Enjoying this one. Those upcoming flights (quite an extensive list!) are they business or leisure? I hope you don’t mind me asking, I’ve started my own channel this year and it’s just interesting to see how others do it!
All leisure! We’re actually taking a few months out from work next year which is when the majority of those upcoming flights will be taken. I’ll have to check out your channel!
@@charlesontravels awedome! Can’t wait to follow along. Ah mate it’s early days but I’ve got tons of videos filmed that I’m making my way through in the cutting room 👍
Great video, thanks for the transparency. There are a lot of people who get vexed when you don’t get close to the (arbitrary) £2 per TP number. I enjoy travelling and similar to you, take flights at short notice to accommodate work commitments. I generally use taxis / Uber / Grab in other countries instead of the train or public transport. I enjoy your vids for the normality of something which is relatable to me. I paid £1100 for the AUH-CMB-CGK run instead of £800 because the timings I chose worked better for me. I stayed a few days in each place and enjoyed expensive hotels so I could enjoy myself. Chasing status is one thing, but for me, enjoying the occasional is far more important - and that doesn’t always come in at £2 per TP!
Thanks very much! Yes exactly, as much as it can be nice to optimise for points, there’s no point (pun not intended) if it means doing things that you don’t want to do, or if it stops you from having the travel experience that you really want
Really nice video Charles, I also went for a few BA 5 night holiday packages, bumps the tier points up nicely but gets me to silver. I did look at trying to get to gold but it's miles away for me, if I do a business trip to the US and add in the min 5 nights hotel, I'll see what that brings me. On the lounges, I find the T5 north and south lounges terrible, they are so busy, really difficult to get a (clean) seat and table and I don't think its fit for purpose. For me, lounge access is no longer the luxury it used to be and actually should be. I have been in every time of the day and it's always mobbed. The T5 south lounge was so busy one time, they let us into the first class one downstairs!
It’s been a real mixed bag for me at the T5 lounges but my personal experience has been that they’ve generally been quieter over the last 12 months compared with the previous year, but fully aware from comments I’ve had and other things I’ve read online that I’m quite fortunate to have had that! Looking forward to seeing if there’s much difference in the first class lounge now that I’ve got access.
Thanks Charles, love this video which highlights your journey to gold. I subscribe to a lot of channels here where tier points are cheaper but they’re all generally speaking retired, on gap years or full time on the tube. Appreciate your content on how a working couple go about it and looking forward to more in your future travels
Congratulations, I earned gold for the first time last year sadly haven’t had a chance yet to use it 😕 but with a short trip to Dublin later this month we’ll get to experience the gold check in & 1st lounge @T5 🙂. Bagged ourselves 1st class for a couple of hundred more than business to JFK in march (£1100 e/w instead of £8k e/w🤪) adding 5 nights for the double bubble holiday promotion gets us 840 points 🙂 not the cheapest way of a tier point run I know & looking to book a sectored premium economy leg to USA this November which will give us enough for gold renewal by April next year. Wishing you luck with your channel hope it grows large enough to earn something from it, enjoy your future travels 👍🏻
Good video. I've decided not to chase status. It might come - I have four BA flights booked and might do another trip - but I will only do trips I want to do, and will only book with BA when they are the best option. Lounges? I can buy access when I need it. Avios collection? I'm getting better at that.
Loving the double tier points….. I’ve done couple of trips to Malta to Corfu. Then a few runs to Edinburgh to stay with my friend… Plus a USA trip…. Not to bad all told about 4000 poimds
Thanks! I’ll only have it until next October, but that will cover the period of full time travel that we’ve got planned plus a few other trips before and after that. No current plans to renew, just going to allow the soft landing to silver then aim to retain that. Unless I happen to get close to gold again from flights I have planned anyway. Or, if this channel takes off to allow me to travel a lot more! Fingers crossed for that last one!
I reached Gold this year for no other reason than I wanted to see what it was like (having reached Silver very easily). W.r.t. benefits - the main one is OneWorld First class lounges (although the LHR T5 First lounge is somewhat disappointing). I have 2 years or so to see whether Gold is really worith it. The point about the £2/TP is it's an approximate minimum (post Covid) - so it is possible to get to Gold spending £3K. I booked double TP deals in Club Europe which were around this minimum - but I've also booked flights that were much higher than the minimum because they were trips I had planned anyway. Car hire can give double TPs for very little extra spend. What £/TP people achieve is really a personal choice.
@@charlesontravels Best benefits have been First class lounges at LHR T3 and the First wing check-in at LHR T5. Selecting Row 1 in Club Europe for the extra leg room is nice. Being able to invite someone into First lounge will be great. That's about it...all the other perks (especially free seat selection) are available under Silver.
Great video Charles. I agree with you and the comment below. Chasing Tier Points is ok but it is more important to enjoy the trip. If that means you are paying more than the optimal £ per TP then fair enough. My goal is Silver but that wont happen this membership year, it will be Bronze for me this year.
Thanks for this Im at silver which is good, may get to Gold but I'm not pushing it. Newcastle is the best uk regional airport I use ti whenever I go north.
Very interesting. I am almost at gold and like you I am getting there simply by enjoying holidays rather than tp runs. However, I have found it impossible to get anywhere near £2/tp even when trying to get the best deal. I would be fascinated about how you booked all your upcoming Avios flights.Again I have found very little availability when I have searched for reward flights and so I would love to learn how you did it.
A lot of it is due to flexibility with plans. We’re taking some time out of work to travel for a few months, and it allows us to be flexible with some of the travel dates, plus we found availability was better overseas with some of the other oneworld airlines other than BA. We also booked some of the flights quite far out when they first became available for booking.
Going to be honest... I can't stop watching this videos but I don't think I will ever become Gold. Although I fly every month to Portugal I always fly the cheapest of the cheapest of Economy. Lol I think BA should decrease the number of legs for each tier. Those who are actually frequent flyers end up being left behind for some people flying long haul Business Class. 😢😢
If you’re flying that often you’d definitely benefit a lot from getting status. Might be worth doing the occasional upgrade to business on that route if you see fares that aren’t too much more than economy. You could at least get to silver very easily and get free seat selection and lounge access. You could even make it a habit to check the upgrade cost a day or two out from flying as you can often get some great deals upgrading last minute
i have always wondered why when I am paying for my seat selection in Club I can't book the front row or the bulkhead on Gatwick flights, now I know. It is annoying as I'm 6ft 3in :(
If there are no people with gold status in business on your flight, those seats will open up at check in to everyone else, so if you check in as soon as it is available 24 hours before the flight, make sure to check the seats as you’re going through check in process online and you’ll sometimes find them available.
Enjoying this one. Those upcoming flights (quite an extensive list!) are they business or leisure? I hope you don’t mind me asking, I’ve started my own channel this year and it’s just interesting to see how others do it!
All leisure! We’re actually taking a few months out from work next year which is when the majority of those upcoming flights will be taken. I’ll have to check out your channel!
@@charlesontravels awedome! Can’t wait to follow along. Ah mate it’s early days but I’ve got tons of videos filmed that I’m making my way through in the cutting room 👍
Great video, thanks for the transparency. There are a lot of people who get vexed when you don’t get close to the (arbitrary) £2 per TP number. I enjoy travelling and similar to you, take flights at short notice to accommodate work commitments. I generally use taxis / Uber / Grab in other countries instead of the train or public transport.
I enjoy your vids for the normality of something which is relatable to me. I paid £1100 for the AUH-CMB-CGK run instead of £800 because the timings I chose worked better for me. I stayed a few days in each place and enjoyed expensive hotels so I could enjoy myself.
Chasing status is one thing, but for me, enjoying the occasional is far more important - and that doesn’t always come in at £2 per TP!
Thanks very much! Yes exactly, as much as it can be nice to optimise for points, there’s no point (pun not intended) if it means doing things that you don’t want to do, or if it stops you from having the travel experience that you really want
Really nice video Charles, I also went for a few BA 5 night holiday packages, bumps the tier points up nicely but gets me to silver. I did look at trying to get to gold but it's miles away for me, if I do a business trip to the US and add in the min 5 nights hotel, I'll see what that brings me. On the lounges, I find the T5 north and south lounges terrible, they are so busy, really difficult to get a (clean) seat and table and I don't think its fit for purpose. For me, lounge access is no longer the luxury it used to be and actually should be. I have been in every time of the day and it's always mobbed. The T5 south lounge was so busy one time, they let us into the first class one downstairs!
It’s been a real mixed bag for me at the T5 lounges but my personal experience has been that they’ve generally been quieter over the last 12 months compared with the previous year, but fully aware from comments I’ve had and other things I’ve read online that I’m quite fortunate to have had that! Looking forward to seeing if there’s much difference in the first class lounge now that I’ve got access.
Thanks Charles, love this video which highlights your journey to gold. I subscribe to a lot of channels here where tier points are cheaper but they’re all generally speaking retired, on gap years or full time on the tube. Appreciate your content on how a working couple go about it and looking forward to more in your future travels
Thanks Alan, I really appreciate the comment, and glad I can offer a slightly different perspective from some of the other channels
Thanks for the video! One for the future vids, would liked to have seen the overall figures/totals appear on the screen near the end. Thanks!
Congratulations, I earned gold for the first time last year sadly haven’t had a chance yet to use it 😕 but with a short trip to Dublin later this month we’ll get to experience the gold check in & 1st lounge @T5 🙂. Bagged ourselves 1st class for a couple of hundred more than business to JFK in march (£1100 e/w instead of £8k e/w🤪) adding 5 nights for the double bubble holiday promotion gets us 840 points 🙂 not the cheapest way of a tier point run I know & looking to book a sectored premium economy leg to USA this November which will give us enough for gold renewal by April next year. Wishing you luck with your channel hope it grows large enough to earn something from it, enjoy your future travels 👍🏻
Thank you very much! Sounds like you got a great deal on that first class flight! Hope you have a great time!
Good video. I've decided not to chase status. It might come - I have four BA flights booked and might do another trip - but I will only do trips I want to do, and will only book with BA when they are the best option. Lounges? I can buy access when I need it. Avios collection? I'm getting better at that.
How do you get so many air miles? Is it typically from spending?
I’ve got a video coming out very soon covering the best ways for earning points, but a lot more are earned through spending than from flying.
Loving the double tier points….. I’ve done couple of trips to Malta to Corfu. Then a few runs to Edinburgh to stay with my friend… Plus a USA trip…. Not to bad all told about 4000 poimds
Great summary - enjoy the benefits of Gold. How long will you have Gold status with all the tier point year changes - any thoughts about renewal…?😂😂😂
Thanks! I’ll only have it until next October, but that will cover the period of full time travel that we’ve got planned plus a few other trips before and after that. No current plans to renew, just going to allow the soft landing to silver then aim to retain that. Unless I happen to get close to gold again from flights I have planned anyway. Or, if this channel takes off to allow me to travel a lot more! Fingers crossed for that last one!
I reached Gold this year for no other reason than I wanted to see what it was like (having reached Silver very easily). W.r.t. benefits - the main one is OneWorld First class lounges (although the LHR T5 First lounge is somewhat disappointing). I have 2 years or so to see whether Gold is really worith it.
The point about the £2/TP is it's an approximate minimum (post Covid) - so it is possible to get to Gold spending £3K. I booked double TP deals in Club Europe which were around this minimum - but I've also booked flights that were much higher than the minimum because they were trips I had planned anyway. Car hire can give double TPs for very little extra spend. What £/TP people achieve is really a personal choice.
How have you found the overall benefits so far?
@@charlesontravels Best benefits have been First class lounges at LHR T3 and the First wing check-in at LHR T5. Selecting Row 1 in Club Europe for the extra leg room is nice. Being able to invite someone into First lounge will be great. That's about it...all the other perks (especially free seat selection) are available under Silver.
Great video Charles. I agree with you and the comment below. Chasing Tier Points is ok but it is more important to enjoy the trip. If that means you are paying more than the optimal £ per TP then fair enough. My goal is Silver but that wont happen this membership year, it will be Bronze for me this year.
Thanks Stuart!
Enjoyable vid and well-structured.
One bit of feedback: the automatic camera tracking is a bit distracting/dizzying
Thanks, and appreciate the constructive feedback. It’s a new camera and still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t
Thanks for this Im at silver which is good, may get to Gold but I'm not pushing it. Newcastle is the best uk regional airport I use ti whenever I go north.
Very interesting. I am almost at gold and like you I am getting there simply by enjoying holidays rather than tp runs. However, I have found it impossible to get anywhere near £2/tp even when trying to get the best deal.
I would be fascinated about how you booked all your upcoming Avios flights.Again I have found very little availability when I have searched for reward flights and so I would love to learn how you did it.
A lot of it is due to flexibility with plans. We’re taking some time out of work to travel for a few months, and it allows us to be flexible with some of the travel dates, plus we found availability was better overseas with some of the other oneworld airlines other than BA. We also booked some of the flights quite far out when they first became available for booking.
@@charlesontravels Thanks. It would be good for a video on how you found the availability and what sites you used to search for them and book them.
Watch this space!
Going to be honest... I can't stop watching this videos but I don't think I will ever become Gold. Although I fly every month to Portugal I always fly the cheapest of the cheapest of Economy. Lol I think BA should decrease the number of legs for each tier. Those who are actually frequent flyers end up being left behind for some people flying long haul Business Class. 😢😢
If you’re flying that often you’d definitely benefit a lot from getting status. Might be worth doing the occasional upgrade to business on that route if you see fares that aren’t too much more than economy. You could at least get to silver very easily and get free seat selection and lounge access. You could even make it a habit to check the upgrade cost a day or two out from flying as you can often get some great deals upgrading last minute
i have always wondered why when I am paying for my seat selection in Club I can't book the front row or the bulkhead on Gatwick flights, now I know. It is annoying as I'm 6ft 3in :(
If there are no people with gold status in business on your flight, those seats will open up at check in to everyone else, so if you check in as soon as it is available 24 hours before the flight, make sure to check the seats as you’re going through check in process online and you’ll sometimes find them available.
Trying to get in the business class lounges at T5 makes it worth going for gold (edit '--so I can enter the First lounge)
And you actually only need silver to get in those business class lounges. Gold then also allows access to the first class lounge.
@charlesontravels sorry if I didn't make it clear but I was referring to how busy the club lounges have been summer...
Ah got it, that makes sense!
Welcome to the gold club, you won't want to go back to silver, I know I haven't. Enjoy your benefits
Thanks! I’m looking forward to trying out the benefits