Lefly

Or one takes more "interesting" routes in J
(OTP-PHX variations come to mind )

About gold over silver: i never realized how much difference can there be on RFS availability until I saw some search results with a blue account. I am further glad to have the additional availability.

G-ARVE

Am now in that (older and retired) territory and am on-track to test the soft drop shortly. Over the years have found the Gold benefits to be really useful, especially the first checkin which avoids the hateful queues. And some great lounges. But have decided to stop chasing those 1500 TPs -frankly couldn't justify the cost but as a sop have invested in an AMEX platinum. This takes care of the lounge access amongst other things but will just have to lump the queues or fork out for business.

Toyed briefly with going all out for a couple of years and reaching Gold for Life, but in the cold light of morning have accepted that a bottle of wine and Google Flights are not good partners.

Globaliser

Indeed: One straightforward long-haul round-trip a month (at the standard 140 TPs earning rate, with no ex-EUs or other TP-boosting tactics) is 3,360 TPs a year. So for Gold, you only actually need to do one long-haul round-trip every other month, or half a dozen a year.

But if that's not the kind of flying that you're routinely doing, then you're not the kind of person that BA typically envisages being a Gold.

T8191

This membership year will be 4 TP-earning holidays, netting 720, 240, 360 and 240 (=1560). The additional 241 to CPT earns nothing, but is funded by the Avios earning from the foregoing (and routine spend). Simples!

Agent69

I travel exclusively for leisure, and if somebody had told me 5 years ago I would be touring the world in J I would have thought they were mad. Then I discovered Flyer Talk.

I achieved Gold earlier in the year for the first time, mainly via 2 long haul QR ex EU flights in J, topped up by 2 BA short haul CE offerings. I would have flown these services regardless of TP's, the only positive move I have made is to add an AMS leg onto a LGW - JER flights that I booked.

I have 5 flights booked with BA between now and February that will net about 750 TP's. If these prove a pleasant gold experience I will probably look out for a cheap QR flight to SE Asia in the middle of the year. This combined with a cheap MH J offering should get me over the line before my TP's get reset in August. If I don't get there I will happily drop to Silver, but it seems a shame to get to 750TP's and then effectively throw them away.

webstereo

I suspect it doesn't make financial sense for me personally, but it makes the flights I do take so much more enjoyable. I actually look forward to a journey, even in Y, just because I know the airport experience is going to be so much better than it otherwise would be.

T8191

(I get quite a thrill from using the First Wing at LHR T5, mainly because I hardly ever get to fly from LHR! )

:D!

I can normally get to Silver easily, but for the past 2 years I reached Gold with two QR trips (4 segments each so 560 TPs, twice), a few CE sale tickets and one AY trip to Tallinn.

The QR trips I would have flown anyway, but probably on direct flights in economy if there had been no sales; I paid about 1.5x the amount that I would have paid in the past for business class.

The CE tickets and Tallinn were all places I hadn't been before and on my wish list; if there had been no sales I would have redeemed RFS in economy; the sale prices were about double the RFS price using 1p/avios.

I don't care that much for CE and get all the benefits that I care about even with Silver, so strictly speaking it was a waste of money, but it was a small amount overall and I didn't really waste any extra time on flights. While it took half a day longer to Asia via DOH and continental Europe departure point, again that meant I got a "free" trip to places I've wanted to go to.

I was prepared to renew gold at the start of the year, but I only managed to get one QR cheap ticket and then sales dried up for a bit; I just read about the Penang offers but have no time to go there in the rest of my membership year even though I would like to. There are some CE sale tickets available but they aren't really to places I want to go to this year either. Therefore, while I could spend a bit of money and time chasing TPs, I think it doesn't make sense as the trips would not fulfill any of my other travel goals, and I will now focus on seeing what I can book for my next membership year.

I do like the LHR F wing, the CX and QF F lounges and Australian domestic J lounges but, if paid entry above the OWS lounge entitlement was offered I wouldn't take it up. So it doesn't seem right to spend money needlessly on flying, just to get these perks for free with Gold.

FlyerTalker39574

cupsandsaucers

The benefits going from bronze to silver are much more than going from silver to gold. Diminishing returns and all that.

BobOnBA

The Finnair lounge at Helsinki comes to mind - A350 spotting is good fun in there!

I was Silver for two years and then gold for two years and really enjoy the benefits of each. I earn the status through 4-5 long haul business trips. I'll take odd routings to get there if needs be but not specific TP runs (yet!).

The main gold benefits for me are:

• Access to the first lounges when travelling on business (BA and AAs are nicer places than the business equivalents)
• Seat selection, better avios earning, more economy redemption seats, and lounge access all add up to far more enjoyable leisure trips with my wife; particularly as we have to travel in school holidays so £35 each is not to be sniffed at!

hsmall

But if it can be managed the benefits of going from gold to GGL jump again (YMMV of course).

Lucanesque

It makes sense to me to be able to sit where I want (subject to availability of course), avoid the "fast" track and use the First Wing (handy when there are queues heading out the door at busy periods), and escape the crowds in LHR. Added benefits of access to AA Flagship Lounges, plus more redemption availability.

So in summary, I like the more comfortable / convenient travel experience.

I'm aiming to get to GfL in the next ten years so I can keep the benefits in to retirement.

alex67500

Now I may get Gold in my next earning year (starts 9th November), but I will only get by with a couple of trips to HEL to get over the threshold. I don't think reaching 5000 TPs in a year will work...

HIDDY

I don't have the enthusiasm to leave the comforts of home just to get reward programme status. I have the wife,cat,tortoise plus ten dogs to consider as well.