British Airways is a member of the OneWorld Airlines Alliance with 13 members including American Airlines, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, etc.
British Airways has 3 tier levels:
Bronze 225 (300 before COVID-19) Tier Points
(Business check-in, 25% bonus Avios and free seat selection 7 days in advance)
Silver 450 (600 before COVID-19) Tier Points
(Business lounges, 50% bonus Avios, 2x32Kg luggage allowance)
Gold 1,125 (1,500 before COVID-19) Tier Points
(First Class lounges, First wing check-in, 100% bonus Avios, Spa access, Priority rewards bookings)
Clearly, the Bronze benefits do not give significant value. However, at the Silver level, you get lounge access, extra luggage, priority boarding/check-in, free seat selection from the time of booking even extra legroom seats on all flights except long-haul. Compared to the Gold membership, Silver is not only easier to achieve but offers a lot of benefits for a frequent flier which can really save time and money. Also, we believe Gold is valuable only for heavy travelers (50+ flights/year) as they are the ones who will value the difference in perks.
How to become Silver?
The cheapest way to become Silver is to fly 4 long-haul segments in business class with an airline in the OneWorld Alliance. To do this we use the business class flights of Qatar Airways which is our favourite airline with a stopover in Doha from Budapest, Sofia, Finland, Norway, or Sweden to Thailand, Vietnam, or Malaysia. Usually, these flights start at £1,200 on a good day and can be easily found at £1,500 on most days. Southeast Asia is not only cheap but has a lot to offer to both budget and luxury travelers as you can do literally anything. We recommend exploring different Asia as the people and culture is completely different from Europe and also the weather is perfect in the winter months. Now, these flights will net you 560 tier points, and due to the lower requirements of British Airways to achieve the status you will have surpassed this. Now you will also enjoy your status for 2 years due to the pandemic and for around £1,200 you will enjoy numerous perks.
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