British Airways Sells Silver for £495
Autumn 2009
British Airways' Silver Executive Club membership is now for sale at the sky-high price of £495.
Existing silver members who don't have sufficient tier points for automatic renewal are being offered the opportunity to pay to retain all the associated benefits and rewards of Silver membership for the next 12 months.
But what are these benefits and are they worth a shade under £500?
BA’s first incentive to stay Silver is 25% more BA Miles when you book a BA flight, but if you were earning enough BA miles to make the extra 25% meaningful you’d be flying BA frequently and not scraping around to stay Silver.
Next up on BA’s silver salver is Lounge Access, but Priority Pass, the airport lounge card costs £62 with a charge of £15 per visit or £143 with 10 free visits.
Silver members are permitted to check in two bags when travelling in Economy but how often does an individual traveller need this allowance?
In days gone by the ability to duck the queues and check in at the ‘Club’ counters when flying Economy was a big benefit but these days we all check in on-line or by using one of BA’s many machines.
So are a few more BA miles and a glass of wine worth £495?
Interestingly the friend who made me aware of this latest BA wheeze is only 60 points short of the 600 required to retain Silver status. £495 to buy 60 points does seem a little excessive. Is BA Silver really worth £495?
Existing silver members who don't have sufficient tier points for automatic renewal are being offered the opportunity to pay to retain all the associated benefits and rewards of Silver membership for the next 12 months.
But what are these benefits and are they worth a shade under £500?
BA’s first incentive to stay Silver is 25% more BA Miles when you book a BA flight, but if you were earning enough BA miles to make the extra 25% meaningful you’d be flying BA frequently and not scraping around to stay Silver.
Next up on BA’s silver salver is Lounge Access, but Priority Pass, the airport lounge card costs £62 with a charge of £15 per visit or £143 with 10 free visits.
Silver members are permitted to check in two bags when travelling in Economy but how often does an individual traveller need this allowance?
In days gone by the ability to duck the queues and check in at the ‘Club’ counters when flying Economy was a big benefit but these days we all check in on-line or by using one of BA’s many machines.
So are a few more BA miles and a glass of wine worth £495?
Interestingly the friend who made me aware of this latest BA wheeze is only 60 points short of the 600 required to retain Silver status. £495 to buy 60 points does seem a little excessive. Is BA Silver really worth £495?
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
