or, 0.0005% back… in a currency likely to be devalued in the not too distant future.
BA are taking us for mugs.

On Amex - its still showing on the UK site announcing the tier point changes….

Tbh it strikes me as though (as Matt from Matt's planet suggested in one of his videos) BA executives are really against the changes, but have been forced into it by their IAG overlords, and so they don't want to stick their necks out and take the flak for something they don't actually want to do. That would explain the lack of noise on the BAC as a whole. Though the lack of any details on the Amex spend requirements suggests a whole different issue, that being the lack of any agreement between BA and Amex.

Amex may actually benefit if people cancel the BA cards in droves though, as long as they switch to another Amex card. Personally I haven't cancelled by BAPP yet, I would like to actually see what they come up with, and I'm not far off my next companion voucher, so my plan is to just keep the BAPP until I get my CV, and if there's still no details by then, I'll be cancelling the BAPP and probably switching to Amex's own Gold card. I'd imagine that switching from the BA Amex to one of Amex's own branded cards is a win for Amex, so if lots of people end up doing that they probably stand to benefit, although I suspect their concern is if people just cancel the BAPP and don't swicth to other Amex cards, as well as the fact that the BAPP is presumably quite a good way for Amex to pull people in (because of how it's marketed by BA directly to all of their customers), who otherwise may not have taken out an Amex at all.

I’m coming round to the view that things are working out considerably worse than IAG/BA expected.

The lack of agreement with Amex is one thing, but as I posted in another thread there are still lots of good F fares available to the US during the height of the summer holidays - suggesting forward bookings aren’t doing well.

Those who have already jumped ship to Lufthansa or AFKL will be busily earning the points needed to re qualify in their respective schemes, while the Amex debacle will be the final straw for many more.

I’m sure there’s a bit of “sunk cost fallacy” (or just plain denial) at play over the whole thing at Waterside too.

Putting those in was the clear sign to me that the people doing this don't understand the product. It's of course possible that they plan to do more meaningful bonuses (lounge access vouchers for bronze for instance, or 1x upgrade to the Flounge a year for a SCH for example) but didn't get sign off but they'd have been far better off giving nothing than what they decided to release. My first thought was 'you gave me more Avios than that for ordering a Ł120 case of wine at Christmas!)

I’m waiting for clarity on the TP earning so I can push various spend onto the card to trigger voucher and whatever else comes with it - then leaning towards cancelling and using my platinum card (can always return in the future…). The Barclays Avios card gives me a way to keep earning Avios that’s accepted more widely, and I’ll probably reach a point in 2 years where I’ll be almost out of Avios so just using for short haul redemptions so maybe there’s no value in a voucher.

But maybe they’ll surprise me positively 🤣

I have to say the silence from BA is deafening..

I'm holding back my spending until I understand what the Amex agreement is. I quite comfortably put through Ł25k a year on the card and those additional 2500 points make a difference as to whether I try and keep gold status or not.
I would much rather spend with the Lufthansa group purely based on what I consider a better all round product but those BA flights to Asia are relatively cheap at the moment in comparison.

AA is looking more like an attractive proposition especially as a move to the US is on the cards for me for a couple of years. My plan was to keep BA for lifetime tier points as I’m about halfway there and early enough on in my career. But now, that’s been gutted I’m not so sure. Maybe AA will open up a card here or do a deal with Amex but I suspect it will be the pesky interchange fees that make it less attractive.

I will probably hit the spend thresholds to renew Gold but it’s the uncertainty and our corporate policy is we have to take the cheapest fare in the cheapest airline. BA rarely was so it was my own cash that went to them on holidays and paid upgrades.

I’m sure BA have done the math but the spend programmes in AA are simpler and have tangible benefits with upgrades. This is just convoluted and not easy to work out with certainty. Takes away the fun when you now have to consult a table to work out % for partner airlines or deduct various bits from the Ba fare.

I wonder how much BA’s business model is moving in this (Will US Airlines Need To Reinvent Their Business Models?) direction, especially with the potential downturn in US traffic and BAC changes creating more free agents. I still have “hope” that we’ll see good nTP opportunities with credit cards in the US and a competitive offering in the UK and other markets.

With fixed costs and low margins, airlines need fuller planes with the right mix of fare classes, or alternatives (such as credit cards or BA Holidays) revenue. For this US based BAC member, it’s going to be about the credit cards offering. BA Holidays has limited appeal as it’s not practical if I want to travel to say Japan (not going to fly US->UK->Japan) and stay at a Park Hyatt (lose my Globalist rewards).

So what 7ish hours till April 1st, I am guessing a 1am BST announcement.

I still believe that it's TBA and it was never due to be 1st April - it will happen in the future at some undisclosed date.

The fact that the FAQs (which have been updated to move things to the past tense where appropriate) haven't changed at all for the Amex pretty much confirm this.

So BA has updated its website on the new BAC, but someone should have proof-read it. It says Tier Points are awarded on "every eligible flight with British Airways and our oneworld® partners" and then at the bottom of the page says.

"Eligible flights

Eligible flights are defined as those flights marketed by British Airways.

'Marketed' means the flight will have a BA flight number (in your itinerary or on your ticket). The aircraft you travel on can be either a British Airways aircraft or belong to one of our franchises or air partners.

Flights marketed by other airlines, reward bookings and agency or industry-discounted bookings aren't eligible."

https://www.britishairways.com/conte...ut-tier-points

1AM BST BA HQ:




Just waiting to book a reward flight with my 241 and GUF2. Once that's safely booked, I'll be switching to the Amex Gold. Won;t matter what BA do, I won't be flying with them unless I have to, so won't be earning nTPs...

This is so BA. I wonder how the switch will go tomorrow, anyone have confidence that it will be glitch-free?

At least GGL boarding passes are still gold and not white (travelling tomorrow), not sure Manchester would have coped with a white boarding pass at fast track.

Im sure on the 31st December the launch info said further details nearer the time ( re-Amex points).
If you are correct , that BA info would appear to be deliberately misleading.