BA ANNOUNCEMENT - BA to move to a spend based Tier Point system From 1st April 2025
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:40 am
#2266
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Silver (ex-GGL and Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,467
So if this revenue model is going to generate additional spend, rather than heaping tier points and Avios on people who have no choice but to fly BA for work, it can do so in a number of ways:
- Encourage people to book more flexible fares or to delay booking until closer to the day of travel, when fares can be expected to be higher
- Encourage business travellers to put all their spending in one place to get over a status threshold (if a return J long-haul was typically 280/1,500 TPs for Gold, this model works better for people who are paying an average of 4k+ for O&D tickets)
- Make it harder to retain BA status so that people will abandon secondary statuses, and/or encourage them to focus their loyalty on BA and JBV partners, e.g., to fly LHR-DOH-MEL rather than LHR-CMB-MEL (the latter earning half the tier points of the former under the new model)
- Leisure travellers who don't also book long, 5* holiday stays
- Anyone who is fairly flexible about bookings but who would pay a small(ish) premium for BA/OneWorld products
- Anyone who might be ambivalent about flying in a higher cabin (and paying more to do so) but for whom loyalty/status benefits might have tipped them over the edge.
Last edited by Cymro; Jan 7, 2025 at 4:31 am
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:41 am
#2267
Join Date: May 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGLfL, Flying Blue Platinum, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 917
Yes, I would expect that the infant isn't factored in at all when calculating the tier points.
If 1 parent and 1 infant is travelling on the same ticket, I would expect the parent to receive all the tier points for that ticket, including any fare/surcharges element of the 10% extra for the infant.
However, if BA were really harsh, the adult would only get 50% of the total price paid as tier points, as the infant is considered a passenger on the ticket, but can't claim the tier points.
Also, side tracking, but do infants get tier points if they are booked into their own seat vs being a lap-infant?
If 1 parent and 1 infant is travelling on the same ticket, I would expect the parent to receive all the tier points for that ticket, including any fare/surcharges element of the 10% extra for the infant.
However, if BA were really harsh, the adult would only get 50% of the total price paid as tier points, as the infant is considered a passenger on the ticket, but can't claim the tier points.
Also, side tracking, but do infants get tier points if they are booked into their own seat vs being a lap-infant?
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:41 am
#2268
Join Date: Nov 2022
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Blue
Posts: 1,276
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:46 am
#2269
Join Date: Nov 2022
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Blue
Posts: 1,276
What about satisfying the Exec club members by arranging the senior person to take a run up 27L with members holding water balloons filled with custard?
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:48 am
#2271
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic 3, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), UA Silver
Posts: 6,171
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:52 am
#2273
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 961
Booking an infant as a separate child ticket should be possible, but that's something different.
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:53 am
#2274
Join Date: Nov 2022
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Blue
Posts: 1,276
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:55 am
#2275
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 6,684
Cant help but wonder if IAG management and whatever consultants they used being largely non-British basically meant they didnt get the weird British class system throwback dynamics embedded in BA status that was working in their favour. Equally why it sounds like some in BA management did get it. Its like a private club, if you can just buy your way in, suddenly no one wants it any more. A revenue based programme in the UK wont operate in the same way as the US unless BA is now mainly targeting non-Brits.
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:56 am
#2276
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA (Gold), Flying Blue (Gold), Virgin (Gold)
Posts: 100
Perhaps I'm giving BA too much credit but IAG are not amateurs and one would assume that they do have the numbers to support the rationale for the change.
My view, for what it's worth, is that moving to a revenue-based model makes much more sense. The only measure of loyalty any business really gives a stuff about is pounds and pence spent directly with them. You can see that in the way TPs will be issued for flying on OW partners other than under a BA codeshare: other than QR (who effectively own 25% of IAG) and their joint business partner AY, the partner TPs are very low.
I do have a sneaky suspicion that BA have overshot with the thresholds- a 20,000 net spend for gold is a lot of money regardless of who is paying. I can well see them backtracking slightly. Probably not directly but by applying a small TP multiplier to people who hold Bronze or Silver status, or by offering TP bonuses to people close to the next tier.
I'd be better off under the new scheme than under the old one- with my BAH spend I'd pretty much be bronze under the new scheme but under the old one I'm only halfway there, even with the double TPs.
But I accept my position is relatively niche: my travel often involves a Loganair connecting flight under a BA codeshare that can often be 175-200 each way yet only nets me 5TP or 10TP each way. 150/3500 is better than 5/300.
My view, for what it's worth, is that moving to a revenue-based model makes much more sense. The only measure of loyalty any business really gives a stuff about is pounds and pence spent directly with them. You can see that in the way TPs will be issued for flying on OW partners other than under a BA codeshare: other than QR (who effectively own 25% of IAG) and their joint business partner AY, the partner TPs are very low.
I do have a sneaky suspicion that BA have overshot with the thresholds- a 20,000 net spend for gold is a lot of money regardless of who is paying. I can well see them backtracking slightly. Probably not directly but by applying a small TP multiplier to people who hold Bronze or Silver status, or by offering TP bonuses to people close to the next tier.
I'd be better off under the new scheme than under the old one- with my BAH spend I'd pretty much be bronze under the new scheme but under the old one I'm only halfway there, even with the double TPs.
But I accept my position is relatively niche: my travel often involves a Loganair connecting flight under a BA codeshare that can often be 175-200 each way yet only nets me 5TP or 10TP each way. 150/3500 is better than 5/300.
My survey seems to say otherwise:
1) The BA website and app both being incredibly faulty. It literally can't keep me logged in which seems a pretty basic concept.
2) Aer Lingus being one of the worst airlines globally.
3) A 15 year struggle to integrate Aer Lingus into OW and align avios/points.
4) IT infrastructure being buggy at best. Often resulting in check-in issues and in some cases bumping.
5) The BA economy Europe product being substandard to other flag carriers and only marginally superior (mainly seat quality) to budget airlines.
6) The business product being subpar vs other global carriers.
7) Regional lounges being non-existent/poor.
I could overlook these issues when I took into account Gold benefits but am I really going to direct travel to that model if the outcome is far less certain given the changes. This is from someone who's been gold for well over a decade. I probably direct somewhere between 10-80k in spend towards BA a year with an average of about 15-20k. That always secured gold through that period.
Really disappointed in these changes and whilst T5 had felt like home base for many years, this just feels like a kick in the nuts.
Jan 2, 2025 | 6:57 am
#2277
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA (Gold), Flying Blue (Gold), Virgin (Gold)
Posts: 100
Yes, but thats why BAEC was genius, it was making otherwise sensible professional people make completely irrational decisions and for whatever reason that has been deliberately blown up 😂
Cant help but wonder if IAG management and whatever consultants they used being largely non-British basically meant they didnt get the weird British class system throwback dynamics embedded in BA status that was working in their favour. Equally why it sounds like some in BA management did get it. Its like a private club, if you can just buy your way in, suddenly no one wants it any more. A revenue based programme in the UK wont operate in the same way as the US unless BA is now mainly targeting non-Brits.
Cant help but wonder if IAG management and whatever consultants they used being largely non-British basically meant they didnt get the weird British class system throwback dynamics embedded in BA status that was working in their favour. Equally why it sounds like some in BA management did get it. Its like a private club, if you can just buy your way in, suddenly no one wants it any more. A revenue based programme in the UK wont operate in the same way as the US unless BA is now mainly targeting non-Brits.
Jan 2, 2025 | 7:02 am
#2278
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA,CX, BA, Priority Club, SPG, Hilton
Posts: 1,421
Yes BA are in their infancy but I'm not sure they've got the point. They've turned BAEC into a big On Business scheme. I don't think that's what the US airlines have done. They're essentially consumer schemes. US airlines get that chucking status at consumers to drive spend and loyalty drives results. The marginal cost is minimal, the marginal revenue increase is huge. BA have have missed the trick which is to go hard on incentivizing individuals to drive more spend through the airline and their ancillary offerings. With UA I get "tier points" (PQPs) on redemption bookings, waitlisted upgrade copays, credit card spend, alongside my flights. And I build status. And that builds loyalty. Maybe this'll come. But right now it feels like BA is just misrewarding corporate spend at the level of BA Club and forgetting that their aim should instead be to make sure that every person in the UK is chasing status (and spend) through the BA Club. That's the pathway to $.
looks at other major carriers' announcements, and look at BA, who on earth would believe this kind of immature major change just rolled out in such a rush? This still want to call them elite ? It's just pure delusional because they had a super duper earning . There is an old saying , if the way is working, why change? The IAG just let them fly fire without constraints and the board just no action ?
if this all ends good for BA, good for them, otherwise, who to blame?
Jan 2, 2025 | 7:04 am
#2280
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 157
My farther in law wanted to book a 7k BAH last week. He tried 6 times online, but it always failed whilst taking payment. He then rang BA, but the lines were busy and wouldn't even put him in a queue. Eventually on the 3rd call and after 45 mins on hold, he got through to someone. Apparently the taxes were 20 off online, so wouldn't complete the booking.
He went to all of this effort with BA to keep his Silver status. With any possibility of this now out the window, there are plenty of other providers that can be used for a similar price, but actually act like they want your money.
He went to all of this effort with BA to keep his Silver status. With any possibility of this now out the window, there are plenty of other providers that can be used for a similar price, but actually act like they want your money.