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Act fast: How to earn Oneworld Emerald status for under $3,000 this year

Kyle OlsenPoints and Miles Expert
Kyle Olsen is the former points and miles reporter at TPG. He specializes in maximizing points and miles, elite status and credit cards so readers travel more comfortably and at a lower cost.

August 24, 2022 • 8 min read

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Quick summary

British Airways Gold status offers top-tier perks including advance seat selection, first-class lounge access and a pathway to Hilton Honors Diamond status.
Qualifying requires 1,500 Tier Points in a calendar year, but for 2022, the threshold is reduced to 1,125 Tier Points plus four British Airways-operated flights.
Gold status grants Oneworld Emerald benefits, such as access to premium lounges and priority services, even on domestic flights with partner airlines in the U.S.
Strategic booking of certain fare classes and routes, especially short-haul first class on Alaska Airlines, can help efficiently accumulate Tier Points.

What to consider

Not all fare classes qualify for full benefits or Tier Points accrual; basic economy and some discounted fares may be excluded.
To achieve Gold status, at least four flights must be marketed and operated by British Airways, regardless of Tier Points earned elsewhere.
Tier Points are awarded based on fare class and route, not ticket price, so careful selection can maximize value.

What you'll miss from the article

Detailed examples of cost-effective routes and fare classes that accelerate progress toward British Airways Gold status.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

With advance seat selection, a route to Hilton Honors Diamond status, first-class lounge access and a track to lie-flat seat upgrade certificates, there's much to love about British Airways' top-tier Gold status.

To qualify, you need to earn 1,500 Tier Points in a calendar year; however, for 2022, the status requirements have been reduced by 25%.

So 2022 is your opportunity to earn the 1,125 Tier Points (plus four British Airways segments) needed for British Airways Gold status. And despite BA being a foreign airline, it includes Oneworld Emerald status, which has big benefits for U.S.-based travelers.

Why a US-based flyer would want BA Gold status

American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner — British Airways Gold elite members will have benefits on American Airlines and other Oneworld carriers. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Before we discuss how to earn BA Gold status this year, let's look at why a U.S.-based traveler would want to pursue elite status on Britain's largest airline.

Since British Airways is a Oneworld member like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, you get reciprocal benefits on all Oneworld airlines. BA Gold elite status includes the following benefits whenever you fly a Oneworld carrier:

Access to first- and business-class lounges.
Access to first-class priority check-in.
"Fast Track" or "Priority Lane" access at select airports worldwide.
Priority baggage handling.
Extra baggage allowance.
Priority boarding.
Priority on waitlists and when on standby.
Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating.

Certain fare classes (like basic economy) are excluded from some benefits, and other exceptions apply to the BA Gold and Oneworld Emerald benefits list. Regardless, this is a generous list of benefits you can enjoy when you fly with Alaska and American.

Also, while top-tier Alaska and American elite members enjoy Oneworld Emerald status, their status doesn't get them into the Alaska Lounge, Admirals Club or Flagship Lounge when traveling on domestic itineraries. With BA Gold, however, you'll have access to all three of these lounges — even on domestic flights.

Of course, BA Gold comes with benefits on British Airways too. This includes:

First-class check-in and boarding.
Free seat selection for most seats at booking.
Access to First lounges.
Extra baggage allowance.
Additional reward flight availability.
100% bonus Avios.
Member-only offers.
No booking or service fees for Priority Reward bookings.
Gold Priority Reward.
Additional reward flight availability in economy.
Gold upgrade for two vouchers (at 2,500 Tier Points in one year).
Two Gold upgrades for one voucher (at 3,500 Tier Points in one year).
One Gold Executive Club partner card and two Silver cards (at 5,000 Tier Points in one year and 3,000 Tier Points thereafter).
Concorde Room access (at 5,000 Tier Points in one year and 3,000 Tier Points thereafter).

You're also eligible for Hilton Honors Diamond elite status after you earn 5,000 Tier Points in your first qualification year, and 3,000 Tier Points per year after that.

An introduction to earning Tier Points

You can earn British Airways Tier Points with BA and partner flights. (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)

The easiest way to see the number of Tier Points you'll earn from a flight is by going to the British Airways Tier Points calculator on its website. You can type in your origin, destination, airline and Executive Club tier. If you have status with British Airways, you'll earn bonus Avios — redeemable for award travel — but your Tier Point accrual does not change based on your status.

For example, a one-way flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) earns 35 Tier Points in the L fare class.

Earning BA Tier Points SFO-LHR — (Screenshot from britishairways.com)

It's important to remember that, unlike earning elite status with most U.S. airlines, your ticket price does not affect your Tier Points accrual. In turn, the key is to find a fare class that earns a generous number of Tier Points based on your ticket price.

How to quickly earn Tier Points in the US

Alaska Airlines plane landing in San Jose — You can earn Tier Points quickly on Alaska Airlines short-haul flights. (Photo by Sundry Photography/Shutterstock)

Now that we've established the fundamentals of British Airways Tier Points, let's look at how you can earn lots of Tier Points on discounted North American flights. At the end of each example, we'll show you the cost per Tier Point at the time of writing.

40 Tier Points: Short-haul first class

Booking an Alaska flight from SJC to LAX — (Screenshot from alaskaair.com)

Alaska Airlines offers some bargain-priced short-haul first-class tickets. For example, you can fly from San Jose's Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for $89.

These flights, which are normally in the I fare class — indicated by "First Class (I)" above — earn 40 Tier Points per the Tier Point calculator. Theoretically, you could earn 1,125 Tier Points after 29 short-haul first-class flights, which would cost just over $2,500.

Cost: $2.23 per Tier Point.

180 Tier Points: Connecting medium-haul first class

Booking SJC to MSY on Alaska First class — (Screenshot from alaskaair.com)

Connecting first-class flights can also help you earn more Tier Points. For example, this flight from San Jose to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) connects through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). You'll earn 40 Tier Points for the first leg and 140 Tier Points for the second leg.

You'll walk away with 180 Tier Points after spending just $379. After three round-trip flights like this, you will have earned 1,080 of the 1,125 Tier Points needed for BA Gold.

Cost: $2.11 per Tier Point.

220 Tier Points: Long-haul Hawaii

Booking a flight from BWI to HNL — (Screenshot from google.com/flights)

The next example we're looking at is a round-trip premium economy flight from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) by way of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The mainland U.S. flights are ticketed in the H fare class (economy class) and earn 20 Tier Points per leg, while flights to Hawaii are ticketed in the P fare class and earn 90 Tier Points each.

So for about $1,000, you earn 220 Tier Points in this case.

Cost: $4.67 per Tier Point.

440 Tier Points: Peru in business class

Booking a flight from JFK to LIM — (Screenshot from google.com/flights)

This flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) connects through Miami International Airport (MIA). It is ticketed the whole way through in the I fare class. The domestic flights earn 40 Tier Points each, while the flights to Peru earn 180 Tier Points each. By taking this round-trip ticket, you'll earn 440 Tier Points — that's over a third of your way to Gold status.

Cost: $3.51 per Tier Point.

Bottom line

By searching on the British Airways Tier Points Calculator, you'll become acquainted with some sweet spots that earn lots of Tier Points, but it's going to be hard to beat Alaska's low-cost first-class fares. You won't qualify for Gold status without four British Airways-marketed and -operated flights, so make sure to factor that into your status chase too.

When you qualify for BA Gold, you'll enjoy Oneworld Emerald benefits like access to the American Airlines Flagship Lounge — even on domestic U.S. flights — something your fellow Alaska Airlines and American Airlines Oneworld Emeralds won't have access to.

That might be a reason to pursue Gold status with British Airways, especially if you can get there for under $3,000.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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