i.am.lost

I’m in the same boat - to say I’m livid would be an understatement. Has anyone successfully challenged BA on this? It feels wrong and unfair.

My TP collection year ends 8 Aug and I’ve been Silver since 2018. By March 2020, I had over 600 TPs for the collection year, so my account showed my TP year ends 8 Aug 2020 / card expiry Sep 2020 and that I’d retained Silver for the following year.

When BA rolled out status extensions in June, I got the email from BA saying ‘12 months extra on us’ and my account shows TP year ends 8 Aug 2021 / card expiry Sep 2021. But I had already qualified to retain Silver until that date with the TPs I’d collected, so I’ve effectively not been given an extension by BA.

ThatT1Feeling

There are essentially 3 groups it seems based on the updates posted here over the last few months.

1. Those who received a one-year extension as promised by BA
2. Those who received significantly more than a one year extension (some well into 2023)
3. Those who received no extension at all.

You, like me and quite a few others, are in Group 3. BA has been challenged directly on this, including some quite frank discussions with the policy makers, but they're not budging.

If you had a significant number of cancelled flights which would have got you to the new, lower Gold level (somewhere around 1100 TPs), it may be worth writing to BA to ask for these to be taken into consideration. If they decide to promote you to Gold on the back of this, you may also get an additional year. That's my only recommendation. Trying to argue that you got no extension based on points actually earned, despite being logical to many of us, won't get you anywhere with BA!

BertieBadger

So you've had the - no doubt, unwelcome - summary of the situation from ThatT1Feeling. Just to note a small but important additional point. BA are making a distinction between 2 groups of members:

1) Those who step up to a higher tier (such as crombiestone)
2) Those who retained their current tier (such as yourself, ThatT1Feeling, and doubtless plenty of others. I am also in this group)

Members in the first group are being awarded the benefit of the extension. Since crombiestone seems to have missed out on what others in their exact position have received it is probably worth them trying to rectify that.

Members in the second groups are not being given the benefit of the extension. You might wonder why BA are treating the two groups differently, I have also wondered that and they don't seem keen to offer any explanations.

What can you do? Nothing except add to the weight of complaints. As has been noted BA are being utterly steadfast in their policy here so if you are hoping they will honour the offered benefit then I rate your chances as approximately zero. You may choose to throw in a quick complaint anyway, if for no other reason to add to the existing ones and maybe - just maybe - it might move the dial a little on some metrics.

Any response is very likely to be framed around the claim that the extensions were only ever intended for those who couldn't make their tier because they were unable to fly. This seems to be the "party line" even if that caveat appeared nowhere in the original communication or linked FAQ. They will likely also point to the reduction in TP needed for your current year, i.e. only 75% of the regular requirement. I will leave it up to you to reflect on whether needing 75% of your normal TP in a period where about 30% of the schedule is operating and there are significant practical obstacles to travel represents a generous concession or not.

Other than that, I can only suggest you do what others are doing and vote with your wallet if you can.

ThatT1Feeling

Oh well. I am now 25% into my membership year, and, to remain on target for GGL re-qualification, I should have earned 560TPs so far this year.

I'm currently at 100 TPs, with the number of countries I can go to (and come back from without hassle) reducing by the week. Looks like my two Sweden trips for later this month will now be off, so it's fast becoming clear that I am not getting those 2150 TPs by July 2021 unless something significant changes.

So, effectively from tomorrow onwards, other than the 100TPs in the bank, I should be earning at full GGL-renewal rates for the next 9 months. I suspect I won't be

HighwayToHEL

100 points more than me. August renewal, 4515 points last year (7000+ the previous year) and currently on zero points. No flights booked, USA and India still closed. It doesn't look good.

Even retaining gold may be a challenge.

flyingroundtheworld

I might be a bit OT here, but I have some questions about my EC.
My TP year is 8 Aug 2020 - 2021, and I have a card expiry of Sep 2021. I have just reached silver last month under the reduced tier thresholds.
I assume my card expiry should show Sep 2022 as I would have my remaining year and the following year for the silver benefits? Is it the correct assumption that I am having? Or is the card expiry updated only after the end of this collection year? I have asked BA regarding this issue, but they kept bringing me around in circles.
I don't know whether I have been fussy on this or is it a real system error?

firstlight

No extra one year extension for me. Some planning needed but I've got to 335 TPs 2 months in to my year. Relying on a J class QR far east trip via Doha and a Caribbean trip (converted from avios booking to revenue) to get me to the reduced threshold. No business travel likely at present...

BertieBadger

Probably as good a thread as any

So, if I understand your situation it is as follows:

1) You were Blue/Bronze as of August 9th 2020
2) Between August 9th 2020 and some time in September 2020 you earned (at least) 450TP
3) As of today, your status is shown in the app/account as Silver, expiring on September 30th 2021

Is that correct?

Assuming it is correct, that is unexpected. Expiry dates are adjusted depending on whether you are qualifying to a higher level or simply re-qualifying to your existing level. Indeed this fact is at the root of the different treatment that BAEC has been handing out to members such that anyone stepping up a level does get the benefit of the extension, while anyone retaining a level doesn't.(All the while retroactively claiming that the extension was for those who couldn't qualify! )

Your understanding is correct - when you qualify to a higher level you get the remainder of the year you qualified in, plus the next whole year. So for you that should be until Sep 2022.

Now it is possible that BA have adjusted their systems and processes so that people stepping up to a higher level do not get their expiry adjusted until the end of the year, in line with how they process people retaining their level. I stress that I have no information that they have done this, I merely suggest it is possible. One reasons they might want to do this is to prevent "accidentally" giving out extensions to people who stepped up a tier if they need to repeat the extension exercise.

Unfortunately, you may well struggle with Customer Service, and you've probably already received a few replies that don't actually address your questions . But assuming the above assumptions I have made are correct, normally it would be expected that your expiry is Sep 2022. You may need to enquire again.....

Edit to add: The above assumes that you were Blue/Bronze before this year, if you were retaining Silver level you would not expect your expiry date to update until Aug 2021, when your TP year ends.

flyingroundtheworld

Thank you for the information. This is the absolutely correct situation that I am facing. I have been a blue EC on 9 Aug, as I am switching OW programme, and I gained 480TP by the end of September last month. My account now shows I am silver and my expiry date in 2021.

I will try to email BA customer service again to see will they get any new responses from them. Hope I will be able to get it all sorted soon. I am screening through the email below that I had got back from them a few days ago. In this case, are they actually referring to only show the new expiry date after I reach my end of the TP?

TravelingZoomer

I already had 2 BA 960 TP itineraries slated for the winter/spring cancelled, along with countless AA domestic J flights :/

I had my BA number in all of these I hope when July comes they’re more willing to give me Gold based on my cancelled flights.

BertieBadger

In a somewhat similar situation, albeit in the "better" position of only being in the massed ranks or Gold and not the exalted heights of GGL, so needing half what you do. I've evolved my thinking about this quite a lot, and while I'm here I would like to publicly acknowledge the contributions of yourself ThatT1Feeling and particularly orbitmic as well in contributing to that evolution.

0TP earned in the first 3 months, although we could have flown 240TP. I opted to refund those instead and plan to check out some other carriers instead in the first half of 2021. I've deliberately decided to fly no (or at least minimal) BA revenue until July 2021. I'm not flouncing off with a mutter of "never again", nor am I under any illusions that it is all milk and honey with the other alliances. Once I have checked out other programs I recognise that there is a good chance I may still conclude BAEC is the best one for me. However, it seems to me I have a choice right now regarding BAEC:

A) Fly 1125TP before July, on a significantly diminished offering and dealing with a constantly changing landscape of cancellations and restrictions. As a primarily leisure flyer based in EDI/GLA things like outstation lounges and onboard soft product are an important part of the value proposition for me. It also obviously means I get to choose when I fly.

B) Fly 1500TP after July, where I would hope that the product is improved and the world has managed to somehow better adapt. And if it's significantly worse, then this is all pretty moot.

Option A would extend my Gold to Aug 2022, while option B would see me to Aug 2023. That's not a particularly difficult decision to make, especially as I would hope B) comes with an improved experience. I wouldn't even particularly need to fly those TP quickly before I soft landed at the start of Sep 2021 as 90% of my flying is done with Mrs BertieB. She also requalified as Gold, but as a 'June baby' is extended till July 2022 anyway and has said she will guest me into the Flounge as long as I behave

Moreover, I've had a lengthy communication with BA CS on this matter and while they seem remarkably reluctant to actually address some questions, one thing they are steadfastly repeating to me is that the program was intended for those who couldn't retain their tier. As I've noted before that's simply at odds with reality but that's what they are resolutely sticking to. So if they need to repeat this exercise next summer, it seems there is a decent chance that having 10TP or having 1000TP will put me in the same position. They've enacted policies where it quite possibly makes sense not to even try to retain my tier this year.

I think you described yourself as "emotionally disengaged". That's a description that resonates with me.

Cyberhacker

EVERYONE got an extension on their 2020 status, extending them to 2021.

That some had already re-qualified as of right for 2021 is irrelevant - or put it another way, having already re-qualified, you didn't need an extension for 2021.

We will see what happens in 2021 for 2022... in my own case, I'm projecting that I'll have done zero flights since my year started (August) until at least February. But for me, that's no big deal.

cheshirepete

I’d be very surprised, especially as we are into Wave 2, and it looks travel will still be heavily restricted until the Spring, if extensions are not revised again early next year. I think those fretting now regarding expiry dates in August 2021 is just a bit premature, and worrying over an issue which will probably level out next year seems unnecessary.

ThatT1Feeling

Yep - thanks for your sage words, cheshirepete and BertieBadger . I actually am not fretting any more. I am, as BB said, emotionally disengaged, and the impact of that for BA is that any 50/50 choice on whether to fly to see a client is likely now to not happen, whereas in previous years I would more often than not have taken the flight. But it's all pretty much moot as there are so many other external factors, not least BA's ability to survive in anything like its previous form.

Trudge67

Apologies as my question is probably answered somewhere already but....

1. My tier year ends 08 July 2021 and currently Nil points
2. my silver status expires end August 2022 after extension.

I have a couple of flights planned for around 8 July 2021 so is there any point in earning points before 8 july 2021 ? Or should i plan the flights after that date to gain the points for the same status after august 2022?

Thanks.