- Virgin Atlantic vs Air France: Which is Better? - August 21, 2023
- Virgin Red vs Virgin Atlantic: What’s Changed? - August 20, 2023
- Does Southwest Have First Class? Business Select Explained - August 18, 2023
The BA Companion Flight Voucher is a relatively unknown perk to enable people to effectively fly for the price of one, on the same flight and in the same class. Essentially a buy-one flight, get one flight free! Having just collected a BA Companion Flight Voucher prompted me to share the experience, how I collected it, how long it took, and what you need to do to collect your own companion flight voucher.
A companion flight voucher works by allowing a flight booking made in full using Avios to travel with a companion for free. The companion flight price is free although the airport taxes and fees are still payable for both passengers. The BA companion voucher can provide up to 82% savings.
Like many special offers and deals surrounding flights, especially those in BA Club World and BA First, there are many hoops and caveats to jump through and adhere to.
In this guide, I will show you how I collected a companion voucher in a little over 3 months!
How to Earn a BA Companion Flight Voucher
The BA Companion Flight Voucher can only be collected one way, and that’s to take out and spend on an American Express BA Credit Card There are two credit cards on offer from BA Amex, and both allow you to collect a companion voucher, but both have different requirements and different reward structures.
BA Amex Credit Card
- £0 annual fee
- 3,000 Avios bonus if £1,000 spent in 3 months of card opening
- BA Companion Voucher when spending £10,000 in a single year
- Bookings using a Companion Voucher are limited to Economy Class only
BA Amex Premium Credit Card
- £250 annual fee
- 25,000 Avios bonus if £3,000 spent within 3 months of card opening
- BA Companion Voucher when spending £10,000 in a single year
- Bookings using a Companion Voucher can be used in any cabin class (subject to availability)
At the time your credit card application is accepted, the timer starts on your 12 monthly countdowns to spend the £10,000 minimum amount. Although this sounds like a huge amount and can be, it can be surprising how many day-to-day purchases can be spent on your credit card – even if the amount is paid off the same day to avoid any charges or interest.
Purchases such as petrol, grocery shopping, electrical items, hotels and holidays, insurance premiums, mobile phone upgrades, car servicing and MOTs, Christmas and birthday gifts, etc…
It would require an average monthly spend of £834 or more in order to spend the minimum amount over the 12-month period.
Once you reach this spend your companion voucher is automatically applied to your BA Executive Club as shown in my account below, and can be used online when making a booking
How to Use a BA Companion Flight Voucher
Before we look at the step-by-step guide of actually using your companion flight voucher, let’s first look at how a companion flight voucher can be used. A companion fight voucher can only be used when making a full-fare booking using Avios points. You can’t pay for the flight using money and use the companion voucher for a second seat.
Anyone who is familiar with booking flights with British Airways using Avios will know that your Avios points pay for your seat, but you still need to pay the taxes and fees. The taxes and fees depend on the route you fly, and the cabin class you fly in. For example, if you booked a flight to New York using Avios, you would still need to pay between £100 for Economy and around £800 for First in taxes and fees.
Considering a BA First flight to New York can cost upwards of £5,000-£10,000, it’s an incredible saving.
The higher cabin you fly the more you get for your money, but equally more Avios you need to save. A BA First return flight booking to New York will cost between 160,000 Avios and 200,000 Avios, depending on whether you fly off-peak or peak time. This is a lot of Avios to collect! But if you did manage to collect this number of Avios it means two people can fly First to New York from 160,000 Avios (and approx.. £1,600 in taxes and fees) instead of 320,000 Avios.
A BA Club World (Business Class) booking on the same flight will cost between 120,000 and 140,000 Avios, and approx. £600 per person in taxes and fees. A Premium Economy booking on the same flight will cost between 80,000 and 100,000 Avios, and approx.. £300 per person in taxes and fees.
An Economy booking on the same flight will cost between 50,000 and 60,000 Avios, and approx.. £100 per person in taxes and fees. Once you have collected your voucher, and chosen your route, it’s time to book your fights! To make a booking simply login to your BA Executive Club and click on the Redeem button next to the Companion Voucher option under the My eVouchers section.
Simply follow the instructions, make your booking, and pay the taxes and fees per person and you’ll be all booked!
How a BA Companion Flight Voucher Works: FAQs
Question: How long do I have to spend in my voucher?
Answer: You have 24 months from the date your companion voucher is issued to using it before it expires
Question: Can you collect more than one BA companion voucher in a year?
Answer: No. You can only collect one BA Companion Voucher in a single year regardless of how much you spend on your BA Amex Credit Card
Question: Can the voucher be used on any cabin class?
Answer: If you collect the companion voucher through the standard BA Amex Credit Card you can only book flights in the Economy cabin. If you collect the companion voucher through the Premium BA Amex Credit Card you can book in any cabin class.
Question: Can you use the companion voucher on any BA flight and route?
Answer: Yes, you can, but only a small number of seats are made available on every flight in each cabin class for redemption using Avios points. As long as there are two available Avios redemption seats in the cabin you wish to fly, then yes you can use your BA Companion Voucher.
Question: Can you use your companion voucher for two people to fly on different days?
Answer: No, all companion voucher redemptions must be on the same flight, on the same date, in the same cabin class.