AMERICAN Express has issued a major update on British Airways points, following the airline’s recent overhaul of its loyalty scheme.
Thousands of Amex cardholders will soon be able to earn “tier points” through their spending, unlocking elite perks with the airline, according to airline rewards website Head for Points.
The offer comes after a controversial update to the airline’s loyalty scheme earlier this year, which means customers now need to spend more to achieve elite status.
Travellers flying with British Airways or its Oneworld partners earn Avios to save on future flights and tier points to determine their BA Club status.
The number of tier points you earn in a year decides whether you’ll be in Blue, Bronze, Silver, or Gold membership levels.
Blue status is given automatically to anyone who joins, but nearly half of the scheme’s 13million members hold Bronze status or higher.
These higher-tier statuses unlock perks, including complimentary seat selection, priority check-in, additional hold baggage allowance and access to the airline’s airport lounges.
Before April 1, you earned tier points based on how far you flew.
Now, you earn one tier point for every £1 you spend on flights and holiday packages.
To achieve higher statuses like Silver, which offers business class lounge access, you now need to spend £7,500 a year – significantly more than before.
British Airways Amex cardholders already earn Avios on their spending, but they couldn’t earn tier points before April’s changes.
The standard blue card earns 1 Avios per £1 spent, while the Premium Plus card, costing £300 a year, earns 1.5 Avios per £1.
However, from today, Premium Plus cardholders are able to earn up to 2,500 tier points in a membership year through their spending.
Customers will earn 750 tier points for spending £15,000 on the card.
If they spend an extra £5,000 (reaching £20,000), they’ll get another 750 tier points.
Spending a further £5,000 (a total of £25,000) will earn them an additional 1,000 tier points.
Earning 2,500 tier points won’t make much of a dent in the 20,000 needed for Gold status, but it’s helpful for those aiming for Bronze or Silver.
With 2,500 tier points from the Amex card, Bronze members would only need 1,000 more tier points, which can be earned by spending £1,000 directly with British Airways.
Customers with the fee-free British Airways Amex Card aren’t eligible for this offer.
To participate in the offer, you’ll need to enrol through the American Express app or website.
Upon enrolment, you;ll also receive 500 free tier points automatically.
British Airways said that there will be further opportunities to earn tier points using the Premium Plus credit card from April 2026.
Meanwhile, customers booking flights with British Airways can enjoy bonus tier points on bookings made until December 31.
This offer was originally set to end on February 14 but was extended after customer backlash.
For example, you can earn 75 extra tier points for a short-haul economy flight and 150 extra tier points for a long-haul economy flight.
To benefit from a tier points bonus, you must register your British Airways Club membership number by visiting britishairways.com/content/executive-club/offers/tier-point-bonus.
Should you stay loyal to BA or look elsewhere?
If you fly regularly – especially as part of your job – then the BA Club may still be beneficial for you.
But you should never book a flight with BA or an affiliated airline just to earn points if money is tight.
If your priority is cutting costs, concentrate solely on finding the lowest ticket price.
Platforms like Skyscanner, Google Flights, and Kayak allow you to tailor your search to highlight the most affordable options.
You can also convert your unused Avios into Nectar points.
These can be redeemed for shopping, used to save 5p per litre on fuel, or even put towards other purchases
For example, 500 Nectar points can be exchanged for £2.50 off at retailers like Argos or Sainsbury’s.
FLY LIKE A GOLD MEMBER FOR LESS
IT is possible to get Gold member perks for free or cheap.
You might assume that luxury perks like lounge access and fast-track security are exclusive to frequent or business class flyers, but that’s not the case.
Cheap or ‘free’ lounge access
Airline lounges are usually reserved for frequent flyers or business class passengers – but there are ones such as No1 Lounges that you can pay to get access to.
If you have a NatWest or Barclays Premier bank account then you can get free access to some lounges.
On the Beach is offering free airport lounge access with 5-star holiday bookings for 2025.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is free to join and you can get discounts on passes to No1 Lounges.
Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer website headforpoints.com said: “You could get a credit card which comes with a Priority Pass lounge card.
“Good options are the free for a year Amex Gold card (four free airport lounge passes per year), Amex Platinum (unlimited lounge access for up to four people) or the Lloyds World Elite Mastercard, which is £15 per month but offers unlimited airport lounge access.”
But always remember to pay off your balance in full each month, as interest charges may outweigh the perks.
If you can’t get free entry then prices start around £20.
This can work out cheaper than paying for a meal and drink at the airport – but you need to weigh up the costs.
Read reviews before you book as the facilities vary.
Baggage loopholes
If you fly with Easyjet then there is a loophole to get a second hand luggage bag for free.
You are allowed to bring one bag from Duty Free – but MoneySavingExpert says it’s heard from customers who have used this to store their handbag.
Cheaper and better seats
It is possible to sit together for free if you’re flying BA, easyJet or Virgin – if you know the tricks.
Try and check in as soon as it opens online and you will usually be able to sit together.
With EasyJet you can check in 30 days in advance.
You have to pay to get a specific seat, but the earlier you check-in the more likely you are to get a better one and be able to sit together.
BA, Virgin Atlantic and Tui guarantee that kids under 12 will be sat with at least one adult.
If you’re flying with Ryanair, MoneySavingExpert says it can be cheaper to select the basic fare and then add extras rather than selecting the regular one.
It says its seen costs of baggage and seat allocation can be up to 60% cheaper using this trick.