What is the British Airways Gold Priority Reward?

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Today I want to answer the questions “What is the British Airways Gold Priority Reward, and how does it work?“.

As an Executive Club Gold member you might already be familiar with the range of benefits that British Airways Gold status holds – including lounge access, priority check-in and free seat selection – but one of the lesser known perks of being a Gold member is actually one of the best: the Gold Priority Reward.

For every flight, British Airways guarantees at least four business and eight economy class seats are available for Avios redemptions. Long haul flights are also guaranteed two premium economy seats, making 14 Avios seats in total.

Whilst additional seats are usually released, you may find yourself out of luck with no seats available for Avios redemptions. In this case, you can either try and find an alternative flight that does have availability or – you may be able to use a Gold Priority Reward

What is a BA Gold Priority Reward?

Gold Priority Rewards allow you to book any seat on any British Airways flight* using Avios. If you can see a seat available for cash on your chosen flight, you can call your Executive Club service centre and ask them to book you a seat with your Avios.

The catch is that it will cost you double the usual Avios amount and you must book at least 30 days in advance. Unfortunately, the offer is not valid with 2-4-1 vouchers.

Clearly, this is an incredibly powerful (and useful) ability if you are caught out and absolutely need to get on a particular flight. Over February half term, for example, you can expect to pay £500 for a Saturday to Saturday return BA economy flight to the major ski resorts. Use a Gold Priority Reward and you’ll only pay 18,000 Avios plus £35 which is a major saving.

Outside of peak times, as you are paying double Avios, it is generally poor value. However, it may be that you are Avios rich and value your time more than your Avios, particularly if most of your points are from work-funded business travel and do not need to justify a minimum value when you spend them.

There is one catch. You can’t use a Gold Priority Reward on a BA CityFlyer service which means all of the short-haul services from London City Airport. This is because, technically, CityFlyer is a separate business inside British Airways and not treated as part of the ‘mainline’ operation. Strange but true.

(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.