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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Sep 12, 2018, 12:29 am
#3796
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 783
I was hoping to be able to do B2B and not have to worry about sleeping at HEL, but I am not sure if the turnaround is too tight in HEL, I read on the B2B thread that it is okay, but having never done a B2B before, am wondering if it is the best option for me as my first one.
Sep 12, 2018, 1:24 am
#3797
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
The cheapest days @ £222.50 are always on a Saturday night from my searches, I never get the option of an earlier flight so its a first out on a Sun morning. Like someone mentioned earlier, BA hols do have the flights & airport hotel for £282 or the Hilton at HEL is 29k HH points for the night or €70. For me the BA hols with hotel is the best option, only a few pounds more than paying for the pods and at least you get your own room/bathroom & breakfast if you do not like HEL lounge offerings.
Sep 12, 2018, 2:06 am
#3798
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: BCN
Programs: BA GGL, IB, LH, IHG Gold
Posts: 582
it depends on whether your POS matches between the two, and whether you have selected the tick box on ita for only showing flights with availability. I am not sure why you were advised earlier to look at NL POS btw, I thought it depended on where you are based and booked - so for example for me if booking I would be dealing with UK POS even though the itinerary starts and finishes in NL.
once you have the above sorted, basically if itamatrix shows it as bookable I would usually expect you can call BA and book.
However, as you mention, the best option is to align the POS on both Matrix and EF to whichever the OP is using to get the itinerary ticketed.
Sep 12, 2018, 3:05 am
#3799
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,958
Sep 12, 2018, 5:16 am
#3800
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Silver, IHG Gold Amb.
Posts: 159
i have booked a weekend trip to HEL on the £240 rate, using the Avios earnt to reduce it by £50 so basically 160TP for £190 or £1.19 per TP
This will re secure Silver for me. and with work travel over the next few months, i could be getting close to gold.
Im undecided about booking another for the 9th Feb, as my collection year ends on the 8th, so i could either ask for the 2 week ext if i need the points for Gold, or if not needed, use them as a jump start for next year.
How good is this fare? am i likely to see it again in the next sale, once i have a better picture of how much i will need the points, or should i just go for it now?
This will re secure Silver for me. and with work travel over the next few months, i could be getting close to gold.
Im undecided about booking another for the 9th Feb, as my collection year ends on the 8th, so i could either ask for the 2 week ext if i need the points for Gold, or if not needed, use them as a jump start for next year.
How good is this fare? am i likely to see it again in the next sale, once i have a better picture of how much i will need the points, or should i just go for it now?
Sep 12, 2018, 5:20 am
#3801
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,958
I would say not that likely to see it at this level if and when there is another CE sale. I think this is probably the cheapest I have seen HEL for a while. If you need the points and HEL works for the dates you need then i would book it at this price.
Sep 12, 2018, 5:24 am
#3802
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 2,447
The cheapest days @ £222.50 are always on a Saturday night from my searches, I never get the option of an earlier flight so its a first out on a Sun morning. Like someone mentioned earlier, BA hols do have the flights & airport hotel for £282 or the Hilton at HEL is 29k HH points for the night or €70. For me the BA hols with hotel is the best option, only a few pounds more than paying for the pods and at least you get your own room/bathroom & breakfast if you do not like HEL lounge offerings.
Sep 12, 2018, 5:28 am
#3803
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Helsinki
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 143
Yes as KARFA says, this is definitely the lowest i've seen CE as I live here in HEL and fly back to LHR about once a month for work. I'd be lucky to see that price for economy (with checked bags) sometimes, so fill yer boots! I don't need the points to keep gold, otherwise there would certainly be more frequent work meetings being arranged!
Sep 12, 2018, 5:28 am
#3804
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 2,447
It's a pretty good hotel: friendly staff, more or less no bar (you'll see what I mean), quirky rooms, quiet, a little out the way of town centre yet still easily walkable on a nice day.
Sep 12, 2018, 6:02 am
#3805
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Gold, SK EBS
Posts: 191
As another HEL resident (and former frequent visitor) I’d say this fare is pretty outstanding and very unusual. I’ve been unlucky enough to pay about the same amount for an economy return LGW-HEL on Norwegian before. Helsinki’s pretty consistently the most expensive Nordic destination to get to.
Sep 12, 2018, 6:15 am
#3806
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Silver, IHG Gold Amb.
Posts: 159
Thanks Karfa, Chokkoubin and offshore_bob
ill go for it.
ill go for it.
Sep 12, 2018, 7:30 am
#3807
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 42
Hey FTers
I’ve got a bit of a TP optimisation request: I need an additional 510 TP to obtain gold by February and so far I’ve got these work trips coming up:
Trip 1: Geneva
20th September LHR-GVA ET (O) 5 TP
21st September GVA-LHR ET (K) 10 TP
Trip 2: San Francisco
(this is mainly work trip however the final week (12th Oct-20th Oct) I have booked off for holiday and I intend to go down to San Diego to see my family who will be there so obviously have these flights to book).
30th September LHR-SFO WT (N) 35 TP
21st October SFO-LHR WT (O) 20 TP
Trip 3: Melbourne
Moving to Melbourne indefinitely so perhaps consider an internal Qantas trip in January/February if they're good value?
10th December LHR-HKG (avios booking)
14th December HKG-MEL - Cathay Pacific Economy 20TP
So given these trips what are people’s suggestions of acquiring these extra 510 TP?
Options I've thought about:
Edit: another question - do you get tier points for AUPs not on BA?
I’ve got a bit of a TP optimisation request: I need an additional 510 TP to obtain gold by February and so far I’ve got these work trips coming up:
Trip 1: Geneva
20th September LHR-GVA ET (O) 5 TP
21st September GVA-LHR ET (K) 10 TP
Trip 2: San Francisco
(this is mainly work trip however the final week (12th Oct-20th Oct) I have booked off for holiday and I intend to go down to San Diego to see my family who will be there so obviously have these flights to book).
30th September LHR-SFO WT (N) 35 TP
21st October SFO-LHR WT (O) 20 TP
Trip 3: Melbourne
Moving to Melbourne indefinitely so perhaps consider an internal Qantas trip in January/February if they're good value?
10th December LHR-HKG (avios booking)
14th December HKG-MEL - Cathay Pacific Economy 20TP
So given these trips what are people’s suggestions of acquiring these extra 510 TP?
Options I've thought about:
- I could try and AuP which would be pretty time efficient:
- Hypothetically, the Geneva trip would seem an efficient option if I were to upgrade both legs for around £200 that would be £4.50/TP which isn’t great but wouldn’t require any extra time on my behalf nor any hotel/train costs etc.
- SFO trip would also about £4 / TP which is also not great but as above wouldn’t require any extra time and it would be a much nicer space to spend 13 hours.
- I still have to book flights from San Francisco to San Diego and the simplest OW option seems to be SFO-PHX-SAN with AA for ~£120 return in economy getting 20-40 TP £400 in economy getting 160 TP (about £2.5/TP)
- A HEL trip or two
- Wait and hope something good turns up
Edit: another question - do you get tier points for AUPs not on BA?
Last edited by cambridge.joe; Sep 12, 2018 at 7:37 am Reason: Additional question
Sep 12, 2018, 8:06 am
#3808
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Silver, IHG Gold Amb.
Posts: 159
Are these 3 already all booked, and is it 510TP on top of the points you will earn from these, or including?
Sep 12, 2018, 8:13 am
#3809
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 42
510 on top of the points that I'll be earning
Sep 12, 2018, 8:20 am
#3810
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,609
Could look at a PTY run when in California.
Would definitely be looking to POUG or AUP the Geneva trip, should be £89 in both directions.
Jer to HEL adds 80 TPs very inexpensively, done via BA holidays as described above (I also put in details upthread of a specific way of doing this with an airport hotel). Will generate 320 TPs if you do the positioning in CE.
Would definitely be looking to POUG or AUP the Geneva trip, should be £89 in both directions.
Jer to HEL adds 80 TPs very inexpensively, done via BA holidays as described above (I also put in details upthread of a specific way of doing this with an airport hotel). Will generate 320 TPs if you do the positioning in CE.