London: Free Upgrade on Heathrow Express for Star Alliance Gold Frequent Flyers

While the Heathrow Express may not be the cheapest way to get from Heathrow Airport to London, it is certainly the fastest! In just 15 minutes, it connects Terminals 2, 3, and 5 with London Paddington station.

Customers with Gold frequent flyer status in the Star Alliance, such as Miles&More Senators, receive a complimentary upgrade to the train’s 1st class, officially known as Business First.

Just want to travel affordably to London? Below, we’ll reveal how you can easily reach the city centre for little money.

Free Upgrade – How It Works

To take advantage of this offer, simply purchase a 2nd class ticket for the Heathrow Express (any fare). When asked for your ticket on the train, present your Star Alliance Gold frequent flyer card along with the ticket. Important: According to the terms and conditions, this offer is only valid for journeys to and from the “Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3” station. Journeys to and from British Airways Terminal 5 are excluded.

Tickets cost £25 (~€29) for a one-way trip or £37 (~€43) for a round trip. There is no difference in price between online and on-site ticket machines. Exception: There are significantly cheaper offers for weekend travel when booked in advance online, starting officially from £15.00 (~€17.48) for a one-way trip. Typically, you need to book several months in advance to get a lower price.

Here’s what you need to know about Star Alliance Gold status – and how to achieve it easily:

Four Easy Ways to Obtain Star Alliance GOLD Status

First Class on the Heathrow Express

The 1st class on the Heathrow Express offers extremely spacious 1-1 seating. The seats are not super wide, but they provide practically unlimited legroom. Each seat is equipped with reading lights and two British power outlets. Newspapers are also available, including the Financial Times, Time Out London, and World Finance. The greatest advantage is that the 1st class is always pleasantly empty. During peak hours, there are usually no empty seats left in 2nd class.

Alternatives: Getting to the City Center for Under £7

As convenient as the Heathrow Express may be, the £25 (~€29) for a one-way trip is quite expensive. Therefore, we would like to introduce two cheaper alternatives here.

Using the Underground (Tube)

The cheapest way to reach the city centre from Heathrow is the famous London Underground! The one-way fare is only £5.50, which is less than €7! The Underground Station is located directly beneath the terminals, just like the Heathrow Express. However, the journey time to the city is a whopping 60 minutes instead of 15.

Conveniently, if you have a contactless debit or credit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express), you no longer need to purchase a ticket. Simply tap your card at the entry and exit gates of the Underground stations. The fare will be automatically deducted, and once you reach the cost of a daily ticket, your credit card will not be charged further.

Elizabeth Line as a New Direct Connection to the City Center

Relatively new is the option to travel between Heathrow Airport and the city centre of London using the Elizabeth Line. This new subway line connects Terminals 2, 3, 4, and 5 with Paddington Station, as well as destinations in East London and Essex. The fare for a journey from the airport to Zone 1 (the city centre area with the most attractions) is £12.80 (~€14.92). This is significantly less than using the Heathrow Express.

The journey on the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow Airport to Paddington Station takes approximately 30 to 35 minutes, depending on the departure terminal, making it much faster than the Piccadilly Line. Additionally, you can reach Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Liverpool Street stations without changing trains.

You can find more information about the new Elizabeth Line on the Heathrow Airport website. Timetables and detailed route maps can be viewed on the Transport for London (TfL) website.

Cover Picture: Photo by chan lee on Unsplash