The Finnair Plus Status Run: A New Route to Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald?

British Airways and Iberia frequent flyers have had a rough ride lately. Between reward seat devaluations, shifting tier point structures, and endless IT woes, many loyalists have started to ask whether their loyalty is still worth it. But what if there was a smarter way to keep your Oneworld status – one that doesn’t require climbing the T5 escalator of despair six times a month? Enter our attempt at Finnair Plus Status.

Since March 2024, Finnair has revamped its loyalty programme, switching to Avios and making significant changes to how you earn tier points. If we play it right, it could open up an unusually efficient route to Oneworld Sapphire (Finnair Plus Gold) and even Emerald (Finnair Plus Platinum).

The Secret Sauce: Long-Haul Distance-Based Earning on Partners

When you book flights with Oneworld partners – such as British Airways or American Airlines – and credit them to Finnair Plus, you earn tier points based on the distance flown, not the price paid. This is a crucial difference. Instead of tying your progress to revenue, Finnair rewards the miles you actually fly.

Take London to Miami: a route clocking in at around 4,400 miles one-way. Booked in Business Class (J, C or D fare classes), you’ll earn 250% of the distance in tier points each way – 11,000 tier points per direction, 22,000 return.

How Quickly Can You Get to Gold (Sapphire)?

Finnair Plus status at Gold level (equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire) requires 45,000 tier points. Here’s how the maths plays out:

• Trip 1: London–Miami return in Business (Basic member) = 22,000 TP → Silver status
• Trip 2: (Silver member, +10%) = 24,200 TP → Gold status achieved

That’s it. Two round trips in business class and you’re enjoying Sapphire benefits: priority check-in, fast track, lounge access – even when flying economy.

Want Platinum (Emerald)? Add Two More Trips

To reach Finnair Plus status at Platinum (Oneworld Emerald), you’ll need 80,000 tier points:

• Trip 3: (Gold member, +15%) = 25,300 TP → 71,500 cumulative
• Trip 4: Outbound sector earns 11,000 TP (Gold level), taking you past the 80,000 threshold. Return sector earns 13,750 TP at Platinum level (+25%)

Across four well-timed return trips, you could hit the threshold for Emerald, unlocking First Class lounge access across Oneworld, extra baggage, and priority everything.

Efficient Progression: Basic → Gold → Platinum

Let’s map an efficient path using Business flex round-trips LHR – MIA (≈ 22,000 TP each):

1. Trip 1: 22,000 TP → attain Silver
2. Trip 2: +24,200 TP → attain Gold (46,200 total)
3. Trip 3: +25,300 TP → 71,500 total
4. Trip 4: +11,000 (Gold level outbound) +13,750 (Platinum level return) = 96,250+ TP → attain Platinum

If our theory is correct, as few as four return trips in long-haul business class could unlock top-tier Finnair Plus Status and Oneworld Emerald.

But What About the Cost?

British Airways and American Airlines regularly offer sale fares in business class to destinations like Miami, New York and Toronto. Fares often dip to £1,600 return, particularly during off-peak seasons. With four of these, we could be looking at roughly £6,000–6,500 total spend for top-tier Oneworld status.

That’s considerably more efficient than the equivalent tier point runs required under the BA Club programme, which relies on fare-based earnings and limited partner opportunities.

Extra Perks Along the Way

Beyond the headline benefits of Sapphire and Emerald, Finnair Plus Status offers a number of useful perks that make the journey even sweeter:

• Milestone rewards: You’ll unlock lounge passes, upgrade vouchers and more at set thresholds (e.g. 55k, 75k TP) before you even hit Platinum.
• Family pooling: Household members can pool Avios in a single account – handy for combining spend and rewards, even if tier status must be earned individually.
• Lifetime Gold and Platinum tiers: Earn 2 million tier points for Lifetime Gold or 3.3 million for Lifetime Platinum and enjoy elite perks forever.
• Upgrade benefits: Use these vouchers to bump yourself to the next cabin on Finnair-operated flights – ideal if you’re flying economy but fancy a lie-flat.
• Award seat guarantees: Finnair promises minimum award seat availability on every flight – a huge win for using Avios effectively.
• Avios flexibility: Finnair will soon enable point transfers between other Avios programmes (BA, Iberia, Qatar), giving you more ways to use or move your points.
• Platinum-only perks: Complimentary internet on Finnair flights, higher upgrade priority, and more exclusive benefits once you hit top tier.
• Platinum Lumo: The invite-only tier includes dedicated support lines, guest lounge access, and exceptional upgrade treatment – if you’re going all-in.

How Does This Compare to British Airways?

As of April 2025, British Airways overhauled its loyalty programme, replacing its old tier-point system with a revenue-based model. It now awards:

• 1 Tier Point per £1 spent on the base fare and eligible extras
• No points for taxes, airport fees, or other third-party charges
• Only applies to BA-marketed flights (i.e. flight numbers starting with BA)

To earn Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status through BA, here’s what it takes:

Example: London – Miami in Business Class

• Typical all-in fare: £1,800 return
• Estimated base fare: ~£1,300 (after removing taxes/fees)
• Tier Points earned: 1,300 TP per return trip

You’d need:

• ~6 return trips at £1,300 base fare to reach Silver
• ~16 return trips to reach Gold

And partner flights? Even less appealing. When flying a business class fare on a non-BA Oneworld partner, you’ll typically only earn 25% of the miles flown as tier points. That’s a far cry from the generous distance-based multipliers used by Finnair Plus Status.

Why Finnair’s Path is Smarter

Compare that to Finnair Plus Status:

• Two long-haul business returns on partner airlines can get you Finnair Plus Gold (Oneworld Sapphire)
• Four returns can unlock Platinum (Oneworld Emerald)
• You earn based on distance flown, not fare paid
• You get bonus multipliers (10–25%) as your status increases
• No requirement to fly a minimum number of Finnair sectors

For savvy travellers booking smart business class deals – particularly outside peak season – Finnair Plus Status potentially offers one of the most competitive routes to Oneworld elite status offered by a European carrier.

Should You Make the Switch?

If you’re a disenfranchised BA elite, Finnair Plus status now presents a compelling alternative – particularly if you’re flying long-haul in discounted business class. Before you make your mind up, you might first want to read our review of the Finnair Plus programme. To us, the route to Gold is clear, the benefits are substantial, and we’re just hoping the maths work our favour. We’re going to be sure to check the fare booking class, credit to Finnair Plus, and track the points as they’re credited. We’ll obviously report back on what we learn and update this post with any discrepancies we encounter.