British Airways?is revamping its frequent flyer program with a significant shift toward a revenue-based system that rewards travelers based on spending, rather than the distance flown or the cabin in which they fly. The updated program, set to launch on April 1, 2025, is being rebranded as The British Airways Club and promises more opportunities to accumulate loyalty points.?
Under the redesigned system, members will earn 1 Tier Point for every ?1 ($1.24) spent on flights, as well as on extras like seat selection and baggage fees. To support sustainability, customers can rack up additional Tier Points¡ªup to 1,000 annually¡ªby purchasing contributions to sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Those booking British Airways Holidays will also see no cap on Tier Points earned through purchases of their vacation packages, in addition to the airline¡¯s double Tier Points promotion.?
The airline said in a statement that the latest changes to its loyalty program come on the heels of previous modifications that were made last year, which saw customers awarded Avios points based on their spending. It also emphasized that the shift has seen 70 percent of members collecting the same or more Avios as they did under the previous model.?
Travelers with bookings already scheduled for after April 1, 2025, will receive Tier Points through a conversion from the current system. These bookings will accumulate an equal or greater number of Tier Points compared to the existing method.
Colm Lacy, British Airways¡¯ Chief Commercial Officer, said, ¡°The changes we have announced today underline our continued investment in our loyalty program and in our customers. Based on our Members¡¯ feedback, we¡¯ve built on the changes we¡¯ve already made¡ªincluding how customers collect Avios and their membership year¡ªin a way that we believe better rewards their loyalty and reflects their changing travel needs.?
¡°While we have announced a number of positive changes today, I particularly wanted to highlight better rewarding our customers who book through British Airways Holidays and making this a permanent part of our proposition, removing the limit on earning. We know that many of our customers make their holiday plans during our annual January sale period, so it¡¯s great to be able to announce this today.¡±?
To complement the new earnings framework, British Airways is also restructuring tier thresholds. Members will need 3,500 points to achieve Bronze status, 7,500 for Silver and 20,000 to reach Gold. Additionally, the airline is introducing milestone bonuses, allowing members to receive bonus Avios at intervals along their journey to the next tier.
To commemorate these program updates, British Airways is providing limited-time bonus Tier Points for bookings made by February 14, 2025, for travel beginning April 1, 2025. The bonus Tier Points will vary depending on the cabin class selected, ranging from Euro Traveller to First.
These changes constitute part of British Airways' ?7 billion ($8.7 billion) transformation program, unveiled last year. Passengers can look forward to an enhanced digital experience, including a wholly redesigned website and app, alongside new and upgraded aircraft and a revamped First suite, among other improvements.
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