British Airways has introduced a new way for American Express Companion Voucher holders to use one of the most valuable perks in the Avios world. Cardmembers can now apply their Companion Voucher to a British Airways Holidays booking and receive 25% of the Avios used on that booking back into their account.
That sounds like a small change on the face of it, but it could make Companion Vouchers more useful for travellers who prefer package holidays or who were already planning to book flights and hotels together.
As always, the numbers will matter. Some trips will still offer better value when booked separately, but having another redemption option is rarely a bad thing, especially when Companion Voucher availability and travel plans don't always line up perfectly.
Andrew Flintham, Managing Director at British Airways Holidays, said, "We're always looking for ways to give our customers additional value and choice. By extending the use of the Companion Voucher to British Airways Holidays bookings, we're doing exactly that. At a time when customers are placing even greater importance on flexibility and reassurance when they travel, this offer gives them another way to use their Avios to reduce the cost of a holiday, alongside the protection, support and rewards that our packages bring.
How Does It Work?
The process is slightly different from a standard Companion Voucher redemption. To use a Companion Voucher on a BA Holidays booking, you first need to book a package holiday through British Airways Holidays and pay for all or part of it using Avios. The Companion Voucher is not applied during the booking process itself. Instead, you’ll have 72 hours from the time of booking to submit an online claim form. Once approved, the 25% Avios rebate is credited back to your British Airways Club account within two business days.
For example, a card member who spends 40,000 Avios on a holiday to Tenerife would receive 10,000 Avios back.
Keep in mind that this is a rebate, so the 25% Avios benefit is not applied at checkout as an instant discount. The full Avios amount must be available at the time of booking. Once the booking is made and the Companion Voucher claim is approved, a quarter of those Avios are returned to your BA Club account.
If you're booking a holiday using BA Holidays' low-deposit option, the Avios rebate only applies to the deposit paid at the time of booking. Any balance paid later cannot be settled with Avios and therefore will not qualify for an additional rebate.
A few points to keep in mind:
- The offer is available on bookings made before 31 March 2027
- BA American Express Premium Plus card members can receive up to 200,000 Avios back per booking
- The standard BA American Express Credit card members are eligible for up to 50,000 Avios back
- Card members must spend £15,000 in a card membership year to qualify for a Companion Voucher
- Using a Companion Voucher in this way counts as a voucher redemption. You can either use it for the traditional Reward Flight benefit or for the 25% Avios rebate on a British Airways Holidays booking. Not both
What Makes This Different from a Reward Flight
If you’re already familiar with using a BA Companion Voucher on flights, you’ll find that several features here work differently, and in some cases, more generously.
For one thing, bookings are not restricted to Reward Flight availability, meaning members can book any cabin on any flight included in a package. Holidays can also be booked for up to nine travellers, which makes it great for families. Most importantly, the Companion Voucher only needs to be valid at the time of booking; card members can travel after the voucher has expired, unlike on a standard Reward Flight, where the outbound must be taken before expiry.
Another point worth noting for those looking to maximise Avios value beyond British Airways is that the Companion Voucher rebate applies to BA Holidays packages on any airline. Because the Companion Voucher is being applied to the holiday package rather than to an individual flight redemption, the 25% Avios rebate can also be used to travel on partner airlines, such as Qatar Airways, Finnair, and American Airlines, airlines for which the Companion Voucher has never previously offered any benefit.
The Value Question
Is this the best way to use Avios points? The honest answer is that it’s at the more modest end of the spectrum. Avios used through British Airways Holidays are valued at around 0.41p each. With the 25% rebate from the Companion Voucher applied, that improves to approximately 0.55p per Avios, still below what we’d consider a strong redemption.
If you’re thinking about how to spend Avios points wisely, the comparison worth making is against flight-only redemptions in premium cabins, where the value per Avios can exceed 1p and a Companion Voucher can deliver a lot more. The standard Amex Companion Voucher flight option, where a companion travels on the same reward flight for no extra Avios, or a solo traveller pays 50% fewer Avios, still remains better value and is available on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
That said, there are scenarios where using it this way does make sense. If a Companion Voucher is nearing expiry with no Amex Companion Voucher flight redemption in sight, using it on a BA Holidays booking may be better than letting it go unused. This could be especially attractive for card members holding a voucher from the free BA Amex card, which is restricted to Economy on reward flights. They can now use it on BA Holidays for packages in any cabin, including Business Class.
Keep in mind that the rebate isn't unlimited. The free BA Amex cardholders can receive a maximum of 50,000 Avios back per booking, while Premium Plus cardholders can receive up to 200,000 Avios back. Once those limits are reached, spending more Avios on the holiday won't generate any additional rebate. That means the cap is reached at a package costing around £820 for free cardholders and approximately £3,280 for premium cardholders.
Knowing these limits is essential if you’re trying to find the best way to use Avios points on a holiday booking. Thinking about how to spend Avios points wisely means weighing these caps against what a flight-only redemption might deliver.
The Verdict
On paper, a 25% Avios rebate isn't the most exciting way of using a BA Companion Voucher. Most experienced Avios collectors will still get better value from a traditional Reward Flight redemption, especially in premium cabins where a Companion Voucher can save a massive number of Avios.
That said, the real benefit here isn't the rebate. It's the flexibility. For the first time, Companion Voucher holders can use their voucher without worrying about reward flight availability. They can book any cabin on any flight that forms part of a BA Holidays package, travel after the voucher has expired (provided it was valid when booked), and apply the benefit to trips involving up to nine travellers. This could be especially useful for families, travellers with expiring vouchers, and holders of the free BA American Express card, whose vouchers are normally restricted to Economy when used on flights.
Will this become the best way to use a Companion Voucher and maximise Avios value? Probably not. But it may become the easiest.