We’ve known has been coming but it doesn’t make it less painful nor it has arrived.

for me it’s time to stop the status game. I future I’ll do my three or four leisure trips to the USA with whoever is cheapest and because I usually book business I’ll still enjoy fast track security and a lounge. In Europe I’ll also go with the cheapest and do without the benefits I’d normally enjoy.

im definitely one of the golds that BA will be keen to demote. Will they be surprised with how many leave them altogether? Somehow I think they might be. Corporates might be where the high yield is but they are definitely risking a lot of discretionary personal spend from reasonably well off people.

I’m sure they know what they’re doing though.

Have just been doing some back if the fag packet calculations for gold based on the self funded traveller.

Someone on a Ł150k salary with a c5% pension contribution would earn the following after deductions:

rUK: Ł86,784
Scotland: Ł81,048

If realistically Gold will take a 25k spend BA are wanting 25-30% of the top 1%'s net pay to be gold.

Likewise getting silver will take a hefty chunk out of someone earning 75k & Bronze earning 50k.

Loyalty schemes have to have an air of being obtainable for them to work. Who is really going to think the value of Bronze is worth anything now.

BA have essentially said that the first 9k of spend (because that's what silver really costs) is worthless in terms of loyalty.

The self funded point is important because BA in their great wisdom have timed the introduction of the new scheme with the addition of VAT on private school fees and the increase to employer national insurance contributions.

So pockets of desirable individuals and big corporates will be feeling the squeeze.

I do wonder where the spend per level came from as am sure a big proportion of the UK based BAEC are not in the 1% of earners.

they are in the normal place

https://www.britishairways.com/conte...and-conditions

So that would mean the only difference between CE and ET is a Ł5 meal, for at least Ł100 extra each way? I imagine CE would be empty!

Thanks. But that links to T & C which refer to today's "enhancements". I'm looking for the (now) old T & C. Can anyone post them please?

BA has been spinning announcements this way for years. Remember the huge cutbacks to lounge catering because "passengers told us they wanted an offering appropriate to the time of day".
You will be awarded your tier points in March as normal, and they will be zeroed out at the start of your new membership year on 1 April. Not converted.
No. It's 7,500 for Silver, inclusive of the 3,500 to get to Bronze.
A one world round the world ticket, visiting 5 continents, in D class (business).
They've been getting it in the neck about overcrowded lounges and premium check in and want elite status to be truly elite? They want to recognise people who spend more rather than people who minmax tier points?

How do they refer to the enhancements announced today and taking effect from april?

Get what you’re saying here. I’ll be perfectly honest, I think it was crazy that I was able to nearly make Gold from 1 First Class round trip to Thailand on QR using the double TP promo and reduced thresholds of Covid. It cost me just over Ł3,000.

BUT… Even at that spend, I really didn’t think the benefits were that mind blowing and never went out of my way to achieve it again. Infact, I done the opposite and let my TP’s run down.

I can see the appeal of this change to BA and great if it works out for them. Personally, I think this will push me to spread my travel across airlines/ alliances as well. 13 years of being gold, this change means most years I’d have been silver rather than gold. My current behaviour sees me over- prioritising BA and OW. I can cite several examples when booking a last minute ticket, I’ve chosen a one stop AA & BA option for the same price as direct with another airline for the same or similar fare.

Although this year & probably next year too, would have gotten me gold under the new system, BA Gold is categorically not worth Ł20k to me based on my experience as a gold member for enough time.

If they made gold genuinely more valuable, I may consider it. First wing was a really nice perk, but outside that… if they swapped to cabin upgrades like many US airlines do or anything else particularly high value to me given I fly for work, and have been lucky all my employers to date let me pick how I travel so long as it’s within policy’s & price limits. Most of the great lounges are partner OW lounges not BAs. The new automated disruption handling also doesn’t seem to prioritise golds obviously (although in theory it did). I’ve always had to call up as the was a better option available that i was not auto rebooked onto. Likewise hotel allocation during distribution seems by cabin and status didn’t play a part. As gold, CS picked up quicker but it was hit or miss in the operator if you got good service. I’m minded to try not being loyal to anyone for a bit. I did that with hotels some years ago and haven’t looked back. I’ve found I spend less on hotels after factoring in free nights on points. Maybe it will work with me for airlines too!

The changes on the site show the updates from earlier this year. You are perhaps confusing the April 2024 changes with the forthcoming April 2025 changes?

I feel they've shot themselves in the foot by setting the bar too high for leisure travellers and removing the gamification aspect.
I think they'll be looking to tweak and adjust over time to encourage leisure travellers back to BA

PPS has gotten easier over the years though - it has been pegged at S$25k forever, even though inflation has eroded what $25k means over the years. Solitaire PPS is also much easier to get now - it used to be that you needed to spend S$250k over five years to qualify - so it would have been impossible to make it to Solitaire from scratch, and now it's $50k each year. SQ has offered soft landings now, when they used not to.

JAL JMB/JGC can be easier than BA Silver in some instance.

The fact that BA is bucking the trend is puzzling - yes, those TP points should go up, but most BA Golds are earned from flying J anyway. Ironically under the new programme I can dole Ł20k on BA Y and still get gold, which is moving away from how PPS is set up

To give a comparison, in Air Canada's program to make a level that gives Star Alliance Gold requires a spend of $6,000 CAD ( about Ł3,300) and their top level requires a spend of $20,000 CAD (about Ł11,100).

Have had BA Gold for the last 7-8 years. Used to be great, with 1A/K and 62/64 on the 747s. Nowadays the benefits vs. Silver are almost non-existent (boarding 1-3 shambles, poorer F lounges, no special seats to choose), BA is consistently MUCH more expensive than alternatives and they operate from the hellhole that is LHR (especially when transferring between terminals - always have a stressful time there).

One nice aspect is op-up’s to F and being able to upgrade for avios. If I was spending Ł20k I’d put that towards almost getting HON, but LH group has destroyed their F product with Allegris.

My short haul flights are all SK (works great as a diamond), unless ex-LHR or HEL, and long haul are almost all premium cabin (try to do paid ones on OneWorld). So the added value of my status is already questionable. I do sometimes like BA onboard when the crew are friendly, but there are other more efficient journeys I’d consider now.

Looking at QRPC, while it’s harder to get Emerald than the current BAEC, it’s a lot easier than the new programme. Avios can also be moved so I don’t end up with yet another new programme.

Already have one J booking on JAL to Japan in early April, and was looking at one with QR in Feb (am 100 TP short of renewing Gold). Question is do I keep these on BA (especially the JAL one as I’d like to use the CX and JL F lounges in LHR and HND for one of the last times)… or do I just move everything over to QR and aim for status there. Probably too early to do so while I still have BA Gold until March (?) 2026.

Given post-pandemic market developments (look at to whom the premium cabins are marketed these days) I sincerely doubt that.