British Airways brings back qualification by segments – but why do it when this is better?

The bean counters at British Airways have decided to throw their frequent flyers a bone. Qualification by segments is back, a move almost certainly designed to appease employees who commute to base for work.

As you may have heard, BA is ushering in a crappy new frequent flyer programme from 1 April called The Club. Featuring qualification levels that are out of this world, people have already been booking away from the airline, including me.

Qualification by Segments

The Club has set the bar high. You earn one Tier Point for each British Pound you spend. Keep in mind that Government taxes and the UK’s famously expensive Air Passenger Duty fees don’t count towards this. To hit Bronze, you need 3,500 points, Silver is 7,500 and Gold an eye watering 20,000. The actual spend would be higher than this, due to all those taxes that don’t count.

Qualification by segments has now returned though. You can achieve Bronze with 25 segments in a year, and Silver with 50. Very handy for the regular commuter and something that is sure to keep a certain cohort of people happy. Keep in mind that only BA flight numbers are eligible here, so any flying with partner airlines on their own flight codes will not count.

Why do that when this is better?

Royal Jordanian offer something far better. For just 46 segments flown on any oneworld alliance airline, you get Platinum HAWK status, which is Emerald level. This is the same level as a BA Gold card. The fact that all the airlines count means you can fly on BA, American, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Finnair – whoever in the alliance, and the flight counts towards the total.

Yes, you will forego Avios earning, but you will get top level status in the Royal Club, which unlocks all the best benefits in the alliance. When you hit the 46, you get a full 24 months at the status and it only takes 80 flights over two years (so 40 per year instead of the 46 initial) to requalify. What’s not to love?

Overall Thoughts

Qualification by segments is going to be a good thing for those who fly very regularly at the cheapest fares. However, since those fares would probably earn a paltry amount of Avios, it is a no brainer to credit these flights to Royal Jordanian instead. You will get to the top tier in oneworld, unlocking a host of better benefits, particularly the first class lounges. RJ is also a very decent airline, so you could use those free upgrades to try their Crown Class.

I am doubtful that BA will do anything else to appease the unhappy cohort of former Executive Club members. It is what it is, and there are other options out there. Don’t get me wrong, I will still fly BA, but only when they are the best price. Gone are the days of paying extra for Club Europe to maintain my status, or deliberately connecting in London to get where I want to go for status purposes. Simple, cheap and direct from now on, which will mean a lot more flying on other airlines.

What do you think of the return of segment qualification? Have you changed your spending habits as a result of The Club? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Richard Vandervord on Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons.