Would you requalify GGL on your own dime?
May 20, 2019, 12:47 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
Would you requalify GGL on your own dime?
I may be contemplating a career break over the duration of my coming membership year - so time rich, cash not quite so. And zero business travel.
I know should I drop from the lofty realm of GGL, I’ll never attain 5000 TPs in a year to qualify from scratch. Hence wondering if I should pay and fly enough to hit 3000 TPs to renew GGL. The GUF2 along the way will also come in handy.
Has anyone faced similar predicament? I know it’s subjective and based on where you’re located, but what would you think is a “reasonable” amount to pay to requalify GGL solely on your own?
I know should I drop from the lofty realm of GGL, I’ll never attain 5000 TPs in a year to qualify from scratch. Hence wondering if I should pay and fly enough to hit 3000 TPs to renew GGL. The GUF2 along the way will also come in handy.
Has anyone faced similar predicament? I know it’s subjective and based on where you’re located, but what would you think is a “reasonable” amount to pay to requalify GGL solely on your own?
May 20, 2019, 1:20 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,610
If you think you can get GGL back on business travel when you get back to work, then do that.
If not, then my assessment of getting to 3500 TPs is that it's not nearly as stupid as it sounds on a financial basis. You can probably get there for about £5-6K, and have fun doing it - if you have time then you're in position A, as time is the hardest part of the whole thing. The benefits of jokers plus guf2 and gufs are significant for getting family travel during school holidays in higher cabins, and there are also the statuses which are handy for family members.
So getting to 3000 TPs to retain GGL and retain the status is reasonable, as otherwise you have to stretch to 5000 again. But it really does depend on your travel patterns - my wife is Malaysian and my son's grandparents are there, we will tend to get over one or two times a year so long haul redemptions are very helpful to me.
If not, then my assessment of getting to 3500 TPs is that it's not nearly as stupid as it sounds on a financial basis. You can probably get there for about £5-6K, and have fun doing it - if you have time then you're in position A, as time is the hardest part of the whole thing. The benefits of jokers plus guf2 and gufs are significant for getting family travel during school holidays in higher cabins, and there are also the statuses which are handy for family members.
So getting to 3000 TPs to retain GGL and retain the status is reasonable, as otherwise you have to stretch to 5000 again. But it really does depend on your travel patterns - my wife is Malaysian and my son's grandparents are there, we will tend to get over one or two times a year so long haul redemptions are very helpful to me.
May 20, 2019, 1:53 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2004
Programs: BA GGL, LH FTL
Posts: 3,578
I can relate a bit. My usual travel pattern is above 3k but below 5k tier points. Last year I unexpectedly ended up with around 2.5k. Knowing I would in all likelihood never make 5k, so unlikely to get GGL back, I did a weekend in PHX. £1.2k, 10 hours in PHX (during the night). It's not a story I recommend telling outside flyertalk, but it was better than it sounds.
Ironically I find myself just under 5k this year, so now considering a PHX run to get a Concorde Card.
Having just reflected on this as I type it: Status is like Heroin. Don't do it. Escape while you can!
Ironically I find myself just under 5k this year, so now considering a PHX run to get a Concorde Card.
Having just reflected on this as I type it: Status is like Heroin. Don't do it. Escape while you can!
May 20, 2019, 1:55 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Surrey, UK
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 484
I guess it depends what else you might want or need to spend the money on.
My GGL qualification and re-qualifications have all been with my own money. Your question got me thinking about how much I spent on the actual fares. Previous membership year was about £6300 and 6 RFSs. That included several trips to TLL airport which was very fashionable at the time
I overshot the mark a bit and ended up with about 4000 TPs. I was aiming for 3500 for the second lot of GUFs. My "big" trip was reward flight in F to Tokyo.
This year I'll have spent about £8700 plus 2 RFSs - but shock, horror - on trips entirely to places I actually wanted to go on dates I actually wanted to travel. A third of this is on OSL-BNE and there was an "out of TP run season" OTP-PHX in there as well. Again I'll end up with about 4000 TPs.
The downside of going to places I want to go to is that I stay for a while and the other costs do mount up - but the destinations are the point of it for me.
My GGL qualification and re-qualifications have all been with my own money. Your question got me thinking about how much I spent on the actual fares. Previous membership year was about £6300 and 6 RFSs. That included several trips to TLL airport which was very fashionable at the time
I overshot the mark a bit and ended up with about 4000 TPs. I was aiming for 3500 for the second lot of GUFs. My "big" trip was reward flight in F to Tokyo.This year I'll have spent about £8700 plus 2 RFSs - but shock, horror - on trips entirely to places I actually wanted to go on dates I actually wanted to travel. A third of this is on OSL-BNE and there was an "out of TP run season" OTP-PHX in there as well. Again I'll end up with about 4000 TPs.
The downside of going to places I want to go to is that I stay for a while and the other costs do mount up - but the destinations are the point of it for me.
May 20, 2019, 2:01 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
Programs: BA GGL / GFL, Mucci Diamond!, HH Diamond, Radisson Premium, IHG Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 5,902
I would only do it if there were some kind of longer-term benefit, such as GGLfL for 10 consecutive years of GGL. In that case I'd shell out for my remaining 2 years in order to get the longer-term benefit.
If you'll have no work travel, why not save up your cash this year (earning no TPs), and then earn your 3,000 the following year with your new / reinvigorated working pattern and spend enough to get the extra 2,000 TPs for GGL.
In this case, you're only spending enough for 2,000 TPs (rather than 3,000) plus you'll get a CCR card into the bargain. And you'll only fall to Silver as a minimum in the interim.
If you'll have no work travel, why not save up your cash this year (earning no TPs), and then earn your 3,000 the following year with your new / reinvigorated working pattern and spend enough to get the extra 2,000 TPs for GGL.
In this case, you're only spending enough for 2,000 TPs (rather than 3,000) plus you'll get a CCR card into the bargain. And you'll only fall to Silver as a minimum in the interim.
May 20, 2019, 3:15 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
If you'll have no work travel, why not save up your cash this year (earning no TPs), and then earn your 3,000 the following year with your new / reinvigorated working pattern and spend enough to get the extra 2,000 TPs for GGL.
In this case, you're only spending enough for 2,000 TPs (rather than 3,000) plus you'll get a CCR card into the bargain. And you'll only fall to Silver as a minimum in the interim.
In this case, you're only spending enough for 2,000 TPs (rather than 3,000) plus you'll get a CCR card into the bargain. And you'll only fall to Silver as a minimum in the interim.
Most of my travels are on MH and CX, I supposed even by dropping to Silver the J lounges at KUL and HKG as transit points aren’t too shabby.
Cost wise I expect to spend about £6K in total by religiously doing TP runs in the region + the obligatory 4 BA segments likely to some Australian city. That’s still a fairly hefty chunk considering it can be put towards children’s education, etc. - especially when I have no income!
May 20, 2019, 3:38 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
I have/do. I had a bit more personal travel last year, and managed to get over the 5,000 TP mark, and have already booked 3,000 TPs for this year. So long as my wife continues to be vaguely accepting then I hope to keep GGL (but not CCR) for the next few years until I hit LTG. It's not cheap, but it's my hobby and I'm lucky enough to have disposable income to do it...
May 20, 2019, 5:00 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: North of Watford Gap
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 602
May 20, 2019, 5:32 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: MAN
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 351
From the dashboard and some recent pricing: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...er-thread.html
May 20, 2019, 5:40 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,576
I have/do. I had a bit more personal travel last year, and managed to get over the 5,000 TP mark, and have already booked 3,000 TPs for this year. So long as my wife continues to be vaguely accepting then I hope to keep GGL (but not CCR) for the next few years until I hit LTG. It's not cheap, but it's my hobby and I'm lucky enough to have disposable income to do it...
Last edited by carrotjuice; May 20, 2019 at 5:47 am
May 20, 2019, 5:57 am
#13
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Berkshire
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Accor Plat, Pucci Fan Club
Posts: 1,779
Im in a similar situation where a new job has drastically reduced my work trips... however there will still be some. Plus I normally earn about a 1000 or so TPS on family holidays. This year I’m probably going to be short of 1000-1500 TPS so I’ve decided to try and at least retain the GGL. Not too fussed with the CCR card as I fly F quite often. I really value the GGL jokers and partner cards.
May 20, 2019, 6:41 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,538
I can relate a bit. My usual travel pattern is above 3k but below 5k tier points. Last year I unexpectedly ended up with around 2.5k. Knowing I would in all likelihood never make 5k, so unlikely to get GGL back, I did a weekend in PHX. £1.2k, 10 hours in PHX (during the night). It's not a story I recommend telling outside flyertalk, but it was better than it sounds.
Ironically I find myself just under 5k this year, so now considering a PHX run to get a Concorde Card.
Having just reflected on this as I type it: Status is like Heroin. Don't do it. Escape while you can!
Ironically I find myself just under 5k this year, so now considering a PHX run to get a Concorde Card.
Having just reflected on this as I type it: Status is like Heroin. Don't do it. Escape while you can!
May 20, 2019, 6:42 am
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Somewhere in the Air
Programs: BA GGL, *A Silver, OW Emerald, HH Diamond, Karahi Express
Posts: 554