Jan 4, 2019, 9:09 am
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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Jan 15, 2020, 2:22 am
#3571
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,471
The issue has been that you probably didn't have both Transatlantic flights with a flight number from the ticketing carrier. The Joint Venture fares between Europe and North America require that the ticketing carrier from the JV (AA, BA, IB and AY) is booked on both the out- and inbound leg over the Atlantic (TATL). Other than that, you shouldn't have issues with AA flight numbers on a BA ticket. Just call the ticketing carrier with your itinerary and do a multicity booking over the phone. Do however first look in Matrix that the fare is on both the in- and outbound from the same carrier, prior to calling. Then the selection of flights will be doable.
Seems to have ticketed fine, though I was about to ask some questions of the forum because the lead off AMS-LHR on a straight BA code hasn't grabbed the ticket number in the BA app and [presumably consequently] won't let me choose seats [2 days since ticketing]. The AA*BA second leg has though, as has the IB*AA last leg - both seemed dependent on the ticketing.
Jan 15, 2020, 2:33 am
#3572
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Munich, Deutscheland
Programs: Try to be elite again... :)
Posts: 488
How to book the complicated multi segment trip? I searched on BA and AA for Jersey to Portland, and no trips are proposed....
Jan 15, 2020, 2:36 am
#3573
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,936
Use itamatrix or google flights to price it up. Once you are happy you can try using book with matrix or ita power tools to link the itinerary through to aa.com, or call BA to book.
Jan 15, 2020, 8:23 am
#3574
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Unio Europaea
Programs: BA GGL, AS, Hertz Cirque Présidentielle
Posts: 1,445
Nope. The rules for the JV fares are pretty simple. The ticketing carrier determines the TATL legs. So in your case you have AA coded flights, either their own ones or codeshares.
Jan 15, 2020, 8:31 am
#3575
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,471
Nope [at least not as I'm reading your reply] - as above one TATL on AA code and one on IB code.
Jan 15, 2020, 10:44 am
#3576
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: BCN
Programs: BA GGL, IB, LH, IHG Gold
Posts: 582
If you buy the ticket from the airline direct, they will always be the marketing carrier on TATL, but a ticket bought from a TA can have different marketing carriers on the outbound and return, and the ticket will be plated by one or the other JV partner, according to some arcane rules that most mortals like me are not aware of.
Jan 15, 2020, 10:51 am
#3577
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,471
If you buy the ticket from the airline direct, they will always be the marketing carrier on TATL, but a ticket bought from a TA can have different marketing carriers on the outbound and return, and the ticket will be plated by one or the other JV partner, according to some arcane rules that most mortals like me are not aware of.
I think someone a while back said you just needed the outbound on the appropriate code, though I managed to get Powertools to land a BA*AA out, IB*AA back on AA.com - though the price wasn't the same and I didn't follow through to purchase to see if it would actually work.
[Apologies for the somehwat off topic, though I think understanding some of this stuff can help when purchasing in future].
Jan 15, 2020, 11:19 am
#3578
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Unio Europaea
Programs: BA GGL, AS, Hertz Cirque Présidentielle
Posts: 1,445
Yes, TAs/OTAs can have mixed ticketing carriers. but that's one of the many reasons that causes IRROPS issues with ticket protection, rerouting etc. Thus I never advice for mixed ticketing in a booking and I also advice to book directly with the carrier. If the online options don't work out, any phone booking fee is a small price for the additional convenience and protection. Any traveller with a decent level of travel awareness knows that you don't want extra parties involved in the bookings. The TA/OTA is your primary point of contact, be it for the better or worse.
Jan 15, 2020, 11:44 am
#3579
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: BA
Posts: 21
Been looking as well, and HEL at the moment is the best price - the AY tickets are very expensive at the moment so only the BA option. Trying to get a nested LHR - HEL with a HEL - somewhere return in the middle, but flight times not matching and the AY flights expensive as well. Quite a lot of 80TP runs available at low costs if a few lower TPs required.
Jan 15, 2020, 12:34 pm
#3580
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,471
I'm just laying it out as per the fare rules. It's as I said - the TATL legs have to be the same carrier. The Bookwithmatrix script trick is basically an override.
Yes, TAs/OTAs can have mixed ticketing carriers. but that's one of the many reasons that causes IRROPS issues with ticket protection, rerouting etc. Thus I never advice for mixed ticketing in a booking and I also advice to book directly with the carrier. If the online options don't work out, any phone booking fee is a small price for the additional convenience and protection. Any traveller with a decent level of travel awareness knows that you don't want extra parties involved in the bookings. The TA/OTA is your primary point of contact, be it for the better or worse.
Yes, TAs/OTAs can have mixed ticketing carriers. but that's one of the many reasons that causes IRROPS issues with ticket protection, rerouting etc. Thus I never advice for mixed ticketing in a booking and I also advice to book directly with the carrier. If the online options don't work out, any phone booking fee is a small price for the additional convenience and protection. Any traveller with a decent level of travel awareness knows that you don't want extra parties involved in the bookings. The TA/OTA is your primary point of contact, be it for the better or worse.
Jan 15, 2020, 1:39 pm
#3581
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Unio Europaea
Programs: BA GGL, AS, Hertz Cirque Présidentielle
Posts: 1,445
Yes. I did notice that and I said "The Bookwithmatrix script trick is basically an override." For some reason it's possible to use it as an override on the AA website. I don't see it being smart to do so in the first place, because that ticketing is a liability, if any issues arise. I'm not sure how AA and IB will treat a ticket AA sold, but it's ticketed by IB. There's not anything to gain with that kind of ticketing on JV fares. The AA website isn't anyway supposed to issue anything, but AA ticketed itineraries, so that script loophole is a gray zone.
This issue can be easily prevented by either choosing the right search results or using proper search syntaxes.
This issue can be easily prevented by either choosing the right search results or using proper search syntaxes.
Jan 16, 2020, 1:35 am
#3582
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,471
Yes. I did notice that and I said "The Bookwithmatrix script trick is basically an override." For some reason it's possible to use it as an override on the AA website. I don't see it being smart to do so in the first place, because that ticketing is a liability, if any issues arise. I'm not sure how AA and IB will treat a ticket AA sold, but it's ticketed by IB. There's not anything to gain with that kind of ticketing on JV fares. The AA website isn't anyway supposed to issue anything, but AA ticketed itineraries, so that script loophole is a gray zone.
This issue can be easily prevented by either choosing the right search results or using proper search syntaxes.
This issue can be easily prevented by either choosing the right search results or using proper search syntaxes.
I gained the ability to use a fare family that was unavailable through the other JV partners - it seems IB had neglected to add some of the restrictions that the others did.
Jan 16, 2020, 3:30 am
#3583
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: UK Midlands
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 26
Hi
Mr Beach Club's TP year ends 9th July, so ideally we'd like to get 600TP by 31st July to avoid bumping down to Bronze. We have a trip planned as a family in August & would like to use the perks of silver.
So far we hare toying with a trip SOF- DOH- SIN with QR to get 560 points, but the positioning flights aren't ideal. Another downside is that I want to go & make a mini break of it - so the cost is doubled!
Alternatively, DH could do the JER-LHR-MAN-PHK-LAX-PDX itinerary mentioned above and get 500 points and the 4 BA flights for £1300, and only take a weekend. This will still leave him 100 short I think, as Alaska flights don't appear to earn any TP.
Does anyone have any suggestions to improve these trips?
This thread has been massively helpful in my search - I really appreciate everyone who posts.
Mr Beach Club's TP year ends 9th July, so ideally we'd like to get 600TP by 31st July to avoid bumping down to Bronze. We have a trip planned as a family in August & would like to use the perks of silver.
So far we hare toying with a trip SOF- DOH- SIN with QR to get 560 points, but the positioning flights aren't ideal. Another downside is that I want to go & make a mini break of it - so the cost is doubled!
Alternatively, DH could do the JER-LHR-MAN-PHK-LAX-PDX itinerary mentioned above and get 500 points and the 4 BA flights for £1300, and only take a weekend. This will still leave him 100 short I think, as Alaska flights don't appear to earn any TP.
Does anyone have any suggestions to improve these trips?
This thread has been massively helpful in my search - I really appreciate everyone who posts.
Jan 16, 2020, 4:00 am
#3584
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,471
Hi
Mr Beach Club's TP year ends 9th July, so ideally we'd like to get 600TP by 31st July to avoid bumping down to Bronze. We have a trip planned as a family in August & would like to use the perks of silver.
So far we hare toying with a trip SOF- DOH- SIN with QR to get 560 points, but the positioning flights aren't ideal. Another downside is that I want to go & make a mini break of it - so the cost is doubled!
Alternatively, DH could do the JER-LHR-MAN-PHK-LAX-PDX itinerary mentioned above and get 500 points and the 4 BA flights for £1300, and only take a weekend. This will still leave him 100 short I think, as Alaska flights don't appear to earn any TP.
Does anyone have any suggestions to improve these trips?
This thread has been massively helpful in my search - I really appreciate everyone who posts.
Mr Beach Club's TP year ends 9th July, so ideally we'd like to get 600TP by 31st July to avoid bumping down to Bronze. We have a trip planned as a family in August & would like to use the perks of silver.
So far we hare toying with a trip SOF- DOH- SIN with QR to get 560 points, but the positioning flights aren't ideal. Another downside is that I want to go & make a mini break of it - so the cost is doubled!
Alternatively, DH could do the JER-LHR-MAN-PHK-LAX-PDX itinerary mentioned above and get 500 points and the 4 BA flights for £1300, and only take a weekend. This will still leave him 100 short I think, as Alaska flights don't appear to earn any TP.
Does anyone have any suggestions to improve these trips?
This thread has been massively helpful in my search - I really appreciate everyone who posts.
Jan 16, 2020, 4:03 am
#3585
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Accor Live Limitless Gold, Hilton Honours Gold, Avis Preferred Plus
Posts: 1,806
Hi
Mr Beach Club's TP year ends 9th July, so ideally we'd like to get 600TP by 31st July to avoid bumping down to Bronze. We have a trip planned as a family in August & would like to use the perks of silver.
So far we hare toying with a trip SOF- DOH- SIN with QR to get 560 points, but the positioning flights aren't ideal. Another downside is that I want to go & make a mini break of it - so the cost is doubled!
Alternatively, DH could do the JER-LHR-MAN-PHK-LAX-PDX itinerary mentioned above and get 500 points and the 4 BA flights for £1300, and only take a weekend. This will still leave him 100 short I think, as Alaska flights don't appear to earn any TP.
Does anyone have any suggestions to improve these trips?
This thread has been massively helpful in my search - I really appreciate everyone who posts.
Mr Beach Club's TP year ends 9th July, so ideally we'd like to get 600TP by 31st July to avoid bumping down to Bronze. We have a trip planned as a family in August & would like to use the perks of silver.
So far we hare toying with a trip SOF- DOH- SIN with QR to get 560 points, but the positioning flights aren't ideal. Another downside is that I want to go & make a mini break of it - so the cost is doubled!
Alternatively, DH could do the JER-LHR-MAN-PHK-LAX-PDX itinerary mentioned above and get 500 points and the 4 BA flights for £1300, and only take a weekend. This will still leave him 100 short I think, as Alaska flights don't appear to earn any TP.
Does anyone have any suggestions to improve these trips?
This thread has been massively helpful in my search - I really appreciate everyone who posts.
If you can find Alaska flights on BA codes, those would earn. But more simply: the route shown here is merely the simplest way home - tweak the return to give the desired TPs [probably a bounce back through an east coast hub/BA destination]. 600TPs out of that fare is possible, assuming availability exists [LAX-PDX on AA metal should be available too].