Watch a YouTube series on planning a British Airways tier point run

HfP reader Matt Jones dropped me a note to highlight three YouTube videos he has published on how to put together a British Airways tier point run.

This is, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, a series of flights which are specifically designed to maximise the number of British Airways tier points earned. The route is normally circuitous, to put it mildly, but the cost is often less than a direct flight from the UK.

Historically, Hawaii was the archetypal BA tier point run. You would start in Helsinki, or somewhere else that got you 80 tier points to the UK. You would transfer to the A318 London City to New York JFK flight, which offered 210 tier points instead of the usual 140.

In New York, you would swap to an American Airlines flight to the West Coast, ensuring it was over 2,000 miles. This would trigger 210 tier points if it was a two-class aircraft with only a First and Economy cabin. You would change again to your Hawaii flight, bagging another 210 tier points for a 2,000+ mile flight on a two-class plane. This route would get you 1,420 tier points return and could cost as little as £1,000 in Business Class, although usually £1,500 – £2,000.

It’s a bit trickier these days, but the principle is the same. The big changes are the loss of the City – New York flight, meaning no more 210 tier point transatlantic trips, and the downgrading of two class American Airlines flights in First to 140 tier points.

What I like about Matt’s videos is that he is a middle aged guy like myself and his videos reflect that. He doesn’t jump around and shout as much as an oversugared teenager would, at least no more than he has to to ensure the videos are lively and interesting.

Part 1 is here and the other two parts follow on. The whole thing is 40 minutes long.

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.)