Part of The British Airways Club hub · Virgin Atlantic Flying Club hub
Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are tier points?
Tier points are a status currency used by some airline loyalty programmes: a member collects them on eligible flights, and they measure progress through the programme's membership tiers rather than serving as the currency spent on reward flights. The British Airways Club sets its Bronze, Silver and Gold thresholds in tier points, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club uses Tier Points to decide when a member moves from one tier to the next. [1] [3]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Tier points measure status progress. Avios in The British Airways Club and Virgin Points in Flying Club are the separate currencies that members spend on rewards. [1] [3]
- The British Airways Club's published thresholds are 3,500 tier points for Bronze, 7,500 for Silver and 20,000 for Gold, with Blue from joining. [1]
- Flying Club sets Tier Points per qualifying flight from the booking class paid and the cabin flown, and credits them only once the flight has been taken. [3]
- On codeshares, a "VS" flight number means the operating carrier's earning levels apply, while joint-venture and SkyTeam flights use the marketing carrier's levels. [3]
How do tier points differ from Avios and Virgin Points?
Tier points sit alongside a programme's spendable currency rather than replacing it. In The British Airways Club a member collects Avios and earns tier points, and the Club presents collecting and spending Avios as activities separate from tier progression. [1] Virgin Atlantic Flying Club draws the same line: members accumulate Virgin Points to spend on rewards and accumulate Tier Points in order to move from one tier to the next. [3] [5]
Tier points are not money. Flying Club states that Virgin Points and Tier Points have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. [3] The number of Tier Points a flight produces is set by the programme itself: Flying Club determines it from the booking class paid and the cabin flown. [3] A tier-point total is therefore read against a programme's tier thresholds, not against a reward chart. [1]
What are the British Airways Club tier point thresholds?
As of 18 October 2026, The British Airways Club publishes its membership tiers as tier-point totals, with Blue held from the moment a member joins. [1]
| Tier | Tier points required |
|---|---|
| Blue | None — held from joining |
| Bronze | 3,500 |
| Silver | 7,500 |
| Gold | 20,000 |
Earning is not confined to British Airways aircraft. The Club says all members can collect Avios and earn tier points on Aer Lingus-operated flights, with other benefits depending on the member's tier and route. [1] Tier-based benefits are also described for other oneworld airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Qantas and Qatar Airways. [1]
How are Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Tier Points earned?
Flying Club awards Tier Points for each qualifying flight taken as a member. [3] On Virgin Atlantic, the amount is determined by the booking class paid and the cabin flown, earning can differ between the Economy Light, Economy Classic and Economy Delight products, and the per-flight breakdown is published on the Flying Club Tier Points page. [3] The same per-flight basis appears in the previous version of the terms, which ran from 30 November 2021 until 29 October 2024; the current wording dates from 30 October 2024. [3] [4]
Tier Points are issued only for flights actually flown by the member and are based on the class of ticket paid, so complimentary upgrades and Reward upgrades add nothing. [3] They are credited once travel is complete rather than when the booking is made, and a member who buys a cash upgrade within 24 hours of departure receives the Tier Points the original booking would have earned. [3] Several fare types earn none at all: Flying Club lists free or reduced-rate tickets, including upgrades bought at the airport, Plusgrade upgrades, travel agent or industry discounts, charter flights operated by Virgin Atlantic, Vex Courier and complimentary tickets. [3] Where an upgraded cabin is flown on a revenue fare, Virgin Points and Tier Points are earned on the applicable revenue fare and not on the upgraded cabin. [3]
Registration drives earning: the member adds a Flying Club number to the booking, however the booking is made. [5] Retrospective Virgin Points and Tier Point credits must be requested within the terms' time limits, which run up to six months after travel for Virgin Atlantic flights. [3] A Household Account does not pool Tier Points — each member of the household earns their own, even though Virgin Points earned by linked members transfer to the Household Account Leader. [3]
Which carrier's rates apply on a codeshare flight?
Flying Club awards Virgin Points and Tier Points on a codeshare with a partner airline only where the flight carries a "VS" prefix and is booked in an applicable class, and the amount then follows the operating carrier's earning levels. [3] Every other codeshare operated or marketed by a partner with an airline other than Virgin Atlantic does not qualify. [3]
The exception is a flight inside the joint venture of Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or inside the wider SkyTeam alliance — for example a Delta-marketed flight operated by Air France, or an Aeroméxico-marketed flight operated by Korean Air. [3] On those flights the amount of Virgin Points and Tier Points is based on the marketing carrier's earning levels. [3] Partner airline flights outside the codeshare rules can also earn Tier Points where Virgin Points are earned in qualifying classes, but each partner's qualifying booking classes and per-flight Tier Point amounts are published on that partner's page rather than in the Flying Club terms. [3]
What do Tier Point totals unlock in Flying Club?
Flying Club also attaches rewards to specific Tier Point totals. Each of the figures below is a Gold-level feature and is separate from the tier thresholds themselves. [3]
| Tier Points | What it brings | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 | Two invitations to a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse or Revivals at London Heathrow | Gold members, earned within the membership year; credited on reaching 1,500 and valid 24 months from issue; one person, one use per invitation |
| 2,000 | One-cabin round-trip Upgrade Reward for two people on Virgin Atlantic-operated flights | Gold members, earned during the membership renewal year; subject to availability; valid 12 months from award |
| 7,500 | Minimum Tier Points for Lifetime Gold | Earned across consecutive years at Gold on Virgin Atlantic operated and marketed flights, alongside ten consecutive calendar years at Gold |
The 2,000 Tier Point Upgrade Reward is issued as soon as the total is reached and cannot be applied at the airport on the day of departure: bookings go through the customer centre more than 24 hours before departure, and codeshare flights are excluded. [3] For Lifetime Gold, codeshare flights, manually added Tier Points such as goodwill gestures and bonus Tier Point offers are excluded from the 7,500 total, and complimentary Gold status does not count towards the criteria at all. [3]
Exceptions and limits
- Tier Points can be withdrawn. Flying Club may suspend or terminate a membership and withdraw Tier Points over fraudulent, irregular, dishonest or suspicious transactions, over misconduct, or where Tier Points were credited because of technical or human error. [3]
- Deduction as an alternative to termination. After a breach, Flying Club may impose conditions on future Reward bookings that include deducting Virgin Points or Tier Points and reducing tier status, instead of terminating the membership. [3]
- Supplementary accounts. If the holder of a Supplementary Silver Account earns enough Tier Points to qualify for Gold, the account converts immediately and the original Gold member may request a new supplementary account. [3]
- Scope. This entry covers the two programmes that publish a currency called tier points; the general treatment of status currencies belongs on status points, and tier points are not a reward currency in either programme. [1] [3]
Frequently asked questions
Are tier points the same as Avios?
No. In The British Airways Club, collecting Avios and earning tier points are separate activities, and Avios are the currency used to book reward flights. [1] Flying Club draws the equivalent distinction between Virgin Points, which are spent, and Tier Points, which move a member between tiers. [3]
How many tier points do you need for British Airways Bronze, Silver and Gold?
Bronze is reached at 3,500 tier points, Silver at 7,500 and Gold at 20,000, with Blue held from joining. [1]
Do codeshare flights earn Flying Club Tier Points?
Only codeshares with a "VS" flight number booked in an applicable class, and those follow the operating carrier's earning levels. [3] Flights within the Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, Air France and KLM joint venture, or within SkyTeam, instead follow the marketing carrier's levels. [3]
Do reward flights or upgrades earn tier points?
No. Flying Club issues Tier Points only for flights actually flown, based on the class of ticket paid, and complimentary or Reward upgrades are not reflected. [3]
Do members of a Flying Club Household Account share Tier Points?
No. Virgin Points earned by linked members transfer to the Household Account Leader, but each member of the household earns their own Tier Points. [3]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers The British Airways Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club only; other carriers' programmes are outside its scope, and the general treatment of status currencies sits on the status points page.
- The British Airways Club: tiers and benefits, checked 18 October 2026
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club terms and conditions, effective from 30 October 2024, checked 18 October 2026
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club terms and conditions, effective 30 November 2021 to 29 October 2024, checked 18 October 2026
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: what you can earn, checked 18 October 2026