🎫 Go for Gold: A Look at BA Gold and Gold Guest List

Hello, Adventurous Travellers, and Happy Sunday!

Today, we're taking a look into the incredible benefits of British Airways Gold Status and beyond.

Let's get started:

• 💳 Capital On Tap Business Card: This credit card offers several benefits, including 1 Avios per £1 spent.

• 🥇 British Airways Gold Status: Have amazing travel experiences with perks like 9 Avios per £1 spent, access to first-class lounges, and an extra baggage allowance. Plus, enjoy priority rewards and reservations!

• 🎩 Gold Guest List: Go beyond Gold with the Gold Guest List, offering guaranteed reward seats, lounge access, VIP service, and even Hilton Honors Diamond Status.

What is the Capital On Tap Business Card? 

Capital on Tap is a good credit card option for small businesses. If you have the paid version, you can earn 1 Avios per £1 spent.

Key Features Include:

• Uncapped 1% Cashback: Earn 1% cashback on all card spending, which can be redeemed for Avios, cashback, or gift cards.

• High Credit Limits: Access credit limits up to £250,000.

• No Fees: Enjoy no annual, foreign exchange, or ATM fees.

• Additional Cards: Issue free company cards with spending controls for employees.

There are two Capital on Tap credit cards available. Only the paid version allows you to redeem points for Avios:

To be eligible, your business must be registered in the UK with a minimum turnover of £24,000.

Even just the Avios benefit is worth paying the £99 yearly fee!

If you’re looking for an Avios earning business credit card but Capital on Tap isn’t for you, consider the AMEX Business Gold or AMEX Business Platinum cards.

British Airways Gold Status

We’ve recently taken you through BA Bronze and Silver status, how to earn it, and the benefits. Here’s a recap:

• Bronze: 300 Tier points on 2 eligible flights or 25 eligible flights.

• Silver: 600 Tier points on 4 eligible flights or 50 eligible flights

Once you reach Silver, you’ll have access to over 170 oneworld lounges worldwide and oneworld Sapphire Status. You’ll also get a 50% bonus Avios per flight and 2 x 32kg bags.

Once you’ve reached Silver, is it worth working towards BA Gold Status? Yes, it is!

As well as all the Bronze and Silver benefits, you’ll also get these Gold benefits:

• 9 Avios per £1 spent (1 more than with Silver Status). This can add up, especially if you’re paying for business class or a special deal like double Avios.

• Additional reward seats in Economy at the standard price.

• If there's no availability in your chosen cabin or on the flight, with the Gold Priority Reward, you can use double the regular Avios to secure a seat of your choice on the flight, provided you book 30 days or more in advance.

• Worldwide first-class check-in desks.

• Reservation Assurance and Priority Waitlisting.

• Free seat selection from the time of booking for your whole party on British Airways flights – even friends and family on other bookings. This includes access to Row 1 in Club Europe and First Class.

• An additional free checked bag in any travel class for everyone on your booking

• A weight allowance of 32kg (71lb) per checked bag in any travel class for everyone on your booking

• No booking or service fees for Priority Reward bookings

• Status match to oneworld Emerald

• Access to First Class lounges. Silver Status gives access to a good range of lounges, but the list gets longer with BA Gold, and you can expect more luxury services. You can now access the American Airlines International First Class Lounge in Terminal 3. If you’re arriving on a long-haul BA flight and holding Gold Status, use the British Airways Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 5. There are also a range of other First Class oneworld lounges around the world that you can access.

oneworld Emerald

BA Gold Status also means you will have oneworld Emerald which gives you access to similar privileges with the 13 member airlines. Here’s a reminder:

• Alaska Airlines

• American Airlines

• Cathay Pacific

• Finnair

• Iberia

• Malaysia Airlines

• Japan Airlines

• Qantas

• Qatar

• Air Maroc

• Royal Jordanian

• Sri Lankan Airlines

• Fiji Airways

• Oman Air

You can benefit from the following privileges:

After gold, you can work towards Gold Guest List or Lifetime Gold, which we will cover in the coming weeks.

What is British Airways Gold Guest List?

British Airways often shows the standard tiers of Blue, Bronze, Silver and Gold when showing membership tiers. But did you know that Gold Guest List status is a step up from gold? This prestigious tier offers exclusive benefits.

To reach Gold Guest List status, you must first get Gold status, which requires 1,500 Tier Points. 

Beyond that, earning 5,000 Tier Points in a membership year grants you access to the Gold Guest List.

What Gold Guest List Status Can Earn You

• Guaranteed Reward Seats: Twice per year, you can book up to five seats as reward flights, even if unavailable for Avios redemption, provided the relevant fare classes (A, D, T, and B) are available for cash bookings.

• Enhanced Lounge Access: Bring five additional guests into British Airways departure lounges and one guest into arrivals lounges. This includes access to the Concorde Room.

• Dedicated VIP Customer Service: Priority service with a dedicated 24-hour VIP customer service line.

• Hilton Honors Diamond Status: Complimentary Diamond status at Hilton properties worldwide.

• Gifting Status: At the start of each membership year, you can gift Gold status to one person and Silver status to two others.

• Additional Perks: At 7,000, 8,000, and 9,000 Tier Points, you can choose between additional Gold Guest List redemptions, Gold Upgrade for One voucher, or 50,000 Avios.

To keep your Gold Guest List status, you must earn 3,000 Tier Points in subsequent membership years. 

Is Gold Guest List worth it?

We spoke to one of our readers Stuart, who has recently earned BA Gold Guest List, about the benefits he makes the most of and whether he thinks it is worth it.

British Airways also offers a Lifetime Gold Guest List if you achieve 100,000 Tier Points throughout your membership.

If you can earn the tier points, the Gold Guest List offers unparalleled benefits. It’s a highly sought-after tier in airline loyalty programmes!

Final Words

That’s all for this week! We hope these tips help you maximise your travel rewards and have better experiences.

Safe travels, and always aim for the upgrade!

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Bye for now!