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News You May Have Missed at Points Well Made - 15th March
- Sam
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
Hello, I hope you've all had a good week!
It's been a year since British Airways retired the Executive Club and launched the British Airways Club, so we've taken a fresh look at what's changed, what's worked, and whether the rebrand was really just a rebrand.
We've also got a big one on the tier point changes coming from 1 April. Your fare type is about to matter, and American Airlines and Iberia flyers are finally being brought into the fold.
Elsewhere, we dig into whether using Avios to pay for Apple products is good value, we also look at whether you could technically keep elite status alive forever through status matching, and the Avios Shop is changing behind the scenes, and that may mean that you need to re-register your card. Lastly, Virgin Red is turning five and giving away a million Virgin Points.
As always, if you want to get in touch to change your subscription to a weekly only email, or from weekly to daily, then please do email sam@pointswellmade.co.uk. Or if you have anything else you want to ask us, tell us or request for us to cover, we love to hear from you so feel free to email me too.
Sam
The British Airways Club is the airline’s reimagined loyalty programme, officially launched in April 2025 to replace the long-standing Executive Club. While many travellers initially saw it as a rebrand, the truth is that British Airways used the transition to reshape how loyalty works, how status is earned, and what it actually means to be a frequent flyer today with British Airways.
With updated branding, revised thresholds, and a more flexible earning structure, the British Airways Club represents a new chapter in how the airline recognises and retains its most engaged customers.
It's been a year since the changes, so we thought we'd take another look at the revamped BA Club.
We've talked a lot recently about status matching, but I wanted to address a commenter the other week who wondered could you just keep matching status in perpetuity, thus keeping some sort of elite status alive. Is this some sort of status match loophole?
In theory, yes. You could keep airline elite status alive indefinitely without earning it through flights. Match your British Airways Gold to Air France/KLM. When that expires, match it to another airline. Rinse and repeat.
It sounds brilliant. And technically, it's possible. But should you actually do it?
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So unfortunately, you've likely missed the chance to jump on this. But there is still important information to take away. British Airways was emailing members of The British Airways Club on Wednesday to let them know the Avios Shop, the programme that earns you Avios when shopping, is moving to a new provider. So far so boring.
New card registrations for in-store purchases are being paused between until 15th April 2026.
(If you don't know what we mean when we say you can earn Avios on in-store purchases, then we've got a full step-by-step guide here)
But, you may also have to re-register your card depending on whether it is an Amex, Visa, or Mastercard.
Just when you'd got your head around the spend-based tier point system that launched last April, British Airways is tweaking the formula again. From 1 April 2026, how you earn tier points on flights is getting a fairly significant upgrade, and for once, these changes are mostly in your favour.
The headline? Your fare type now matters. And if you fly American Airlines or Iberia, you're finally getting a piece of the action too.
Let's break it all down here for you, including how it compares to last years rule changes.
id you know you can spend your Avios on things other than flights? Not just hotel bookings or seat upgrades, but actual stuff.
It’s called "The Edit", and if you haven’t heard of it, that’s probably because we haven't got round to it yet, sorry!
It’s essentially a separate part of the Avios Shop that allows people to use Avios to part-pay for products from Apple, Antler, Aspinal of London, Smythson and a handful of other brands.
When it first launched, you could only cover up to 25% of the price with Avios. As of yesterday, that cap has doubled to 50%, and there has been an expansion to over 300 products across 17 brands.
So, more products, bigger discounts. Sounds like progress. But the real question, is this a good use of your Avios? You can find that out here.
This one's gloriously simple.
Virgin Red is celebrating its fifth birthday, and to mark it, they're giving away one million Virgin Points to one lucky member. Ten runners-up will each win 100,000 Virgin Points. It costs nothing to enter, takes about 30 seconds, and the deadline is next Monday.
Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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