A few days ago, British Airways announced a “revolutionary” change to their status qualification process, effective from April 1, 2025. For flights taking place on or after this date and booked with British Airways, Iberia, or American Airlines by December 31, 2024, Tier Points will be awarded based on the price rather than distance or segments flown.
This change prompts us to explore alternative frequent flyer programs that still provide a cost-effective and relatively straightforward path to achieving Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status. Historically, the Executive Club was one of the most attractive options for Europeans aiming for Oneworld status.
Alternatives for Frequent Flyer Status
Frequent flyer programs consist of two key components: the status program and the rewards program. This discussion focuses on alternatives to the devalued status levels of the British Airways Executive Club—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—corresponding to Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, respectively.
Oneworld Status via Segments: Royal Jordanian Royal Club
The first alternative is the Royal Jordanian Royal Club, which offers relatively low segment thresholds for achieving Oneworld status:
- Silver Jay (Ruby): 14 segments in 12 months
- Gold Sparrow (Sapphire): 30 segments in 12 months
- Platinum Hawk (Emerald): 46 segments in 12 months
The status remains valid for 12 months, except Platinum Hawk, which is valid for 24 months. The requalification requirements are even lower:
- Gold Sparrow: 26 segments in 12 months
- Platinum Hawk: 80 segments in 24 months (40 segments per year)
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There are reports of Royal Jordanian status not being recognized by certain Oneworld partners, but no official confirmation is available.
Furthermore, Royal Jordanian used to expect a certain number of Royal Jordanian flights per year, according to its status requirements. While their website no longer states this, the fine print in the terms & conditions still does. We reached out to the airline a few times and were always told that Royal Jordanian segments are no longer required, but there’s still a minimal risk of that not being true.
Cost to Achieve Status:
By leveraging low-cost tickets on Oneworld partners like Iberia (where even the cheapest tickets qualify for segment credit), the estimated costs are:
- Oneworld Sapphire: €450 (30 segments at €15 each)
- Oneworld Emerald: €690 (46 segments at €15 each) or €1,200 for requalification (€600/year).
Oneworld Status via Business Long-Haul: Alaska Mileage Plan
The Alaska Mileage Plan is a compelling alternative for travellers primarily on long-haul business-class flights. While it lacks a segment-based system, it offers generous mileage credits and relatively low thresholds for status:
- MVP (Ruby): 20,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) in a calendar year
- MVP Gold (Sapphire): 40,000 EQM in a calendar year
- MVP Gold 75K (Emerald): 75,000 EQM in a calendar year
- MVP Gold 100K (Emerald): 100,000 EQM in a calendar year
Status remains valid through the end of the following calendar year. Alaska differentiates whether the ticket was purchased through Alaska Airlines or a partner website. The mileage credit is twice as high for business class tickets booked directly with Alaska Airlines.
| Cabin Class | Booked on Alaska Airlines’ website | Booked on a partner’s website |
|---|---|---|
| First Class | 350% | 150% |
| Business Class | 250% | 125% |
| Premium Economy | 150% (also for Domestic First) | 100% |
| Economy | 150% | 50% |
| Discounted Economy | 100% | 25% |
For instance, with a trip from Rome via Dublin to New York and back with Aer Lingus (booked through the Alaska Airlines website), you can earn approximately 21,715 Elite Qualifying Miles. This means you could achieve MVP Gold status with fewer than two such round trips and Emerald status with four similar trips.
While these $800 tickets are exceptionally cheap, prices for these flights usually start at around €1,700, though occasionally, lower fares can be found. To snag the best deals, it’s advisable to regularly subscribe to our newsletter.
If the flights are booked through partner airlines, the number of required flights or distances effectively doubles. Unfortunately, not all flights can be booked via the Alaska Airlines website, and those that can are sometimes significantly more expensive. Be sure to compare prices carefully before booking.
Conclusion
Even though achieving Oneworld Sapphire status with a single trip is no longer as straightforward, the Alaska Mileage Plan offers very attractive options. For instance, you can achieve Sapphire status with fewer than two round trips and Emerald status with only slightly more effort. This makes it a strong alternative to the former Executive Club. Additionally, the Mileage Plan has some appealing sweet spots, which will be covered in more detail later.
Oneworld Status with a Tier Point System: Qatar Airways Privilege Club
The Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers a straightforward way to earn Oneworld status, with a clear Qpoints system based on distance, booking class, and routes – British Airways members will feel right at home, as it’s basically like the Tier Point system. The program’s structure is particularly beneficial for long-haul travellers.
Status Requirements
- Silver (Oneworld Ruby): 150 Qpoints
- Gold (Oneworld Sapphire): 300 Qpoints
- Platinum (Oneworld Emerald): 600 Qpoints
Qpoints are earned based on flights with Qatar Airways and Oneworld partners. Status is valid for 12 months, and requalification requires the same Qpoints in the following year.
Long-haul routes, such as Europe-Doha-Asia, earn significant Qpoints, e.g. a return business-class trip from Europe to Bangkok via Doha can provide enough for Sapphire status. Qatar Airways’ extensive connections also make it easy to accumulate Qpoints across diverse routes.
Qatar Airways frequently offers competitive fares, particularly in business class, making status attainable with one or two long-haul round trips. Monitoring deals can reduce costs further.
Conclusion
The Privilege Club is a solid alternative for Oneworld status, especially for long-haul travellers. Its straightforward requirements and extensive network provide a practical path to Sapphire or Emerald status.
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If you like this tier-point-like system, another program may also be worth considering: Iberia Plus is almost identical to the former Executive Club. It awards fixed points per segment and flight distance. However, it’s likely that Iberia Plus will soon transition to a spend-based system for awarding status.
Oneworld Status via Long-Haul Economy: Malaysia Airlines Enrich Club
Not everyone travels long-haul in business class, and for economy flyers, the Malaysia Airlines Enrich Club is a viable option. The program combines distance- and segment-based status qualifications, making it appealing for travellers focused on long-haul routes.
Status Requirements
Enrich assigns Elite Points based on flight distance and booking class.
| Zone | Economy Class | Business Class |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 (<500 miles) | 1 | 2 |
| Zone 2 (501 – 1,200 miles) | 2 | 3 |
| Zone 3 (1,201 – 2,200 miles) | 3 | 5 |
| Zone 4 (2,201 – 3,500 miles) | 4 | 6 |
| Zone 5 (3,501 – 5,500 miles) | 6 | 8 |
| Zone 6 (5,501 – 8,000 miles) | 8 | 10 |
| Zone 7 (>8,001 miles) | 8 | 10 |
The requirements for each tier are:
- Silver (Oneworld Ruby): 30 Elite Points per calendar year
- Gold (Oneworld Sapphire): 60 Elite Points per calendar year
- Platinum (Oneworld Emerald): 100 Elite Points per calendar year
Status is valid until the end of the next calendar year. A typical economy long-haul route of over 3,500 miles with a feeder flight of over 500 miles on each end earns 10 Elite Points per direction. Thus, achieving Sapphire requires just three return trips, while Emerald takes five.
Round-trip fares for routes like the one in the screenshot start at roughly €400, making the total cost for Sapphire approximately €1,200 and for Emerald €2,000. It’s essential to ensure your booking class qualifies for Elite Points, as not all economy fares are eligible.
Conclusion
While the Enrich Club may not be as versatile as the Alaska Mileage Plan, it offers a significant advantage: status qualification isn’t dependent on the booking channel nor on flying business class. This makes it a good choice for travellers flying frequently to Asia or Africa, where Alaska Airlines ticketing is unavailable. However, the redemption value for miles in this program is less competitive.
Oneworld Status via Status Match: Royal Jordanian Royal Club
Another option to secure Oneworld status is a status match with the Royal Jordanian Royal Club. This approach allows you to gain Oneworld Ruby or Sapphire status but comes with a cost.
- Bronze Sunbird (Oneworld Ruby): $49
- Gold Sparrow (Oneworld Sapphire): $149
Sadly, the Gold Sparrow option is very often sold out, only leaving Sunbird as a possible, but not very attractive option.
Conclusion
A status match is the simplest way to achieve Oneworld status, provided you already hold status with a competing program.
Alternatives for Redeeming Miles
Although the redemption options and rates for Avios remain unchanged, it’s worth exploring alternatives within the Oneworld alliance. With distance-based mileage accrual, flights taken to achieve status often earn a significant number of redeemable miles as well.
Alaska Mileage Plan
The Alaska Mileage Plan stands out not only for its attractive status-earning opportunities but also for its compelling redemption options. While this isn’t a comprehensive guide, here are two noteworthy benefits:
1. Free Stopovers on One-Way Flights
Mileage Plan allows stopovers on one-way award tickets without requiring additional miles, provided you continue on the same airline. However, this is subject to availability and must be booked online.
Popular options include routes via hubs, such as Seoul-Tokyo-Sapporo or Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Hanoi, with a stopover included at no extra cost.
2. Short Flights from 7,500/15,000 Miles
Short-haul flights of up to 1,500 miles are particularly attractive, with award prices starting at 7,500 miles for economy or 15,000 miles for business class. These rates apply globally to most partner airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Starlux, though availability can be limited.
Long-haul options, such as flights to the U.S. for 45,000 miles, are also appealing. Routes operated by American Airlines or Iberia under 3,500 miles are especially valuable, as there’s no high-season pricing like in many Avios programs.
One drawback is that miles can only be earned through flights unless you have a U.S. credit card. However, the Alaska Mileage Plan frequently offers opportunities to purchase miles at discounted rates. Status qualification, such as MVP Gold (Sapphire) at 40,000 miles annually, also generates redeemable miles, making it a versatile program.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
The Qatar Airways Privilege Club is another solid option for earning both status and redeemable miles. Miles are awarded based on distance and booking class. A unique advantage is the ability to transfer Avios between partner programs, enabling access to various sweet spots, such as:
- Flights to Oceania with the Privilege Club
- European flights with the Executive Club
- Business class to the U.S. East Coast with Iberia Plus
- Flights to Asia with Finnair Plus
Additional Options: Iberia Plus and Finnair Plus
Iberia Plus offers higher mileage accrual in its cheapest business booking class (I) and shares the same Avios sweet spots. However, it’s expected to move to spend-based accrual soon.
Finnair Plus already has spend-based accrual but still offers distance-based credit for partner flights, making it worthwhile for specific routes.
Conclusion
Programs like the Alaska Mileage Plan offer not only better accrual rates but also attractive redemption opportunities, especially with its stopover policy and straightforward pricing. Other programs like the Qatar Airways Privilege Club add flexibility through Avios transfers, allowing travellers to maximize the benefits of Oneworld alliance flights.
Conclusion
Overall, Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan and Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club stand out as interesting alternatives to the British Airways Executive Club. Qatar Airways’ program is, in fact, astonishingly similar to the Executive Club. However, depending on your flight pattern, other programs are worth taking a look at too: Long-haul economy class flyers should make themselves familiar with Malaysia Airlines Enrich, and those who fly many short segments may want to consider Royal Jordanian’s program.
Translated and edited by Ditmar
Cover Picture: Qatar Airways plane with a Oneworld livery | Photo by Ninja on Unsplash
