British Airways Elite Status Extended… For Some!

If you can recall back in June 2020 British Airways originally announced that they would be extending elite status by a year and decreasing the number of tier points required for elite status. Fast forward to March 2021 and with travel not realistically resuming until May at the earliest they’ve decided to extend some members status for a year. Read on to find out if your British Airways Elite Status will be extended!

Will my British Airways Elite Status be Extended?

If your tier point collection end date is between the 1st July and 31st December 2021 you will receive an extension of 12 months. For example, if your Executive Club status is due to expire in September 2021, it will now expire in September 2022, giving you an extra cushion of time to reach elite status again with travel not currently resuming to May at the earliest.

PS: This doesn’t mean you get extra time to reach the points you require for qualification. If your status expires in September 2021 your tier points will still reset. However, if you are Gold (for example) you will keep Gold status until September 2022 despite not having the tier points required.

You should see your new status expiration date shown in your Executive Club account over the next few days.

What if my British Airways Elite Status Ends Early 2022?

At the moment you are out of luck I’m afraid! Someone whose elite status expires on the 31st December 2021 will get a 12-month extension those even just a day later will get nothing… not particularly fair! I have a feeling British Airways may revisit this a little later on in the year. In the best-case scenario if travel resumes in May it only leaves 6 months-ish to retain status for some.

Don’t forget about the reduced tier points for British Airways Elite status…

Don’t forget that if your membership year expires at any date up to the 8th July 2022 you will benefit from needing to hit a reduced tier points target for elite status. All ‘tier point goals’ have been decreased by 25% which if travel picks up this year you may have a good chance to reach an elite level you otherwise wouldn’t have!

Remind me of the new requirements?

Bronze – Normally 300 Tier points or 25 eligible flights. Now 225 Tier points or 18 eligible flights

Silver – Normally 600 Tier points or 50 eligible flights. Now 450 Tier points or 37 eligible flights

Gold – Normally 1,500 Tier points. Now 1125 Tier points

Gold Guest List – Normally 5,000 Tier points to upgrade & 3,000 Tier points to renew. Now 3,750 Tier points to upgrade to 2,250 Tier points to renew

Concord Room Card – Normally 5,000 Tier points to upgrade/renew. Now 3,750 Tier points to upgrade/renew

Remember this applies to all membership years which expire up to the 8th July 2022.

For more details and FAQ, please check out the British Airways website here – https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/tiers-and-benefits?

Conclusion

It’s good that British Airways have decided to extend some members elite status though unfortunate for those whose status expires in 2022. Depending on how soon travel returns to any sort of normal level we may see British Airways revisit this at a later date and process extensions for those who have status expiring in early 2022… but in the meanwhile watch this space!

If you are looking to kick-start your Avios with a huge 200,000 haul don’t forget to take a look at our guide to fast track yourself to a rather cool 200,000 Avios points – https://pointsuncovered.com/american-express/fast-track-yourself-to-2000000-avios-points/ – Enough to get a business class return to the Maldives!