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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? 

British Airways The Club cards

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

American Airline B777-200

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%.

If you are not familiar with Avio Shop, you can use your Avios to discount popular products and accessories in ‘The Edit’ from Avios Shop by up 50% of their retail price. This is an increase from the limit of 25% set when the retailer launched last year. 
Here are some examples of the rates of Avios you would need to get 50% off:
Those purchasing items from ‘The Edit’ by Avios Shop will also continue to collect 2 Avios per £1 on the cash element of their shopping, including when using Avios as part payment. 
Launched in 2025, ‘The Edit’ by Avios Shop offers a range of travel, technology, and wellness products which can be paid for in part with Avios, or with cash. The full range of brands and products available to purchase can be viewed and purchased via the Avios App or at www.avios.com/en-GB/avios-shop  
 
The key question is, is it a good use of your Avios? The short answer is no. Taking the cheapest item they have, an AirTag for £29, you can spend 2440 Avios to save £14.50. I’m not normally one for valuing Avios exactly, but the general wisdom is that an Avios should be worth around 1p as a minimum redemption value. If you were sticking to a 1p valuation, you should only be spending 1450 Avios to save £14.50. However, with some companies like Apple, the price of new items is usually the same everywhere (except when included on a phone contract), so at least you are unlikely to be overpaying on the full cash price.
 
Using Avios to discount goods has one good purpose: if you are not planning on flying BA ever again, then it is a good way to use up small amounts of Avios.  If you do plan to fly BA again, you can use Avios to offset smaller cost items such as food and drink in Eurotraveller, as well as seat selection, which should use up the spare Avios. 
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