Can I get British Airways priority boarding if I join the Executive Club?
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Executive Club is British Airways’ frequent flyer program, allowing you to earn Avios and tier points in return for continued loyalty. In this article I want to look at whether you would receive priority boarding if you joined British Airways Executive Club.
The benefit of priority boarding is that you are unlikely to be stuck in the jet-bridge shuffling along slowly as you wait for people already in the aircraft to vacate the aisles and sit down.
British Airways has ten different boarding groups. We looked at who gets to board in which group in this article.
Your boarding group is based on the ticket type you buy and your status level in British Airways Executive Club.
You will not receive priority boarding just for joining British Airways Executive Club since you will only be a Blue member. These get no privileges.
However, if you become an elite member with a Bronze, Silver or Gold card, you will automatically be entitled to priority boarding and the use of business class check-in and baggage drop counters.
To become an elite member you must fulfil the minimum requirements, based on your tier point balance. For example, to become a Bronze member you must accrue at least 300 tier points in a membership year.
You can read more about what it takes to become a British Airways Executive Club Bronze member in this HfP article here as well as all the additional benefits that elite status confers on you at ba.com here.
PS. Interestingly, Virgin Atlantic does give priority boarding to anyone who joins Virgin Flying Club – even if they have no status. Read more about that here.
(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Club works. You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
