FAQ : BAEC : status extensions & Tier Point (re)qualification thresholds reduced
Apr 16, 2022, 3:01 am
#4411
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Dallas Brett Crescent
Programs: BA Gold, easyJet Plus, YHA platinum, Amex Centurion, Peugeot owners club, Stagecoach gold rider
Posts: 193
If anything they should be increasing the thresholds, it's getting too easy to attain these days just look at the state of the lounges.
Apr 16, 2022, 3:17 am
#4412
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,220
The fact that my daughter, with leisure travel only, is likely to make Gold this year, is testament to this. However, in her case at least, I would put it down to double tier points on holiday bookings more so than the reduced threshold.
Apr 16, 2022, 4:10 am
#4413
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Birmingham
Programs: BA Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 294
I suppose the thing about more leisure-only travellers is that they generally fly far less often so having lots of holidaymakers on status will probably only cause capacity issues in school holidays. I was in Galleries South on April 5th and the place was absolutely bloody rammed - mostly with bored looking kids (who wouldn't be bored if you couldn't help yourself to free Grey Goose?)
Apr 16, 2022, 4:17 am
#4415
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: 30,520
and the double tp be holidays from the uk has created further inequality between uk based and other travellers. I wonder how many people who cannot book uk originating ba holiday have managed to requalify even on even the reduced thresholds. Some I’m sure, but probably not huge numbers.
Apr 16, 2022, 4:25 am
#4416
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
Leisure travel is under your control even for business travellers 
At the end of the day BA can’t keep covering business travellers indefinitely by continually extending status when their travel has been reduced by changed company policies, entry restrictions, or reduced travel budgets. I did raise this issue a while ago on this thread and that there would come a time when this may happen.
At the end of the day BA can’t keep covering business travellers indefinitely by continually extending status when their travel has been reduced by changed company policies, entry restrictions, or reduced travel budgets. I did raise this issue a while ago on this thread and that there would come a time when this may happen.
Apr 16, 2022, 5:44 am
#4417
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,924
I think it's possible (though far from guaranteed) that a 1st Jan flight might slip through - based upon how I suspect BA will handle this.
It seems likely that BA IT will run a report in early Jan to see who hit the reduced thresholds, and these will then be extended. But if they ran this report on 1st Jan, that would mean a lot of "But my late Dec flights didn't post until a week later" calls/enquiries, so I suspect they'll probably run that report about a week into Jan, to allow the late Dec flights to post in time.
Now they could make the report really smart - and unpick the posting date. But I'm not convinced BA will go to that degree of effort. They just need something which catches the vast majority. WIll it be worth the extra effort to catch the odd person that made a flight on the 1st/2nd Jan that pushed them over the threshold?
All this is subject to speculation and no guarantee at all. So anyone wanting to retain a tier, needs to make those flights by 31st Dec. If 1st Jan flights slip through the system, that's an unexpected bonus. If a 1st Jan flight doesn't slip through, then there will be no basis for escalation.
It seems likely that BA IT will run a report in early Jan to see who hit the reduced thresholds, and these will then be extended. But if they ran this report on 1st Jan, that would mean a lot of "But my late Dec flights didn't post until a week later" calls/enquiries, so I suspect they'll probably run that report about a week into Jan, to allow the late Dec flights to post in time.
Now they could make the report really smart - and unpick the posting date. But I'm not convinced BA will go to that degree of effort. They just need something which catches the vast majority. WIll it be worth the extra effort to catch the odd person that made a flight on the 1st/2nd Jan that pushed them over the threshold?
All this is subject to speculation and no guarantee at all. So anyone wanting to retain a tier, needs to make those flights by 31st Dec. If 1st Jan flights slip through the system, that's an unexpected bonus. If a 1st Jan flight doesn't slip through, then there will be no basis for escalation.
I mentioned here several months ago the mood music about global status extensions was there would be no more, that same mood music is that reduced thresholds will end on 31 January unless travel restrictions are reintroduced.
Apr 16, 2022, 5:47 am
#4418
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Cambridge, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,367
The good news is that I got Silver last week thanks to the reduced thresholds. It's the first time I would have got to Silver purely on leisure travel.
Apr 16, 2022, 5:55 am
#4419
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: 30,520
At the end of the day BA can’t keep covering business travellers indefinitely by continually extending status when their travel has been reduced by changed company policies, entry restrictions, or reduced travel budgets. I did raise this issue a while ago on this thread and that there would come a time when this may happen.
My answer simply pointed that the fact that status maintained for x does not mean it would be easy for y and z. for a while they did for everyone now it seems their goal is to focus on uk based leisure travellers and let the rest slip if must be. As I said it’s their choice, they control who they focus on and in turn, we, the customers control how we respond in terms of travel choices when the sky turns bluer in a few months.
Apr 16, 2022, 6:05 am
#4420
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
of course they can - they can do whatever they want without requiring anyone’s permission. Conversely, they don’t owe anything to anyone - regardless of location or profile - so if you mean they don’t have to, then I fully agree that they don’t have to protect anyones status, and never did, it’s totally their choice. I don’t think that is a particularly controversial point.
I would have more sympathy if business travellers didn’t frame their argument as I can’t travel therefore BA must protect my status. People can travel for leisure if they wish and gain TPs from that if status is important to them, and BA is not under obligation to protect your status indefinitely because your employer won’t pay for your business trips or you can no longer go to China etc. where you used to go 5 times a month. It can come across as a sense of entitlement - and yes I note the irony of using that term when it comes to status and FFPs
Apr 16, 2022, 6:11 am
#4421
Join Date: May 2016
Location: EDI
Programs: Was BA GGL but no longer travelling
Posts: 583
This is going to sound really daft but I’ll ask it anyway.
I am GGL, but with Aug expiry I have no possibility to renew. If I get the 1150 (?) required for gold, will I be renewed at gold or will I drop to silver on the basis I didn’t achieve the required TP for my current tier?
I am GGL, but with Aug expiry I have no possibility to renew. If I get the 1150 (?) required for gold, will I be renewed at gold or will I drop to silver on the basis I didn’t achieve the required TP for my current tier?
Apr 16, 2022, 6:13 am
#4422
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
This is going to sound really daft but I’ll ask it anyway.
I am GGL, but with Aug expiry I have no possibility to renew. If I get the 1150 (?) required for gold, will I be renewed at gold or will I drop to silver on the basis I didn’t achieve the required TP for my current tier?
I am GGL, but with Aug expiry I have no possibility to renew. If I get the 1150 (?) required for gold, will I be renewed at gold or will I drop to silver on the basis I didn’t achieve the required TP for my current tier?
Apr 16, 2022, 6:26 am
#4424
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,899
not really surprising: leisure travel is far more under her control than business travel which for many of us is still virtually impossible depending on destination and company.
and the double tp be holidays from the uk has created further inequality between uk based and other travellers. I wonder how many people who cannot book uk originating ba holiday have managed to requalify even on even the reduced thresholds. Some I’m sure, but probably not huge numbers.
and the double tp be holidays from the uk has created further inequality between uk based and other travellers. I wonder how many people who cannot book uk originating ba holiday have managed to requalify even on even the reduced thresholds. Some I’m sure, but probably not huge numbers.
Apr 16, 2022, 6:31 am
#4425
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
personally I haven’t taken any advantage of the double TP offer as I rarely book using BAH.