British Airways customers 'hugely disappointed' as loyalty scheme revamp means only those spending £1,000s a year will earn status perks

The changes relate to how you qualify for the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels of the Executive Club. Avios, the points that let you book reward flights, aren't affected – though we have some info below on whether they're still worth collecting.

BA's Executive Club changes explained

The three key changes, which take force for travel on or after 1 April 2025, are:

1. You'll now earn tier points based on the amount you spend with BA. Tier points determine whether you're a Blue, Bronze, Silver or Gold member. Previously, they were awarded based on the length of the flight and the class you travelled in, with longer flights and higher classes earning more tier points. This meant it was possible to earn status relatively cheaply if you got a particularly good deal on your flights. This will no longer be the case going forward.
   
   You'll earn one tier point per £1 of 'eligible spend' with BA, regardless of the flight distance or class. Eligible spend includes seat reservation and baggage fees but NOT any non-airline taxes and fees. On basic economy flights, these taxes and fees can make up a big chunk of what you pay, making it even harder to reach the higher tiers if you don't travel in the premium cabins.

2. You'll be able to earn tier points on your entire BA Holidays spend – not just the flights. This could be a major boon, especially if you tend to stay in high-end hotels or resorts. However, any tier points you earn via BA Holidays will be split evenly between all the people on the booking. So, for example, on a £4,000 holiday for a family of four (including children), each person will only get 1,000 tier points.
   
   Moreover, the generous promotion offering double tier points for BA flights taken as part of a holiday package will end on 31 March 2025.

3. The number of tier points you need for each status level is MUCH higher. For example, to reach Silver – arguably the sweet spot for many given its range of benefits – you'll now need 7,500 points versus just 600 previously (as shown in the table below).

Later this year, BA will also introduce a way for holders of its pricey 'Premium Plus' American Express credit card to earn up to 2,500 tier points by spending on their card. It will also offer free bonus Avios as you progress up the tiers.

BA says the shake-up will give Club members "more opportunities to unlock rewards" as well as making it "simpler" to work out how many tier points you can expect.

The changes mean you'll now need to spend £3,500+ to earn ANY BA Club perks

The combined effect of the changes BA is making is that many will find it much harder to get Bronze, Silver or Gold status:

What about existing bookings?

The number of tier points you get will depend on when you're travelling and when you booked:

• Travelling before 1 April 2025? You'll earn tier points under the old method, regardless of when the booking was made.

• Travelling on or after 1 April 2025 and booked ON OR AFTER 1pm on 30 December 2024? You'll earn tier points under the new system as outlined above.

• Travelling on or after 1 April 2025 and booked BEFORE 1pm on 30 December 2024? The number of tier points you get will be based on a conversion of the old system. You'll earn proportionally the same number of tier points, or more, as you would have under the previous system.
  
  For example, an Economy flight from London Heathrow to New York will earn 267 tier points each way instead of 20, while a Business ('Club Europe') flight from Heathrow to Madrid will earn 534 tier points each way instead of 40.

Your tier points balance will reset every year on 1 April starting in April 2026.

You can still collect and redeem Avios regardless of your BA status or spend

As mentioned above, BA hasn't announced any changes to how Avios work or to your existing Avios balance for the time being – so if your main priority is to get heavily discounted reward flights by collecting and redeeming Avios, then you can keep doing that despite the Executive Club changes.

The big risk is that BA could suddenly slash what Avios points are worth. Unfortunately, there's no easy trick or workaround here – the only way to insure against a devaluation is not to keep a big Avios balance. Instead, aim to book your reward flight as soon as you have enough points.

There are other ways to spend Avios, but they tend to be far less lucrative. For example, each Avios is only worth 0.5p when converted into Nectar points – whereas if you book a long-haul reward flight in a premium cabin, each Avios can be worth 1p or more.

Are BA credit cards still worth it?

British Airways offers several specialist credit cards in partnership with American Express (Amex) and Barclaycard. These let you earn Avios (not tier points) through your everyday spending.

Since Avios aren't changing, most of these cards aren't directly affected by the Executive Club shake-up. The exception is the £300 a year 'Premium Plus' Amex – at some point this year, this will be upgraded to let you earn up to 2,500 tier points as well as Avios on your spending (though we don't yet know how much you'll have to spend to get these tier points).

Of course, if you're worried about what could happen to Avios in the future, you may decide that you no longer want to keep all your eggs in the BA basket. If so, one option to consider is switching to a credit card that allows you to earn points for multiple airlines at the same time – see our Airline credit cards guide for more on this.

'Hugely disappointed': Frequent flyers react to the shake-up

Some unhappy Executive Club members were quick to share their reactions on social media:

If you're looking for alternatives to BA, check out our Cheap flights guide for tips on getting the best deals.