Retaining Gold w/o flying on BA metal
Apr 12, 2022, 11:24 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: HH Gold VIP, BonVoy Gold, BAEC Gold, AmEx Platinum, Visa Infinite
Posts: 689
Retaining Gold w/o flying on BA metal
Hi guys,
I have been BAEC Gold for a few years now. I used to use London as a hub for most of my international flights. Since COVID hit BA has stopped flying out of my base airport, which left me needing to use other airlines. I have maintained my BAEC tier points needed for Gold through QR, but I won't be able to retain the sectors flights needed.
Does anyone know if BA would be willing to wave that for me given that they stopped flying out my cities International airport?
Thanks
I have been BAEC Gold for a few years now. I used to use London as a hub for most of my international flights. Since COVID hit BA has stopped flying out of my base airport, which left me needing to use other airlines. I have maintained my BAEC tier points needed for Gold through QR, but I won't be able to retain the sectors flights needed.
Does anyone know if BA would be willing to wave that for me given that they stopped flying out my cities International airport?
Thanks
Apr 12, 2022, 11:34 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Falkirk, Scotland,VS Red, BA Gold, HH Diamond,UK Amex Plat
Programs: Master of the Privy Purse des Muccis
Posts: 17,899
Hi,
The eligible flights include a BA flight number on any airline ( ie code share - but this normally involves 1 leg on a BA flight) or flights marketed and operated by Iberia.
Regards
TBS
The eligible flights include a BA flight number on any airline ( ie code share - but this normally involves 1 leg on a BA flight) or flights marketed and operated by Iberia.
Regards
TBS
Apr 12, 2022, 2:24 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,990
I have been BAEC Gold for a few years now. I used to use London as a hub for most of my international flights. Since COVID hit BA has stopped flying out of my base airport, which left me needing to use other airlines. I have maintained my BAEC tier points needed for Gold through QR, but I won't be able to retain the sectors flights needed.
Does anyone know if BA would be willing to wave that for me given that they stopped flying out my cities International airport?
Does anyone know if BA would be willing to wave that for me given that they stopped flying out my cities International airport?
01 Moving between tiers
The promotion process is not as simple as it could be at first glance. First off, in addition to accruing the Tier Points required to qualify for promotion to the next tier or retain at the current tier, you also need to fly either two (for Bronze) or four (for Silver or Gold) qualifying flights during your membership year.
02 What is a qualifying flight?
Examples of criteria used to determine a qualifying flight:
BA operated + BA flight prefix
BA operated + other flight prefix
Other carrier operated + BA flight prefix
IB operated + IB flight prefix
Note, reward bookings and agency or industry discounted bookings are not qualifying flights. BA/IB subsidiaries and franchise operated flights are though.
The promotion process is not as simple as it could be at first glance. First off, in addition to accruing the Tier Points required to qualify for promotion to the next tier or retain at the current tier, you also need to fly either two (for Bronze) or four (for Silver or Gold) qualifying flights during your membership year.
02 What is a qualifying flight?
Examples of criteria used to determine a qualifying flight:
BA operated + BA flight prefix
BA operated + other flight prefix
Other carrier operated + BA flight prefix
IB operated + IB flight prefix
Note, reward bookings and agency or industry discounted bookings are not qualifying flights. BA/IB subsidiaries and franchise operated flights are though.
Apr 12, 2022, 4:46 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
As I mentioned earlier at threads addressing similar situations, I was able to get a one-time exception as BA did not fly to Istanbul for 8 months straight due to Turkey imposing 14 days of government imposed quarantine for UK arrivals during the Kent variant and UK red-listing Turkey for the spring/summer period in 2021.
In my claim, I explained the situation with one sentence and wrote the information of 5-6 BA flights that were cancelled including the route, the PNR and the date.
If the OP is located in Toronto, BA flew to Toronto for at least the previous 8 months as I know someone who flew BA to Toronto last October and Canada relaxed their border restrictions last year.
In my claim, I explained the situation with one sentence and wrote the information of 5-6 BA flights that were cancelled including the route, the PNR and the date.
If the OP is located in Toronto, BA flew to Toronto for at least the previous 8 months as I know someone who flew BA to Toronto last October and Canada relaxed their border restrictions last year.
Apr 12, 2022, 7:34 pm
#7
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,402
It's often possible to find AA-operated flights with BA or IB flight numbers between the EU and the US, and they will count for tier qualification. I recently flew FCO-PHL-ORD-FCO on AA with BA flight numbers and those were counted by BAEC as three qualifying flights. The fare with BA or IB flight numbers booked on ba.com or iberia.com is occasionally even a bit cheaper than if it were booked on aa.com.
Apr 12, 2022, 8:34 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,579
You've also got a few fifth freedom BA routes operating in and around the Caribbean which would negate having to do a Euro trip if you're indeed based in the Americas and needed to get your 4 sectors sorted. NAS-GCM and ANU-SKB are 2 that spring to mind. There are others.
Apr 13, 2022, 3:07 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: LHR/LGW
Programs: LH *G (SEN), VS Silver, BA Silver, Goldpointplus Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor silver, *ACP
Posts: 443
Apr 13, 2022, 3:38 am
#10
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,731
Note that for those whose membership collection year ending 9 June 2022 or sooner don't need to worry about eligible flights for the upcoming renewal, since there is automatic extension for these cardholders. More details:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...21-update.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...21-update.html
Apr 13, 2022, 4:26 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,031
If 4 BA / IB flights is not going to be feasible going forward, then perhaps it's time to be considering another Oneworld ffp.
Although many of us are quite able to distinguish between Executive Club and the actual airline, you have to be flying BA/AA/IB to be getting any extra Avios due to your tier. You also really need to be flying BA metal to have any chance at an op-up. And you need to be flying through a few select airports (such as LHR) to be accessing a better lounge than a soft-landed Silver (or other Oneworld Sapphire) status would get you...
Although many of us are quite able to distinguish between Executive Club and the actual airline, you have to be flying BA/AA/IB to be getting any extra Avios due to your tier. You also really need to be flying BA metal to have any chance at an op-up. And you need to be flying through a few select airports (such as LHR) to be accessing a better lounge than a soft-landed Silver (or other Oneworld Sapphire) status would get you...
Apr 13, 2022, 5:08 am
#12
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,164
Note that for those whose membership collection year ending 9 June 2022 or sooner don't need to worry about eligible flights for the upcoming renewal, since there is automatic extension for these cardholders. More details:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...21-update.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...21-update.html
My Tier Year ended 8th April and I am now at 0. I need to acquire 1,125 Tier Points by 31st December 2022 in order to re-qualify for 2023-4. According to the aboveI do not need 4 qualifying flights on BA or IB. I might add that this is not an issue as I will be doing that easily. Him Indoors year ends 8th July 2022 and we do not know yet whether he will enjoy the same re-qualification criteria as me and have to accumulate 1,500 points by next July if everything stays the same.
Please shoot down anything that I have got wrong.
PGxxxx
Apr 13, 2022, 5:15 am
#13
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,731
The word I think you may have missed is "upcoming". We are now on 13 April, so 9 April is in the past. For that event on 9 April you would not need any eligible flights, you were just renewed. Hence the next upcoming event for you is 9 April 2023 - which is after June 2022. So for that event, as things stand, you would need both eligible flights and tier points. As you rightly point out the tier point bit is lower if you get them all in by year end. More details in the wiki and thread referenced.
Apr 13, 2022, 6:41 am
#14
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,164
The word I think you may have missed is "upcoming". We are now on 13 April, so 9 April is in the past. For that event on 9 April you would not need any eligible flights, you were just renewed. Hence the next upcoming event for you is 9 April 2023 - which is after June 2022. So for that event, as things stand, you would need both eligible flights and tier points. As you rightly point out the tier point bit is lower if you get them all in by year end. More details in the wiki and thread referenced.