American Express makes major British Airways points change after customers’ fury | Personal Finance | Finance

American Express has finally released details of its British Airways points scheme six months after it announced a controversial change. Cardholders with a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card will now be able to earn up to 2,500 tier points a year, which will entitle them to travel perks. 

Customers will need to spend £25,000 on the card between today and next February to access the maximum number of points, and all cardholders will be given 500 extra tier points if they enrol this month. This follows a major backlash from customers after the company announced a change to its points scheme in December, which meant customers earned points though the money they spent on flights and holidays, rather than air miles. 

The controversial change meant that for every £1 spent with the airline, customers would earn one point, which meant they would need to spend £7,500 on travel and holidays to achieve Silver status.

BA adjusted the thresholds required to achieve bronze, silver and gold status, at 3,500, 7,500 and 20,000 tier points respectively, but many argued it made them harder to reach, The Sun reports.

This scheme, called ‘Club’, which came into effect on April 1, even provoked some frequent flyers to hold a mock funeral for the old scheme.

This is because as customers progress through the tier levels, they gain access to more perks, such as complimentary seat selection, priority check-in, additional hold baggage allowance, and access to the airline’s airport lounges. 

With today’s announcement, customers will now earn 750 tier points for spending £15,000 on the card. If they reach £20,000, they’ll get another 750 tier points, and when they hit £25,000, they will earn an additional 1,000 tier points.

The extra 500 tier points upon enrollment, which BA says are a “thank you for their loyalty”, can increase this total of 2,500 to 3,000 this year.

To participate in the offer, customers need to enrol through the American Express app or website.

British Airways said that there will be further opportunities to earn tier points using the Premium Plus credit card from April 2026.