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British Airways Club tiers · Spend-based

British Airways Club elite status explained

British Airways Club status is now bought with spend, not distance. Since 1 April 2025 you earn 1 tier point per £1 of eligible fare and carrier charges on British Airways, and you need 3,500 tier points for Bronze, 7,500 for Silver and 20,000 for Gold in a membership year running 1 April to 31 March.

From 1 April 2026 each flight also earns a fixed extra amount by cabin and fare type (from 75 tier points on a Euro Traveller Plus fare up to 1,250 on a Fully-Flex First fare, and nothing extra on Basic fares), the extras also apply to American Airlines and Iberia flights, which have earned on spend like British Airways since 1 April 2025, and bags, seats and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) contributions earn 2 tier points per £1.

Above Gold sits Gold Guest List at 65,000 tier points, which opens the Concorde Room and lets you hand out Gold and Silver cards. Bronze, Silver and Gold map to oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald.

Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .

Redeemable Avios versus tier points

What you spend

Avios

The balance that books award flights, upgrades and other rewards. See how to earn them and what they are worth.

What counts toward status

Tier Points

A separate counter that decides your tier. You cannot spend it on flights or rewards.

Avios and tier points are two separate balances. Avios are the redeemable currency you spend on Reward Flights, upgrades and partner rewards. Tier points cannot be spent on anything; they only decide your tier and reset to zero every 31 March.

Both are now earned on the same spend but at different rates. Avios scale with your tier (6 per £1 for Blue, 7 for Bronze, 8 for Silver, 9 for Gold), while tier points are earned at 1 per £1 for everyone plus the per-flight cabin and fare extra. Your tier makes you earn Avios faster, but it does not speed up tier points.

Worked example: a Silver member buys a Euro Traveller return costing £300 in fare and carrier charges. The trip earns 2,400 Avios (8 per £1) for the redeemable balance. It also earns 300 tier points from spend plus a per-flight extra on each of the two flights: 75 each on a Plus fare, 175 on Semi-Flex or 275 on Fully-Flex. On a Plus fare that is 450 tier points toward keeping Silver; on Fully-Flex it is 850. A Basic fare would earn only the 300 from spend.

Some activity earns one and not the other. Reward Flights booked with Avios earn neither Avios nor tier points, although paid add-ons on a reward booking (bags, seats, SAF) do earn tier points. Everyday spend on the UK Premium Plus Amex earns Avios on every purchase but tier points only at set spend thresholds. Tier points cannot be bought with Avios or transferred to anyone.

British Airways Club tiers and what each one takes

TierTo qualifyBonus AviosAlliance tier
Bronze3,500 tier points7 Avios per £1 on British Airways and American Airlines fares (6 for Blue)oneworld Ruby
Silver7,500 tier points8 Avios per £1 on British Airways and American Airlines fares (6 for Blue)oneworld Sapphire
Gold20,000 tier points9 Avios per £1 on British Airways and American Airlines fares (6 for Blue)oneworld Emerald
Gold Guest List65,000 tier points (40,000 to renew)9 Avios per £1, as Goldoneworld Emerald

The tier point collection year runs 1 April to 31 March (in your first year, from your join date to 31 March). A tier earned during one year is held for the following membership year, and the membership card expires a month after that year ends, on 30 April.

Benefits of each British Airways Club tier

Bronze

Earn 3,500 tier points between 1 April and 31 March from British Airways spend, eligible partner flights, add-ons, SAF contributions, BA Holidays or the Premium Plus Amex.

  • Free seat selection from seven days before departure for everyone on the booking.
  • Business class check-in desks.
  • Boarding group 3, alongside premium economy passengers.
  • oneworld Ruby recognition, with business class check-in and preferred seating on oneworld airlines.
  • 2,500 bonus Avios on reaching 5,500 tier points in the year.

Silver

Earn 7,500 tier points between 1 April and 31 March.

  • Business lounge access with one guest when flying British Airways or a oneworld airline the same day (not on Aer Lingus or Vueling codeshares).
  • Two checked bags in economy and 32kg per bag in every cabin for everyone on the booking, except Basic fares.
  • Free seat selection from the time of booking for everyone on the booking, excluding long-haul exit rows.
  • Boarding group 2, alongside Club World passengers.
  • Business class check-in and oneworld Sapphire priority boarding and extra baggage on partner airlines.
  • 4,000 bonus Avios on reaching 11,000 tier points in the year.

Gold

Earn 20,000 tier points between 1 April and 31 March.

  • First lounge access with one guest when flying British Airways or oneworld, plus the Heathrow Terminal 5 arrivals lounge.
  • One upgrade-for-two voucher at 35,000 tier points and two upgrade-for-one vouchers at 50,000 tier points.
  • An extra checked bag in any cabin on top of the Silver baggage allowance.
  • Extra economy Reward Flight seats at the standard price, and Gold Priority Reward seats on any flight still on sale for double the Avios with 30 days' notice.
  • First check-in, boarding group 1 and oneworld Emerald fast track security.
  • Seat selection at booking, including exclusive access to seats 1A and 1K in First.
  • No phone service charge on Reward Flight bookings, changes or cancellations.
  • 5,000 bonus Avios on reaching 16,000 tier points in the year.

Gold Guest List

Earn 65,000 tier points in a collection year, of which at least 52,000 must come from British Airways flights or BA Holidays packages; after the first year, 40,000 tier points renews it.

  • The Concorde Room at Heathrow and the Chelsea Lounge at New York JFK.
  • A Gold partner card for one person and Silver cards for two more, valid for 12 months.
  • The right to open up to five Reward Flight seats twice a year.
  • A 24-hour priority phone line.
  • Extra rewards to choose from once you pass 75,000 tier points.

How flights earn tier points

  • On British Airways flights you earn 1 tier point per £1 of eligible fare and carrier charges, plus a fixed extra for each individual flight set by cabin and fare type. Basic fares get no extra.
  • Short-haul extras per flight: Euro Traveller 75 (Plus), 175 (Semi-Flex) or 275 (Fully-Flex); Club Europe 175 (Business), 275 (Semi-Flex) or 375 (Fully-Flex).
  • Long-haul extras per flight: World Traveller 150 (Standard), 250 (Semi-Flex), 350 (Flex) or 450 (Fully-Flex); World Traveller Plus 275, 375, 475 or 575; Club World 500, 700, 900 or 1,100; First 650, 850, 1,050 or 1,250 on the same four fare types.
  • American Airlines and Iberia flights have earned tier points on eligible spend in the same way as British Airways since 1 April 2025, and from 1 April 2026 they also earn a per-flight extra set by cabin only: 75 in short-haul economy, 175 in short-haul business, 150 in long-haul economy, 275 in long-haul premium economy, 500 in long-haul business and 650 in long-haul First. Other oneworld and partner airlines still pay tier points as a percentage of the miles flown, from roughly 2% to 60% depending on the airline and booking class.
  • Add-ons bought from British Airways, such as extra bags and seat selection, and SAF contributions earn 2 tier points per £1, capped at 2,000 tier points a year. This also applies to add-ons bought on a Reward Flight booking, even though the reward seat itself earns nothing.
  • BA Holidays packages earn tier points on the whole package price, not only the flight, which makes a flight plus hotel a larger tier point earner than the same flight booked alone.

How many Avios each tier earns

  • Avios on British Airways and American Airlines fares are earned per £1 and rise with tier: Blue 6, Bronze 7, Silver 8 and Gold 9 Avios per £1.
  • A few partners pay tier bonuses on distance-based earning. Finnair adds 10% for Bronze, 15% for Silver and 25% for Gold, and Japan Airlines adds 25%, 50% or 100% on international flights. Most other distance-based partners pay the same Avios whatever your tier.
  • Reward Flights earn no Avios. Cash upgrades bought from British Airways earn Avios based on the upgrade cost and the tier points of the higher cabin.

Upgrades for British Airways Club elites

  • British Airways gives no complimentary space-available upgrades to any tier. The status upgrade benefit is Gold's voucher set: one upgrade-for-two voucher at 35,000 tier points and two upgrade-for-one vouchers at 50,000, each moving you one cabin up on British Airways and also usable on American Airlines. Vouchers must be used by the member who earned them.
  • Anyone can upgrade with Avios, paying the difference between the reward prices of the two cabins one way, always one cabin up, at peak or off-peak rates. Most cash fares qualify except the lowest economy booking classes Q, O and G and bulk or inclusive tour fares, and Reward Flights can be upgraded too. Upgrade online at booking or later in Manage My Booking; Avios upgrades cannot be done at the airport or on board and cannot be waitlisted.
  • Avios upgrades are also possible on Iberia and American Airlines. Cancel an Avios upgrade at least 24 hours before the first flight and the Avios come back in full; inside 24 hours they are not refunded.
  • For cash, British Airways sells upgrades in Manage My Booking and, on selected flights, at check-in on the day. It also runs a bid-for-upgrade offer through its upgrade offer portal on flights it chooses: you are charged only if the bid is accepted, and you hear within 48 hours of departure.

Credit cards that help with British Airways Club status

  • The British Airways American Express Premium Plus card in the UK is the only card that earns tier points. Until 1 February 2027 it pays up to 2,500 tier points a year in steps: 750 at £15,000 of spend, 750 more at £20,000 and 1,000 more at £25,000.
  • From 1 April 2027 the Premium Plus card switches to a straight rate of 1 tier point per £10 spent, capped at 3,000 tier points a year, so £30,000 of spend earns the maximum.
  • The US British Airways Visa from Chase earns Avios but no tier points, so US residents cannot use card spend toward British Airways status.

Fees, sign-up bonuses and every other benefit are compared in the British Airways Club credit cards guide.

Other ways to get British Airways Club status

Gold for life

Every tier point you earn also counts as a lifetime tier point. At 550,000 lifetime tier points you hold Gold for life, renewed automatically each year while you remain a member. Balances built before 1 April 2025 were converted proportionally when the thresholds changed.

Gold Guest List partner cards

A Gold Guest List member can nominate one person for a Gold card and two people for Silver cards each year, valid for 12 months. This is the only published way to receive British Airways status as a gift.

Earning without flying

You cannot buy tier points outright, but SAF contributions and add-ons pay 2 tier points per £1 (up to 2,000 a year), BA Holidays packages earn on the full package, and the UK Premium Plus Amex adds up to 2,500 a year.

Travelling as a family

Silver and Gold seat selection and extra baggage cover everyone on the same booking, so one status holder improves the trip for the whole party. Household account members' Avios are also protected from expiry while any Bronze, Silver or Gold member of the household has been active in the last 36 months.

Keeping British Airways Club status

  • To keep a tier you earn the same threshold again in the next collection year: 3,500, 7,500 or 20,000 tier points. Gold Guest List is the exception, needing 65,000 to reach but 40,000 to renew.
  • Tier points do not roll over. Your balance resets to zero after 31 March, and the only thing that carries forward is your lifetime tier point total toward Gold for life.
  • British Airways does not publish a soft landing. Its terms say only that your tier may be reduced at British Airways' discretion depending on the tier points earned in the previous collection year, so plan on dropping to the tier your points support rather than one step at a time.

British Airways Club status: FAQ

How many tier points do I need for British Airways Gold?
Gold needs 20,000 tier points earned between 1 April and 31 March. At 1 tier point per £1 plus the per-flight cabin extras, that means up to £20,000 of British Airways fares and carrier charges in a year, and less once the per-flight extras are counted. Gold Guest List above it needs 65,000.
How many tier points do I need for British Airways Silver?
Silver needs 7,500 tier points in the April to March collection year, and Bronze needs 3,500. Silver is the first tier with lounge access, two checked bags in economy and free seats from booking.
Do British Airways Reward Flights earn tier points?
No. A Reward Flight booked with Avios earns neither Avios nor tier points. Paid extras on that booking, such as bags, seats and SAF contributions, do earn 2 tier points per £1.
Does the Chase British Airways card earn tier points?
No. Only the UK British Airways American Express Premium Plus card earns tier points, up to 2,500 a year until 1 February 2027 and up to 3,000 a year from 1 April 2027. The US Chase card earns Avios only.
Do American Airlines flights earn British Airways tier points?
Yes. Since 1 April 2025 American Airlines and Iberia flights credited to the British Airways Club have earned tier points on eligible spend, the same way as British Airways flights, and from 1 April 2026 they also earn a per-flight extra by cabin. Other oneworld airlines earn a percentage of the miles flown.
Does British Airways give free upgrades to Gold members?
Not on a space-available basis. Gold members instead earn an upgrade-for-two voucher at 35,000 tier points and two upgrade-for-one vouchers at 50,000. Everyone else upgrades with Avios, cash or a bid.
How do I get lifetime British Airways Gold?
Earn 550,000 lifetime tier points. Every tier point you earn counts toward the total, and once you reach it Gold is renewed automatically each year while you stay a member.

Sources

More on British Airways Club

Status in other oneworld programs