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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Nov 27, 2018, 12:03 pm
#4816
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Sheffield, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, Virgin Red, HH Silver, SPG Gold, Priority Pass,
Posts: 127
Very interesting to read about these TP runs involving the US but for those doing it as one trip and no stay (or even a very short stay), isn’t there a chance that CBP will become tw*ts and query the convoluted route.
I was grilled when walking across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara and said CBP person didn’t believe my relatively simple family-driven travel itinerary.
Like the idea of this type of run but not the thought of explaining TP runs to CBP.
I was grilled when walking across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara and said CBP person didn’t believe my relatively simple family-driven travel itinerary.
Like the idea of this type of run but not the thought of explaining TP runs to CBP.
Nov 27, 2018, 12:18 pm
#4817
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: GGL/CCR
Posts: 1,899
Very interesting to read about these TP runs involving the US but for those doing it as one trip and no stay (or even a very short stay), isn’t there a chance that CBP will become tw*ts and query the convoluted route.
I was grilled when walking across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara and said CBP person didn’t believe my relatively simple family-driven travel itinerary.
Like the idea of this type of run but not the thought of explaining TP runs to CBP.
I was grilled when walking across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara and said CBP person didn’t believe my relatively simple family-driven travel itinerary.
Like the idea of this type of run but not the thought of explaining TP runs to CBP.
Nov 27, 2018, 2:02 pm
#4818
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: near Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL (OWE), SA LifePlat (*G), BD Gold to the end, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,911
Very interesting to read about these TP runs involving the US but for those doing it as one trip and no stay (or even a very short stay), isn’t there a chance that CBP will become tw*ts and query the convoluted route.
I was grilled when walking across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara and said CBP person didn’t believe my relatively simple family-driven travel itinerary.
Like the idea of this type of run but not the thought of explaining TP runs to CBP.
I was grilled when walking across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara and said CBP person didn’t believe my relatively simple family-driven travel itinerary.
Like the idea of this type of run but not the thought of explaining TP runs to CBP.
Nov 27, 2018, 2:29 pm
#4819
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 833
When I went to the PHX do in August, the CBP person asked how long I was going for, I explained about the do and said it was a short overnight visit. I suspect he thought we were all mad but he kindly offered suggestions for things to see and do in Phoenix for my very short stay. No point making up anything, just say what you're doing. As @teledude said, they've seen and heard it all before.
Nov 27, 2018, 4:08 pm
#4821
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 15
80TP budget
Can anybody suggest the most cost effective way to gain 80TPs between now and March 1st? Cost is king here as the CFO/wife does not agree with me spending our personal cash on retaining status. Ideally leaving from London and B2B or same day if possible.
Nov 27, 2018, 4:30 pm
#4822
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 think look at any of AMS/BRU/LUX/HAM/LBA/NCL/INV/EDI/GLA etc. I think the best way is just look at the cheapest fares tab on the app and see what is cheapest for the dates you are looking at.
Nov 27, 2018, 4:33 pm
#4823
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LHR/BHD
Programs: BAEC (Blue, usually)
Posts: 40
A decent start!
You can do two things, as far as I know.... You can probably add two US domestic segments, probably going something like JFK-BOS-IAG I would think? You can just put X in ITA and it will tell you what is available. You can also do ARN-LHR-HEL-JFK-X-IAD if you want to back-to-back LHR-ARN-LHR for additional safety on the outbound.
You can do two things, as far as I know.... You can probably add two US domestic segments, probably going something like JFK-BOS-IAG I would think? You can just put X in ITA and it will tell you what is available. You can also do ARN-LHR-HEL-JFK-X-IAD if you want to back-to-back LHR-ARN-LHR for additional safety on the outbound.
That said, if it didn't come to pass, I managed to squeeze in a CLT stop. Seems like you can either stop in LHR or JFK for a night — but not the worst price for 680TPs. Might consider it the next time around when the status year restarts.
Nov 27, 2018, 10:44 pm
#4824
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR; TK Elite; ITA Executive; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,551
Any more HNL tier point runs available in 2019 before May?
Nov 28, 2018, 12:12 am
#4825
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA - Gold for Life, CCR & GGL; IC Spire Elite Ambassador; Diamond Hilton Honors; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 6,720
I am sure that I have missed it, but would be grateful if someone would post the dates for the OTP-PHX fares for next year. Have booked one for Spring as the dates worked with my plans but may want to do another one.
Also, are the GOT-US fares the same dates?
Looking for something in February and the at an point later in the year.
Thanks in advance.
Also, are the GOT-US fares the same dates?
Looking for something in February and the at an point later in the year.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks!
Nov 28, 2018, 12:35 am
#4826
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold / Hilton Diamond / IHG Diamond Ambassador / Marriot Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,533
Personally, I'd see that as quite doable - I've done a T7-T8 transfer a number of times to do the LHR-JFK-LAX route. *But* I do have Global Entry (which comes with TSA-Pre), I'm a GCH (so can use the Flagship First Check In), and I travel HBO. I also normally pick my seat so I can be one of the first off the plane. With GE I can be from the plane door to the AirTrain in 10 minutes, one stop on the AirTrain, Flagship First checkin, escorted to the front of the TSAPre queue, and then off to the lounge. On a bad day that's taken 30 minutes from deplaning my BA,
Nov 28, 2018, 2:30 am
#4827
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: BA Gold, A3 Gold, FB Gold, Bonvoy Titanium / LTP, Accor Plat
Posts: 13,889
Code:
INBOUND -
PERMITTED 21DEC18 THROUGH 02JAN19 OR 14APR19 THROUGH
21APR19 OR 01JUL19 THROUGH 31AUG19
OUTBOUND -
OR 22DEC18 THROUGH 06JAN19 OR 14APR19 THROUGH
22APR19 OR 01JUL19 THROUGH 31AUG19 FOR EACH
TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR. SEASON IS BASED ON TRIP DATE.
Nov 28, 2018, 2:57 am
#4828
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,219
If you do want to do it in a day yourself though, then one of the scottish airports for £220-250 is probably your best bet.
If you have Avios to burn, a niche option is to book a single back from RAK or IST for the 80TPs for <£200, and book the outbound with an RFS, which will obviously also allow you to do a B2B if you want. You could also use Avios on the cash ticket, thus bringing your total spend to report to the Lady as "only £150...". Probably no point in spending more time in the air if not required though, unless you like the Long Distance meal options!
Last edited by Foltan; Nov 28, 2018 at 3:07 am
Nov 28, 2018, 3:30 am
#4829
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,609
Can I ask what status you're retaining? It's probably not worth it for Bronze as in your sig, you're better off not spending the money and getting it back organically from flying next TP year. If silver the equation changes a bit.
Nov 28, 2018, 9:25 am
#4830
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: BA Executive Club and OnBusiness
Posts: 720
Is this the ultimate TP Run?
2 people ARN-MIA ticket (680 TPs and 32,000 Avios) for exactly $0.00
2 people ARN-MIA ticket (680 TPs and 32,000 Avios) for exactly $0.00