Last edit by: jfkeze
Welcome to the thread. This is a continuation of the highly popular 2018 Tier Point thread (found here). 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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.
A new guideline thread for TP meetups has been created on 31 March 2020. If you would like other members to join your TP, or if you want to organize a TP run with other members. Please visit there. From the first few posts over there you could see the active ( confirmed ) TP meetings and the links to their relevant discussion threads, connect with other members and learn the details about the run. Click here to access that thread.
Current Promotions of Interest
Sale Fares
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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.
A new guideline thread for TP meetups has been created on 31 March 2020. If you would like other members to join your TP, or if you want to organize a TP run with other members. Please visit there. From the first few posts over there you could see the active ( confirmed ) TP meetings and the links to their relevant discussion threads, connect with other members and learn the details about the run. Click here to access that thread.
Current Promotions of Interest
Sale Fares
See here in post 9 for a 2019 archive of exEU sale fare, and see this post in the 2018 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
15 Oct £0.96/TP £154 160 TPs LHR-SOF (2021 dates)
24 Feb £1.90/TP £152 80TP MAD-FRA Z/Z LA (available Feb-Mar 2019, immediate turnarounds possible)
10 Aug £2.06/TP £329 160TP LHR-MAD-RAK RAK-MAD-LHR I/I/I/I IB (available August, Sat night stay) BA.com, note hotels on offer until 26 March
3 Jul £2.99/TP £2,758.45 920TP DUB-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL-LAX-JFK-LHR-DUB J/I/I/I/I/I/I/J Fare basis INX4C3S4 and INN4C1S4. Booked on AA via ITA Matrix Powertools script
18 Dec £1.90/TP £1370 720TP DUB-LHR-JFK-LAX-LAS-LAX-JFK-LHR-DUB All I class Flights 25 December to 31 March 2020, transatlantic Mon to Thur. Offer to 18 Dec. ITA details booked by TA Propeller
27 Apr £2.29/TP £640TP BEG-DOH-KUL-PEN-KUL-DOH-BEG I / I / I / I / I / I Fare IJR2R1RE Bookable on QR.com
From North, Central and South America
10Jan £1.52/TP £668 440tp JFK-BOS/CLT-LAX-LAS-LAX-BOS/CLT-JFK I / I / I / I / I / I HPN-HRL AA (find with ITA; probably have to book via a TA)
12Apr £0.90/TP £215 240tp DCA-ORD-CLT-RDU-CLT-ORD-DCA I/I/I/I/I/I/I AA Found with ITA, booked on the AA site with BookWithMatrix
23Apr £ 0.76/TP £ 182 240TP DCA-PHL-CLT-RDU-CLT-ORD-DCA I / I / I / I / I / I AA Found with ITA Matrix, Book on AA.com via BookWithMatrix or PowerTools
24Apr £ 1.04/TP £ 459 440TP YVR-LAX-CLT-ATL-CLT-LAX-YVR I / I / I / I / I / I AA Found with ITA Matrix, Book on AA.com via BookWithMatrix or PowerTools
23May £ 0.70/TP £ 169 240TP EWR-ORD-CLT-RDU-CLT-DFW-EWR I / I / I / I / I / I AA Found with ITA Matrix, Book on AA.com via BookWithMatrix or PowerTools
24Jun £ 0.52/TP £ 128 240TP LAX-DFW-PHX-SJC-PHX-DFW-LAX I / I / I / I / I / I AA Found with ITA Matrix, Book on AA.com via BookWithMatrix or PowerTools
From Middle East, Asia and Australasia
04/01 £0.95/TP £479 560tp AUH-CMB-CGK-CMB-AUH I / I / I / I cgtechuk UL
1FEB £1.49/TP £1,673 1,120tp PER-SYD-SIN-TYO-BKK Return (All book in I Class) timcjp BA (Ticket sold by BA, flights are on QF, BA & JL and lie flat seats available for all sectors)
23/04 £2.07/TP £2,112 1020TP CAI-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL-DFW-ORD-LHR-CAI I/R here (All flights must be BA numbered)
From Africa
04/01 £1.80/TP £721 400tp CPT-JNB-GRU-JNB-DUR-CPT I / Z / Z / I / I ubiest LA
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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 (here), 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 BA flight out on a Saturday, airport hotel and return on 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
2018 Archive
2017 Archive
2016 Archive
2015 Archive (6 months Jul to Dec)
2015 Archive (6 months Jan to Jun)
2014 Archive
BA Tier Point Runs | 2019-20 edition
#2611
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Offshore
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 26
Wow
Wow, I'm on my first point run JCI LHR OTP LHR PHL PHX on BA and met up with a guy doing the same routing from OTP told me there were 4 others on same day. I didn't appreciate OTP to the US was so popular.
Why is PHX cheap from OTP ?
Before any asks, yes it was car from LGW to LHR.
Chris op
Why is PHX cheap from OTP ?
Before any asks, yes it was car from LGW to LHR.
Chris op
#2612
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: BCN
Programs: BA GGL, IB, LH, IHG Gold
Posts: 582
OK, I can understand that.
However, then there is not much use to trying to get in a TP run from LAX, as you won't be able to get your 4 qualifying flights in unless you go from LAX to Europe and back. [It is not possible to earn qualifying flights flying on AA metal solely on a domestic USA ticket.] If you want to earn BA Silver, you need to get 4 flights where each flight segment is either on Iberia (metal & flight #) or on BA (metal or (flight # & OneWorld metal)). If you don't want your animal to experience a transfer at LHR you will probably have to fly to Europe on a separate trip.
[I thought you might be able to route your LAX trip DOH-LHR-(somewhere in the Eastern USA)-LAX//LAX-DOH on a BA ticket, but it looks like BA does not code-share on the LAX-DOH flight.].
However, then there is not much use to trying to get in a TP run from LAX, as you won't be able to get your 4 qualifying flights in unless you go from LAX to Europe and back. [It is not possible to earn qualifying flights flying on AA metal solely on a domestic USA ticket.] If you want to earn BA Silver, you need to get 4 flights where each flight segment is either on Iberia (metal & flight #) or on BA (metal or (flight # & OneWorld metal)). If you don't want your animal to experience a transfer at LHR you will probably have to fly to Europe on a separate trip.
[I thought you might be able to route your LAX trip DOH-LHR-(somewhere in the Eastern USA)-LAX//LAX-DOH on a BA ticket, but it looks like BA does not code-share on the LAX-DOH flight.].
#2613
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: LAX
Programs: NW 1MM, BD Gold, BA Gold, AA 1MM, LM, VX eleVAte, Hyatt D6, SPG Plat, Hertz President's
Posts: 304
#2614
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,992
When working out the bang for the buck don't forget to factor in the cost of positioning flights and hotels. Depending on where you're based, other options might end up offering a better overall $/TP ratio. If these are places you want to visit anyway, of course, and you're treating the TP run as a holiday, then that's less important.
#2615
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
Wow, I'm on my first point run JCI LHR OTP LHR PHL PHX on BA and met up with a guy doing the same routing from OTP told me there were 4 others on same day. I didn't appreciate OTP to the US was so popular.
Why is PHX cheap from OTP ?
Before any asks, yes it was car from LGW to LHR.
Chris op
Why is PHX cheap from OTP ?
Before any asks, yes it was car from LGW to LHR.
Chris op
#2616
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
I just booked an OTP-PHX run for next July as part of a planned trip to the US.
Day 1: OTP-LHR-HEL
Day 2: HEL-LHR-BOS-PHX (including the Finnair A350)
Day 10: PHX-PHL-LHR
Day 11: LHR-HEL (A350)
Day 12: HEL-LHR-OTP (including A350)
1,040 TPs for 1,862€ (£1,690), or £1.62 per TP
More expensive than a similar trip last year, thanks to the fall in the value of Sterling, but still a good price.
(For newbies: OTP is Bucharest, HEL is Helsinki, BOS is Boston, PHX is Phoenix, PHL is Philadelphia)
Bear in mind that you'll need positioning flights and hotels in Bucharest and Helsinki in each direction.
Day 1: OTP-LHR-HEL
Day 2: HEL-LHR-BOS-PHX (including the Finnair A350)
Day 10: PHX-PHL-LHR
Day 11: LHR-HEL (A350)
Day 12: HEL-LHR-OTP (including A350)
1,040 TPs for 1,862€ (£1,690), or £1.62 per TP
More expensive than a similar trip last year, thanks to the fall in the value of Sterling, but still a good price.
(For newbies: OTP is Bucharest, HEL is Helsinki, BOS is Boston, PHX is Phoenix, PHL is Philadelphia)
Bear in mind that you'll need positioning flights and hotels in Bucharest and Helsinki in each direction.
EDIT - see @sunshinebob beat me to it :-)
#2617
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,992
I've done a couple of these trips last year, and it's good to see that the fare has been loaded for next year. I'd always stayed in the Vienna House hotel on the other side of the main road outside OTP airport (for those nights where the flight arrives after midnight and back again at seven something! However, there is a new-ish Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Airport that has opened since I last visited - have to give it a go next time......
#2618
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 207
delete
Last edited by speed.skater; Sep 6, 2019 at 5:27 pm
#2619
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SIN
Posts: 196
Wow, I'm on my first point run JCI LHR OTP LHR PHL PHX on BA and met up with a guy doing the same routing from OTP told me there were 4 others on same day. I didn't appreciate OTP to the US was so popular.
Why is PHX cheap from OTP ?
Before any asks, yes it was car from LGW to LHR.
Chris op
Why is PHX cheap from OTP ?
Before any asks, yes it was car from LGW to LHR.
Chris op
#2620
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
I've used Vienna House a few times and have always found it to be perfectly satisfactory for an overnight stay. However, as I mentioned upthread, it's currently asking over 200€ a night for next July, which is ridiculously high (I paid 50€ last time). The new HGI is currently showing no availability at all for my dates.
Last edited by LondonAndy; Aug 29, 2019 at 3:26 am
#2622
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,992
I found that with Vienna House - it was silly money for a date far in advance compared to what I'd paid in the past. I contacted them and it was a case of them not loading availability so it defaulted to the high price?! A bit closer to the time it came back down to the sensible price. I'd agree that it's completely satisfactory, but if the HGI is a few minutes walk closer then, at that time of the night and with an early start the next day I'll go for a few extra minutes in bed!
#2623
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 592
Anywhere I can find the fare rules for the OTP-PHX run for next year? Need to see if the dates fit with a conference I have in PHX.
#2624
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,989
I assume it is ILX8C8S6
PERMITTED
01JUL THROUGH 31AUG OR
22NOV THROUGH 29NOV OR
22DEC THROUGH 06JAN OR
04APR THROUGH 21APR
FOR EACH TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
01JUL THROUGH 31AUG OR
22NOV THROUGH 29NOV OR
22DEC THROUGH 06JAN OR
04APR THROUGH 21APR
FOR EACH TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.