I Spent $2,700 Flying Around the World for Airline Status; Worth It

I flew more than 100,000 miles last year for my job as an aviation content creator, making airports and airplanes feel almost like a second home.

After that much time in the air, a comfortable seat and a quiet airport lounge aren’t just loyalty perks; they make my exhausting travel schedules far more bearable.

So when British Airways made its Silver status — which gives me free access to dozens of Oneworld Alliance member lounges and free extra-legroom seats — much harder to keep, I had to get creative.

What followed was a 13,000-mile, three-day “mileage run” across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the US in July to earn enough qualifying points to hold onto my elite tier.

I spent $2,700 and 20,000 points across two airlines, including Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc, to make it work.

Mileage runs — or flying solely to reach a certain loyalty tier — have become a niche pursuit for frequent flyers as many major airlines shift how status is earned from distance flown to money spent. Still, a clever workaround helped me piece together flights.

There were some hiccups: I missed my connection in a conflict zone, which left me with an unexpected 18 hours in Doha, Qatar, and I ran out of clean clothes.

Was it crazy to go to all these lengths to stay loyal to a British airline, even though I live in Tennessee? Probably.

Still, it saved me roughly $10,000 and preserved some of my most valuable travel perks for another year.

I took advantage of a loyalty loophole

I’m US-based, so it might seem odd to chase British Airways status.

I do so because it comes with Oneworld Sapphire benefits, including access to American Airlines’ domestic Admirals Clubs, a perk American’s own mid-tier elites don’t get.

Sapphire also gets me reciprocal perks when I fly with any of the other 15 Oneworld member airlines, including lounge access, priority boarding, preferred seating, and extra baggage.

British Airways, however, recently overhauled its loyalty program, making “tier points,” or the credits travelers earn toward elite status, much harder to earn by basing it primarily on how much you spend rather than how far you fly.

In other words, you need to spend $10,000 on airfare to reach the required number of tier points. Once you factor in taxes and fees, the true cost balloons to nearly $13,000. Before the change, I could reach the same status for thousands of dollars less.

But there’s a workaround: Flights on fellow Oneworld airline Qatar Airways still earn British Airways tier points largely based on distance flown.

So instead of spending five figures on flights to climb the loyalty ladder with British Airways, I found a $2,700 Qatar Airways business-class itinerary from Casablanca to Washington, DC, via Doha — a 10,500-mile trip that would earn enough tier points to put a huge dent in my annual requirement.

I was already in England for work, so I booked a separate business-class flight from London Gatwick Airport to Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport on Royal Air Maroc for 20,000 points.

Although Morocco’s national carrier is also Oneworld, paying cash for the tier points wouldn’t be worth it for the much shorter distance.

It was an OK flight — the seat was dated and uncomfortable, and there was no in-flight entertainment, but I was served a flavorful chicken tajine.

Ultimately, this hop was a means to an end. After a short excursion in Casablanca, I got ready for the seven-hour flight to Qatar.

A surprise Q-Suite, 18 hours in a conflict zone, and no clothes

There are two reasons why flights from Northern Africa are so cheap on Qatar Airways: There is little business demand, and the airline typically deploys older jets with dated seats on these routes.

Luckily, my plane was swapped at the last minute from an old Boeing 777-300ER to a new one equipped with the airline’s legendary Q-suite.

This seat is award-winning for a reason; it lets me disappear into my own private enclosed space, sleep comfortably, and genuinely unwind. My good fortune did not last, however.

When I reached my gate, I saw maintenance technicians working on the underbelly of our aircraft. It wasn’t a quick fix, and our flight was delayed by three hours.

By the time I arrived in Doha, my flight home had already departed. My marathon journey was extended by almost another day, in a country where I’d hadn’t planned on leaving the airport.

The Middle East is particularly volatile right now amid the war in Iran. The US State Department has issued a Level 3 Travel warning for Qatar, meaning “reconsider visiting due to armed conflict.”

That, plus the strikes in nearby Kuwait and Jordan in the days leading up to my trip, had me questioning whether I should travel through that part of the world at all.

At least Qatar Airways made things easy. When I arrived, an agent was waiting with hotel, transportation, and meal vouchers. He had also proactively rebooked me on the next flight to Washington, DC, 24 hours later.

Eager to get home, I asked about earlier options. There was a flight to Dallas that would cut my layover to 18 hours. I was happy to save six hours, but there was no avoiding it: My layover would not be short.

Doha was surprisingly relaxed. The drivers, hotel staff, and airport employees were all at ease, which helped settle my nerves.

It gave me the courage to brave the 106-degree heat and explore the city’s main sites, including a walk along the famous Corniche, a 4.3-mile waterfront promenade.

This is when I discovered another problem: I’d run out of clean clothes. As I sweated through my T-shirt, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

All this hassle for some extra perks when I travel. And, oddly enough, I found myself wishing I had a bit more time to explore Doha.

There was one main silver lining

If there was a silver lining to my missed connection, it was this: Dallas is roughly 1,000 miles farther from Doha than Washington, DC, so the disruption netted an extra 500 tier points.

This meant I was stuck on a plane for two extra hours — and by that point, my body clock had completely given up — but at least I was in a Q-Suite.

Qatar’s dine-on-demand service was especially valuable: Rather than following a fixed meal schedule and being forced awake at certain times, I could eat whenever I wanted.

One serving of caviar, two Arabic mezze plates, and a chicken burger later, I was finally stateside.

Altogether, my journey took me halfway around the world and lasted 72 hours. Had I chosen the simple option and taken a direct flight home from London, I could have been home in about eight hours.

But the juice was certainly worth the squeeze.

I earned 5,747 tier points total, getting me 77% of the way to keeping British Airways Silver — all of that for a fraction of what I would’ve otherwise paid. I’ll achieve the remaining 23% through normal work travel.

Was this journey something I’d normally do? Absolutely not, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Business Insider reached out to Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc for comment.