As you may know I was featured in the Daily Telegraph on the 25th May 2024 in an article written by Pieter Snepvangers. It was a huge honour to be featured., and involved having a photographer come to Stafford to take my photo, I’ll think you’ll agree David, the photographer, did an excellent job.
You’ll need a subscription to read the article, but you can find the wonderful feature on my strategies for getting airline status and my favourite perks here. It really is a wonderful piece written by the very talented journalist Pieter Snepvangers.
If you don’t have a subscription I’ve written a brief introduction and a summary below.
ARTICLE INTRODUCTION
When I sold the shares in my software business at the end of 2021 I was left with a choice. I knew I should take the sensible option and invest the money into my pension.
But following years of working behind a desk, combined with my wife unexpectedly asking for a divorce, I decided I wanted to take a gap year. Except, unlike the 18-year-olds jetting off to spend three months in Thailand as cheaply as possible, I to travel in style.
Inspired by the book Mileage Maniac, which charts how Steve Belkin accumulated 40 million frequent flyer miles by taking advantage of loyalty programmes and credit card deals, I wanted to know if it was still possible to game the system.
My First Target was British Airways Gold Status, the highest level of status offered by the British Airways.
TELEGRAPH ARTICLE SUMMARY:
When I sold my software business, I was left with a decision that many entrepreneurs face: play it safe and invest the proceeds into a pension, or indulge in a long-desired adventure. After years behind a desk, and with an unexpected divorce on the horizon, I chose the latter—a gap year.
My inspiration came from the book Mileage Maniac, which tells the story of Steve Belkin, who accumulated 40 million frequent flyer miles by exploiting loyalty programs and credit card deals. Intrigued, I wondered if I could still game the system in a similar way.
My first target was British Airways Gold card, the pinnacle of the airline’s status hierarchy. This coveted card offers perks like first-class lounge access, priority check-in and security, extra baggage allowance, and seat selection privileges.
Plus, as British Airways is part of the OneWorld Alliance, these benefits extend to airlines like Qatar Airways, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific.
You need to accumulate 1,500 tier points within a year to earn BA Gold Status.
While points are awarded for every flight, the points you earn depends on how far you fly and which cabin you fly in.
They range from as little as five points for short-haul economy flights up to 360 points for a first-class journey to Sydney. Most business-class long-haul flights earn around 140 points, meaning it would typically require 11 round trips from London to New York (costing around £19,338) to qualify.
Determined to achieve this for a fraction of the cost, I embarked on a mission to perfect the “tier point run.” My goal was to select flights based on their point value, aiming to spend no more than £2 per point.
It isn’t possible to game the system like Belkin had in the early 2000s. That was until I discovered a loophole: booking a BA holiday, which includes a flight and five nights of accommodation or car hire, doubles the points earned on the flight.
This revelation changed everything. For example, flying business class from London to Bucharest would typically earn 160 points round-trip, but with the holiday package, I could earn 320 points. By strategically selecting routes from other UK cities like Manchester or Edinburgh, I could further increase my points haul. A flight from Manchester to Sofia via Heathrow, for example, would yield 480 points round-trip under this scheme, all without a significant increase in cost.
After a few such trips, I was well on my way to achieving Gold status, proving that with a little creativity and research, it’s still possible to game the system—even in the modern travel landscape.
So, if you’re looking to turn your own windfall into an adventure, consider taking to the skies with a strategic plan in place. You might just find yourself sipping champagne in a first-class lounge sooner than you think.
THANK YOU VIDEO
I made a YouTube video to thank Peter and David for their excellent work, but more importantly to thank the viewers who had supported me through my journey with thousands of views, likes and subscribes.