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British Airways Tier Points: the 4 Changes of 2026

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British Airways Tier Points: the 4 Changes of 2026
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British Airways tier points now go further on every flight, and on two more airlines. Since April 1, 2026, the fare type you choose adds a fixed amount of tier points. American Airlines and Iberia have joined the grid, and bags, seats and sustainable fuel contributions are worth double.

The 4 changes to British Airways tier points

The base of the program is unchanged: £1 of eligible spend equals 1 tier point. What sits on top of it has been reworked on four counts.

Changes Coming to the British Airways Executive Club in 2025 - British-Airways-The-British-Airways-Club-ref192635

Fare type now counts

Every flight earns a fixed amount of tier points on top of your spend. That amount used to follow the cabin alone; it now follows the fare type as well, from the most flexible to the most restrictive.

Extra tier points by cabin and fare type on British Airways flights
CabinBase fareSemi-FlexFlexFully-Flex
Euro Traveller (short-haul)75175n/a275
Club Europe (short-haul)175275n/a375
World Traveller150250350450
World Traveller Plus275375475575
Club World5007009001,100
First6508501,0501,250

The most a single flight can add is 1,250 extra tier points, in First on a Fully-Flex fare. Basic Economy fares stay out of the grid.

American Airlines and Iberia join the grid

Flights on these two partners now earn extra tier points as well, based on the cabin alone:

  • short-haul economy: 75 points
  • short-haul business: 175 points
  • long-haul economy: 150 points
  • long-haul premium economy: 275 points
  • long-haul business: 500 points
  • long-haul First: 650 points

Extras are worth twice as much

Paid add-ons now earn 2 tier points per pound instead of one. That covers extra baggage, paid seat selection and contributions to sustainable aviation fuels.

It is the simplest way to pick up a few hundred points without changing your ticket. Paying for seats in advance now earns twice what it used to.

The 2,000-point SAF cap

Sustainable fuel contributions count for up to 2,000 tier points per membership year. Past that, contributing still earns Avios, but it no longer moves the tier counter.

What a Canadian traveller gains

The choice between two fares is now something you can put a number on before booking. On a return trip to London in World Traveller, picking Semi-Flex over the base fare adds 100 tier points per flight, so 200 points on the round trip.

Set against the Bronze threshold of 3,500 points, those 200 points cover 5.7% of the way in a single trip. The price gap between the two fares moves with the date and availability: that is what to weigh against the gain.

Thresholds and milestones in force

The four tiers are reached with the thresholds set in the April 2025 overhaul, over a collection year running from April 1 to March 31.

British Airways Club qualification thresholds and oneworld equivalents
StatusTier points requiredoneworld equivalent
Blue0n/a
Bronze3,500Ruby
Silver7,500Sapphire
Gold20,000Emerald

A second route exists, based on the number of flights: 25 flights with a British Airways code earn Bronze, and 50 flights earn Silver, over the same period.

Three milestones pay out an Avios bonus along the way: 2,500 Avios at 5,500 tier points, 4,000 Avios at 11,000 points and 5,000 Avios at 16,000 points.

Worth remembering before booking

Two or three transatlantic round trips a year are enough to make the fare type pay off. Paying for seats in advance adds to the counter. An occasional traveller will rarely reach Bronze without sustained spend in pounds.

From Canada, a credit card remains the fastest route to Reward Flights in Avios. Those Avios do not count toward tier status, however.

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With this card, you benefit from a companion voucher (by spending $30,000 or more during a calendar year). Additionally, you can enjoy a 10% discount on British Airways flights when booking with your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card.

With the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card, you get:

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In addition, you benefit from extensive insurance coverage:

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Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions

ˆ This offer only applies to new applications for a RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card received and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”), subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card account are not eligible for this offer. Existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account transferring to a RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card, are not eligible for the offer.

To receive the offer of 50,000 Avios points (“Bonus”), (i) a total of $6,000 or more (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) must be posted to your Credit Card Account within the first 90 days of your Credit Card Account opening date (“Period”), and (ii) your Credit Card must remain open and in good standing, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive Credit Card Account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status at that time. If you are not currently a member of The British Airways Club, you will be enrolled automatically once you are approved for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card. Please note that the address your British Airways Club account is registered under must match the one for your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite account at all times for the Avios to be posted to your British Airways Club account. The Bonus will be awarded to your British Airways Club account, approximately 15 weeks after the date you reach $6,000 in Qualifying Transactions within the Period.

Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees. Credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Credit Card Account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions. The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

If you close or change your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Bonus has been credited to your British Airways Club account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer, except as otherwise set out. Royal Bank of Canada and British Airways reserve the right to modify, cancel or withdraw this offer at any time. British Airways, not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for this offer and The British Airways Club program. For all British Airways Club Terms and Conditions, please visit ba.com/theclub .

An eligible member who makes at least $30,000 CAD in eligible purchases on their card during a calendar year (a calendar year is the period starting January 1 and ending December 31) will receive a single companion voucher during that same calendar year. See ba.com/rbc-visa for full terms and conditions.

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Extended Warranty+1 years
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Frequently Asked Questions

Are my tier points earned before April 2026 affected?

Points already earned stay in place for the current collection year. The new grid covers flights taken from April 1, 2026 onwards. The counter resets on March 31, as it does every year.

Do Basic Economy fares earn extra tier points?

These fares are excluded from the extra tier points grid. Eligible spend still earns 1 tier point per pound.

What is the maximum on a single flight?

The cap is 1,250 tier points per flight, reached in First on a Fully-Flex fare. In Club World Fully-Flex, the amount is 1,100 points.

Does a Reward Flight earn tier points?

A flight booked with Avios earns no tier points. Paid add-ons on it do: extra baggage and seat selection count normally.

How is a purchase in Canadian dollars converted?

British Airways applies the five-day IATA exchange rate in force on the day of purchase to convert the amount into pounds sterling, then calculates tier points on that converted amount.

Can you reach a tier without heavy spending?

Yes, through the number of flights. 25 flights with a British Airways code earn Bronze and 50 flights earn Silver, whatever the amount spent.

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