Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:09 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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 Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below.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
Advanced Promotion 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









Print Wikipost

BA Tier Point Runs | 2019-20 edition

Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:02 am
  #1  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,606
BA Tier Point Runs | 2019-20 edition



This thread is a continuation of the hugely popular BA Tier Point runs 2018 thread. This is intended to be a starting point for finding key origin and destinations to tailor your tier point runs, but you will still need to do some leg work to find the correct dates and flights. Also, don't forget that with some of these fares there will be positioning and other costs associated to get to the start of the tier point run.

Acknowledgments
Special thanks to all members who have given their time to support the 2018 BA Tier Point runs thread, in particular those who tirelessly updated the thread's wikipost and those that offer advice and comments in response to the many queries posted. Much of the new information incorporated into this primer was transferred over from the old wiki, but it has been updated and refreshed where necessary.

Other FT threads/boards to watch & external sites
The TP run thread is often a place where good fares are posted aimed at good TP earning. However, it isnt the only place on FT where such fares are discussed. Here are some other threads/boards you may wish to subscribe to which all relate to good fares.




One other invaluable website is Expert Flyer. You can subscribe to the site relatively cheaply and the amount of useful information on there (MCTs, flight loads, fare rules etc.) which will certainly be very helpful if you are regularly looking at booking trips and maximising TPs.

Contents



Introduction and primer - post 1
Starting your run from Continental Europe to the US & Internal US flights - post 2
Other Types of Runs and Travel to and in the East - post 3
Working with itamatrix and Google Flights - post 4
Irregular Operations, Original Routing Credits, and POUGs & AUPs - post 5
Working with ticket rules, and UuAs/GUFs- post 6
Adding Bookings to BA.com and Working with AA Bookings/Codeshares - post 7
Historical data (Wikipost archive from 2018) - post 8
exEU Fare Archive - post 9
Introduction
Unlike Avios points which can be earned through a multitude of activities, Tier Points can only be earned through the pursuit of flying and are earned on all commercial BA and oneworld fares (subject to a few exceptions). The number of Tier Points you accrue is entirely dependent on the fare class (or selling class in BA lingo) your tickets are booked in.

Please note, while flights on BA partners such as Alaska Airlines, Air Italy (formerly Meridiana), and Aer Lingus may earn Avios, they may not earn Tier Points. See here and also the tables and calculator on ba.com for more details.

In terms of AS, as reported here, from 26 January 2015 flights on AS metal flown under the AS number or AA metal flown under the AS codeshare earn avios only, AS metal flown under the AA codeshare earn no avios or TPs. However, BA have now launched codeshares on a number of AS routes from SEA to Hawaii, Alaska, and a few other destinations. These BA codeshares are only available if connecting to or from a BA longhaul flight, but it does mean if you book AS metal on a BA codeshare you will earn avios and TPs at the normal BA rates.

Also currently Aer Lingus does not earn Tier Points if booked under the EI flight number, although they do earn a small amount of avios. With the purchase and integration of EI in to oneworld more and more EI flights now have BA codeshares which can be booked on ba.com as standalone flights or when connecting to/from BA flights. If booked under the BA codeshare the flight will earn Tier Points. In addition it may be expected that EI will become a full Tier Point and Avios earning oneworld partner airline in due course, although there is no indication yet on a specific date for this.

As of 11 January 2017 there were also some big changes to TP earning on AA domestic two cabin services. On these two cabin services the domestic first cabin now earns business TPs and avios, see post 2 below for more details.

Below is the full earning chart which covers BA flights and oneworld partner flights.



As of 1 April 2017 BA domestic flights have been re-classified in to two cabins with CE and ET. Earnings on UK internal flights fall in line with standard ET and CE rates. Y, B, H will continue to earn 20 TP, but R, I, D, C, and J will now be sat in the CE cabin and earn 40 TP per flight. The table above reflects this change.

This table now reflects our understanding that the TP earn rate for lowest economy is applicable to some non-BA flights as well as BA flights. The ba.com calculator (which can be found under the Flight Calculator link here) has also been updated in late 2015 to reflect this. The page also provides lists for all oneworld carriers for Tier Point earnings. Some booking classes on some carriers will not earn Tier Points so prior to booking you should check the relevant table for that carrier if a booking class is not included in the table you must assume it will not earn any Tier Points.

Also note that if youre booked to travel from the UK to Australia, but with a stop-over (i.e. booked as two flight numbers), it will count as two long haul flights, so you will actually earn slightly more than if it was booked as a single flight (e.g. 300=160+140 in Club vs. 240 for straight through).



When using the calculator on ba.com a breakdown of Tier Points for each booking class is now shown for BA and all other oneworld partner as shown below. For example, for JFK-MIA economy earnings range from 5 to 20 depending on what booking class you have.

The lowest booking classes in economy for all carriers are:






Lowest economy booking classes for TP earnings
BA: Q, O, and G
AA: G, Q, N, O, and S
AB: Q, O, G, P, E, W, N, and Z
AY: A, G, N, O, Q, R, S, W, and Z
CX: K, L, M, N, Q, S, V
EC: Q, O, and G
IB: Q, O, and P
JJ: G, O, Q, N, S, X, and V
JL: N and Q
LA: V, S, N, O, Q, G, and X
MH: L, V, and S
QF: M, K, L, N, G, Q, S, V, and O
QR: T, O, and W
RJ: H, K, L, M, N, O, Q, V, W, and S
S7: M, L, V, T, R, S, N, Q, and O
UL: L, R, V, S, N, Q, O, and G
BA/AY short haul+ routes:
Several short haul routes earn double Tier Points due to their extended length, so instead of 40 TP for a one way in business they earn 80. This is the current list of short haul+ routes (note some of the holiday destinations may be seasonal):

LHR to/from - Athens (ATH), Bucharest (OTP), Chania (CHQ), Corfu (CFU), Gran Canaria (LPA), Helsinki (HEL), Istanbul (IST), Kalamata (KLX), Kefalonia (EFL) due to start in May 2018, Kiev (KBP) route cancelled from October 2019, Larnaca (LCA), Las Palmas (LPA) (moves from LHR to LGW 28 October 2019), Mykonos (JMK), Preveza (PVK) (starts May-Sep 2019), Reykjavik (KEF), Santorini (JTR), Sofia (SOF), St Petersburg (LED) route cancelled from October 2019, Zakynthos (ZTH), and Tenerife (TFS).

LGW to/from - Algiers (ALG), Antalya (AYT) (starts April 2020), Bodrum (BJV), Catania (CTA), Dalaman (DLM), Fuerteventura (FUE) (suspended fron Nov 2018), Heraklion (HER), Kos (KGS) (May-Oct 2019), Lanzarote (ACE), Larnaca (LCA), Las Palmas (LPA) (moves to LGW from LHR 28 October 2019), Madeira Funchal (FNC), Malta (MLA), Marrakech (RAK), Paphos (PFO), Rhodes (RHO), Tenerife (TFS), Thessaloniki (SKG), and Tirana (TIA).

LCY to/from - Mykonos (JMK), Santonrini (JTR), Skiathos (JSI), and Reykjavik (KEF).

MAN to/from - Mykonos (JMK), Malaga (AGP), and Helsinki (HEL) (operated by N7 for AY).

EDI to/from - Palma (PMI), and Helsinki (HEL) operated by AY.

BHX to/from - Malaga (AGP) (cancelled for S19).

The following charts illustrate these routes currently operated out of London/UK.


BA: LHR - HEL LED (route cancelled from October 2019) KEF
BA: LCY - KEF
AY: MAN/EDI - HEL



EDI - PMI
LGW - ACE ALG AYT (starts April 2020) CTA FNC FUE (suspended from Nov 2018) LPA (moves to LGW from LHR 28 October 2019) MLA RAK SKG TFS TIA
LHR - KBP (route cancelled from October 2019) IST LPA (moves from LHR to LGW 28 October 2019) OTP RAK (starts October 2018) SOF SVO (starts October 2018) TFS
MAN - AGP
BHX - AGP (cancelled for S19)



MAN - JMK
LCY - JMK JTR JSI
LGW - BJV DLM HER KGS (May-Oct 2019) LCA PFO RHO
LHR - ATH CFU CHQ EFL (due to start May 2018) JMK JTR KLX LCA PVK (starts May-Sep 2019) ZTH


Short haul routes earning long haul TPs:
There are a handful of European based short haul routes which are actually longer than 2,000 miles and therefore earn long haul TPs (i.e. 140 TPs one way in business). These are:
  • On BA - LHR to/from - Moscow (DME) *
  • On AY - HEL to/from - Dubai (DXB), Fuerteventura (FUE), Lanzarote (ACE), Las Palmas (LPA), Lisbon (LIS), Madeira Funchal (FNC), Malaga (AGP), Tel Aviv (TLV), Tenerife-North (TFN), and Tenerife-South (TFS)
  • On IB - MAD to/from - Moscow (DME)
  • On S7 - DME to/from - Alicante (ALC), Ibiza (IBZ), Malaga (AGP), ReykjavkKeflavk (KEF) and Valencia (VLC)
* LHR-DME is actually well under 2,000 miles, but for commercial reasons BA has designated that route as earning 140 TPs. Note that the new LHR-SVO flights (BA235/234) was short haul + and only earn 80 TPs one way in business when they started in October 2018, but since May 2019 SVO is now also long haul TPs like DME.


BA: LHR - DME SVO (started October 2018 and was initially 80 TPs but upgraded to 140 TPs since May 2019 so in line with DME)
IB: MAD - DME
AY: HEL - ACE AGP DXB FNC FUE LIS LPA TFN TFS TLV
S7: DME - AGP ALC IBZ KEF TFS VLC
S7: LED - ALC


Domestic routes in Spain:
As of 19 June 2018 all these IB routes between the mainland and Canary Islands have been downgraded to 20 TPs - unfortunately this appears to be deliberate rather than a mistake so please don't book these flights and expect 40 TPs in business anymore.

Domestic flights in Spain on IB earn 20 TPs. The exception is flights between Spain and the Canary Islands which earn 40 TPs each way in business.

Tenerife South (TFS) to/from - Madrid (MAD)
Tenerife North (TFN) to/from - Madrid (MAD), Alicante (ALC), Asturias (OVD), Pamplona (PNA), Santiago (SCQ), Valencia (VLC), Valladolid (VLL)
Lanzarote (ACE) to/from - Madrid (MAD), Seville (SVQ), Valencia (VLC)
Fuerteventura (FUE) to/from - Madrid (MAD), Santiago (SCQ), Valencia (VLC), Malaga (AGP), Seville (SVQ)
Las Palmas (LPA) to/from - Madrid (MAD), Asturias (OVD), Santiago (SCQ), Valencia (VLC), Alicante (ALC), Leon (LEN), Melilla (MLN), Santander (SDR), Valladolid (VLL), Vigo (VGO)
La Palma (SPC) to/from - Madrid (MAD)

Note that VLC-FUE, LEN-LPA, and MLN-LPA are not showing at all on the calculator on ba.com.


List of BA/other routes just over 2,000 miles:
The 2000 mile point marks an increase in tier points to 140 in J and 210 in F. With that in mind it is very useful to know routes which are just over that threshold and would earn the increased tier points.

Thanks to FT'er @Tim nice but dim we have a list of these routes which you can find on his blog at the link below.

https://pointstobemade.boardingarea....er-2000-miles/

List of BA/other long haul, 6,000 miles and over:
Long haul routes over 6,000 miles offer slightly better TP earning rates as shown in the table above.


BA: LGW - CPT MRU LIM
BA: LHR - CPT EZE HND KIX (starts March 2019) KUL NRT SCL SIN



AA: DFW - AKL (starts October 2020) HKG HND (starts summer 2020) ICN NRT PEK PVG TLV (starts September 2020)
AA: LAX - AKL CHC (starts October 2020) EZE (started December 2018) HKG PEK PVG SYD
AA: ORD - NRT



AY: HEL - PVR


CX: HKG - BCN BOS CPT DUB JFK JNB IAD (due to start 2018) LAX MAD ORD SEA (due to start April 2019) SFO YVR YYZ


IB: MAD - EZE SCL MVD


JJ: GRU - FRA


JL: NRT - BOS CDG DFW (moves to HND March 2020) JFK (moves to HND March 2020) ORD (moves to HND March 2020, also starts at NRT from February 2021)
JL: HND - LHR CDG DFW (from March 2020) JFK (from March 2020) ORD (from March 2020)




LA: SCL - MAD (onward to FRA)
LA: SCL - AKL



MH: KUL - LHR


QF: PER - LHR (started March 2018)
QF: BNE - LAX ORD (due to start April 2020) SFO (due to start April 2020)
QF: MEL - DXB LAX SFO (started September 2018)
QF: SYD - DFW DXB JNB LAX SCL SFO YVR



QR: DOH - ADL AKL ATL BOS CBR DFW GIG GRU IAD IAH JFK LAS LAX MEL MIA ORD PHL SCL SYD YUL


RJ: AMM - ORD DTW
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Last edited by KARFA; Nov 25, 2019 at 5:30 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:03 am
  #2  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,606
AA booking classes - changes from 11 January 2017
Travel in the US on domestic AA flights has long been an efficient way to earn TPs since the front cabin on two cabin flights has been branded as domestic first and earned first class TPs - so 210 for > 2,000 mile sectors and 60 TP for shorter flights. However, with the introduction of premium economy to AA they have now significantly changed the booking classes used for domestic flights meaning that, although it is still branded as domestic first, business booking classes are used and therefore TP earnings are now 140 for > 2,000 mile sectors and 40 TP for shorter flights.

These changes take effect for any flights departing on or after 11 January 2017. Whereas domestic first on two cabin domestic services used to be in booking classes F, A, and P, they will now be in J, D, I, and R. AA have already run these changes back in November 2016 to update existing bookings which have affected flights on and beyond 11 January 2017. First bookings classes for two cabin domestic AA flights no longer exist.

This does mean TP earnings for runs within the US or exEU runs to the US are going to earn less, but even with the changes they are still an efficient and relatively cheap way to earn.

For three class AA domestic flights (e.g. JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO, and also LAX-BOS from 2 April 2019) there still will be the potential for earning first TPs if you are in the first cabin.

It was always the case that for an I class fare which included a three class A321 transcon you should have gone in the business cabin and earned business TPs. It was also the case that if there was no I available on that specific flight A class was permitted so you would find yourself in the first cabin and earn first TPs. This trick of getting first on the transcon will be dead from 11 January. Going forward a BA fare will only look for I class, and the equivalent AA I class fare will only look for I or D.

For more information on these changes see this thread, and see this post for the updated earning tables on ba.com.

Starting your run from Continental Europe
Here are a few popular examples to give you a flavour of what can be achieved at a relatively respectable price. Note, any fare prices shown in this post are indicative and reflect the rates checked at the time of writing. Fares do vary considerably, so check this thread from time to time for prevailing fares/offers/promotions etc.

Staring from Continental Europe is typically referred to as an exEU - so this includes starting from anywhere in Europe but excludes bookings starting from the UK which are termed exUK. Typically good places to start are Dublin (DUB) and Copenhagen (CPH) if going to the US, and Oslo (OSL) or Stockholm (ARN) if heading to the Far East or Australia. However, sales from these and other starting points often come up and you should check this thread for up to date information.

Naturally, to get to the most cost advantageous origin, positioning flights (and most likely, overnight accommodation) is an inevitable factor. Dublin has been the flavour of the moment over the last few years for cheap (I class) transatlantic flights in business class. Thanks to the BA/AA/US Joint Business Venture, it is now possible to construct connections within the United States for very little extra. However, the lowest I class fares usually come with stop over and Saturday night stay restrictions, but it is possible to spread out your itinerary by constructing connections of up to 24 hours, if you prefer a trip that is gentler on the body.



The example above would earn 40+140+140+40+40+140+140+40 = 720 TPs in total.

The general principle to maximise your points here are to do a run along the lines of:

DUB-(HEL)-LON-EEE-WWW-DES

HEL is optional and will get you an additional 80 TPs for the HEL-LHR flight but is much more time consuming. If you do want to fly via HEL consider starting from somewhere like CPH as the CPH-HEL flight will be much shorter than DUB-HEL and both earn 40 TPs.

EEE is any connection on the East Coast of the US, WWW is a connection on the West Coast of the US, and DES is whatever destination you want with those in Hawaii being particularly preferred (HNL, KOA, LIH, and OGG). Also make sure that EEE and WWW are more than 2,000 miles apart so that you get 140 TPs. There is a list of > 2,000 mile routes further down this thread. Doing a run like this would allow earnings of:

DUB-HNL (exc. HEL) = 40+140+140+140+140+140+140+40 = 920 TPs

DUB-HNL (inc. HEL both ways) = 40+80+140+140+140+140+140+140+80+40 = 1,080 TPs

1,080 TPs is the maximum you can generally earn on an exEU run to the US as the fare rules typically allow two connections in each region only (i.e. two in Europe and two in the US).

Where to Book
A question which come up many times is where to price up these more complex itineraries and where to book them. There are a few options and these include aa.com (multi-city tool), itamatrix, and google flights. The latter two dont allow for booking but once you have them priced up you can book on aa.com or call BA to book over the phone. There are some notes on itamatrix and google flights further down.

If booking over the phone just tell the agent what flights you want, the dates, and the booking classes. The advantage of booking with BA rather than with AA online is that only BA tickets (those starting 125-) can be upgraded with avios and you get 3x avios for BA spend if you have a BA Amex Premium Plus credit card.

BA.com is not a good option for pricing up or booking these kinds of itineraries unless you are doing something very simple like DUB-LHR-JFK-LHR-DUB. The multi-city tool on ba.com is very limited.

North American domestic first/business class runs
Central America and the Caribbean have become hot spots for TP earning frenzies out of the United States in recent years. AA's fares from the west cost to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama amongst many other destinations in the region deliver excellent Tier Point yields. So much so, that with a little bit of planning and of course time, it is possible to rack up TPs at an alarming rate.

The following diagrams illustrate AA routes greater than 2,000 miles. Note, the forward cabin on AA flights serving Canada and the Caribbean are marketed as business class whereas the forward cabin on AA two cabin domestic flights is marketed as domestic first. In both cases you now will earn business TPs due to the changes noted at the top of this thread.

AA non-stop 2,000+ mile routes (140 TPs with a J booking class)
East US
BDL - LAX
BOS - LAX*, PHX
CLT - LAX, PDX, SAN, SEA, SFO, SJC, SMF
DCA - LAS, LAX
EWR - PHX
IAD - LAX
JFK - LAS, LAX*, PHX, SAN, SEA, SFO*, TUS
LGA - FCA (June to September 2020)
MCO - LAX
MIA - LAS, LAX, SAN, SEA, SFO, SLC
PHL - LAS, LAX, PDX, PHX, SAN, SEA, SFO
PIT - LAX
RDU - LAX
TPA - LAX

Mid-West US
ORD - ANC (May to October 2020), FAI (May to October 2020), HNL (starts December 2018)

West US & Alaska
ANC - DFW, LAX, ORD (May to October 2020), PHX
FAI - DFW (May to October 2020), ORD (May to October 2020)
FCA - LGA (June to September 2020)
LAS - DCA, JFK, MIA, PHL
LAX - ANC, BDL, BOS*, CLT, DCA, HNL, IAD, JFK*, KOA, LIH, MCO, MIA, OGG, PHL, PIT, RDU, TPA
PDX - CLT, PHL
PHX - ANC, BOS, EWR, HNL, JFK, KOA, LIH, OGG, PHL
SAN - CLT, JFK, MIA, PHL
SEA - CLT, JFK, MIA, PHL
SFO - CLT, JFK*, MIA, PHL
SJC - CLT
SLC - MIA
SMF - CLT

Mid-US
DFW - ANC, FAI (May to October 2020), HNL, OGG

Hawaii
HNL - DFW, LAX, PHX, ORD (starts December 2018)
OGG - DFW, LAX, PHX
KOA - LAX, PHX
LIH - LAX, PHX

* these are three class transcon services so you would earn 210 TPs if booked in to the first cabin under the BA/AA flight number and with F/A selling class, and you would earn 140 TPs if booked in the business cabin with J/D/I selling class. As of 2 April 2019 LAX-BOS will also be run as a three class transcon service with the A321T aircraft.


DFW to/from ANC, FAI (May to October 2020), HNL, OGG

Note that the DFW-SJU route is branded and booked as a business cabin and not a domestic first cabin.


JFK to/from SEA, LAS, SAN, PHX, SFO*, LAX*, and TUS

* these are three class transcon services so if booked in to the first cabin under the AA flight number you would earn 210 TPs or 140 TPs if booked in the business cabin


LAX to/from ANC, BOS*, BDL, JFK*, MIA, DCA, PHL, CLT, IAD, RDU, MCO, TPA, PIT, Hawaii (HNL, OGG, KOA, LIH)

* only if in the F cabin on a three class A321, if in the business cabin only get 140 TPs. This will also apply to LAX-BOS from 2 April 2019 which will be run as a three class transcon service with the A321T aircraft.


ORD - ANC (May to October 2020), FAI (May to October 2020), HNL (starts December 2018)


PHL to/from SEA, PDX, SFO, LAS, LAX, PHX, and SAN


PHX to/from BOS, EWR, ANC, JFK, PHL, and Hawaii (HNL, OGG, KOA, LIH)

Something to be aware of with premium cabins on flights operated by AA - flights operating entirely within the US are marketed as domestic first class; those operating outwith the US are marketed as business class.



The example above would earn 40+140+40+40+140+40 = 440 TPs in total.

I've highlighted the LAS-LAX-MIA-SJU routing not because it is the best earner. There are other routings that yield a greater sum of TPs and invariably at a better price but because this is a gentle itinerary. The outbound legs can be accomplished in a single day, albeit with an early start. The inbound is even easier and a noon start is possible, a beneficiary of the westerly routing where the changing time zones work in our favour.

The flights between MIA and SJU are sold as business class and thus accrue 40 Tier Points. For those planning a trip from the Midwest or East Coast to San Juan, it is worth considering DFW as a connection point, since DFW and SJU are in excess of 2,000 miles apart and therefore accrue 140 Tier Points.

AA stopping 2,000+ mile routes
Sometimes routes which are not non-stop like SEA-PHX-ATL will code as the same flight number for both segments, which results in a 2,000+ mile segment, i.e. 140 TPs in First. For more information and a list of these stopping routes see here courtesy of EsherFlyer, and for those starting and ending at a station that doesn't otherwise have accessible > 2,000 mile segments see here.

Other tips for AA travel planning
  • A321 (32B) - These AA narrow-bodies ply Transcon routes between JFK and LAX/SFO with business and first class. The three class A321 will also be run on the LAX to/from BOS route from 2 April 2019. Well equipped, they are a very comfortable way to travel between coasts
  • 757 - As fantastically racy as these aircraft are, the first class seat requires a health warning. Think very carefully before committing yourself to a 5 hour red-eye 757 flight. Row 1 on the 757 is also worth avoiding.
  • 777 - Yes the big birds do operate on a few domestic routes (eg. MIA-LAX). Unlike their senior, and more petite 767-300 siblings, seats on the 777 aircraft are sold as business as well as the usual first and economy classes
  • MD-80 - Once the workhorse of AA's fleet but numbers are dwindling fast. Its first class cabin provides a reassuringly quiet ride
  • MCO - As American Airlines' low yield focus city, Orlando is your friend
  • Schedule changes - AA routinely gives its domestic timetable a jolly good shake (twice a year) so if you've booked your flights with plenty of advanced notice, expect a few changes to happen between now and the date of departure
AS routes on BA codeshares
In terms of AS, as noted n post #1, any combination of AS metal/codeshare and AA metal/codeshare would not earn TPs so AS has been avioded on US routings. However, BA have now launched codeshares on a number of AS routes from SEA to Hawaii, Alaska, and a few other destinations. These BA codeshares are only available if connecting to or from a BA longhaul flight, but it does mean if you book AS metal on a BA codeshare you will earn avios and TPs at the normal BA rates.

The routes currently available as BA codeshares are:

SEA - Honolulu (HNL), Kailua-Kona (KOA), Kahului (OGG), and Lihue (LIH)
SEA - San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), and Portland (PDX)
SEA - Salt Lake City (SLC), Anchorage (ANC), Boise (BOI), Fairbanks (FAI), and Spokane (GEG)
SJC - Santa Ana (SNA)

More information and examples
For some more information on intra-US TP runs please see this useful guide written by EsherFlyer.

Examples US internal TP runs from 2015 - pre booking class changes so some of the TP calculations are based on 210/60:


1.05 253 240 BOS-PHL-PIT-PHL-BOS PPPP aa.com Simon Schus AA op by US
1.27/TP 1250 980 MCO-MIA-LAX-HNL A AA Mr 1A
1.06/TP 705 660 RIC-CLT-PHL-PHX-PHL-CLT-RIC A AA.com wenzlydale
1.24/TP 668 540 SEA-MIA-ATL-CLT-SEA P/P/P/P aa.com EsherFlyer
0.39/TP 484 1240 HNL-LAX-BOS-MIA-BAQ-MIA-PHL-LAX-HNL AAAIIAAA ITA Matrix Pawel Siewko AA
0.57/TP 554 980 LAX-LAS-PHX-PHL-CLT-TPA-MIA-PTY-MIA-PHL-PHX-LAS-LAX PPPPPPIIPPPP aa.com Airprox AA + US
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Last edited by KARFA; Sep 14, 2019 at 8:16 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:03 am
  #3  
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Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian deals between the EU and the Far East
While at the time of writing, this option may not represent the best TP earner, RJ and QR do still offer amazing value for business class travel between the Continental Europe and Asia.



The example above would earn 140+140+140+140 = 560 TPs in total.

Examples from 2015:

2.00/TP 1200 600 CPT-DOH-JFK-DOH-CPT I/I/I/I QR Website Calum QR J on the B788/A350 & 46hrs of flying QR
1.91/TP 765.00 400 BUD-DOH-SHJ I/A/I/A QR.com Wozza2404 A320 QR
2.19/TP 1231 560TPs CDG-DOH-KTM-DOH-CDG I/I/I/I qatarairways.com nth_utsera_sth_utsera QR
Business Class travel within Asia
Intra-Asia travel on CX or MH can sometimes represent good value TP earning as well.



The example above would earn 140+140+140+140 = 560 TPs in total.

Examples from 2015:

1.25/TP 440.00 360 BKK-KUL-ICN Return Z www.malaysiaairlines.com Wozza2404 A330 Angle Flat for long haul sectors MH
1.43/TP 803 560 CTS-HKG-DPS-HKG-CTS I/I/I/I cathaypacific.com zeltergiset One 24hr+ stopover in HKG allowed CX
1.86/TP 856 460 HND-HKG-DPS-HKG-CTS I/I/I/I cathaypacific.com Gastrocnemius One 24hr+ stopover in HKG allowed CX
1.26/TP 707 560 KTM-KUL-TPE-KUL-KTM D/D/D/D malaysiaairlines.com zeltergiset MH
1.68/TP 940 560 TPE-KUL-KTM-KUL-TPE D/D/D/D malaysiaairlines.com zeltergiset MH
London Gatwick short haul premium leisure fares
Closer to London, BA's own premium leisure Club Europe fares are not to be sniffed at. In particular LGW short haul CE fares tend to be cheaper than LHR short haul fares. Same day hops between Gatwick, Amsterdam, and Jersey can be popular as they are often cheaper than equivalent LHR routes and can sometimes not require a Saturday night stay restrictions on many LGW discounted Club Europe fares. AMS sectors typically price out at around 100 per sector (in I class) and at around 90 to/from JER (again in I class).



The example above would earn 40+40+40+40 = 160 TPs in total.

Pro-active online upgrades (POUG) and airport upgrades offer additional opportunities to squeeze a few extra Tier Points out of deep discount economy BA tickets. Note that POUGs are not offered until at least 48 hours after the booking is made.

Also if you do need to overcome Saturday night restrictions or minimum connection times consider buying two singles in economy and hopefully getting a POUG, or nesting two return tickets like this:

Saturday week 1
JER-LGW-MLA (outbound ticket 1)
MLA-JER-LGW (outbound ticket 2)

Sunday week 2
LGW-JER-MLA (inbound ticket 2)
MLA-JER-LGW (inbound ticket 1)

Careful nesting of two tickets will solve both a Saturday night minimum stay problem and allow back to backs since you can circumvent the MCT.

Examples from 2015:

1.33/TP 319 240TPs JER-LGW-MLA-LGW-JER J/R/R/J ba.com skipcool3 BA
1.55/TP 248 160TPs LGW-MLA-LGW R/R ba.com LDNConsultant BA
1.62/TP 259 160TPs JER-LGW-AMS-LGW-JER J/R/R/J ba.com joejet BA
1.69/TP 270 160TPs LGW-RAK-LGW I/I ba.com nufnuf77 BA
1.85/TP 444 240 JER-LGW/LHR-HEL J/I/I/J ITA Matrix flatlander Available most weekends first half of 2016, fare IM0R
2.26/TP 181 80TPs LGW-JER-LGW R/R ba.com BA
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:04 am
  #4  
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Planning and booking tips
There are a few tips and online tools which you should be aware and familiar with, and these will help you a lot when booking Tier Point runs.
  • When pricing up comparative routes, Google Flights is by far the most speedy and simple method. Enter origin and destination; dates of travel; select business class; select oneworld in Airline filter; then Expand map to display requested route and comparative fares for nearly destinations.
  • If you need greater complexity, the ITA Matrix tool is highly recommended. It displays a wider range of options than Google Flights and detailed fare rules. Its great for trip planning at a forensic level. Note, the ITA Matrix tool cannot be used to book tickets
  • If booking AA runs familiarise yourself with AA.com's Multi-City booking tool. Don't leave more than 24 hours between flights. Use the Sort by schedule option to locate the exact flights you found on the ITA Matrix tool.
  • Select city pairs (if possible) in excess of 2,000 miles apart (see charts below)
  • It is worth adding a few cautionary words about AA Domestic First where the service shares a flight number with an international flight, as J, D, and I class inventory may be sold before regular F, A, and P inventory is offered for sale on the down gauged domestic flight(s).
  • Avoid AA codeshare flights on non-oneworld metal. There is no TP credit on these flights
  • More information about using the ITA Matrix tool, planning trips that begin in Continental Europe and Ireland, as well as airports favourable to back-to-back turnarounds, see Ex-Mainland Europe Travel Planning Guide and Back-to-back / Immediate Turnarounds at BA Destinations

How to use itamatrix & booking
itamatrix is a very powerful tool when pricing up fares but it requires a certain amount of knowledge to get really good results. There are a huge number of places on FT and beyond which offer tutorials and tips on how to use itamatrix.

There are some excellent worked examples in this thread from rossmacd showing how to use itamatrix to get some of the more complex itineraries. For example see these two posts:

Searching for a LAX-PTY run -
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29343459-post858.html and https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29484391-post1325.html
Searching for a OTP-PHX run -
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29240873-post36.html

Guides to using the ITA Matrix tool can be found here, and here, and externally here.

More guides can also be found at the following sites:

Turning Left for Less
https://www.turningleftforless.com/s...matrix-part-1/
https://www.turningleftforless.com/s...matrix-part-2/

Head for Points
http://www.headforpoints.com/2016/03...se-ita-matrix/

The Points Guy
http://thepointsguy.com/2016/06/book...VQs05ZsqvMJDt6
http://thepointsguy.com/2016/02/usin...routing-codes/

Travelcodex
https://www.travelcodex.com/2013/04/...routing-codes/
https://www.travelcodex.com/2013/04/...ting-language/
https://www.travelcodex.com/2012/01/...nguage-in-ita/

Also some specific advice on using some advanced routings codes can be found:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26641095-post943.html - search on aircraft type
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26716122-post2466.html - search on booking class
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26716155-post2469.html - search on booking class and connection time

Although you cant book trips on itamatrix, there are now a number of tools which will turn an itamatrix quote to a site where the trip can be booked.

Book with matrix - https://bookwithmatrix.com/
ITA powertools http://armouredminds.com/dev/powertools/
ITA-Matrix-PowerTools - ITA-Matrix-PowerTools - Userscript for Orbitz/DL/UA/AA/BA/CZ/IB/LA/LH/LX/TK

I used the method as outlined in the wiki in the ITA-Matrix-PowerTools thread. If using chrome go to tapermonkey and install the plug in https://tampermonkey.net/. Visit the script on this page https://github.com/SteppoFF/ita-matr...rtools.user.js - you should be asked whether you want to install the script. That's it. Next time you use itamatrix it should just work automatically and you should see the additional text at the top of the search page, and all the links to take you through to various booking sites on the right of the quote page.



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Last edited by KARFA; Jan 4, 2019 at 9:31 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:05 am
  #5  
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Irregular Operations
Irregular operations come part and parcel with air travel. Expect the best but prepare for the worst. In other words, allow plenty of wriggle room in your travel plans, think twice about short connections at MIA during the hurricane season, or at JFK in winter, or at ORD at any time other than spring and fall, noting Chicago's spring and fall seasons while lasting no more than a week each Mother Nature is inclined to blast Chicagoland with her wrath during these short seasons.

Although AA tend to be very helpful rearranging flights, they do often work on the basis of getting you onto the next available service irrespective of fare class. If you look at Expert Flyer before approaching the Admirals Club agent then you can be proactive in making suggestions. Note, in rebooking AA flights, there is a risk of instant upgrades ending up as business or worse, economy. If the next available flight is sold out in first, AA are often open to requests for a seat on the following flight that has seats available in first class. This may involve joining the stand-by list. Working with Gate Agents or AAdmirals Club staff pays dividends. It pays to check revised booking class(es) with the agent. This is your only opportunity to ensure the flights are rebooked into the same class as your original booking (A and/or P), and your Tier Points post as planned.

Original Routing Credit
ORC allows you to claim credit for your original routing as you originally booked it in the event you are rerouted on flights that earn fewer Tier Points than you originally booked.

If you booked with BA on a 125 ticket it's in the T&Cs, and there will be no push back should you need to submit an ORC claim, though you will have to claim manually and it will take a few weeks to clear. Occasionally, if the irrop was at the very last moment you'll get the ORC anyway and automatically.

The only stickiness relates to 001 ticket and rerouted on another oneworld flight (typically a re-routed and/or downgraded AA service) which gets less TPs and Avios. In that scenario if you claim ORC, BAEC pushes it to AA (since they are the ones who "pay" the Avios) and their view can be that you get what you travelled and a refund for anything you didn't travel. However, many comments over the last year have reported some success with 001 tickets so please do submit a claim.

Remember that whatever happens to keep your boarding passes, a note of the new PNR, the BA PNR, and the BA ticket number. And don't forget to claim your miles credit for the service if you end up travelling on another alliance, giving the number at the gate or check in, that form of double-dipping has long been considered acceptable.

For more information on ORC please have a read of the very informative guide written by dylanks which can be found here.

POUGs & AUPs
Most airlines will offer promotional (POUG) or airport upgrades (AUP) prior to the flight. A common query is whether the TPs and avios credited post flight will be at the originally booked level or at the upgraded level. It is well established that BA will credit POUGs and AUPs at the upgraded level so certainly you can benefit from increased crediting as well as the more comfortable cabin. However, a number of oneworld airlines do not credit at the upgraded level and only credit at the originally booked level. So whilst you may benefit from the better cabin and seat, you will not earn increased TPs and avios.

In general for most oneworld airlines no extra upgraded TPs are given for POUGs and AUPs, but there do seem to be excpetions. In order to help provide some clarity here is a list of oneworld carriers and the POUG/AUP approach. "Yes" means you earn the upgraded TPs and avios, "No" means the flight will credit at the originally booked level.

AA - No (kiosk upgrade)
AY - No (POUG)
BA - Yes (AUP and POUG)
CX - Yes - but CX bid upgrades are a no
KA - Yes
IB - No (online bid)
JJ -
JL - Yes on domestic (done at a standard supplementary amount), other JL flights won't get additional benefits
LA - No
MH - No (similar to AUP)
QF - No (Bid Now), however there seem to be cases where higher TPs were awarded
QR - No (AUP style)
RJ - Yes (bid system) - RJ often do not post TPs / Avios anyway and may well require retro-claiming.
S7 - No (OLCI supplement)
UL - Yes (bid system)

Please note that the above is based on posted experiences on the board. Where others have received upgraded TP please do not take it as a guarantee that you will also do so. For some airlines the above may only be based on one or two experiences, so the result could well be because of dodgy IT on the day rather than deliberate.
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:05 am
  #6  
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What are the rules and restrictions?
Cancellation penalties and stopover fees change from fare to fare and from country to country, although stopovers are usually Euro 200 each-way if you break your journey in London for > 24 hours. Also remember you need to factor in the cost of getting to your point of departure, and potentially the cost of a hotel if you are travelling too far to return in a day (e.g. Cyprus, Athens).

In general, you will see the rules are much more flexible for the equivalent fare bucket ex-UK.
First fares:
  • Unlimited free changes
  • Unlimited free stopovers*
  • No cancellation penalty
  • Return within 12 months
Club World fares
Again, taking the recent ex-AMS I7SALE fares, the rules are:
  • Changes charged at 300 each
  • Stopovers not permitted
  • Cancellation penalty - net fare plus carrier imposed charges
  • Return within 12 months
*A stopover is a transit of an intermediate point that exceeds 24hrs.
A neat trick for the Club fares if you time your arrival into London and the departure of your long haul segment right, you can essentially have a free nightstop in London without having an 'official' stopover. For example, you arrive from AMS on a Monday at 21:15 and you can then book your long haul flight the next day (Tuesday) at any time up to 21:14 (< 24hrs) and it is NOT charged as a stopover. Book it for 21:15 or later and that'll be much more expensive fare please. Similarly, you can introduce overnight stays at intermediate connecting cities so long as your connections remain under 24 hours.

Note: BA seem to have clamped down on stopover rules, potentially in light of more widespread use of ex-EU fares. Check your fare rules carefully as lots of fares now limit you to a months stopover in the UK at most in either direction.

Fare rules
Fare rules contain all the restrictions and requirements for a particular fare. Most importantly they list things like travel dates, minimum stay, book by dates etc. The full rules of a fare can be viewed in Expert Flyer, in itamatrix, and on some airline sites like aa.com. Once you book with BA there is nowhere on BA.com that displays the fare you are actually booked under. You can try working it out from using Expert Flyer and setting the ticketing date for when you booked. You could in the past use classic check my trip to look at the fare code, but that is no longer available. It does seem like this Japanese Amadeus site may work sometimes though.

Amadeus e-ITR

Upgrading Using Avios (UuA) & Gold Upgrade Vouchers (GUF)
A quick note on doing UuAs is that you can do these for exEU itineraries (or you can apply a GUF if you have any). The following restrictions for UuAs apply though:

Summary guide to bookings which can be upgraded with Avios:
  • BA issued tickets (can include other carriers) ^
  • TA issued (on BA stock) booking with only BA flights ^
  • TA issued (on BA stock) booking with other carriers
  • Tickets issued on non-BA stock
The rules have previously said that the TA has to issue the ticket in the country of your BAEC membership as well. However, apparently this is not enforced consistently so hopefully this shouldn't be an issue. See these two posts for more information on that point https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29280847-post33.html & https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29282377-post38.html

A BA Holiday booking (flights & hotel) is UuA'able and treated as a TA booking, so a booking including non BA flights could not be UuA'ed. Also a BA Holiday booking which was made using a TA can not be UuA'ed.

Note that even if booked direct with BA on a 125-... ticket you can't UuA BA marketed and AA operated flight. The BA flight must be both BA marketed and operated.

There is more information on UuA'ing TA bookings here.

What you pay to UuA/GUF
As well as using the avois/GUF there may be an additional cash cost upgrading from one cabin to another. The costs for using a GUF are the same as the costs as if you are Upgrading using Avios (UuA).

Generally there is an extra cash charge going from WT+ to CW and WT to WT+, but no/minimal charge from CW to F. If using a GUF on short haul there would be a charge going from ET to CE. In all cases there is no change fee to pay when applying a GUF to an existing booking.

WT to WT+
From WT to WT+ there isn't any additional carrier surcharge. There may be additional APD in some cases though. For example, the APD for a WT class return from LON-NYC currently (2017) is 75, whereas the APD for a WT+ class return on the same flights is 150. As the APD is payable for leaving the UK and not arriving, the extra APD would only be charged if your GUF was applied to upgrade the flight outbound from the UK from WT to WT+. If your GUF only applied to the flight inbound to the UK there is no extra APD to pay.

When upgrading from WT+ to CW you should be paying the difference in carrier surcharge - there isn't a tax difference. The carrier surcharge applicable is route specific, generally though the longer the route the more the surcharge. For example starting from the UK the additional surcharge for CW over WT+ for a return to NYC is around 110 so the cash cost when applying a GUF should be in the region of 110 for a return.

A complicating factor is the relatively new WT+ Dual Inventory Fares (DIF) which have appeared from around mid-2016. They are a new type of fare to BA which effectively is a promotional upgrade from WT to WT+ except the cost of the upgrade is included in the booking. Whilst there is no reason you cant apply a GUF to a DIF fare, you may find the additional cash cost in doing so is a bit more than usual For example, a normal WT+ to CW upgrade LHR-BOS return may be around 90 but for a DIF fare can be more like 160. See the section on DIF further down in this post.

CW to F
For an upgrade from CW to F there is no difference in carrier surcharge, fees, or APD. Any cash charge should be zero or minimal.

Update: as of summer 2018 it seems carrier surcharge on exUS bookings is now about ~$200 more per flight when going from CW to F so if you are applying a GUF to an exUS booking you should expect to pay this as well. Just to be clear, by exUS bookings I mean those starting in the US like one way JFK-LHR or a return LAX-LHR-LAX. If you book an exUK/EU flight which includes a return from the US you should be paying the UK/EU based carrier surcharge which so far seems to be the same in CW and F, so for a LHR-LAX-LHR return whether you GUF the outnbound/inbound/both flights from CW to F you shouldn't expect to pay more carrier surcharge.

ET to CE
When upgrading from ET to CE on a flight there may be additional APD. As the APD is payable for leaving the UK and not arriving, the extra APD is only payable on the outbound flight leaving the UK, and currently (2017) the extra APD due going from ET to CE is 13 per person. If your GUF only upgrades a flight in to the UK there is no extra APD to pay.

All cases
In all cases any changes in taxes, charges for customs, immigration, carrier surcharge, airport service fee, passenger service charge which have happened since the original booking was made will be taken in to account. Where these charges are priced in a currency different to what you are using to pay there may also have been exchange rate changes which change the amount needed. This really only become significantly relevant if there is a large time period in between originally making the booking and subsequently applying the GUF, and even then this recalculation of charges is unlikely to amount to more than a few pounds at most.

Maximum Permitted Mileage & Allowed Routings
MPM is often specified for fares between two point essentially to stop you going a bit too crazy on the routing. For example a DUB-JFK fare may have a MPM which either prevents you or at least imposes hefty surcharges if you try and route to JFK via the west coast.

If you are interested in understanding this further here are some posts made by those in the know:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...merica-23.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26107663-post302.html

In addition to MPM, there may be routing restrictions on the fare which mean you can only use the fare on certain limited routings between the departure and destination airports. Routing tables can be found in Expert Flyer in the Fare Information section.

For example, the previous AMS-BKK BA INCEU60 fare only allows the following routings, and if you try anything else you would not be able to price it under this fare:

1. AMS-LON-BKK
2. AMS-LON-HKG-CX/HX/RJ-BKK
3. AMS-LON-KUL-BA/MH/RJ-BKK
4. AMS-LON-SIN-3K/CX-BKK

Dual Inventory Fares
These relatively new DIF fares have appeared from around mid-2016. They are a new type of fare to BA which effectively is almost like a POUG except the cost of the upgrade is included in the booking. They seem to be appearing mostly when purchasing WTP seats, and need inventory in both an economy and premium economy booking class. There have been difficulties with the fare mostly around attempting to upgrade in to CW using a GUF or by UuA.

When DIFs first appeared there were some comments that they could only be booked direct with BA and could not be booked with a TA. However, this seems to have changed and TAs can access DIFs now.

There is more discussion in the linked posts:
Dual Inventory Fares - Is there an idiot's guide anywhere?
Why can't I find this ba.com fare on ITA Matrix?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ount-code.html
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Last edited by KARFA; Jan 4, 2019 at 9:34 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:06 am
  #7  
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Adding a AA booking to BA.com
When making a reservation with AA which contains AA and BA operated flights, you can manage seat selection for the AA operated flights on aa.com. However, to do seat selection for the BA operated flights you will need to do that on ba.com using a BA PNR which will be different to your AA one. Unfortunately the BA PNR is not displayed anywhere on AA.com.

Just note that if your AA booking has no BA operated or marketed flights you will not have a BA PNR and not be able to add it to your list of upcoming bookings on your BAEC homepage.

Booked as an AA codeshare
If the BA operated flights were booked under an AA codeshare then as long as you added your BAEC number in to the booking on AA.com the BA PNR should appear in you upcoming bookings list after a few minutes. You should be able to select seats for your BA operated flights in it.

Booked under a BA flight number
If the BA flights were booked under a BA flight number even if your BAEC number is entered in AA.com this doesn't appear to get passed to BA and the booking will not appear in your upcoming bookings list on BA.com.

One way to get your BA PNR is
- go to the Qantas website and put your AA PNR in to MMB
- when in the booking go to the seat selection section and you should see "Seat selection is only available for flights operated by Qantas. To select seats and manage your booking, visit British Airways site with your booking reference #XXXXX" where XXXXX is your BA PNR
- go to BA.com and look at MMB for XXXXX, the frequent flyer number field will be blank but you can now add your BAEC number and also select seats for the BA operated flights.

Example
If you make a booking with AA and it contains AA operated & marketed, BA operated & AA marketed flights, and BA operated & marketed flights you should have:

- AA PNR issued on your ticket from AA - used to do seat selection for your AA operated & marketed flights
- BA PNR for seat selection on your BA operated & AA marketed flights
- another BA PNR for seat selection on your BA operated & marketed flights
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:06 am
  #8  
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Please find below the data transferred over from the 2018 thread's Wikipost

2018 Archive

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
  • 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
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


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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Last edited by KARFA; Jan 27, 2020 at 5:28 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:07 am
  #9  
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exUK/EU Fare Archive for 2019
updated December 2019

  • 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
  • from OTP to PHX ILW8C8S6 reported here, e.g. PHX - 1,200, must be booked at least 28 days in advance
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Last edited by KARFA; Jan 1, 2020 at 4:04 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:07 am
  #10  
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reserved for future use
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:08 am
  #11  
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reserved for future use2
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:12 am
  #12  
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The 2019 thread is up and running now. There are a few broken links through the reference posts and wikis and I will fix them as soon as I can.
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:51 am
  #13  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
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AUH - CMB - CGK - 510 for 560Tps if you use an OTA via SkyScanner you can get it down to as low as 479

Cheapest and best value positioning I found was INV - LHR - AUH - LHR - GLA in W for 501 price promised down to 460

I ended up doing two of them in total so

INV - LHR - AUH - CMB - CGK - CMB - AUH - CMB - CGK - CMB - AUH - LHR - GLA for 1396 for 1320Tps for 1.06 / TP
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Last edited by cgtechuk; Jan 4, 2019 at 9:57 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:52 am
  #14  
 
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Originally Posted by cgtechuk
AUH - CMB - CGK - 510 for 560Tps if you use an OTA via SkyScanner you can get it down to as low as 479

Cheapest and best value positioning I found was AUH - CMB - CGK in W for 501 price promised down to 460
Interesting positioning
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 9:57 am
  #15  
 
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Originally Posted by teledude
Interesting positioning
fixed it lol
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