British Airways Executive Club is making some major changes to the timeline during which you can earn status. The requirements to earn status aren’t changing, but rather just the exact timeline during which you can qualify.
In this post:
British Airways unifies Tier Points collection year
You can qualify for British Airways Executive Club status based on how many Tier Points you rack up. Historically, every member has had their own qualifying year, based on the anniversary of when they joined the program.
A member’s Tier Points total would then reset on the eighth day of the month following their anniversary. In other words, if one joined on June 15, they would have until July 8 of the following year to qualify for status. So each Executive Club member has historically been using their own status year. That will now be changing as of 2025.
As of April 1, 2025, British Airways Executive Club will create a single status qualification year. Specifically, you’ll be able to collect Tier Points between April 1 and March 31 of the following year, and status will then be valid through April 30 of the year after that.
How does this work during the transition period:
- If you earn status by March 31, 2025, then your status will automatically be valid through April 30, 2025
- If you don’t quite earn status by March 31, 2025, and your membership year is ongoing, then the qualification year will be shortened to March 31, 2025, and then you’ll have an adjustment of Tier Points added to your account during the new standardized year
Why is British Airways making this change?
Here’s how British Airways explains its decision to change how earning elite status works:
This change will simplify the journey for Executive Club Members by aligning all Members to the same Tier Point Collection Year, making it easier to manage travel plans for yourself, colleagues and family.
Honestly, while I know many savvy consumers liked the old system, there is something to be said for the simplicity of the new program, as the old program wasn’t exactly straightforward (especially with the eighth day of the month factoring into everything).
Similarly, if you were a family, it was very possible that multiple family members took exactly the same flights but earned different based, due to the varying qualification years.
Bottom line
As of April 1, 2025, British Airways Executive Club is changing its Tier Points collection year. Rather than each member having their own qualification year for earning status, British Airways will be simplifying this. All members will have between April 1 and March 31 of the following year to earn status, and then status is valid through April 30 of the year after that.
While some minor opportunities are definitely eliminated with this change, I’d say this is sensible, as it eliminates any confusion regarding earning status. I still think just using the standard calendar year would be more logical, but…
What do you make of British Airways’ Tier Points collection year changes?
Won't it be easier to make collection period running from January 1st to December 31st?
This also coincides with the end of "winter" from an air transport point of view, meaning mileage runs will likely happen during le lowest demand period.
From BA's point of view this promotes a smoothening of demand's seasonality which drives efficiency.
That, with the fiscal year comment made by Sam, seem to be the most plausible explaination. The simplification is not really a sales argument. BA maybe expects modest benefits in terms of customer...
This also coincides with the end of "winter" from an air transport point of view, meaning mileage runs will likely happen during le lowest demand period.
From BA's point of view this promotes a smoothening of demand's seasonality which drives efficiency.
That, with the fiscal year comment made by Sam, seem to be the most plausible explaination. The simplification is not really a sales argument. BA maybe expects modest benefits in terms of customer care demand due to confusing dates.
April Fools Day (01 April) seems appropriate, doesn't it?
BA are known for a series of high profile IT stuff-ups over the past few years. While I sort of see the efficiency 'logic' of updating all your frequent flyers in own foul swoop, imagine the scenario where 'something went wrong'. ou piss off ALL your demographic while you try to address any correction, whereas with the current individual anniversary, such a problem would alienate only...
April Fools Day (01 April) seems appropriate, doesn't it?
BA are known for a series of high profile IT stuff-ups over the past few years. While I sort of see the efficiency 'logic' of updating all your frequent flyers in own foul swoop, imagine the scenario where 'something went wrong'. ou piss off ALL your demographic while you try to address any correction, whereas with the current individual anniversary, such a problem would alienate only a very small number of your demographic - and should be far easier to fix quickly.
I've never understood the fascination that US hotel chains have with implementing a singular 'anniversary' date, but it seems to work for them. However, its a lot easier for members to book and address any short-fall qualifications for a few hundred dollars.
However, the same can't really be said / experienced with airlines and the booking of overseas travel, which require a good bit more finesse.
Oh well, their airline, their FF program and their clients. And, of course, their problem.
While there is no change as to HOW tier points are earned, BA needs a change. BA remains one of the few airlines that does not afford any tier status credit with co-branded credit card spending (or other means). Having been BA Gold for years, I'm less and less motivated to renew and more and more likely to use another carrier for TATL flights.
Bit confusing. As these things often are. Basically, it's just another way of:
a) starting everyone's new collection year April 1st THIS year
b) keeping their current progress/target intact
The losers here, unfortunately, are anyone part-way through their membership year and have already done the majority of their point collection. As of end March, everyone's earning points towards the membership year starting in Apr 1 2025. On the plus-side I *think* the level...
Bit confusing. As these things often are. Basically, it's just another way of:
a) starting everyone's new collection year April 1st THIS year
b) keeping their current progress/target intact
The losers here, unfortunately, are anyone part-way through their membership year and have already done the majority of their point collection. As of end March, everyone's earning points towards the membership year starting in Apr 1 2025. On the plus-side I *think* the level you earn will be valid for a year.
They're just saying it differently because those people will be less upset...
e.g.
Your membership year ends 8th Nov. You've earned 1k TPs already and have 500 planned between 1st Apr and renewal
In Nov, you receive Gold.
Your new earning cycle is now 1st Apr 24 (ie 7 months prior) to 31st Mar 25.
That 500 you earned already goes towards target, but if you want to keep Gold you have to earn another 1k TPs in the next 5 months.
What's unclear is whether, if you miss the new March 31st target, you lost status or keep it for 12 months from when you earned it.
The dirt on that plane in the picture pretty much sums up the state of BA and its IT department at the moment.
"If you earn status by March 31, 2025, then your status will automatically be valid through April 30, 2025."
Pretty short validity period :-).
That's how iberia avíos program has worked for years.
Not a fan of this at all. We can look forward to some seriously inflated March cash fares from points running
I think it is very weird that some airlines do this. Why does everybody need to have the same date? And even weirder when they don't use the calendar year. Just weird...
It’s to closely match the UK tax year.
I mean that's one of the excuses they've rolled out but in reality it's to match IB's reset date which is 01.04.XX and to make things easier for themselves as a group when it comes to reporting, as well as no doubt they've found some way to combine some of those reporting functions to save a few more pennies which is a BA preoccupation.
There's lots of people already annoyed, including myself for full...
I mean that's one of the excuses they've rolled out but in reality it's to match IB's reset date which is 01.04.XX and to make things easier for themselves as a group when it comes to reporting, as well as no doubt they've found some way to combine some of those reporting functions to save a few more pennies which is a BA preoccupation.
There's lots of people already annoyed, including myself for full disclosure, that they will be basing requalification on the 12 months from 004 this year which will rob those who've got BAH bookings this March earning 320 TP's via the double awards running throughout this year which is just over half the requirement for Silver / OW Sapphire & will now be ignored when the next qualifying assessment is done forcing a notable additional spend of either another 160 earning flight and min 5 days hotel or car hire OR two 160 TP runs ( well a 160 and a 140 but I'm not sure 140s exist short haul so for time and cost 2 160s in practice).
They can think agains if they think they're going to move the goalposts and downgrade our status or force additional spend due to ignoring earnings credited between announcing the changes and implementation.
I get it's their club & we're playing their game but taking punitive actions or compelling further financial reward to themselves when someone would've maintained status under the system in place when bookings were made/ paid for and contract created has to be open to challenge I'd ( admittedly hopefully) assume
BA is owned by IAG so reports as a European company ie Jan-Dec