British Airways Tier Point Devaluation: What Avios Collectors Must Know Now
British Airways has quietly cut tier point bonuses by up to 60% and raised status thresholds, with key loyalty card offers also closing soon.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
British Airways tier points have become significantly harder to earn and keep, after the airline pushed through a two-part devaluation last week alongside a pair of largely positive announcements it had hoped would dominate the headlines.
Head for Points broke both elements of the devaluation exclusively, ahead of British Airways making any formal announcement. The site reported that tier point requirements for Silver and Gold status have increased, and that tier point bonuses from flying have been cut by up to 60%.
What the British Airways Tier Points Changes Mean
The two changes work together to make status harder to achieve. Earning fewer tier points per flight while also needing more of them to reach Silver or Gold is a compounding hit for frequent flyers who rely on BA metal to build their status.
Head for Points notes that British Airways attempted to soften the blow by releasing the devaluation news on the same day as two genuinely positive announcements: an acceleration of the Starlink wi-fi roll-out and the start of Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787 Starlink programme. The loyalty site was not distracted.
For members wanting to understand the full mechanics of the Executive Club, Head for Points has been running a daily BA Q&A series. This week that series covered the benefits of Gold status, how to earn Silver status, baggage allowances for Bronze members, and what happens to tier points at the end of a membership year.
How to Claim Missing Avios If Your Account Looks Wrong
With status thresholds now higher, every tier point and every Avios matters more. If you believe a flight has not credited correctly, Head for Points explains that British Airways allows retrospective claims up to six months after travel, provided you were already a Club member when you flew.
For British Airways flights with a BA-prefixed flight number, the process involves filling in a simple form through the British Airways Club menu online. You must wait at least three days after completing your last leg before submitting a claim, and you will need the ticket number from your original booking confirmation.
Claiming from partner airlines is slightly more involved. You can submit a claim seven days after the last flight in your itinerary, and you will need dates travelled, departure and arrival locations, your ticket number and flight class. Crucially, Head for Points notes that you must have been a Club member at the time of flying to claim partner points. You cannot join retrospectively and then claim.
American Express Business Platinum: A 100,000-Point Offer Worth Knowing
Alongside the BA news, a significant card offer is live for eligible business travellers. Head for Points reports that American Express has doubled the sign-up bonus on the Business Platinum Card to 100,000 Membership Rewards points, up from the standard 50,000. A £150 Selfridges gift card is included on top.
The spend requirement is £12,000 within three months. The card carries an annual fee of £650, and applicants must be a Director of a Limited Company or a Member of a Limited Liability Partnership. The only eligibility restriction on the bonus is that you must not have held the Business Platinum Card in the past 24 months.
Head for Points confirms the offer closes on 12th January 2027. American Express Business Gold has a parallel offer: 40,000 Membership Rewards points plus a £100 Selfridges gift card, with no annual fee in the first year, also closing on 12th January 2027. The spend target for Business Gold is £6,000 in three months.
Hotel Points Offers Closing Soon
Several hotel loyalty promotions are running out of time. According to Head for Points, the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card is offering an increased sign-up bonus of 50,000 Hilton Honors points, up from 15,000, plus 10 additional Elite Qualifying Nights. That offer closes on 14th December 2026.
On the buy-points front, Hilton Honors is currently offering a 120% bonus when purchasing points by 21st November. IHG One Rewards is offering up to a 100% bonus on points purchased by 5th November, and Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 55% bonus by 23rd November.
Dates in the Diary This Week
Head for Points flags several deadlines falling in the coming days. Wednesday 28th October is the last day to book Club Eurostar redemptions or upgrades before that scheme devalues, and also the final day to earn double Avios with a Royal Caribbean cruise booking. Monday 26th October is the latest proposed date for the reopening of the British Airways lounge in Aberdeen, which has been much delayed.
The Marriott Bonvoy promotion offering 1,500 bonus points for every two-night cash stay closes registration on 13th November, while the stays themselves must be completed by 22nd November.
The Bottom Line
The British Airways tier point devaluation is the most consequential loyalty story of the week. Members chasing Silver or Gold face a structurally harder path than they did a fortnight ago, and those who have been borderline earners in previous years should reassess their plans before the current membership year moves further on.
The American Express Business Platinum bonus at 100,000 points is the largest publicly available Avios-convertible sign-up offer currently running in the UK, and the January deadline gives eligible applicants a reasonable window to act. Use the Airline Search tool to keep track of British Airways routes and schedules as you plan your tier point strategy for the year ahead.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
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