How can I get British Airways Executive Club Gold status?

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How can you get British Airways Executive Club Gold status and a British Airways Gold card?

Gold is one of four tiers of the Executive Club, British Airways’ frequent flyer membership scheme. In this article we’ll look at what you need to do to achieve British Airways Executive Club Gold status.

There are four tiers as part of the Executive Club, three of which are elite. The Gold tier is the highest status you can achieve. If you’re not already familiar with how the Executive Club works, with Avios and tier points, we recommend you read this article explaining the basics of British Airways elite status and how you can start your journey towards Bronze.

Your elite status is dependent on the number of tier points you earn during your membership year and, unlike Avios, your tier points reset on the anniversary of your membership. There is no other use to tier points other than setting your elite status; they cannot be spent.

Gold status is the next elite tier after Silver and Bronze. British Airways is part of the oneworld alliance: holding Executive Club Gold Status is equivalent to oneworld Emerald status and offers similar benefits on flights with oneworld Airlines.

To achieve British Airways Gold status, you need

1,500 Tier Points and 4 eligible flights flown in one membership year

In this case, an eligible flight is

any British Airways operated flight, no matter the flight number

a flight with a British Airways flight code but operated by another airline

an Iberia operated flight with an Iberia flight code

Reward or redemption flights (using Avios) are NOT counted towards eligible flights.

Once you fulfil the requirements above, you will automatically be upgraded to Gold status. You will also receive a welcome or renewal pack in the post with your new Gold status card. Gold status includes a number of benefits not available to Blue, Bronze or Silver members, including:

100% bonus Avios on all British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and Japan Airlines, doubling avios earned

Free seat selection at the time of booking for you and anyone else on your booking, including “extra legroom” upgrades (this does not apply on hand-baggage only fares)

Free seat allocation for a companion on their own booking, but on the same flight (this can only be done over the phone)

2 free 32kg bags per person in all classes, for everyone on your booking

Club World, Club Europe or oneworld equivalent business class check in desks, regardless of your flight class

Access for you and one guest (traveling on a British Airways or oneworld operated flight) to the British Airways Galleries First, Club, Terraces and Executive Club, or the equivalent oneworld first and business class departure lounge

Use of the British Airways Elemis Spa before a long haul flight, regardless of ticket class

Use of a British Airways arrivals lounge, irrespective of class of travel

Priority boarding

Reservation assurance on full-fare economy tickets, guaranteeing you a seat even on full or overbooked flights

Priority over lower status passengers on waiting lists

Additional avios reward seat availability in economy

Gold Priority Reward, allowing you to book any seat still for sale for double the avios cost (these can only be booked offline and with 30 days’ notice)

No booking free for avios redemption flights

The official ba.com list of Gold status benefits can be found here.

Unlike Bronze and Silver status, there are additional thresholds that unlock extra perks for Gold status holders. These include:

At 2500 tier points, you receive a Gold Upgrade for Two voucher, which you can use with a companion to upgrade to the next cabin class on a cash booking. This voucher is valid for one year, though you can extend validity for another 6 months upon request.

At 3500 tier points you receive a Gold Upgrade for One voucher, again valid for one year

At 5000 points you are invited to join the Gold Guest List, an elite subset of Gold status that carries additional value. You can read about how to achieve British Airways Gold Guest List and its associated benefits here.

You can find a similar article on “How can I get British Airways Executive Club Silver status?” by clicking here.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works. You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

(Head for Points is the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website with 1.8 million monthly page views. Want to learn more about earning and spending Avios? Click here to read our latest news stories, click here to join our email list and click here to read our ‘Avios Redemption University’ series.)

How to get 20,000 Avios from Amex Gold or 30,000 Avios from Amex Platinum (December 2021 offer)

The sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold converts to 20,000 Avios and the card is free for the first year. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

You don’t qualify for the Amex Gold bonus if you have a British Airways American Express card. You DO qualify for the bonus on The Platinum Card, which converts into 30,000 Avios. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have your own small business, the best way of earning Avios is via the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa. It has a sign-up bonus which converts to 10,000 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also look at the British Airways Accelerating Business card, because it currently has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up by 14th November. You can apply here.