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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Jan 2, 2018, 7:44 am
#31
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
I think you can do it easily through a TA but I assume you can't stop in either NYC or LAX.
Jan 2, 2018, 7:57 am
#32
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Wolverhampton
Programs: BA Silver, Hilton Diamond, Marriot Gold, Radisson Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 1,607
It was refilled on the 1st November with this nasty addendum added into the fare rules AND
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL WITHIN THE UNITED
STATES
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY BA FLIGHT
ANY IB FLIGHT
ANY AS FLIGHT
ANY HA FLIGHT.
AND
<snip>
AND
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN HAWAII AND
CONTIGUOUS U.S.A./ALASKA
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY BA FLIGHT
ANY IB FLIGHT.
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL WITHIN THE UNITED
STATES
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY BA FLIGHT
ANY IB FLIGHT
ANY AS FLIGHT
ANY HA FLIGHT.
AND
<snip>
AND
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN HAWAII AND
CONTIGUOUS U.S.A./ALASKA
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY BA FLIGHT
ANY IB FLIGHT.
Neither of which earn TPs?
Or does BA/IB mean codeshares, in which case you could hop from NYC to LAX on a AA flight BA code?
Last edited by Smid; Jan 2, 2018 at 7:58 am Reason: Thought of something else.
Jan 2, 2018, 7:57 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: @somewhere, if help needed use my email address [email protected]
Programs: BA & QR
Posts: 1,014
catharsis,
Yes, you can book the flights mentioned above on BA primes, no problem at all.
Yes, you can make stopover in NYC or LAX.
Jan 2, 2018, 8:03 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
Jan 2, 2018, 8:49 am
#35
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 128
For me this is corporate travel. I need to spend a week in NYC, a weekend somewhere (might as well be Hawaii), a few days in Los Angeles, and then back to Europe. $2250 is well within my company's travel guidelines for this kind of trip. I just can't put together an itinerary on ITA Matrix. Maybe I'll try through the BA Gold Line.
Jan 2, 2018, 12:43 pm
#36
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
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:
PERMITTED 01JUL THROUGH 31AUG OR 22NOV THROUGH 29NOV OR
24DEC THROUGH 31DEC OR 24MAR THROUGH 08APR FOR EACH
TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
24DEC THROUGH 31DEC OR 24MAR THROUGH 08APR FOR EACH
TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
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):
Flight 1
Depart: OTP
Routing Codes: LHR
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: HEL
Date: 08/24/2018
Flight 2
Depart: HEL
Routing Codes: AY1331,BA6031 LHR JFK
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: PHX
Date: 08/25/2018
Flight 3
Depart: PHX
Routing Codes: JFK LHR AY1332,BA6032
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: HEL
Date: 08/26/2018
Flight 4
Depart: HEL
Routing Codes: AY1337 LHR
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: OTP
Date: 08/27/2018
Cabin: Business class or higher
Stops: No limit
Extra stops: Up to 1 extra stop
Currency: GBP
Depart: OTP
Routing Codes: LHR
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: HEL
Date: 08/24/2018
Flight 2
Depart: HEL
Routing Codes: AY1331,BA6031 LHR JFK
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: PHX
Date: 08/25/2018
Flight 3
Depart: PHX
Routing Codes: JFK LHR AY1332,BA6032
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: HEL
Date: 08/26/2018
Flight 4
Depart: HEL
Routing Codes: AY1337 LHR
Extension Codes: ALLIANCE ONEWORLD
Destination: OTP
Date: 08/27/2018
Cabin: Business class or higher
Stops: No limit
Extra stops: Up to 1 extra stop
Currency: GBP
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
Last edited by rossmacd; Jan 2, 2018 at 12:51 pm
Jan 2, 2018, 1:59 pm
#37
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: GGL/CCR
Posts: 1,899
Thanks for the great post
FYI to all there are a fair few FT members doing a very similar routing over that August bank holiday
FYI to all there are a fair few FT members doing a very similar routing over that August bank holiday
Jan 2, 2018, 2:26 pm
#38
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Heathrow
Posts: 218
Hello All,
So, with my up coming departure from BA, I’ve got to start thinking about my first jobs with my new employer. My first looks like a trip to Chicago in late July which, thankfully, includes a Saturday night. I’m obviously not so experienced at buying tickets as I am at fixing the things so I’ll need some advice if I may?
Im entitled to Y on a day flight and J on the return because I have a meeting upon arrival in London. Currently I can find retail fares for around £1100 for this.
Does anyone have any thoughts how to squeeze a more creative routing in without too much extra expense? It’s a tough one that time of year.
I can depart LBA, MAN and LON, must be back in LON for a meeting the first morning back but no reason I can’t have say a 6 hour connection in which I do my meeting and do a shuttle up to Manchester or whatever.
Thoughts appreciated! I can be more specific with dates if it helps but just after general thoughts on potential routing for now!
So, with my up coming departure from BA, I’ve got to start thinking about my first jobs with my new employer. My first looks like a trip to Chicago in late July which, thankfully, includes a Saturday night. I’m obviously not so experienced at buying tickets as I am at fixing the things so I’ll need some advice if I may?
Im entitled to Y on a day flight and J on the return because I have a meeting upon arrival in London. Currently I can find retail fares for around £1100 for this.
Does anyone have any thoughts how to squeeze a more creative routing in without too much extra expense? It’s a tough one that time of year.
I can depart LBA, MAN and LON, must be back in LON for a meeting the first morning back but no reason I can’t have say a 6 hour connection in which I do my meeting and do a shuttle up to Manchester or whatever.
Thoughts appreciated! I can be more specific with dates if it helps but just after general thoughts on potential routing for now!
Jan 2, 2018, 2:40 pm
#39
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 834
KEF on 20th Jan for one night £265 (160 TPs) on Momondo if it's still available?
Jan 2, 2018, 3:37 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,609
Hello All,
So, with my up coming departure from BA, I’ve got to start thinking about my first jobs with my new employer. My first looks like a trip to Chicago in late July which, thankfully, includes a Saturday night. I’m obviously not so experienced at buying tickets as I am at fixing the things so I’ll need some advice if I may?
Im entitled to Y on a day flight and J on the return because I have a meeting upon arrival in London. Currently I can find retail fares for around £1100 for this.
Does anyone have any thoughts how to squeeze a more creative routing in without too much extra expense? It’s a tough one that time of year.
I can depart LBA, MAN and LON, must be back in LON for a meeting the first morning back but no reason I can’t have say a 6 hour connection in which I do my meeting and do a shuttle up to Manchester or whatever.
Thoughts appreciated! I can be more specific with dates if it helps but just after general thoughts on potential routing for now!
So, with my up coming departure from BA, I’ve got to start thinking about my first jobs with my new employer. My first looks like a trip to Chicago in late July which, thankfully, includes a Saturday night. I’m obviously not so experienced at buying tickets as I am at fixing the things so I’ll need some advice if I may?
Im entitled to Y on a day flight and J on the return because I have a meeting upon arrival in London. Currently I can find retail fares for around £1100 for this.
Does anyone have any thoughts how to squeeze a more creative routing in without too much extra expense? It’s a tough one that time of year.
I can depart LBA, MAN and LON, must be back in LON for a meeting the first morning back but no reason I can’t have say a 6 hour connection in which I do my meeting and do a shuttle up to Manchester or whatever.
Thoughts appreciated! I can be more specific with dates if it helps but just after general thoughts on potential routing for now!
Jan 2, 2018, 3:41 pm
#41
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,609
Or for 360 TP, 4 segments. It seems to work for shorter than 7 day stays, this one is 5 days
Jan 3, 2018, 9:46 am
#44
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 192
the Kef fare is a great option for anyone with a UK Amex platinum with the £200 off £600 offer via amex travel.
Jan 3, 2018, 10:15 am
#45
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,529
KARFA, are you sure AY‘s HEL-KEF service earns 140TPs? The calculator says 40TP.