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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Print Wikipost

BA Tier Point Runs | 2018 master thread

Old Mar 7, 2018, 1:23 am
  #1366  
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That’s quite a lot for little return. The issue you have is booking CE flights that don’t have Saturday night stay. I would stick to doing one of these and then maybe a range of domestic flights. This should be cheaper.

You are also traveling over the nank holiday weekend which can add to the costs.

Another piece of advice is to look at BA holidays as this can allow you to add a hotel room for little extra cost or even bring the cost down.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 1:53 am
  #1367  
 
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Thanks for the quick reply.
Maybe I should just do the run Stateside. I just found a 15-flight LAX-PTY for ~757 for Easter weekend. 800TP @ ~0.95/TP
I can't upload screen shot, but I will post shortly with details.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 1:57 am
  #1368  
 
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LAX - PTY run March 31 - Apr 2
800TP for 761.40 @ ~0.95/TP
Outbound routing codes: AA1092 AA1754 AA2026 AA4492 AA1984 AA5313 AA4697 AA959
Inbound routing codes: AA960 AA1113 AA1870 AA1798 AA506 AA1650 AA2180
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 2:56 am
  #1369  
 
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Originally Posted by l31g
LAX - PTY run March 31 - Apr 2
800TP for 761.40 @ ~0.95/TP
Outbound routing codes: AA1092 AA1754 AA2026 AA4492 AA1984 AA5313 AA4697 AA959
Inbound routing codes: AA960 AA1113 AA1870 AA1798 AA506 AA1650 AA2180
Personally I would do this as I found the service better than CE in Europe I enjoyed my trip to Panama and if I ever needed to would do it again.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 3:36 am
  #1370  
 
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Originally Posted by l31g
Hi all,
This is my first post in FT, and I'm pretty new to this. I've been skimming the thread and I think it's really interesting. I am based in Austin and I travel to London once or twice per year. I will have some free time in London all day Saturday May 5th - Tuesday May 8th, and I would love to use this time to do a 500+ TP run.

I have been learning the prices around that time exLondon, and I have been playing around with different itineraries. I want to only go through UK immigration once (they normally get sketchy when you enter the country multiple times in a short period of time), so I plan to take advantage of LHR's immigration-less connections.

Here's the current itinerary I have (I am writing since I am not allowed to post pictures since I am a new member):

London (LHR) to Manchester (MAN) Fri, May 4 British Airways 1404 Business (I)
Manchester (MAN) to London (LHR) Sat, May 5 British Airways 1389 Business (J)
London (LHR) to Bucharest (OTP) Sat, May 5 British Airways 886 Business (R)
Bucharest (OTP) to London (LHR) Sun, May 6 British Airways 885 Business (I)
London (LHR) to Amsterdam (AMS) Sun, May 6 British Airways 434 Business (D)
Amsterdam (AMS) to London (LHR) Mon, May 7 British Airways 423 Business (R)
London (LHR) to Istanbul (IST) Mon, May 7 British Airways 676 Business
Istanbul (IST) to London (LHR) Tue, May 8 British Airways 675 Business (I)
London (LHR) to Manchester (MAN) Tue, May 8 British Airways 1388 Business (I)
Manchester (MAN) to London (LHR) Tue, May 8British Airways 1399 Business (I)
1,667.11
I calculated 560TPs, which is ~ 2.98/TP.

Are there any specific routes I should look into that are valid during that time frame?

Thanks for all the stuff in the thread
Thats a hell of a lot of flying for 560 TPs. For that kind of spend, youd likely be better off with one of the Qatar deals from Scandinavia/Finland to Thailand, or the UL deals from DXB/DOH/MCT to CGK/HKG.
As you yourself pointed out, you can get better returns on the US runs, yet seeing as you have a few free days on this side of the pond, you may want to have a look at these alternatives.
Happy flying!
ubiest is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2018, 7:04 am
  #1371  
 
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I have GGL for next year, April 8th 2018 - 2019. I know(expect) my flight activity will not be significant enough to re-qualify for GGL or may be even Gold, so I expect to have a soft landing to silver starting April 2019. I would like to look at a TP run for April/May 2019 (So booking in April/May 2018), that quickly gets me to(or very close to) Gold so I can have this benefit April 2019 - April 2021. I don't see GGL in my future

I'm based near MCO, don't mind positioning, and would ideally like to end up in HKG/BKK. I'd want to book solely on BA, in WTP, use one of my gold upgrades so I travel & get credit for CW. I could use a Joker if necessary.

Based on the above I'd look at MCO - MIA - LHR - HKG which would get 600? TP, then I could get a separate BKK - KUL - TPE with one of the MH sales getting me another 320? TP, pushing me over 900 ?

I don't need a finished bookable itinerary, just some ideas as to what I should go away and look at, which would deliver more than the above 'simple' routing.

All help very appreciated ...
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 7:12 am
  #1372  
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Originally Posted by BritBoyInFL
I'm based near MCO, don't mind positioning, and would ideally like to end up in HKG/BKK. I'd want to book solely on BA, in WTP, use one of my gold upgrades so I travel & get credit for CW. I could use a Joker if necessary.
If you're basing your return to Gold on CW TPs, this will not happen - unless there's an IT snafu in your favour, you will be credited for the cabin you paid for, not the one your upgrade put you in.

Does this mean your plan needs refinement?
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 7:25 am
  #1373  
 
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Originally Posted by NWIFlyer
If you're basing your return to Gold on CW TPs, this will not happen - unless there's an IT snafu in your favour, you will be credited for the cabin you paid for, not the one your upgrade put you in.

Does this mean your plan needs refinement?
If the OP has a GUF, booking through somebody like Propeller travel in WTP and upgrading the trip using a GUF into CW in I class will do the job TP wise, but they would need to go via a travel agent rather than BA direct. Saves a Joker at least!

Pilot37
rossmacd likes this.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 7:38 am
  #1374  
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Originally Posted by Pilot37


If the OP has a GUF, booking through somebody like Propeller travel in WTP and upgrading the trip using a GUF into CW in I class will do the job TP wise, but they would need to go via a travel agent rather than BA direct. Saves a Joker at least!

Pilot37
I will emphasise that this is not guaranteed to happen. Certainly if there's any issue with posting, or IrrOps occur, and a subsequent retroclaim is necessary, the chances of a happy outcome diminish even further. The OP also suggests using a Joker, which would pretty much guarantee it wouldn't given that would have to go through BA direct!

If anyone is basing a qualification decision on getting those points, it's a risky strategy.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 8:02 am
  #1375  
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Originally Posted by l31g
LAX - PTY run March 31 - Apr 2
800TP for 761.40 @ ~0.95/TP
Outbound routing codes: AA1092 AA1754 AA2026 AA4492 AA1984 AA5313 AA4697 AA959
Inbound routing codes: AA960 AA1113 AA1870 AA1798 AA506 AA1650 AA2180
Originally Posted by cgtechuk
Personally I would do this as I found the service better than CE in Europe I enjoyed my trip to Panama and if I ever needed to would do it again.
Are these PTY runs back? Or did they never go away? They used to populate the wiki and I've done a couple myself...

Even though we've lost the First Class TPs on AA, it's still a cheap way to get a bunch of TPs quickly, if you find yourself in North America.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 8:11 am
  #1376  
 
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Originally Posted by craigthemif
Are these PTY runs back? Or did they never go away? They used to populate the wiki and I've done a couple myself...

Even though we've lost the First Class TPs on AA, it's still a cheap way to get a bunch of TPs quickly, if you find yourself in North America.
Agreed, they got a lot more restrictive at one point due to the availability drying up then when the A became I class they became less attractive but they are back at only around 100 more than when I did it 1.5 years ago however I think that is less of a price difference and more of a $ issue.

Still good TPs for the money 1 / TP or less territory

In a completely off topic manner btw do not ask what I thought your username on here was for the whole time I was here but i have only just realised the last bit was mif and not .... lol
Anyway
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 8:14 am
  #1377  
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Originally Posted by l31g
Hi all,
This is my first post in FT, and I'm pretty new to this.
And thank you for that l31g and allow me on behalf of the Ambassadors to welcome you to Flyertalk and the BA Board. Some very good value there and we hope to see more of you here
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 9:57 am
  #1378  
 
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Originally Posted by l31g
Thanks for the quick reply.
Maybe I should just do the run Stateside. I just found a 15-flight LAX-PTY for ~757 for Easter weekend. 800TP @ ~0.95/TP
I can't upload screen shot, but I will post shortly with details.
That is a much better return on your investment - just make sure that you have the 4 qualifying flights needed for Gold.
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 10:16 am
  #1379  
 
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Originally Posted by dougzz
Any use? I'm not sure how a GUF works, and whether you could or would want to use it on the WT+ leg home. Putting Helsinki in the outbound for an extra 80TP adds about 132. Outbound as it stands would be 300TP, I'm not good with WT points but I think it's 20+90+20 for the way home.


Thank you so much for this and taking the trouble to do this! This could actually work perfectly I'm having a go with it now... and Madfish again thank you that was also great advice and I'm trying both ways to see where I get. Thank you both!
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Old Mar 7, 2018, 10:17 am
  #1380  
 
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PS dougzz (and if this isn't appropriate to ask just ignore), but could you screenshot how you put it into matrix, it would be a fantastic learning tool for me...
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