BA is raising Silver and Gold tier point targets, and cutting long haul bonuses
When British Airways changed how you earned tier points last year, it went from a per-flight basis, to an amount based on how much you spent, promising that the new way would be "simplifying the way we reward your loyalty."
Well, they've gone and muddied the waters again. Only a day after some good news, BA has updated its tier point requirements and bonuses for 2027/28.
The amount of tier points needed for Silver goes up by 500 tier points and Gold by 1,000. The extra tier points you earn per flight are also being cut in long haul premium economy, business and First, on BA, American Airlines and Iberia.
None of it applies until 1 April 2027. If you’re chasing status this year, your targets haven’t moved.
This is going to be a long one, so get comfortable. But first, a quick reminder.
What are tier points?
They move you up the British Airways Club tiers, from Blue to Bronze, Silver and Gold
Higher tiers unlock benefits such as priority check-in, extra baggage and lounge access
You earn them mostly through cash flights and BA Holidays, plus a few other ways covered further down
They’re not Avios and can’t be spent
Your balance resets to zero every 31 March
The new tier point targets
Tier | Until 31 March 2027 | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Bronze | 3,500 | 3,500 | None |
Silver | 7,500 | 8,000 | +500 |
Gold | 20,000 | 21,000 | +1,000 |
You can still earn status by completing a certain number of flights per year, and these haven't changed, staying at:
Bronze - 25 flights on a BA flight number
Silver - 50 flights on a BA flight number
Gold - N/A
The new extra tier points
Extra tier points are a fixed bonus per each individual flight you take. This is on top of the tier point per £1.
British Airways short haul
Let’s start with the good, or at least neutral, news: there’s no change to the tier point bonuses for short haul flights.
Euro Traveller (economy)
Fare | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Basic* | 0 | 0 | None |
Plus | 75 | 75 | None |
Semi-Flex | 175 | 175 | None |
Fully-Flex | 275 | 275 | None |
Euro Traveller Basic is hand baggage only. Plus is the same fare with a 23kg checked bag.
Club Europe
Fare | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Business | 175 | 175 | None |
Semi-Flex | 275 | 275 | None |
Fully-Flex | 375 | 375 | None |
British Airways long haul
If you’re flying long haul in the cheap seats, there’s no change. The closer you are to the pointy end of the plane, the more you’re affected by this one.
World Traveller
Fare | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Basic* | 0 | 0 | None |
Standard | 150 | 150 | None |
Semi-Flex | 250 | 250 | None |
Flex | 350 | 350 | None |
Fully-Flex | 450 | 450 | None |
World Traveller Plus
Fare | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Premium Economy | 275 | 175 | -100 |
Semi-Flex | 375 | 375 | None |
Flex | 475 | 475 | None |
Fully-Flex | 575 | 575 | None |
Club World
Fare | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Business | 500 | 200 | -300 |
Semi-Flex | 700 | 400 | -300 |
Flex | 900 | 600 | -300 |
Fully-Flex | 1,100 | 800 | -300 |
First
Fare | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
First | 650 | 300 | -350 |
Semi-Flex | 850 | 500 | -350 |
Flex | 1,050 | 700 | -350 |
Fully-Flex | 1,250 | 900 | -350 |
*Basic fares still earn 1 tier point per £1, just no extra tier points.
American Airlines and Iberia
Extra tier points on these partners depend on cabin only.
Cabin | Now | From 1 April 2027 | Change |
Economy short haul | 75 | 75 | None |
Business short haul | 175 | 175 | None |
Economy long haul | 150 | 150 | None |
Premium economy long haul | 275 | 175 | -100 |
Business long haul | 500 | 200 | -300 |
First long haul | 650 | 300 | -350 |
When it applies
The tier point year runs from 1 April to 31 March
The new Silver and Gold targets apply from 1 April 2027
The lower extra tier points only apply to flights from 1 April 2027 that are booked on or after 25 November 2026
Book before 25 November 2026 and you’ll get today’s extra tier points, whenever you fly
How to earn tier points
Route | Tier points |
Cash flights with BA | 1 per £1 on fare and carrier charges (taxes excluded), plus extra tier points per flight |
Bags and seats | 2 per £1, including add-ons to Avios reward flights |
Sustainable Aviation Fuel | 2 per £1, capped at 2,000 a year |
BA Premium Plus Amex | Up to 2,500 a year through Amex’s spend offer, then 1 per £10 spent from April 2027, up to 3,000 a year |
Avios reward flights | None |
Tier points on a BA Holiday
Flight plus hotel, or flight plus car, packages earn 1 tier point per £1 paid to BA Holidays, hotel included
The total is split equally between everyone on the booking aged two and over
Extra tier points for your cabin and fare type are added per flight, as in the tables above
Anyone without a Club number on the booking before travel loses their share
A hotel or car booked on its own earns nothing
Is that enough information for you?
In my opinion, the threshold rises were always coming. With a tier point for every pound, and everything (flights included) going up in price every year, the targets have to rise or everyone ends up Silver - eventually! Unfortunately, you're going to need to prepare yourself for a version of this most years, unless we experience a period of deflation (which isn't good news either).
The bonus cuts are the bigger change. A standard Club World return earns 600 fewer extra tier points from April 2027, and a First return 700 fewer. The same cuts apply to long haul flights with American Airlines and Iberia. That’s before you get to the extra 500 tier points you'll need for Silver. With short haul not changing, there’s now only 50 tier points between a standard Club Europe return and a standard Club World one, which is a somewhat narrow gap.
So why do I think they have decided to do this?
I suspect their targets for how many people achieve each status tier were slightly amiss from reality, and too many people were achieving status. With the rise in air fares causing more people to collect a higher amount of tier points, and more ways to earn them (such as the BA Premium Plus American Express card), it seems that BA are having to micro-manage their way out of their own mess.
Remember, if you’re planning a long haul trip in premium economy or above for after April 2027, booking before 25 November keeps today’s bonus.
So much for simplifying the way we earn tier points.
For more info on all of this, you can use the links below to the BA website.
Sam
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