In this post:
BA increases the tier points required for status
British Airways has just shaken things up again. In the last 24 hours, BA dropped a double whammy of updates to The British Airways Club, tweaking both the tier point thresholds needed to hit elite status and slashing the permanent flight segment bonuses that were at least making the previous changes slightly more bearable.
While tier point thresholds rising was inevitable, given the scheme is now linked to cash spend and fuel prices have jumped, this is a clumsy way to do it so close to the previous massive changes. Having also made the bonuses permanent quite recently, and now changing those again as well, it is all far too complicated, with far too many changes for the average person to keep up with. After all, it only very recently gave extra tier points via the BA Amex and sustainable fuel credits only to then raise the thresholds not soon after!
The new status thresholds
British Airways has officially raised the tier points needed for earning elite status. These changes will apply from 1 April 2027. While the base Blue level remains free to join, moving up the ranks now requires a bit more effort:
- Bronze: Remains at 3,500 tier points (or 25 BA flights).
- Silver: Has increased from 7,500 to 8,000 tier points (a 6.7% jump).
- Gold: Has increased from 20,000 to 21,000 tier points (a 5% jump).
You can see the page on ba.com with the new levels here.
Gold Guest List changes
There are more changes for GGL, some significant.
To retain Gold Guest List membership, you’ll need to earn 45,000 tier points, rather than 40,000, in the 2027/2028 collection year, with at least 80% earned on British Airways flights, qualifying add-ons or British Airways Holidays packages.
To achieve the additional Gold Guest List redemption reward, you’ll need to earn 80,000 tier points. You’ll continue to earn further vouchers for every 15,000 tier points earned.
For those aiming for GGL for the first time or GGL for life it will become invite only, for those Gold members who have earned at least 70,000 tier points in one tier point collection year (with a minimum of 56,000 from British Airways-marketed flights, qualifying add-ons or British Airways Holidays packages), or 1.5 million lifetime tier points for Gold Guest List lifetime.
Long-haul cabin bonus reductions
While the threshold increases aren’t what anyone wants to see, the real sting comes from the unannounced cuts to the permanent bonus tier points awarded per flight segment. BA introduced these segment bonuses to help offset the heavily criticised new revenue-based earning system. However, the airline has now “enhanced” the bonuses on premium long-haul flights, cutting those bonuses by up to 60%!
The changes apply to any bookings made from 25 November, for travel from April 2027 onwards.
Any booking already made for April 2027 onwards will receive the current extra tier points.
Just to make it even more complicated, as I’m sure that’s what we asked for, the changes vary according to the cabin and whether it is long or short haul.
- Short-Haul & Economy: If you mostly fly short-haul (Euro Traveller or Club Europe) or stick to standard long-haul economy (World Traveller), your segment bonuses are unchanged.
- Premium Economy: If you fly on non-refundable World Traveller Plus tickets, your bonus has been cut by 36%. Fully flexible premium economy tickets remain safe for now.
- Business & First Class: Club World and First Class face the harshest reductions, making it significantly harder to earn status.
Here is a table of the new bonuses showing the old values as well:
| Flight / Cabin Category | Fare Type / Ticket Class | Old Bonus (2026) | New Bonus (2027) | Net Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro Traveller (Short-Haul Economy) | Plus | 75 TPs | 75 TPs | 0% |
| Euro Traveller (Short-Haul Economy) | Semi-Flex | 175 TPs | 175 TPs | 0% |
| Euro Traveller (Short-Haul Economy) | Fully-Flex | 275 TPs | 275 TPs | 0% |
| Club Europe (Short-Haul Business) | Business | 175 TPs | 175 TPs | 0% |
| Club Europe (Short-Haul Business) | Semi-Flex | 275 TPs | 275 TPs | 0% |
| Club Europe (Short-Haul Business) | Fully-Flex | 375 TPs | 375 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller (Long-Haul Economy) | Standard | 150 TPs | 150 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller (Long-Haul Economy) | Semi-Flex | 250 TPs | 250 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller (Long-Haul Economy) | Flex | 350 TPs | 350 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller (Long-Haul Economy) | Fully-Flex | 450 TPs | 450 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller Plus (Premium Econ) | Premium Economy (Standard) | 275 TPs | 175 TPs | -36.4% |
| World Traveller Plus (Premium Econ) | Semi-Flex | 375 TPs | 375 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller Plus (Premium Econ) | Flex | 475 TPs | 475 TPs | 0% |
| World Traveller Plus (Premium Econ) | Fully-Flex | 575 TPs | 575 TPs | 0% |
| Club World (Long-Haul Business) | Business (Standard) | 500 TPs | 200 TPs | -60.0% |
| Club World (Long-Haul Business) | Semi-Flex | 700 TPs | 400 TPs | -42.8% |
| Club World (Long-Haul Business) | Flex | 900 TPs | 600 TPs | -33.3% |
| Club World (Long-Haul Business) | Fully-Flex | 1,100 TPs | 800 TPs | -27.2% |
| BA First Class (Long-Haul) | First (Standard) | 650 TPs | 300 TPs | -53.8% |
| BA First Class (Long-Haul) | Semi-Flex | 850 TPs | 500 TPs | -41.1% |
| BA First Class (Long-Haul) | Flex | 1,050 TPs | 700 TPs | -33.3% |
| BA First Class (Long-Haul) | Fully-Flex | 1,250 TPs | 900 TPs | -28.0% |
| Partner Flights (AA & Iberia) | Short-Haul Economy | 75 TPs | 75 TPs | 0% |
| Partner Flights (AA & Iberia) | Short-Haul Business | 175 TPs | 175 TPs | 0% |
| Partner Flights (AA & Iberia) | Long-Haul Economy | 150 TPs | 150 TPs | 0% |
| Partner Flights (AA & Iberia) | Long-Haul Premium Economy | 275 TPs | 175 TPs | -36.4% |
| Partner Flights (AA & Iberia) | Long-Haul Business | 500 TPs | 200 TPs | -60.0% |
| Partner Flights (AA & Iberia) | Long-Haul First | 650 TPs | 300 TPs | -53.8% |
Just looking at the table shows how complicated something that BA said would make things simpler for its members has now become!
What do you think of the changes? Will it change how you travel with BA? Let us know in the comments below.
British Airways launch business class sale
BA has also launched a sale today focused on business class. Sadly, many of the fares are extremely expensive, with New York starting from £2748, but San Fransciso is not in the sale and starts from £2737! The sale runs to 3 November. The travel period varies by destination, but most are Feb-June 2027. There is a minimum stay of 3 nights for most long-haul fares.
Club World
Caribbean and South/Central America (Return Fares unless noted)
- Antigua: from £2,249 return
- Buenos Aires: from £3,558 return
- Cancun: from £2,649 return
- Grand Cayman: from £2,238 return
- Kingston: from £2,122 return
- Mexico City: from £2,949 return
- Nassau: from £2,379 return
- Providenciales: from £2,283 return
- Rio de Janeiro: from £3,091 return
- San Jose (Costa Rica): from £2,758 return
- Santiago: from £2,789 return
- Sao Paulo: from £3,638 return
- St Kitts: from £2,280 return
Middle East & Africa (Return Fares unless noted)
-
- Agadir: from £433 each-way
- Rabat: from £453 each-way
- Marrakech: from £519 each-way
- Algiers: from £589
- Amman: from £774
- Tel Aviv: from £841
- Cairo: from £857
- Sharm El Sheikh: from £909
- Lagos: from £2,124
- Doha: from £2,225
- Dubai: from £2,324
- Accra: from £2,353
- Nairobi: from £3,021
- Abuja: from £3,013
- Riyadh: from £3,316
- Bahrain: from £3,318
- Mauritius: from £3,417
- Cape Town: from £3,602
- Johannesburg: from £3,660
- Zanzibar: from £3,969
South & Central Asia (Return Fares)
-
- New Delhi: from £1,898
- Chennai: from £1,998
- Mumbai: from £1,999
- Hyderabad: from £1,999
- Bengaluru: from £2,099
- Islamabad: from £2,199
- Male (Maldives): from £2,498
Far East & Australia (Return Fares)
- Bangkok: from £3,265
- Hong Kong: from £3,674
- Kuala Lumpur: from £3,750
- Melbourne: from £4,926
USA and Canada (Return Fares)
- Austin: from £3,491 return
- Chicago: from £2,798 return
- Cincinnati: from £2,898 return
- Houston: from £3,448 return
- Montreal: from £2,549 return
- New York: from £2,748 return
- Philadelphia: from £2,798 return
- Phoenix: from £3,198 return
- Pittsburgh: from £2,798 return
- Portland: from £2,948 return
- San Diego: from £3,199 return
- Vancouver: from £3,325 return
Club Europe
One way fares:
- Aberdeen: from £129 each-way
- Amsterdam: from £129 each-way
- Athens: from £192 each-way
- Barcelona: from £156 each-way
- Basel: from £131 each-way
- Belfast: from £110 each-way
- Berlin: from £119 each-way
- Billund: from £127 each-way
- Bologna: from £136 each-way
- Brussels: from £135 each-way
- Budapest: from £154 each-way
- Chambery: from £120 each-way
- Copenhagen: from £140 each-way
- Dublin: from £100 each-way
- Dusseldorf: from £138 each-way
- Edinburgh: from £110 each-way
- Florence: from £135 each-way
- Frankfurt: from £140 each-way
- Fuerteventura: from £201 each-way
- Geneva: from £119 each-way
- Gibraltar: from £146 each-way
- Glasgow: from £109 each-way
- Gothenburg: from £135 each-way
- Gran Canaria: from £242 each-way
- Hamburg: from £127 each-way
- Ibiza: from £130 each-way
- Inverness: from £115 each-way
- Istanbul: from £224 each-way
- Jersey: from £133 each-way
- Lanzarote: from £197 each-way
- Lisbon: from £174 each-way
- Lyon: from £147 each-way
- Madrid: from £135 each-way
- Malaga: from £140 each-way
- Marseille: from £153 each-way
- Milan: from £130 each-way
- Munich: from £146 each-way
- Nice: from £167 each-way
- Oslo: from £137 each-way
- Palermo: from £208 each-way
- Paris: from £140 each-way
- Prague: from £137 each-way
- Rome: from £162 each-way
- Salzburg: from £145 each-way
- Stockholm: from £165 each-way
- Tbilisi: from £288 each-way
- Tenerife: from £225 each-way
- Thessaloniki: from £217 each-way
- Tirana: from £143 each-way
- Toulouse: from £139 each-way
- Valencia: from £148 each-way
- Venice: from £142 each-way
- Vienna: from £156 each-way
- Zurich: from £140 each-way
