
The best tool by far to search for this fare is ITA Matrix. The routing codes (I use) for this itinerary are as follows (text provided below):
There are a host of other options/routings/flights/dates that you can play with, should something else fit your needs better than my suggestions above.
Booking is best to use Powertools to click-through to AA.com (plenty of information in post 4 of this thread), or you can use www.bookwithmatrix.com, but I only have limited success with an itinerary as complicated as this. You can book with BA on a 125- ticket should you wish, but AA are just so much more flexible/accessible when it comes to the inevitable schedule changes.
Enjoy
Is there any way you can dump the fare quote from matrix into a booking engine and pay in GBP .When I tried it in aa.com it came in USD and I do not want the extra currency charge.
Many thanks
Feb 21, 2018, 2:46 am
#1177
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,978
I may be wrong but I seem to remember at some point during the booking process on AA when you change your country to UK it changes the cost to £.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:03 am
#1178
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
If you put it on hold with AA just call up afterwards and pay in £. Worked well for me.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:09 am
#1179
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
Seldom works - often it just causes it to error out. Usually best to place on hold (assuming only AA (coded??) flights on the booking), then call and get them to reprice in GBP.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:17 am
#1180
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Programs: Junior Jet Club, Nando's Card 1 Red Chilli, Tesco Clubcard, BAEC Gold, TK M&S Elite
Posts: 520
I had some non AA coded flights, so paid in USD on my Amex using a random US address. I got the outbound spend (USD-GBP) and Airline spend and credit card reward points (3 per £) that made up for the commission on the exchange.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:28 am
#1181
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
I find the Lloyds Avios AMEX is good for this - doesn't take much to "earn" back the £24 annual fee and the upgrade voucher for £7k spend isn't a bad deal either.
Feb 21, 2018, 4:25 am
#1182
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA,CX, BA, Priority Club, SPG, Hilton
Posts: 1,397
Feb 21, 2018, 5:02 am
#1184
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
Feb 21, 2018, 5:03 am
#1185
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464