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  • šŸŒ Ready for VIP Travel? Discover the Perks of BA Silver Status!

šŸŒ Ready for VIP Travel? Discover the Perks of BA Silver Status!

+ What is Dragonpass and how to get access

Hello, Adventurous Travellers, and Happy Sunday!

Hopefully, youā€™ve had some time to wind down this weekend! This week, weā€™ll focus on BA Silver Status.

Let's get started:

  • šŸ›« British Airways Silver Status: Discover how BA Silver Status can add a luxury aspect to your BA flight - whatever class youā€™re travelling in. 

  • šŸ½ļø What London Lounges Can You Access with BA Silver Status? Options at Heathrow and Gatwick. Bring a guest and enjoy complimentary food and drinks before your flight!

  • šŸ’° Dragonpass: More Lounges, More Perks!
    Learn about Dragonpass, a lesser-known lounge membership option available through select credit cards and bank accounts.

Why You Should be Working Towards BA Silver Status

We recently covered British Airways Bronze Status and all its benefits, including Oneworld status match to Ruby, priority check-in, free seat selection, and 25% more Avios earned on flights. 

To achieve Bronze Status, you must earn 300 Tier Points on at least two eligible flights or 25 qualifying flights in a membership year. 

To earn Silver Status, you must collect 600 Tier points on at least four eligible flights per year. You can also earn Silver Status by flying 50 eligible flights in a membership year. 

Although Bronze has some good benefits, Silver is really the status you should be aiming for! If you can get an even higher status, thatā€™s even better!

The Benefits of BA Silver Status

As well as all the Bronze benefits, youā€™ll also get these Silver benefits.

  • You'll receive a 50% bonus on Avios earned on BA flights (50% more than Bronze). You'll get 8 Avios per Ā£1 spent.

  • 2 x 32kg bags for everyone on your booking.

  • Priority phone support

  • You and one guest will have access to over 170 lounges worldwide, and you can enjoy free food and drink (more about that below).

  • A seat guarantee on full or overbooked flights.

Oneworld Sapphire Status

Although some Oneworld airlines have their own status tiers, Oneworld Sapphire is generally the status that BA Silver matches to. You will also match to AAPlatinum and Alaska Airlines MVP Gold.

Having BA Silver means you will have status when you fly with any Oneworld airline.

The benefits are generally the same as BA Silver, but some exceptions will always exist. Some airlines still charge for seating, and some even offer free extra legroom seats. Some give less priority when boarding:

Oneworld airlines include:

  • 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

Lounge Access

By far, the biggest perk of BA Silver is lounge access, especially if you're flying in economy. 

Another perk is that you can bring a guest to the lounge if they are travelling with you on the same day on a Oneworld flight.

Note: A select few Oneworld lounges, including the Qantas First Lounge LAX and the Cathay Pacific First Lounge HKG, are reserved for the next tier, Oneworld Emerald (matches to BA Gold).

What London Lounges Can You Use with BA Silver Status?

Following on from above, Silver BA status gives you access to some of the best airport lounges in London. Here are the lounges you can choose from:

Heathrow Airport

If you're flying from Heathrow, there are the most lounge choices available. Chances are you'll be flying with BA from Terminal 5.

At Heathrow, you can access any British Airways Galleries Club lounges or Oneworld business-class equivalents.

Terminal 5

  • British Airways Galleries North Club Lounge 

  • British Airways Galleries South First and Galleries Club Lounge

  • British Airways Galleries T5B Club Lounge 

Terminal 3

  • American Airlines Admirals Club

  • British Airways T3 Galleries First and Galleries Club Lounge 

  • Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge 

  • The Qantas London Lounge 

Terminal 4

  • Qatar Airways Frequent Flyer Lounge 

  • Gulf Air Falcon Gold Lounge 

NOTE: Remember you can use more than one lounge during your time at the airport. 

Gatwick Airport 

Although there are fewer choices at Gatwick Airport, there is still a lounge at each terminal!

South Terminal

  • British Airways First and Club Lounge

North Terminal

  • Clubrooms

What is Dragonpass?

If youā€™re looking into airport lounge membership, youā€™ve probably heard of Priority Pass. But what about Dragonpass

Currently, more than 1,300 lounges are part of the Dragonpass programme. You can view the full list here.

DragonPass also provides discounts at some airport restaurants (up to 25%), spas, limousines, and meet-and-greet services, all available through the app.

The lounges are across the world, including lounges in:

  • Asia: 444 lounges

  • Europe: 225 lounges

  • North America

  • Oceania

A variety of membership options are available:

Once you have your membership, everything is done via the app. 

Credit Cards Offering DragonPass

Although you may find it worthwhile purchasing a Dragonpass membership, itā€™s often a lot more worthwhile getting a free DragonPass membership with a credit card or bank account. If you also have Priority Pass with a credit card, youā€™ll have a huge choice of which lounges to visit. 

Here are the credit cards and bank accounts with Dragonpass:

Bank Account, Credit Card or Package

Lounge Access

Monthly Fee

Avios Earnings/Benefits

Requirements

Barclaycard Avios Plus Credit Card

Ā£18.50 per visit

Ā£20

1.5 Avios per Ā£1 spent, 25,000 Avios when you spend Ā£3000 in the first 3 months, Cabin upgrade voucher or 7000 Avios when you spend Ā£10,000 within 12 months

Minimum annual income of Ā£20,000

Barclays Premier Banking with Barclays Avios Rewards

5 visits per year at Ā£18.50 per visit


Ā£12


1,500 Avios per month, 7,000 Avios or a BA upgrade voucher each year

Ā£75,000 annual income or Ā£100,000 in savings

Barclays Travel Plus Pack

6 free visits or a Ā£15 meal voucher at over 50 airport restaurants

Ā£22.50

Worldwide and UK multi-trip cover, Complete breakdown cover in UK and Europe, 24/7 concierge

Any qualifying Barclays current account (Basic Current Account, Student, Higher Education or Premier Current Account)

NatWest Premier Reward Black Account

Access to DragonPass Prestige

Ā£36

Worldwide travel insurance, UK & Europe AA car breakdown, Phone Insurance, earn ā€˜Rewardsā€™ which can convert to Avios

Minimum sole income of Ā£100,000, joint income of Ā£120,000, Ā£500,000 mortgage borrowing, or Ā£100,000 in savings/investments

Royal Bank of Scotland Premier Reward Black Account

Access to DragonPass Prestige

Ā£36

Worldwide family travel insurance, Concierge

Ā£100,000 in savings, Ā£100,000 sole income, or Ā£120,000 joint income

Ulster Bank ufirst Private Current Account

Ā£26

Worldwide travel insurance, cashback, phone insurance

Ā£75,000 annual income or Ā£100,000 in savings/investments

A Ā£5 booking fee applies to most lounges.

If this doesnā€™t appeal to you, you may prefer Priority Pass, which comes with the AMEX Platinum, AMEX Gold, and HSBC World Elite Mastercard.

Final Words

Thatā€™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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