BA Changes Tier point Collection date from April 2025

[Princess Fiona]

Big news from BAEC today.

From April 1st 2025 everyone will be on the same calendar anniversary.
Starting 1st April and ending 31st March the following year.

Changes To Your Tier Point Collection Period

Won’t make much difference to me as I think mine is on those dates already.
Adjustments to TP will be made for those affected.

 

[justinbrett]

That seems like a regressive move. What benefit could it be for BA to do this? I would think it would be better to have people spread out throughout the year, and stop people cramming in status runs at the same time.

Shortening the year seems like the worst way to do this, as someone might do the bulk of their travel in one season of the year, and be excluded from retention if it falls outside the part-year (eg if you expired end of Dec, you'd have to get 1/4 of your tier points between Jan-Mar, which might be months you don't travel much.

Seems like giving an extended year (a full year and then until end of March) would be a fairer way to do it.

 

[lovestotravel]

Makes their accounting easier to match the UK financial year....

 

[_TheTraveller_]

That seems like a regressive move. What benefit could it be for BA to do this? I would think it would be better to have people spread out throughout the year, and stop people cramming in status runs at the same time.

Shortening the year seems like the worst way to do this, as someone might do the bulk of their travel in one season of the year, and be excluded from retention if it falls outside the part-year (eg if you expired end of Dec, you'd have to get 1/4 of your tier points between Jan-Mar, which might be months you don't travel much.

Seems like giving an extended year (a full year and then until end of March) would be a fairer way to do it.

This is pretty much me. I frontloaded most of my travels between July-March and have nothing between March and June when my collection year ends. So I won't benefit from this. Some will mention that if you're going to earn status between July-March this won't impact you anyways which is true but at the same time, things can go wrong and plans get cancelled so the headroom was appreciated.

Many on FT speculate that this is a move towards a revenue based status earning. It seems plausible that such a change would support that move.

 

[Viridis]

That seems like a regressive move. What benefit could it be for BA to do this? I would think it would be better to have people spread out throughout the year, and stop people cramming in status runs at the same time.

Seems like giving an extended year (a full year and then until end of March) would be a fairer way to do it.

As previously stated, it matches the UK FY.

I'm not sure that BA would factor in 'Status Runs' in their decision making

They are not shortening the year. It will be a full UK FY - 1 Apr to 31 Mar. Sure, in the changeover year, it may be shortened for some (me included), but my email stated, and @Princess Fiona noted, BA will make tier point adjustments for those affected. It's a big change and they've given 14mths (ish) notice. This all seems eminently reasonable to me.

I don't think it's unfair and they seem to have made a pretty reasonable effort to ensure that people are disadvantaged

 

[madrooster]

As previously stated, it matches the UK FY.

It also matches IB.

 

[Flashback]

Looks like you got your e-mail before me, mine only just arrived. I wonder what is really afoot here..... interesting as AAdvantage did something similar recently, too.

Also, don't mean to nitpick but it doesn't quite match any tax years. The personal tax year runs from April 6 to April 5 and for a company, their tax year runs for whichever 12 month period they choose, i.e., mine runs on a calendar year but others may run Feb to Jan, Mar to Feb etc.

 

[Viridis]

The personal tax year runs from April 6 to April 5 ........

Yes, apologies, as a proud pedant I should have been more careful

 

[Viridis]

I wonder what is really afoot here..... interesting as AAdvantage did something similar recently, too.

Interesting, .....

By coincidence, I just joined the AA programme today to consolidate my OW access (having elected to move away from SQ due to the Australian devaluation and the already poor UK redemption rates).

Maybe it is part of some grander move towards aligning the OW partner airline programmes .

 

[justinbrett]

they seem to have made a pretty reasonable effort to ensure that people are disadvantaged

They are not shortening the year. It will be a full UK FY - 1 Apr to 31 Mar. Sure, in the changeover year, it may be shortened for some (me included), but my email stated, and @Princess Fiona noted, BA will make tier point adjustments for those affected.

it was the changeover year that I was referring to. You still need to requalify. They should have just made a longer year and made it simple. For everyone.

Sure it matches their tax year. But they’ve operated for how long with misaligned years? QF and others seem to cope just fine.

 

[Viridis]

it was the changeover year that I was referring to. You still need to requalify. They should have just made a longer year and made it simple. For everyone.

Whatever . It was a typo. “…… not disadvantaged”

But how is a short changeover year going to disadvantage you (and me)? BA are going to adjust your tier point earn for the shorter year.

I just think we are always looking for something to complain amount when sometimes there is nothing there. Whatever they do, somebody will complain

If they extended the year, those that didn’t need the extension would complain that you and I received an earning advantage …. Mayne got a tier we wouldn’t normally have received

 

[levelnine]

Alignment makes it much easier for the airlines to adjust their elite status requirements (starting in your 2025 membership year, you'll need to spend $xx_X to gain Gold, etc). Simpler notification and implementation procedures.

 

[Flashback]

Here is a useful page from BA, showing how to work it out based on your current membership month.

https://www.britishairways.com/content/executive-club/faqs/tier-point-collection-changes#examples

 

[RooFlyer]

BA have clearly indicated the reasons for this change in the email and FAQs

This change will simplify the journey for Executive Club Members by aligning all Members to the same Tier Point Collection Year, making it easier to manage travel plans for yourself, colleagues and family.

From next year, your Tier status will reset at the same time as everyone else's, meaning you’ll have the same Tier Point collection year as friends and family who are also members of the Executive Club.

clearly, it’s an enhancement purely aimed at helping BAEC members and nothing at all to assist British Airways .

 

[drron]

And this I think is encouraging if it means what I think it means.

"Any Tier status you receive during the transition period will expire on 30 April 2026"

So I have a December end of year. I will get back to Gold in May. Which means instead of lasting until December 2005 it will last until 31/3/26.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

And this I think is encouraging if it means what I think it means.

"Any Tier status you receive during the transition period will expire on 30 April 2026"

So I have a December end of year. I will get back to Gold in May. Which means instead of lasting until December 2005 it will last until 31/3/26.

Apparently this is not the case. I have a June end date and based on discussions it seems like the last dot point applies to you requalifying between April 24 - March 25.

I hope that you're right as that will make me GGL till 2026 as I requalify in April.

 

[drron]

I base my conclusion on the fact that if this change did not happen I would be gold until December 2025.
If you re right I would lose it in April 25 which seems grossly unfair.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

I base my conclusion on the fact that if this change did not happen I would be gold until December 2025.
If you re right I would lose it in April 25 which seems grossly unfair.

I believe your earning calendar will change but your status won't for the transition phase. So once you requalify, it'll last till 2025 December. To requalify for 2026, you would need to earn 1500TPs between April 2024 - March 2025 to requalify till 31 March 2026 but BAEC will take into account your earn between April 2024 - December 2024 as part of the calculation and add it as an adjustment.

That's my understanding

 

[justinbrett]

I base my conclusion on the fact that if this change did not happen I would be gold until December 2025.
If you re right I would lose it in April 25 which seems grossly unfair.

This was my point. And is the way I read it.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

I think it's been poorly communicated and the examples don't provide any clarity either.