Travelling with children is an acquired taste. Depending on your level of expertise, it can be equal parts laughter and equal parts a logistics nightmare. While the fun multiplies with every new stamp on the passports, so does the bill. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to avoid the unpleasant bits and focus on the good parts of the family holiday?
We’re glad you asked. The BA Companion Voucher, sometimes called the Amex Companion Voucher, can be a best friend to your wallet when travelling with family. Earned via eligible British Airways American Express Cards, one click in your BA Club account can halve the points bill on a reward flight on British Airways.
In this blog, we explore what an Amex Companion Voucher is, how to earn one (or even two) with the best Avios credit card, and how to deploy it in real-life family scenarios. Think of it as the answer to the evergreen question, “How can I use Avios points to take my clan away without remortgaging the house?”
What is a Companion Voucher?
Think of the BA Companion Voucher as a digital pass that sits inside your BA Club account until you book a flight paid for entirely in Avios. When you do, it activates to give you two options. If two passengers are travelling, the voucher deletes the Avios bill for the second seat. If you travel solo, your personal points bill is slashed by half. Taxes, fees, and surcharges stay on the invoice, but the Avios savings can be huge. The voucher can be used on British Airways flights, and depending on the card used to earn it, may also be valid on Iberia and Aer Lingus.
How to Earn a Companion Voucher
To earn a BA Companion Voucher, you must first join the British Airways Club, the airline’s free loyalty scheme. After activating your account, link it to either of the two British Airways American Express cards you choose.
Below is an overview of the two types of Amex credit cards available:
British Airways American Express Credit Card
- Annual fee: £0
- Spend needed for voucher: £15,000 in a card year
- Voucher life: 12 months; valid for Economy redemptions on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus
- Avios earn rate: 1 Avios per £1
- Welcome bonus: Up to 5,000 Avios (typically awarded after £2,000 spend in the first 3 months)
- Representative APR: 30.0% variable, including the annual fee (if applicable)
British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card
- Annual fee: £300
- Spend needed for voucher: £15,000 in a card year
- Voucher life: 24 months; can be used in any cabin, including First, on British Airways, plus Iberia and Aer Lingus
- Avios earn rate: 1.5 Avios per £1
- Welcome bonus: Up to 30,000 Avios (typically awarded after £6,000 spend in the first 3 months)
- Extra perk: 3 Avios per £1 spent with BA Holidays
- Supplementary-card bonus: 3,000 Avios when you add your first additional cardholder
- Representative APR: 104.5% variable, including the £300 annual fee
Your membership year begins when Amex approves your application, and all qualifying spending is measured within that 12-month window. Hit the annual spending target, and the voucher will drop automatically into your BA Club wallet a few days later. From there, you can:
- Travel solo: pay half the usual Avios for your seat.
- Travel with a partner: pay the Avios for one ticket and get the second for free (you still cover taxes and fees for both travellers).
Which Card Should You Get?
The entry-level British Airways American Express Credit Card has no annual fee, but you must spend £15,000 within a membership year to qualify for it. Once earned, it’s valid only in Economy and must be used within 12 months.
- Annual fee: £0
- Avios earn rate: 1 Avios per £1 spent
- Welcome bonus: 5,000 Avios after £2,000 spend in the first 3 months
- Companion Voucher: Earn after £15,000 spend; valid in Economy only
- Representative APR: 29.1% variable
Its premium sibling, the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card, requires the same £15,000 annual spend but charges a £300 fee. In return, it gives you a voucher that lasts two years and opens reward seats in every cabin right up to First.
- Annual fee: £300
- Avios earn rate: 1.5 Avios per £1 spent, 3 Avios per £1 with British Airways and BA Holidays
- Welcome bonus: 30,000 Avios after £6,000 spend in the first 3 months
- Companion Voucher: Earn after £15,000 spend; valid in all cabins
- Extra availability: Access to additional Club World reward seats when using a Companion Voucher, subject to availability
- Representative APR: 135.7% variable, including the annual fee
Entering the voucher at checkout can unlock additional reward-seat availability not always shown in standard searches, a hidden pool that can mean the difference between landing your dream August itinerary and getting a polite “no seats” from the BA website.
How to Use the Companion Voucher as a Family
Most Companion Vouchers are best used on long-haul Business Class bookings. However, this may not be realistic when it comes to travelling as a family. Even with the voucher wiping out half the points, few parents sit on the 600,000-plus Avios balance you’d need for four Club World seats, and fewer still relish the idea of strapping primary-school children into a ten-hour flight just so mum and dad can sip champagne.
Besides, in-demand routes such as Tokyo, Singapore, and the Maldives release only a handful of guaranteed reward seats per flight, and they disappear within minutes of release; even if you set a Reward Flight Finder (RFF) Alert, you may be waiting a long time for the number of seats you need to pop up, and the last thing you want is for your voucher to expire while you wait.
- Passenger1
In practice, the smarter family strategy is to treat the Companion Voucher as a blunt-force cash saver, not a points-per-penny reward. Think Premium Economy on a trans-Atlantic hop or even short-haul Economy during peak school holiday weeks when cash fares go berserk.
Use Two Companion Vouchers Together
You can use two Companion Vouchers at the same time to book for a family of four, as long as you’ve earned the vouchers in two separate card years and take your outbound flight before the first one expires.
To get the full 24-month expiry period, you’ll need to hold the Premium Plus Card. It’s also possible with the standard 12-month expiry, but you’ll need to time your spending carefully around your card’s renewal date. You can earn one voucher towards the end of your current card membership year, wait for your account to reset, and then hit the spend again early in the following year.
Alternatively, if there are two adults in the household, each can hold a Premium Plus card and earn a voucher. That way, the Avios discount applies twice, so a family of four pays points for only two passengers.
Some General Rules of Thumb to Keep in Mind
When you’re deciding how best to use a Companion Voucher for a family holiday, start by considering your children’s ages. For younger kids, Premium Economy on a long-haul route usually strikes the best balance: the adults enjoy extra space, the food is noticeably better than the main cabin, and because the voucher wipes out the Avios for one traveller, you still trim a meaningful chunk off the overall cost for a family of three or more.
If your children are toddlers, a long flight can feel like a marathon, so keep it short-haul and stick to Economy redemptions. Club Europe may sound tempting, but the extra surcharges and taxes often outweigh the benefits when the flight lasts only a few hours. Aim for the longest sector your little travellers can tolerate — anything that still counts as an adventure without turning the cabin into a wailing wall. Once they hit their teenage years and start to appreciate lie-flat beds and lounge pancakes, that’s the time to burn Avios on a long-haul Business Class redemption with your voucher.
Remember, the Companion Voucher applies to the entire booking, including outbound and inbound, so always attach it to a return journey to squeeze every drop of value. As a family, your main goal is probably shaving hard cash off the holiday bill rather than eking out the highest “pence-per-Avios” figure; an Avios seat is essentially a heavily discounted flight once the taxes and fees are paid, and the voucher means you aren’t shelling out points for one or two people in the party. The real value comes during peak windows such as Easter, the summer break, or the October half-term, when British Airways cranks up cash fares but leaves Avios pricing broadly fixed, which means the voucher can deliver major savings.
On the flip side, those same peak weeks deliver the biggest cash savings when you redeem Avios instead of paying sky-high fares. If your youngsters can handle a longer journey — say five hours or more — consider stepping up to Premium Economy. The extra legroom, wider seats and better meal service keep adults comfortable and children content, while the voucher still chops the Avios bill enough to make the upgrade a sound deal.
Where to Use the Companion Voucher as a Family
Now that we’ve gone over the nuts and bolts of the Companion Voucher, let’s run it through some scenarios in order to get a feel for the benefits it can provide.
One Companion Voucher + Young Children
For a young family with one Companion Voucher, stick to these routes to make the most in savings.
London Gatwick — Alicante
When you hold one Companion Voucher and you’re travelling with two small children, the sweet spot is a short European hop. Think London Gatwick to Alicante: a 2-hour-40-minute flight that gets you to the beach before anyone can ask, “Are we there yet?” A return Economy flight in August on this route typically starts from around 25,500 Avios plus a small cash amount per person using Reward Flight Saver pricing. For a family of four, this comes to roughly 102,000 Avios plus minimal fees. At a value of 1 pence per Avios, the cash value of this would be around £1,024 in total.
Using one Companion Voucher, you’ll pay for three people in Avios and only the cash portion for all four passengers. That’s 76,500 Avios plus minimal fees. The same trip in August for four people costs £1,608. By using Avios and a Companion Voucher, your cash savings will be £584 and 25,500 Avios, which have a cash value of £255: the easiest money you’ll “earn” all year!
London — Portugal
A similar logic works on the Lisbon and Faro runs, each about 2 hours and 20 minutes. An off-peak return Economy flight on this route typically starts from around 23,500 Avios plus a small cash amount per person. For a family of four using one Companion Voucher, you’ll only pay Avios for three people while covering the cash portion for each passenger. That brings the total to around 70,500 Avios plus minimal fees.
Looking on BA.com (checked on 02/04/25), the same peak August trip for a family of four costs £2,116. Using Avios and the Companion Voucher, your booking is worth £709 (based on 1p per Avios) plus minimal fees, giving you a total value of around £713. That means you’re saving £1,403 compared to the cash price. On top of that, you’re also saving 23,500 Avios by using the Companion Voucher, which adds another £235 in value, proof that an Economy redemption can be the smartest play when the flight is shorter than a Pixar movie.
British Airways
London — New York
If the children can handle a bit more sky time, Premium Economy starts to seem like a better option. A London to New York return flight (usually 7 hours and 45 minutes each way) typically costs around 120,000 Avios plus approximately £300 to £350 per person, depending on the Reward Flight Saver option selected. For a family of four using one Companion Voucher, you’ll only pay Avios for three people and cover the cash fees for all four. That brings the total to around 360,000 Avios and roughly £1,220 in fees.
The same peak August trip costs £9,349 for four people. Using Avios and the Companion Voucher, your total cost is £4,820 (360,000 Avios valued at £3,600 plus £1,220 in fees), giving you a cash saving of £4,529. Plus, you save 120,000 Avios by using the voucher, worth another £1,200!
British Airways
| Route and Cabin | Flight time | Avios + Fees with CV | Equivalent cash fare | Cash saved | Avios saved |
| LGW to Alicante in Economy | 2 h 40 | 76,500 Avios + £4 | £1,608 | £584 | 25,500 Avios |
| London to Lisbon/Faro in Economy | 2 h 20 | 70,500 Avios + £4 | £2,116 | £1,403 | 23,500 Avios |
| London to New York in Premium Economy | 7 h 45 | 360,000 Avios + £1,220 | £9,349 | £4,529 | 120,000 Avios |
One Companion Voucher + Older Children
If you have one Companion Voucher and you have older children or teenagers, the trip can turn into a great opportunity to save while having fun.
London — New Orleans
Once the children hit their teens and start to enjoy lie-flat seats, you can aim longer and higher. A peak return Premium Economy flight from London Heathrow to New Orleans (9 hours and 50 minutes) typically costs around 135,000 Avios plus approximately £300 to £400 per person, depending on the Reward Flight Saver option selected. For a family of four using a Companion Voucher, you only need to pay Avios for three passengers, totalling 405,000 Avios, while still paying the cash surcharges for all four passengers, which comes to around £1,420. Using a standard valuation of 1p per Avios, the total value of the Avios used is £4050, making the combined value of the booking £5470 (£4050 in points + £1420 in cash).
Looking at BA.com on 02/04/25, the same trip in peak August for a family of four was priced at £5887. The cash value of your booking with a Companion Voucher (405,000 Avios + £1420) is £5470, so your cash saving on this booking is £417. But don’t forget, you also save 135,000 Avios by using your voucher, which has a cash value of £1350!
British Airways
London — Cancun
Push the boat out to Business Class on a 10-hour-30 trek to Cancun, and the math gets even better. A peak return Business Class flight from London to Cancun (10 hours and 30 minutes) typically costs around 200,000 Avios plus approximately £400 to £500 per person. For a family of four using a Companion Voucher, you will pay a total of 600,000 Avios for three passengers, while paying around £1,900 in cash surcharges for all four. Using a valuation of 1p per Avios, the total value of the Avios used is £6000, making the combined cost of the booking £7900 (£6000 in Avios value + £1900 in cash).
The same peak August trip for a family of four in Business Class was priced at £13,650 (checked on 02/04/25). Compared to the Avios booking, this represents a cash saving of £5750. You also save 200,000 Avios by using a Companion Voucher, which is worth £2000.
British Airways
| Route and Cabin | Flight time | Avios + Fees with CV | Equivalent cash fare | Cash saved | Avios saved |
| London to New Orleans in Premium Economy | 9 h 50 | 405,000 Avios + £1,420 | £5,887 | £417 | 135,000 Avios |
| London to Cancun in Business Class | 10 h 30 | 600,000 Avios + £1,900 | £13,650 | £5,750 | 200,000 Avios |
Two Companion Vouchers + Young Children
Life gets a little better for a young family with two Companion Vouchers. Here are some routes you can explore if you have young children:
London — Dubai
If your youngsters still watch cartoons and enjoy cabin snacks, you can stick to short-haul and wipe out the Avios for two of the four seats, but it's often worth stretching to a 7- or 8-hour flight in Premium Economy. Consider London to Dubai. Four peak-season tickets in that cabin typically cost around 120,000 Avios each plus approximately £300 per person. Two vouchers cut the Avios bill in half to 240,000 while the cash fees stay around £1,220. A comparable cash fare runs to £4,667, so the family keeps £1,047 in the bank and saves £2,400 in Avios.
British Airways
London — Orlando
The math is even kinder for Orlando flights. A return Premium Economy flight on a peak date takes around 8 hours and 30 minutes and typically costs around 135,000 Avios plus approximately £350 per person. For a family of four, you can use two Companion Vouchers and pay cash fees for four. That brings the total to 270,000 Avios (for two passengers) plus around £1,420 in fees (for all four passengers).
The same peak August trip for a family of four costs £8,203 in cash. Using Avios and Companion Vouchers, your out-of-pocket cost is £4,120 (270,000 Avios valued at 1p each = £2,700 + £1,420 in fees), saving you £4,083 compared to the cash fare. And don't forget, you're also saving 270,000 Avios by using Companion Vouchers, which adds another £2,700 in value.
British Airways
| Route and Cabin | Flight time | Avios + Fees with 2 CVs | Equivalent cash fare | Cash saved | Avios saved |
| London to Dubai in Premium Economy | 7 h | 240,000 Avios + £1,220 | £4,667 | £1,047 | 240,000 Avios |
| London to Orlando in Premium Economy | 8 h 30 | 270,000 Avios + £1,420 | £8,203 | £4,083 | 270,000 Avios |
Two Companion Vouchers + Older Children
With two Companion Vouchers and older children, you've hit the jackpot. Order those pina coladas, sit back, and watch the savings roll into your wallet.
London — Montreal
A peak return Premium Economy flight from London Heathrow to Montreal typically costs around 120,000 Avios plus approximately £300 per person. For a family of four using two Companion Vouchers, you only need to pay Avios for two passengers, which will be a total of 240,000 Avios. The cash surcharges for all four will be around £1,220. Valuing Avios at 1p each, the Avios portion is worth £2400, bringing the total value of the booking to £3620 (£2400 in points + £1220 in cash).
According to BA.com (checked on 02/04/25), the same trip in peak August for four people costs £8009. This means you save £4389 by using Avios and Companion Vouchers. On top of that, you're saving 240,000 Avios thanks to the vouchers, which have a cash equivalent value of £2400.
London — Bahamas
Aim for Business Class to the Bahamas, and it gets better: a peak return typically costs around 200,000 Avios and approximately £475 per person. But with two Companion Vouchers, you only need to spend 400,000 Avios (for two people) and around £1,900 in cash (for all four). On BA.com, the same peak August trip is priced at £10,206. That's a £4,306 cash saving. You also save an additional 400,000 Avios thanks to the vouchers — worth £4,000 if you value Avios at 1p. All in, the family ends up £4,306 richer, 400,000 Avios lighter than a full-price redemption would demand, and spends the layover eating pancakes in the lounge instead of queuing at security.
British Airways
| Route and Cabin | Flight time | Avios + Fees with 2 CVs | Equivalent cash fare | Cash saved | Avios saved |
| London to Montreal in Premium Economy | 7 h 10 | 240,000 Avios + £1,220 | £8,009 | £4,389 | 240,000 Avios |
| London to the Bahamas in Business Class | 9 h 10 | 400,000 Avios + £1,900 | £10,206 | £4,306 | 400,000 Avios |
The pattern is clear across every example. Use a single voucher on short-haul Economy when your crew is small and restless, graduate to Premium Economy for mid-range flights, and keep Business Class for teens who will remember the experience.
Double vouchers simply scale those savings. Time your search around school holiday seat releases, set RFF Alerts, and remember that the taxes remain constant while the Avios bill is where the magic happens. Simple steps, straight math, and a Companion Voucher or two, that's how you turn peak-season sticker shock into an affordable family adventure.
Bringing It All Together
Here's a quick snapshot comparing the numbers on long-haul versus short-haul family routes:
| Destination | Flight type | Cabin | Avios + Fees with CV | Equivalent cash fare* | Cash saved | Avios saved |
| Alicante | Short | Economy | 76,500 Avios + £4 | £1,608 | £584 | 25,500 Avios |
| Lisbon / Faro | Short | Economy | 70,500 Avios + £4 | £2,116 | £1,403 | 23,500 Avios |
| New York | Long | Premium Economy | 360,000 Avios + £1,220 | £9,349 | £4,529 | 120,000 Avios |
| New Orleans | Long | Premium Economy | 405,000 Avios + £1,420 | £5,887 | £417 | 135,000 Avios |
| Dubai | Long | Premium Economy | 240,000 Avios + £1,220 (2 CVs) | £4,667 | £1,047 | 240,000 Avios |
| Orlando | Long | Premium Economy | 270,000 Avios + £1,420 (2 CVs) | £8,203 | £4,083 | 270,000 Avios |
| Cancun | Long | Business | 600,000 Avios + £1,900 | £13,650 | £5,750 | 200,000 Avios |
| Bahamas | Long | Business | 400,000 Avios + £1,900 (2 CVs) | £10,206 | £4,306 | 400,000 Avios |
*All headline fares checked on 02 April, 2026; Avios valued at 1 p each. Reward Flight Saver pricing and cash fares subject to availability and change.
When you use a BA Companion Voucher for family travel, the math becomes irresistible. It turns an Easter trip to Portugal into a three-figure expense and lifts a once-in-a-lifetime Business Class dream within reach of an ordinary Avios balance. Most importantly, it lets you plan around school life rather than the whims of airline pricing algorithms.
So, the next time you ask yourself, how can I use Avios points to make summer travel affordable, remember this simple rule: earn a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card Companion Voucher, wait for reward seats to appear, and let British Airways foot half the bill.
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