BA and Amex finally reveal how cardholders can earn travel points

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favorite tales on this weekly e-newsletter.British Airways and American Categorical have revealed particulars of the right way to earn factors to unlock perks within the airline’s revamped passenger loyalty scheme.The announcement comes six months after BA drew criticism over its deliberate swap to a revenue-based loyalty programme, through which the price of flights or package deal vacation bookings could be rewarded with tier factors, as a substitute of the category of journey and size of journeys. It then introduced a brand new “British Airways Membership” loyalty scheme in April, with out offering additional info on how customers might earn tier factors from spending on the BA Premium Plus American Categorical playing cards.Lastly, this week it was introduced that travellers might earn as much as 2,500 tier factors in the event that they spend £25,000 on their Amex playing cards, permitting perks reminiscent of early boarding, precedence check-in and lounge entry. Cardholders will even routinely be granted 500 tier factors from the airline as a “thanks for his or her loyalty”.Members who spend £15,000 will likely be awarded 750 tier factors after their enrolment, with an extra 750 granted upon spending an additional £5,000.A last 1,000 factors will likely be awarded after spending a secondary £5,000 totalling the utmost £25,000 spend and a pair of,500 tier factors.If cardholders spend the complete £25,000 earlier than the provide ends in February subsequent 12 months, they are going to earn 3,000 tier factors as a result of further 500 awarded in June. This bounce takes the variety of factors near BA Bronze standing, which is about at 3,500 tier factors, even when they don’t fly with the airline throughout that point.Silver standing is reached upon incomes 7,500 factors and Gold after incomes 20,000 factors.To be eligible, cardholders should join the provide earlier than January 2026. BA stated in December that the adjustments had been a part of a wider £7bn transformation programme, that means there have been now “extra methods than ever earlier than to earn tier factors”. It added that aligning factors earned with kilos spent will deliver BA consistent with a “mannequin utilized by many different airline loyalty programmes internationally”.