Travel enough and you start to notice the difference between the haves and the have-nots. That is, those travelers who have elite status (and the perks that come along with it) and those that don’t. If you’re in the latter part of that passenger profile, you might be asking yourself questions like: What are the perks of signing up for a frequent flyer program? How can I receive complimentary upgrades? Is there a secret password for accessing an airline’s lounge? Is it really worth it to pursue the top-tier status?

With these questions in mind, our team set out to better understand not only what it means to have elite status with an international airline, but what we could be missing having say, Gold status versus Platinum. In this multi-part series, we answer these questions—and more—about international carriers’ loyalty programs.

British Airways

How to earn points with British Airways

Travelers that are a part of British Airways’ frequent flyer program are known as Executive Club members. As a member of this loyalty program, you earn Avios (points) when you fly with BA and their partner airlines. The amount of Avios you earn depends on whether you fly with BA or a partner airline, the distance you fly, the cabin you fly in, the type of ticket you purchase, and your Executive Club tier. To estimate the amount of Avios you’ll earn on an upcoming flight, you can use their flight calculator. You can also earn Avios when you shop, dine, rent a car, stay in a hotel, and more. There are so many ways to earn Avios, both in the air and on the ground. 

Avios can be used for award travel and other redemptions. Want to make the most of your points? BA maintains a Reward Flight Finder to help you plan a getaway within your Avios budget.  

How to achieve elite status with British Airways

In addition to Avios, Executive Club members earn Tier Points on BA flights as well as with partner airlines. Tier Points determine your level in the Executive Club: Blue, Bronze, Silver, and, at the top, Gold. Unlike Avios, Tier Points can’t be spent on rewards and they reset back to zero every year.

Here’s what it takes to achieve each elite status tier:  

Tier	Blue	Bronze | OneWorld Ruby	Silver | OneWorld Sapphire	Gold  | OneWorld Emerald
Tier Points	0	300	600	1,500
Or, total BA flights flown per year	0	25	50	n/a

The amount of Tier Points you can earn on a flight depends on the route, airline and fare class. For example, long-haul flights in premium cabins award the most Tier Points. To determine how many Tier Points you’ll earn on a flight, you can use their flight calculator. 

In addition to the above tiers, Club members who earn 35,000 Tier Points automatically achieve Gold membership status for life. Doing so also means that all the Tier Points you’ve ever earned since you joined the Club are added up to become your Lifetime Tier Points. As a lifetime Gold status member, your annual Tier Points will reset on the anniversary of you joining the Club but your Lifetime Tier Points will remain.  

Here for the benefits

You’ve flown the miles, now it’s time to cash in on the perks. Each tier yields its own benefits—and perks like earning more points from your flights and lounge access depend on your Tier. Here’s a sampling of the perks you’re eligible for at each tier:

Blue

• Collect Avios points
• Share Avios with a Household account
• Members-only offers
• Purchase, gift, and combine Avios
• Access to Reward Flight Saver deals
• Priority waitlist
• Seating and meal preferences saved and offered, where possible
• Free seat selection 24 hours before departure

Bronze

• 25% bonus Avios on flights
• Share Avios with a Household account
• Members-only offers
• Purchase, gift, and combine Avios
• Access to Reward Flight Saver deals
• Priority waitlist
• Seating and meal preferences saved and offered, where possible
• Free seat selection 7 days before departure
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding

Silver

• 50% bonus Avios on flights
• Share Avios with a Household account
• Members-only offers
• Purchase, gift, and combine Avios
• Access to Reward Flight Saver deals
• Priority waitlist
• Seating and meal preferences saved and offered, where possible
• Free seat selection at the time of booking
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding
• Additional baggage allowance
• Lounge access

Gold

• 100% bonus Avios on flights
• Share Avios with a Household account
• Members-only offers
• Purchase, gift, and combine Avios
• Transfer Avios for free
• Access to Reward Flight Saver deals
• Priority waitlist
• Seating and meal preferences saved and offered, where possible
• Free seat selection at the time of booking
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding
• Additional baggage allowance
• Lounge access
• Gold Upgrade vouchers

For a full list of benefits and their terms, head to BA’s elite status benefits page. 

Partner airlines

British Airways is a OneWorld Alliance™ member airline, which means you can earn and redeem miles on 13 partner airlines worldwide.

OneWorld partner airlines include: 

American Airlines	Malaysia Airlines
Cathay Pacific	Qantas
Finnair	Qatar Airways
Iberia	Royal Jordanian Airlines
Japan Airlines	S7 Airlines
LATAM Airlines	Sri Lankan Airlines

Hubs and lounges

BA maintains two UK hubs: London Heathrow (LHR), also the airline’s headquarters, and London Gatwick (LGW). 

Looking to put your lounge access to use? BA currently operates 30 dedicated departure lounges and offers access to more than 100 additional partner lounges worldwide. Based on your membership status or fare class, you may also have access to 650 OneWorld lounges worldwide.

Pro tip: Use the TripIt app’s interactive airport maps to locate lounges in the airport(s) you’re traveling through. You’ll have everything you need to navigate your way with estimated walk times and step-by-step directions.

Ready to join? You can sign up for an Executive Club membership here. We’ve also created loyalty program guides for Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and American.