British Airways, along with an ever-increasing number of carriers, offers passengers completely unbundled fare options. This means a cheaper ticket only encompassing the price of a seat, and through which extras like hold luggage can be forgone.

But the airline’s comprehensive loyalty scheme could allow travelers to pick up some of those perks excluded through the stripped-back tickets anyway. This means that real savings can be made, depending on membership status, when purchasing Basic Economy tickets. So, how much might this be?

British Airways’ Basic Fares

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How much one can save depends on two factors: one, their membership tier, as mentioned; and two, the fare conditions for their specific flight. Indeed, what is included in a ticket varies by fare category and may also differ between routes. For the purpose of working out savings, the lowest Basic Economy category provides a useful benchmark.

As a rule, flyers purchasing such tickets can expect to face a string of restrictions and will have to pay fees to unlock more flexibility. The compromise is a cheaper ticket, uncoupled from a variety of perks and allowances that passengers may not want to fork out for anyway. British Airways markets its Basic Economy fare category as including just a “handbag and cabin luggage.” That is, a bag that fits beneath the seat in front, and one that can be placed in overhead storage.

So where all other economy ticket categories included checked luggage, Basic does not. Restrictions do not stop there, according to British Airways’ booking page. Seats for such passengers are allocated and can only be selected for a fee, unlike other fare types, where free selection is available at least up to a day before departure. For flight changes, a £150 ($198.19) fee is added to the difference between the original and rescheduled flight for the most basic ticket holders. They would also find that tickets are non-refundable, while Flex fares upwards include the option of money back.

British Airways Club Membership

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Some of these restrictions can effectively be bypassed given the benefits British Airways offers through its loyalty program. Dubbed British Airways Club Membership, the scheme uses a points system to divide passengers into four different tiers. Naturally, those in the highest tier who have accrued enough points get the most perks.

Gold status and the highest membership tier grant passengers extra baggage allowance, free seat selection at the time of booking, priority check-in and boarding, as well as first class lounge access, for example. Therefore, given the restrictions listed above, such perks could offer a way around some of the strict rules imposed on basic fare holders.

British Airways Club Membership tiers and benefits:

One caveat is around the additional baggage offered to Silver and Gold members. Per British Airways, this equates to a weight allowance of 71 lb (32 kg) per checked bag. However, the usual allowance of two checked bags per economy ticket for such members is not given if they opt for a basic fare. So a potential savings loophole has actually been closed by the airline, as members cannot use their tier status to bag free checked luggage when buying the cheapest tickets.

Which Fees Can Be Avoided With British Airways Club Membership?

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In order to gauge potential savings, only the individual fees that Basic Economy ticket holders can opt to pay for extras need to be considered. These include baggage, seat selection, and onboard WiFi for messaging. Lounge access, as well as priority check-in and boarding, cannot be purchased with cash or loyalty points, so they serve as nice bonuses rather than opportunities to save money for members whose status allows such perks.

Fees themselves that could be avoided with membership tend to vary. For seat selection, the cost to choose could be based on route, destination, and class of travel, say. British Airways no longer offers a price list on its website, but travel site Head For Points offers a useful guide. This states that the cost of choosing a seat starts at £7 ($9.25) in economy on short-haul flights. Long-haul flyers would find prices from £20 ($26.42) for a standard seat, £30 ($39.63) for two together, and £50 ($66.04) on an exit row in the meantime.

Similarly, WiFi charges depend on the route and on what package the customer wants. For messaging only, British Airways charges up to £2.99 ($3.95) and £4.99 ($6.59) on short and long-haul routes, respectively. This rises to £11.99 ($15.84) and £21.99 ($29.05) for packages that allow streaming. Like with seating selection, Wi-Fi for messaging only is free for British Airways Club Members. It is also worth noting that checked baggage, while not complimentary for members traveling on Basic Economy fares, may exceed the standard 50 lb (23 kg) limit thanks to one’s elite status. So were a Silver or Gold member to pay for a checked bag in Basic Economy, they could, in theory, avoid the $100 fee for this to weigh up to 71 lb (32 kg), given the additional allowance granted to those with top-tier status.

Potential British Airways Gold Status Savings

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With all of this in mind, an estimate of how much a British Airways Gold member could save on potential extras when flying on a cheaper Basic Economy ticket can be made. As touched on, those in the highest membership tier naturally get the most comprehensive perks.

As a result, seat selection, Wi-Fi for messaging (where available), and overweight baggage need not be paid for out of pocket for these passengers. For the sake of argument, we will assume a Gold member books Basic Economy on a long-haul flight and wants an exit-row seat for extra legroom, Wi-Fi for messaging, as well as a bag weighing between 50 lb (23 kg) and 71 lb (32 kg). The cost of each could otherwise have been £50 ($66.04), £4.99 ($6.59), and $100, respectively, based on the information available from Head For Points and British Airways. That means a total saving of approximately $172.63 in this particular case.

Add on complimentary first-class lounge access, plus priority check-in and boarding, and the benefits of holding Gold status really start to pile up. As well as this, British Airways members are given access to “member-only offers” on the likes of holidays, hotels, car rental, and so on. That means savings could be made beyond just a flight.

How Do You Get British Airways Gold Status?

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Make no mistake, achieving Gold status with British Airways is no easy feat. It requires frequent flying with the airline or its oneworld partners and spending enough to climb up through the membership tiers. What is more, tier points earned through flights expire each year, so status can be lost if members do not accrue enough annually.

For Gold status, members must build up 20,000 tier points over the course of a year. According to British Airways, this could be achieved by booking five return flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in business class, for instance. Here, the majority of the points would come from the price of the flights themselves, with extra being granted for flying business.

Based on its booking website as of late June, the cheapest business fare for such a return flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) sat at £4,497.59 ($6,536.99) for a week-long trip starting at the end of July. Needless to say, securing Gold status in the space of a year is an expensive game. That said, British Airways does offer lifetime Gold status to those who accrue more than 550,000 tier points. That means there is no harm in getting a free Blue membership to start building points over the years.

Fees Vary, So Savings Fluctuate

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How much British Airways membership can save for economy ticket holders really needs to be considered in the context of how much must be spent to achieve the desired tier, then. While Gold members can indeed save well over $100 per flight, they will have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to reach that point.

On the flip side, savings could be higher than the approximate amount offered here suggests. Dynamic pricing has become part and parcel of the airline industry. Not only does this affect ticket prices themselves, but it can also sway fees for the likes of seat selection and baggage. How much might be charged in additional fees can really vary as a result, so the amount saved for British Airways members could be higher or lower.