The British Airways Club: Avios, Status and How Earning Works Now
A program guide to the British Airways Club: earning Avios, how status is now earned, partner earning and what each tier gets, with rules checked and dated.
British Airways’ loyalty program, now called the British Airways Club, changed how status is earned in 2025. Status used to follow the distance and cabin you flew. It now mostly follows how much you spend. For a frequent transatlantic flyer, that changes the maths of whether, and how, to chase status.
Program rules change. This guide describes how the program works in general and links to the official pages. Check the current figures there before you plan around them.
The program in one paragraph
The British Airways Club is the loyalty program for British Airways. Members earn Avios, BA’s points currency, and Tier Points, which decide status. Status comes in Blue (the entry level), Bronze, Silver and Gold, matching Oneworld’s Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald from Bronze upwards. It suits flyers who travel often on BA or its Oneworld partners, especially between the US and the UK.
Earning Avios
- On BA flights, Avios are earned per pound (or dollar equivalent) of the fare, with higher tiers earning more per pound.
- On partner flights, Avios usually depend on distance and fare class, under each partner’s earning table.
- Other ways include BA holidays, co-branded cards and everyday partners, and transfers from some bank points programs.
How status is earned now
Since 2025, Tier Points on BA flights are earned by spend: 1 Tier Point for every £1 of eligible spend, rather than fixed amounts per flight. Flights with Oneworld partners still earn Tier Points, based on the fare class. To reach or keep Bronze, Silver or Gold, you need a set number of Tier Points within the collection year, which ends on 31 March. There’s also a flight-count route: 25 flights with a BA flight number for Bronze, or 50 for Silver.
In practice, this rewards high fares more than frequent cheap flying. A traveller who flies business class a few times a year on paid fares may now find status easier to reach than one who flies economy every month.
Tier benefits that matter
The main benefits that rise with each tier include:
- Lounge access, from Silver upwards on most flights, and to first-class lounges at Gold.
- Free seat selection earlier in the booking process.
- Extra baggage allowance.
- Priority check-in, security and boarding at many airports.
- Recognition on Oneworld partners at the matching alliance tier.
Spending Avios
Avios can be spent on BA and partner flights, upgrades, and more. BA charges taxes, fees and carrier charges on many award flights, which can be significant on flights from the UK.
Who should make it their home program
The British Airways Club suits:
- Frequent BA flyers, especially on paid premium fares.
- Transatlantic households who can combine Avios through a household account.
- Oneworld flyers whose flights are mostly with BA and its joint-venture partners.
Flyers who mostly fly American Airlines domestically in the US will often do better crediting to a US program. See choosing a Oneworld home program, and decide whether status is worth chasing with the status value test.
Common questions
How do you earn status with British Airways now? Mainly by earning Tier Points through spending on BA flights and holidays, plus Tier Points on eligible partner flights. Check the official status pages for the current thresholds.
Do Avios expire? Not as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months. BA emails you before they would expire.
Is British Airways status recognised on American Airlines? Yes, at the matching Oneworld tier, for alliance benefits such as lounge access and priority services.
What does BA Gold get you? Gold is the highest of the main tiers (above it sits the Gold Guest List for the most frequent flyers), with first-class lounge access and the highest Avios earning rate, among other benefits. Check the official benefits page for the current list.
Program rules change often. Check the British Airways Club’s official terms before you book.