BREAKING: British Airways increase tier points again + other changes and Avios Shop Increases Redemption Limit to 50%

British Airways increases tier points again

For the second time since Tiermageddon in December 2024, British Airways has announced changes to how they award tier points. Previously, they announced a temporary bonus based on the cabin travelled, which was then made permanent. Now they are adding extra tier points depending on the fare category, as well as some other changes. I’m sure I am not the only one who thinks this smacks of “Tell me you made a mistake by setting the tier points levels too high, without admitting you made a mistake”. I wonder if they will just keep tinkering until people start to come back? 

Some people may have received an email; so far, I am not one of them, so don’t worry if you haven’t gotten one yet. 

Cabin bonus tier point increases

Here are the new tier point level “bonuses” based on the cabin AND the fare basis:

As before, you won’t receive any bonus for hand baggage only fares.

Cabin bonus on American Airlines and Iberia

There are also new bonuses on American Airlines and Iberia flights. Since the changes, the earning rate for many partners has been very low, so this is a potential improvement, although for some routes, like a transcontinental US flight, it may be worse than the original rates. 

Here is what you will earn on AA and Iberia in terms of a cabin bonus each way:

This includes flights taken as part of a British Airways Holidays package, but does not include Basic Economy fares.

• Economy short haul: 75 tier points
• Business class short haul: 175 tier points
• Economy long haul: 150 tier points
• Premium economy long haul: 275 tier points
• Business class long haul: 500 tier points
• First class long haul: 650 tier points

If you normally travel on the cheapest fares, you are unlikely to see any difference when flying BA. Those who spend more cash on flexible fares will benefit more from the change and get more tier points. This seems a very odd way to tackle the issue: BA has alienated previously loyal leisure travellers, or those who had a small amount of business travel and topped up the rest of their tier points with their personal travel. Since the majority of these people CHOSE BA, unlike business travellers who often have no choice in who they use, this doesn’t benefit the people who have been most affected by the changes. There are some smaller businesses that have also moved their business away from BA due to the changes, which may benefit, but I am failing to see who else it is going to entice back to BA?

SAF – double the TP and buy up to 2000 tier points per year

The third change will be useful for those who are close to making status but don’t want to take a flight. When The Club was first announced, you could earn up to 1000 tier points from buying SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). You used to earn 1 Tier point for every £1 you spend on SAF and 10 Avios. SAF contributions will now be capped at 2,000 tier points per membership year from 1 April 2026. You will also earn 2 Tier Points per £1 spent. You can buy SAF here.

Finally, you will earn 2 tier points for every £1 spent on baggage and seating, double the previous 1 TP per £1.

You can find all the official details here on the BA website.

What do you think of the changes? Does it make you reconsider whether to fly with British Airways? Let us know in the comments below.

Avios Shop Increases Redemption Limit to 50% 

Avios Shop, the online retail site from Avios, has announced that it is increasing the redemption limit for its products to 50%.

• Apple iPhone 17 Pro 256GB- £549.50 + 92,510 Avios (RRP: £1,099) 
• Apple iPhone 17 256GB – £399.50 + 67,255 Avios (RRP: £799) 
• Carl Friedrik Navy/Hackett Cabin Suitcase – £222.50 + 37,460 Avios (RRP: £445) 
• Cubitts Black Panton Sunglasses – £75 + 13,345 Avios (RRP: £150) 
• Apple AirPods 4 – £59.50 + 10,015 Avios (RRP: £119)