British Airways is making its elite tiers harder to earn again. Starting April 1, 2027, Silver and Gold in The British Airways Club need more tier points, and the bonus tier points on long-haul premium cabins are getting cut. That includes business class on Iberia and American. If you credit Iberia flights to BA to chase oneworld status, this one affects you.
The new status thresholds
Here’s what changes from April 1, 2027, according to British Airways’ tier points page:
- Bronze (oneworld Ruby): stays at 3,500 tier points.
- Silver (oneworld Sapphire): goes from 7,500 to 8,000.
- Gold (oneworld Emerald): goes from 20,000 to 21,000.
According to coverage from AwardWallet and Upgraded Points, the flight-count routes don’t change: 25 eligible flights for Bronze and 50 for Silver. BA also lists new milestone rewards from April 2027: 2,500 bonus Avios at 5,750 tier points, 4,000 at 12,000 and 5,000 at 17,000.
The bigger hit: smaller bonuses on premium cabins
Since April 2025, BA Club members have earned tier points mostly on spending: 1 tier point per £1 of eligible fare on BA, American and Iberia, plus a fixed bonus by cabin. Those bonuses are what’s shrinking. Per BA’s flights page, the extra tier points on Iberia- and American-marketed long-haul flights change like this:
- Premium economy: 275 down to 175
- Business class: 500 down to 200
- First class: 650 down to 300
Long-haul economy (150) and the short-haul bonuses (75 in economy, 175 in business) stay the same. On BA’s own flights, Club World drops from 500 to 200 on the cheapest business fare and from 1,100 to 800 on fully flexible fares. First drops from 650 to 300 on the cheapest fare and from 1,250 to 900 on fully flexible fares.
Here’s what that looks like on a long-haul Iberia business class ticket worth £1,000 in eligible fare. Today it earns about 1,500 tier points (1,000 base plus 500 bonus). Under the new rules it earns about 1,200. Put that next to a Gold target that’s 1,000 points higher and you’ll need noticeably more premium trips to get there.
The date that matters: November 25, 2026
BA says the old bonus rates still apply if “you booked your flight before 25 November 2026, regardless of when you travel.” The new rates only hit flights from April 1, 2027 onward that you book on or after November 25. Anything flying before April 1, 2027 earns the current rates no matter when you book it.
So if you’re already planning a paid business class trip on Iberia, American or BA for spring or summer 2027 and you credit to BA Club, booking before November 25 locks in the bigger bonus.
Who this affects
This only matters if you earn status with BA Club. If you mostly collect Avios through card transfers and redeem them for Iberia or BA award flights, nothing in this announcement changes award prices or how you book. It’s about earning status, not spending Avios.
For U.S. flyers who pay for premium tickets and credit them to BA to get oneworld Sapphire or Emerald, it’s worth checking whether Iberia Club or AAdvantage now gets you to your target faster. Each program counts differently, so run your own trips through each one.
Our take
The threshold bump is mild, but cutting the business class bonus by more than half is a real devaluation for people who fly premium.
An extra 500 or 1,000 tier points on its own isn’t a big deal. Pair it with 300 fewer bonus points on every long-haul business flight, though, and the math moves fast if Gold is your goal. BA is clearly pushing status toward people who spend more per ticket, not people who fly often on cheaper premium fares. And members get no new benefits in exchange for the higher bar.
If you redeem Avios and don’t chase BA status, you can ignore this. If you do chase status, book any 2027 premium trips you’re sure about before November 25, and take a fresh look at where you credit Iberia and American flights.
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Source: British Airways: About tier points, British Airways: Tier points on flights, AwardWallet and Upgraded Points.
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