BA Qualifying flights...
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BA Qualifying flights...
Earlier this year I flew CX F LHR-HKG-LHR and picked up 360 tier points for my blue BA Miles account. Realising that I was with 4 qualifying flights and 40 tier points of making it from BA Blue to BA Silver I thought I'd go earn some more by flying AMS-LCY-AMS. This netted me another 80 tier points (so 400 target reached and surpassed) but to my surprise, my account online still says I need 4 qualifying flights.
I checked on the "what qualifies as qualifying flights" thingy and my club return to London from Amsterdam would appear to do so nicely.
So I am confused why I still need 4 qualifying flights...
Could it be because of the LCY flights were operated by "BA CityFlyer"???
But why would they qualify my tier points but not "qualifying flights"?
Or should I hassle BA customer services?
Sorry if this has been done to death but I did check the last 5 pages of threads..
I checked on the "what qualifies as qualifying flights" thingy and my club return to London from Amsterdam would appear to do so nicely.
So I am confused why I still need 4 qualifying flights...
Could it be because of the LCY flights were operated by "BA CityFlyer"???
But why would they qualify my tier points but not "qualifying flights"?
Or should I hassle BA customer services?
Sorry if this has been done to death but I did check the last 5 pages of threads..
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Hi Mr Quite Happy,
From your posts did you do 2x AMS-LCY-AMS ie 4 return flights or just 2?
I assume as you state your target for Silver is 400 tp's is that your Executive CLub account is in Europe ( as for UK residents it is 600 points)
On your online account page, even if you exceed the point requalification it still says you need 4 qualifying flights.
It does take a few days once you earn the points for your account to be updated to Silver.
As far as I know the BA cityflyer flights do count as BA metal.
I would give your BAEC centre a call.
Regards
TBS
From your posts did you do 2x AMS-LCY-AMS ie 4 return flights or just 2?
I assume as you state your target for Silver is 400 tp's is that your Executive CLub account is in Europe ( as for UK residents it is 600 points)
On your online account page, even if you exceed the point requalification it still says you need 4 qualifying flights.
It does take a few days once you earn the points for your account to be updated to Silver.
As far as I know the BA cityflyer flights do count as BA metal.
I would give your BAEC centre a call.
Regards
TBS
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Earlier this year I flew CX F LHR-HKG-LHR and picked up 360 tier points for my blue BA Miles account. Realising that I was with 4 qualifying flights and 40 tier points of making it from BA Blue to BA Silver I thought I'd go earn some more by flying AMS-LCY-AMS. This netted me another 80 tier points (so 400 target reached and surpassed) but to my surprise, my account online still says I need 4 qualifying flights.
I checked on the "what qualifies as qualifying flights" thingy and my club return to London from Amsterdam would appear to do so nicely.
So I am confused why I still need 4 qualifying flights...
Could it be because of the LCY flights were operated by "BA CityFlyer"???
But why would they qualify my tier points but not "qualifying flights"?
Or should I hassle BA customer services?
Sorry if this has been done to death but I did check the last 5 pages of threads..
I checked on the "what qualifies as qualifying flights" thingy and my club return to London from Amsterdam would appear to do so nicely.
So I am confused why I still need 4 qualifying flights...
Could it be because of the LCY flights were operated by "BA CityFlyer"???
But why would they qualify my tier points but not "qualifying flights"?
Or should I hassle BA customer services?
Sorry if this has been done to death but I did check the last 5 pages of threads..
Good Evening Mr Q. H.
Fear not, the website will always say you need 4 qualifying flights even if you have taken them.
I have already passed the 1,500 mark to retain gold and I still have that message when I log in to my account.
It happens each year when I pass the points required marker.
I dont think their (BA) systems can update that section of the web page.
Only your points and miles are adjusted.
Enjoy your silver card.
Just checked on BA Website and it appears that CityFlyer flights do earn points and miles
Regards,
G-BPED
Last edited by G-BPED; 28th Jul 2008 at 18:31. Reason: Added information from BA Website
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So, I see that Continental European residents need fewer tier points to progress to Silver than UK ones. Although I didn't know this it doesn't surprise me. Did anyone see the Club World fares offered recently from the USA? Prices which would make UK-originating passengers highly envious.
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"For Imperial Wizard membership you need 4 qualifying flights and another 150 points".
It's no wonder you're confused - it's one of the daftest anomalies on the BAEC home page. The "4 qualifying flights" bit never self-updates, but the "150 points" bit does
As a regular traveller to the same one of 3 or 4 business locations, I now always originate my tickets at the other end. I have yet to find a fare that isn't cheaper that way - sometimes dramatically so. To kick it off, you either book a one-way out, or a nice return ex-UK but with a really big gap between legs. I find a big gap between the legs does wonders for the fare.
Really though, I wonder if BA Silver is worth the effort. If I'm in T5 now, I go and sit in that wonderful cafe "Amato", underneath the South end Terraces. It's at least as nice as any lounge and much quieter.
It's no wonder you're confused - it's one of the daftest anomalies on the BAEC home page. The "4 qualifying flights" bit never self-updates, but the "150 points" bit does
As a regular traveller to the same one of 3 or 4 business locations, I now always originate my tickets at the other end. I have yet to find a fare that isn't cheaper that way - sometimes dramatically so. To kick it off, you either book a one-way out, or a nice return ex-UK but with a really big gap between legs. I find a big gap between the legs does wonders for the fare.
Really though, I wonder if BA Silver is worth the effort. If I'm in T5 now, I go and sit in that wonderful cafe "Amato", underneath the South end Terraces. It's at least as nice as any lounge and much quieter.
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I've largely given up on the Executive Club and agree, to some extent, with the correspondent above that it's a "con". I'm inclined to think that one of the reasons why BA refuses to consolidate fuel surcharges into basic ticket prices is the potential loss of revenue from redemption tickets. I, too, have BA Miles in my account doing nothing.
For illustrative purposes, I chose random dates for redemption flights with BA on the Gatwick-Malaga route as this is one I'd like to be able fly redeeming BA Miles.
BA wanted £63.10 (i.e., its taxes, fees and surcharges) plus 15000 Miles for a return booking. Now, to be fair to BA, £10 of this is APD so let's say £53.10. EasyJet for the same dates was £51.77 whilst Ryanair from Stansted was just £19.98.
I realise that the picture will look different for other routes/dates; that using Miles for upgrades can "save" thousands of pounds (I know, I've done it); that I'm not comparing like-for-like (e.g., on BA I'll get a sandwich and a drink which Ryanair and easyJet charge for); that I use OLCI, do not take hold luggage etc., which would change the easyJet/Ryanair totals; but I think the general picture is clear: what would be the point of my using BA Miles?
I accept, too, that other airlines do the same (I have bmi Destinations Miles sitting unused for the same reason). However, it has not always been this way. I remember in the past (before APD, admittedly) when I received genuinely free tickets from the KLM Flying Dutchman programme.
(P.S. To earn 15000 Miles for the flight above using my BA American Express card would entail £15000 expenditure. The same level of spend on easyJet's MasterCard would entitle one to £150 off easyJet flights.)
For illustrative purposes, I chose random dates for redemption flights with BA on the Gatwick-Malaga route as this is one I'd like to be able fly redeeming BA Miles.
BA wanted £63.10 (i.e., its taxes, fees and surcharges) plus 15000 Miles for a return booking. Now, to be fair to BA, £10 of this is APD so let's say £53.10. EasyJet for the same dates was £51.77 whilst Ryanair from Stansted was just £19.98.
I realise that the picture will look different for other routes/dates; that using Miles for upgrades can "save" thousands of pounds (I know, I've done it); that I'm not comparing like-for-like (e.g., on BA I'll get a sandwich and a drink which Ryanair and easyJet charge for); that I use OLCI, do not take hold luggage etc., which would change the easyJet/Ryanair totals; but I think the general picture is clear: what would be the point of my using BA Miles?
I accept, too, that other airlines do the same (I have bmi Destinations Miles sitting unused for the same reason). However, it has not always been this way. I remember in the past (before APD, admittedly) when I received genuinely free tickets from the KLM Flying Dutchman programme.
(P.S. To earn 15000 Miles for the flight above using my BA American Express card would entail £15000 expenditure. The same level of spend on easyJet's MasterCard would entitle one to £150 off easyJet flights.)
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BA silver is 400 for Swiss Residenti, I have a UK friend using one of my Swiss addresses (we’ve all got several) for his account for the purpose of quicker/easier tiering. I enjoyed telling Germans that their 150,000 miles for Senator in Germany was only 100,000 in the UK. Oh the look on their faces..
Thanks for the heads-up on the website issue. I spoke to BA and they have confirmed that I NEED 4 qualifying flights and that I HAVE 2.
“For Silver membership you need 4 qualifying flights and another 0 points.”
Sneaky buts its actually there in the wording, what I (we) read is “For Silver membership you need 4 qualifying flights and another 0 points.” But what we see is “For Silver membership you STILL NEED 4 qualifying flights and another 0 points.” Which is obviously not the same thing.
I’ve got til mid Sep to get the next two flights in but looking at my diary, I have no reason to fly BA in that time. So here’s a question, as a non-UK resident, is there any point in me flying to the UK for dinner just so I can get silver membership? Does it last for two years or only one and does it deliver anything other than a little plastic card and basic lounge access? I assume I can only access the lounge if I am flying BA so its no use, at, say, ZRH if I am flying Swiss to AMS?
I’ve been LH Sen, KLM Platinum Elite so I’m not in awe of BA Silver status…
Thoughts?
Thanks for the heads-up on the website issue. I spoke to BA and they have confirmed that I NEED 4 qualifying flights and that I HAVE 2.
“For Silver membership you need 4 qualifying flights and another 0 points.”
Sneaky buts its actually there in the wording, what I (we) read is “For Silver membership you need 4 qualifying flights and another 0 points.” But what we see is “For Silver membership you STILL NEED 4 qualifying flights and another 0 points.” Which is obviously not the same thing.
I’ve got til mid Sep to get the next two flights in but looking at my diary, I have no reason to fly BA in that time. So here’s a question, as a non-UK resident, is there any point in me flying to the UK for dinner just so I can get silver membership? Does it last for two years or only one and does it deliver anything other than a little plastic card and basic lounge access? I assume I can only access the lounge if I am flying BA so its no use, at, say, ZRH if I am flying Swiss to AMS?
I’ve been LH Sen, KLM Platinum Elite so I’m not in awe of BA Silver status…
Thoughts?
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In the last couple of years the incentive to have a silver tier status has reduced. Dedicated check in at regional airports have closed, lounges were full to bursting and not worth the hassle etc etc.
Now however BA seem to be improving their loyalty rewards. Recently on a domestic trip I enjoyed a priority tag for my luggage, priority check in and fast lane security access at T5.
Would I pay my own money to try and retain silver status.......probably not, but if the company covers it then it is now beocming worthwhile.
Now however BA seem to be improving their loyalty rewards. Recently on a domestic trip I enjoyed a priority tag for my luggage, priority check in and fast lane security access at T5.
Would I pay my own money to try and retain silver status.......probably not, but if the company covers it then it is now beocming worthwhile.
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I'm currently a silver card holder, previously a gold card holder.
With a silver card, for one year you get:
- lounge access for you and one fellow traveller, regardless of your class of travel;
- free food and drinks when you're in the lounge
- additional air miles (I think it's 25% more) on your travel
- some nice luggage tags
- a dedicated customer helpline
- (occasionally) priority boarding
- priority check-in.
Now are these benefits really worth it ?
- if you travel in business class, you get into the lounge anyway;
- if you travel by air from London regularly you'll want to spend your time at home or in the office and spend as little as possible time at the airport;
- if the airline and airport are doing things right you shouldn't need to spend much time in the lounge anyway;
- the free food and drink is fine but with BA it's the same old stuff year after year and as I said, would you prefer to spend an hour of your life at home or in the office, or in an airport lounge ?
- as others have said, the air miles aren't worth much
- it's an expensive way of getting luggage tags
- the helpline puts you on hold listening to "that music" just like the non-dedicated helplines, and often doesn't solve your problem any faster;
- priority boarding actually happens quite rarely in my experience;
- priority check-in is irrelevant if you check in online. OK it might help if you have bags to check in, but in many places you share the same bag drop queue so no difference there;
So my judgement is that it's not worth it. If you're travelling frequently enough to reach the 600 points comfortably then you might as well have one, but if not I wouldn't bust a gut trying to get one.
13Alpha
With a silver card, for one year you get:
- lounge access for you and one fellow traveller, regardless of your class of travel;
- free food and drinks when you're in the lounge
- additional air miles (I think it's 25% more) on your travel
- some nice luggage tags
- a dedicated customer helpline
- (occasionally) priority boarding
- priority check-in.
Now are these benefits really worth it ?
- if you travel in business class, you get into the lounge anyway;
- if you travel by air from London regularly you'll want to spend your time at home or in the office and spend as little as possible time at the airport;
- if the airline and airport are doing things right you shouldn't need to spend much time in the lounge anyway;
- the free food and drink is fine but with BA it's the same old stuff year after year and as I said, would you prefer to spend an hour of your life at home or in the office, or in an airport lounge ?
- as others have said, the air miles aren't worth much
- it's an expensive way of getting luggage tags
- the helpline puts you on hold listening to "that music" just like the non-dedicated helplines, and often doesn't solve your problem any faster;
- priority boarding actually happens quite rarely in my experience;
- priority check-in is irrelevant if you check in online. OK it might help if you have bags to check in, but in many places you share the same bag drop queue so no difference there;
So my judgement is that it's not worth it. If you're travelling frequently enough to reach the 600 points comfortably then you might as well have one, but if not I wouldn't bust a gut trying to get one.
13Alpha
Priority tags are as much use as teats on a bull. Especially if you check in early. Using miles is another matter. Mrs Radeng and I are going to Oz next month. 500,000 miles, a free upgrade for two and £480 for two First Class returns doesn't strike me as being too bad......150,000 miles and £220 for F class return to the US, including F on the internal flights on Amercian seemed OK, too.
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radeng,
Given that when I've flown BA First I've not found it that much better than Club World (a window in the loo was a nice touch!), from my perspective you've presumably paid a lot for the Club fare you upgraded from, plus some cash, and parted with an awful lot BA Miles simply to fly First! I don't think I'd do the same but have used Miles to upgrade from WTP.
Given that when I've flown BA First I've not found it that much better than Club World (a window in the loo was a nice touch!), from my perspective you've presumably paid a lot for the Club fare you upgraded from, plus some cash, and parted with an awful lot BA Miles simply to fly First! I don't think I'd do the same but have used Miles to upgrade from WTP.
Seat62K,
No upgrade - that's the whole package. Amassing miles is fine, but you need to use them at some stage, and my health isn't such that I can say that I'll be able to use those miles in 4 or 5 years. The chances of going to Oz and Kiwi again is very remote, and we do get back on the 25th wedding anniversary. Plus I've amassed over 50,000 miles so far this year.........
The difference between Club and First is certainly not as great as the difference between WT+ and Club.
No upgrade - that's the whole package. Amassing miles is fine, but you need to use them at some stage, and my health isn't such that I can say that I'll be able to use those miles in 4 or 5 years. The chances of going to Oz and Kiwi again is very remote, and we do get back on the 25th wedding anniversary. Plus I've amassed over 50,000 miles so far this year.........
The difference between Club and First is certainly not as great as the difference between WT+ and Club.
I think that you probably get better value for your miles on long haul or better, realy long haul.
but on American to the US, Business Class is 100,000 miles, First is 125,000.
I wonder if there's mistake?
Or, since FF miles are effectively a debit on the books, making it attractive for people to use them has advantages from a bottom line viewpoint. I think I read somewhere a few years ago that Delta had effectively more debt in FF miles than its entire worth.
but on American to the US, Business Class is 100,000 miles, First is 125,000.
I wonder if there's mistake?
Or, since FF miles are effectively a debit on the books, making it attractive for people to use them has advantages from a bottom line viewpoint. I think I read somewhere a few years ago that Delta had effectively more debt in FF miles than its entire worth.
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Seat 62K Quote " So, I see that Continental European residents need fewer tier points to progress to Silver than UK ones. Although I didn't know this it doesn't surprise me."
It was good a few years back but BA cottoned on to the "problem" and insisted on posting your compulsory "printed" award tikcets to your registered address close to the departure. Now that everything is electronic it would maybe work again.
It was good a few years back but BA cottoned on to the "problem" and insisted on posting your compulsory "printed" award tikcets to your registered address close to the departure. Now that everything is electronic it would maybe work again.
