How to get fast track oneworld status with Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines is running a promotional campaign to encourage people to try out its impressive business class.

If you book a business class flight to Australia or selected destinations in South East Asia, excluding Kuala Lumpur, between now and Monday 16th September you will automatically achieve Enrich Gold status. This is the equivalent of British Airways Silver status and gives you the same benefits when flying with BA including lounge access across the oneworld network.

You must travel before 30th July 2020 and your status upgrade is only processed after your flight has taken place.  You will retain the status until March 2021.

If you are already an Enrich Gold member, you will receive 50,000 elite miles instead. Unfortunately you can’t pick which one you would rather have!  You can see details of the promotion, including qualifying routes and qualifying fare classes, on the special landing page on the Malaysia Airlines website here.

Malaysia Airlines flies its A350-900 aircraft to and from London Heathrow.  It is an excellent aircraft to be on and has the lower cabin altitude and higher humidity levels that make a noticeable difference on long haul sectors.

Malaysia Airlines’ A350s are outfitted with a business class product we reviewed here as well as the rebranded ‘Business Suite’, the former first class seat, here.  As you can see, it is very much a step above British Airways Club World.

However, whilst this is a decent offer, it is not as lucrative as you might first think.  Remember that an identical trip in Business Class on Qatar Airways to the same Asian destinations gets you 560 British Airways tier points, which is almost BA Silver, the equivalent of Enrich Gold.  (You are taking 4 x 140 tier point long-haul flights, with the change in Doha.) 

You may find this a more attractive proposition given the greater flexibility of British Airways Silver vs Enrich Gold and, importantly, the soft-landing down to British Airways Bronze that you would receive when your Silver membership period ends.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

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

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 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 consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)