British Airways has reignited debate over its Executive Club after finally confirming how much cardholders must spend on its BA American Express Premium Plus card to earn tier points toward Bronze, Silver and Gold status.
From now on members will collect 750 tier points after spending £15,000, a further 750 points after another £5,000, and an extra 1,000 points after a final £5,000, taking the annual card‑earn cap to 2,500 tier points for £25,000 of spend. The figures had been trailed in December, when BA announced it would switch from distance‑based to revenue‑based tier qualification, but the precise thresholds were not disclosed until this week.
The new structure means a Premium Plus holder can cover a third of the 7,500 points required for Silver status without taking a single flight, while reaching Bronze (3,500 points) now demands little more than maxing out the card and booking one long‑haul trip in premium economy. Attaining Gold remains a far steeper climb: even a full £25,000 of card spend leaves members about 17,500 points short of the 20,000‑point target, implying roughly £15,000–£17,500 of flight spend once bonuses are factored in.
Reaction has been split. Some frequent flyers branded the £25,000 target “unreasonable”, noting it equals Britain’s average annual salary and still buys only a fraction of Gold status. Others, including loyalty‑programme analyst Gilbert Ott of the website God Save the Points, praised the change for rewarding big spenders and restoring some exclusivity to a club whose lounges have become crowded in recent years. “For many BA passengers, Silver is the new Gold,” Ott said, adding that allowing members to cover a third of the way to Silver on card spend alone is “very reasonable”.
BA is attempting to cushion the transition: because details arrived nearly five months into the new membership year, every Executive Club member will receive a one‑off credit of 500 tier points. Even so, some cardholders who have been running up big balances since April feel short‑changed. The airline has not explained why the spending window for this year will close at the end of January rather than in March, though industry observers suspect BA wants a two‑month buffer to tweak the system before next year’s cycle begins.
Beyond tier points, card economics remain unchanged. Premium Plus customers continue to earn 1.5 Avios per £1 of general spend and 3 Avios per £1 with BA or BA Holidays, plus a Companion Voucher when annual spend hits £15,000. That voucher lets holders take a companion on an Avios booking for the taxes and fees alone.
The overhaul follows years of criticism that BA’s mileage‑based system was too easy to exploit via sale fares and promotional bonuses, allowing some travellers to pick up Gold for as little as £3,000. The move to revenue qualifications mirrors the model long used by US carriers and is intended to tilt rewards towards those who bring in the most cash.
Still, critics argue BA should offer higher tiers of card‑based earning, as American airlines do. Ott believes a second spending band—perhaps £75,000—to double or triple the current tier‑point haul “would be a game‑changer” by anchoring top‑tier loyalty firmly to the biggest spenders.
For now, British Airways insists the reforms strike the right balance between rewarding high value and keeping the programme within reach of engaged leisure travellers. Whether the promise of less‑crowded lounges and richer elite benefits materialises will become clear over the next membership year.