British Airways Overhauls Loyalty Program and How Reward Points are Earned

British Airways is overhauling its loyalty program this year, switching to a revenue-based system and moving away from allowing travelers to earn points based on the route and fare class.

As part of the new program, which has been rebranded “The British Airways Club” and will go into effect on April 1, travelers will earn points based on the cost of their flight, earning 1 Tier Point for every £1 ($1.24) spent, according to the airline. Travelers can also earn points for money spent on extras like seat selection and excess baggage and earn up to 1,000 points per year by purchasing a contribution to sustainable aviation fuels.

In addition, travelers can earn points on British Airways Holidays. And later in 2025, the airline said it plans to introduce ways to earn with BA American Express Premium Plus credit cards.

Currently, loyal British Airways customers earn points depending on the route, the airline flown, and the fare class booked with long haul flights in premium cabins earning the most.

“The changes we have announced today underline our continued investment in our loyalty program and in our customers. Based on our Members’ feedback, we’ve built on the changes we’ve already made – including how customers collect Avios and their membership year – in a way that we believe better rewards their loyalty and reflects their changing travel needs,” Colm Lacy, British Airways’ chief commercial officer, said in a statement. “We know that many of our customers make their holiday plans during our annual January sale period, so it’s great to be able to announce this today.”

To complement the new ways to earn, British Airways is also changing its tier thresholds. With the new system, travelers will need to earn 3,500 points to qualify for Bronze, earn 7,500 to qualify for Silver, and earn 20,000 points to qualify for Gold.

The airline said it would also introduce new milestone benefits between tiers later in the year, including gifts of 2,500, 4,000, and 5,000 Bonus Avios at milestones within the Bronze and Silver status levels.

British Airways isn’t alone in revamping its loyalty program. In 2023, Delta also introduced a revenue-based tier system, which resulted in swift backlash. JetBlue has similarly introduced changes to its TrueBlue frequent flyer program, as did United Airlines, Southwest, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.

The loyalty program changes come as British Airways is working to roll out a new first class seat featuring a 36.5-inch-wide seat that converts into a 79-inch-long rectangular bed, a separate ottoman, a 32-inch 4K TV screen, and a 60-inch curved wall for privacy. The new seat is expected to hit the skies in mid-2026.