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Earn a Companion Voucher by spending on eligible British Airways American Express® cards.
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British Airways Companion Voucher
Maximise Your Avios With Companion Vouchers
Have you got a British Airways Companion Voucher but aren't sure how to use it?
Or have you heard about these wonderful 2-4-1 vouchers and are wondering how they work and how to get one?
Then you’re in the right place!
What Is a BA Companion Voucher?
A British Airways Companion Voucher - sometimes known as a “two for one” or “2-4-1” voucher - allows you to
“buy one get one free” when you redeem Avios for two round trip tickets on British Airways (BA).
How Companion Vouchers Work
Companion Vouchers can only be used for Rewards Flights booked
with Avios points, not for cash bookings.
Book with Avios
Companion Voucher can only be used for Rewards Flights booked with Avios points.
Fly Together
Get two tickets for the Avios price of one when travelling with your companion.
Travel Solo
Use your Companion Voucher solo and get 50% off the Avios cost of your ticket.
Choose Your Cabin
Use your voucher in Economy, Premium, Business or First—based on your preference.
Validity Period
You have up to 24 months to use your voucher from the date it is issued.
How to Use Your
BA Companion Voucher
Spend15K WithBA Amex
YourVoucher is Issued
SearchRewardFlights
ApplyatCheckout
Pay TaxesandFees
You and aFriend Fly forHalf Avios
What's the Catch?
Just because you can book a seat with cash through a travel agent or the BA website doesn't mean you can use your voucher. British Airways only offers a small number of seats on each flight for Avios redemptions.
To be able to use your Companion Voucher, you'll need to find two reward seats on the same flights.
But limited availability means it isn't as easy as it sounds.
What's the Solution?
Reward Flight Finder helps you track down those hard-to-find reward seats. We're rated 4/5 on Trustpilot and have been featured by top publications including Business Traveller and The Sunday Times.
The site makes using your Companion Voucher easy, whether you know exactly where you want to go or if you're open-minded.
I Already Know Where I Want to Go.
Choose where you're flying from and to
Enter your departure and arrival airports and select your preferred travel cabin. Make sure to choose two passengers to use your Companion Voucher.
View all available dates and book on BA
Check available reward seats in one place. If your dates are available, complete the booking directly on the airline website.
Set up an alert for new seat availability
If no seats are available, create an alert. We’ll monitor your route and notify you as soon as new Reward Flight seats open up for your selected trip.
I Don't Know
Where I Want to Go
Note:
Please note we don't currently support the extra Business class availability that's made available when using an American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher issued after 1st September 2021.
That Sounds Great.
How Do I Get One?
The only way to earn a BA Companion Voucher is with a British Airways American Express credit card linked to a British Airways Club account.
American Express refers to its cardholders as members. Your membership year will start on the date your card application is approved. To qualify for a Companion Voucher, you will need to spend a minimum amount, on your British Airways credit card, within your membership year.
There Are Two Types of
Cards Available
British Airways American Express
Credit Card
Earn a Companion Voucher
Spend £15,000 on the fee-free BA Amex within a membership year to earn a Companion Voucher. It’s valid for 12 months and can only be used on Economy class Reward Flights. You’ll earn 1 Avios per £1 spent.
Welcome Bonus & Referrals
Spend £3,000 in the first 3 months to receive 5,000 Avios. Plus, refer a friend and get 4,000 Avios if they’re approved for an eligible card.
British Airways Premium Plus American
Express Credit Card
Earn a Companion Voucher
Spend £15,000 on the Premium Plus Amex within a membership year to earn a Companion Voucher. It’s valid for 2 years and can be used in any cabin. You’ll earn 1.5 Avios per £1 spent.
Welcome Bonus & Extras
Spend £6,000 in the first 3 months to receive 30,000 Avios. Refer a friend and earn 9,000 Avios if they’re approved. You’ll also get 3,000 bonus Avios for adding a Supplementary Card, plus 3 Avios per £1 on BA Holidays spend.
Companion Voucher
Questions, Answered
Companion Vouchers can only be used for Rewards Flights booked
with Avios points, not for cash bookings.
Using Your Voucher
Booking Rules
Avios Tips
Everything you need to know about how to earn a Companion Voucher, what card options are available, and how to use it effectively.
Will I need a British Airways Club account?
Yes, the British Airways Club is BA’s free-to-join loyalty programme. You can earn Avios when you fly with BA and its partners, and with a range of shopping and travel partners. You’ll also earn Avios on eligible spending with your British Airways American Express Credit Card, and you’ll need to link your card to your British Airways Club account.
When you reach the qualifying spend for a Companion Voucher it will automatically be added to your British Airways Club account within a few days. Once you have earned enough Avios to exchange for a flight ticket, you can use your Companion Voucher to get a 50% Avios discount if you’re a solo traveller, or another free ticket for a companion too, excluding taxes. BA calls tickets that have been bought by redeeming Avios “Reward Flights”, and the voucher can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus Reward Flights.
Which card offers the best value?
For most Reward Flight Finder members the Premium Plus card is likely to offer the best value. In fact the companion voucher offered with this card is one of the most valuable credit card perks in the UK.
If you think of Avios as money, redeeming them for long haul business class flights will get you the best exchange rate. The difference in Avios points and taxes, between economy class and business class flights, is typically less than the difference in the cash ticket prices. When you are getting two tickets, for the same number of Avios as one, the maths is compelling.
Using a companion voucher for a flight to New York in business class will save you 100,000 Avios on off peak flight redemptions and 120,000 at peak times. Typically each Avios you redeem on a long haul business class ticket is worth around 1 pence. So that’s a potential saving of £1,200 for a £300 annual fee. Vouchers earned with the free blue card can only be redeemed for economy class flights. They offer a far lower Avios to cash value exchange rate and you need to spend more to earn a voucher in the first place, that will expire in a year.
Of course, it depends on your circumstances and you should only apply for these cards if you can afford to pay your credit card bill each month. You will also need to be able to earn enough Avios to redeem for at least one flight, otherwise the companion voucher isn’t worth it.
So is the blue BA Amex a waste of time?
Not necessarily. The companion voucher you get with the free card may not be as valuable, in fact you will probably get a better cash return by converting your Avios into Nectar points to spend at Sainsburys. However the free British Airways American Express credit card is still a great way to earn Avios to redeem for reward flights.
If you are a solo traveller or won’t spend enough to qualify for a companion voucher, the free card is almost certainly a better choice. You will earn 1 Avios for every £1 spent on the card.
The Premium Plus card offers 1.5 Avios for every £1 but has a £300 annual fee. So, unless you are likely to spend over £50,000 a year on it, the fee free card is the best choice for anyone planning on flying solo.
When you reach the qualifying spend for a Companion Voucher it will automatically be added to your British Airways Club account within a few days. Once you have earned enough Avios to exchange for a flight ticket, you can use your Companion Voucher to get a 50% Avios discount if you’re a solo traveller, or another free ticket for a companion too, excluding taxes. BA calls tickets that have been bought by redeeming Avios “Reward Flights”, and the voucher can be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus Reward Flights.
How many Companion Vouchers can I earn each year?
You can only earn one BA Companion Voucher, per credit card account, per year, regardless of how much you spend on it.
If you plan to travel with a partner or friend, you can each apply for your own BA credit card to earn a pair of Companion Vouchers. But it’s only worth it if you’ll also earn enough Avios to make use of both vouchers. Don’t overspend on your American Express cards just to get a voucher each.
If your collective spend is sufficient to earn two vouchers, you can each afford to pay the credit card bill off each month and you each earn plenty of Avios, then opening two accounts might make sense.
Can I combine or share vouchers with my friends and family?
The golden rule is that the British Airways American Express cardholder has to be one of the two travellers named on the reservation when you book with a Companion Voucher. So you can’t gift your Companion Vouchers to friends and family for them to go on a trip without the cardholder.
Many families pool their Avios in a Household Account. If you have one of these accounts, the second person you book using your Companion Voucher has to be named within your Household Account or on your ‘Friends and Family’ list. You can however use Avios that one household member has earned to spend on flights for another member of the Household Account.
Yes, Companion Vouchers can now be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus Reward Flights. They cannot be used on cash bookings, and the booking must still follow the usual Reward Flight rules and availability.
Can I use my Companion Voucher on other Oneworld airlines?
Yes, Companion Vouchers can now be used on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus Reward Flights. They cannot be used on cash bookings, and the booking must still follow the usual Reward Flight rules and availability.
Can I use a Companion Voucher for tickets in two different classes?
You and your companion have to fly together, in the same cabin class, on the same flights.
So you can’t fly in First and book your companion a cheaper seat at the back of the aircraft, using the excuse that there was only one reward seat available in First.
Can I use a Companion Voucher with a Reward Flight Saver deal?
When you book any reward flight with British Airways you have to pay the taxes. Unfortunately the UK has among the highest air passenger duty taxes of any European country, which apply to any flight booking that starts in the UK. Companion Vouchers issued before 1 September 2021 require that you begin your journey in the UK. Whilst a companion voucher halves the Avios required for two people to travel together it doesn’t halve the taxes due for two flight tickets.
BA does offer deals called Reward Flight Savers on some flights. These let you pay a mix of Avios and cash, with lower cash amounts available on eligible routes, sometimes as low as £1 per person.
If you book with a companion voucher, you can still use Reward Flight Saver pricing where available. That’s not a bad thing on a long haul flight though, as if you aren’t using a voucher BA asks for a lot of Avios to reduce the fee below the standard amount. Clearly, particularly if you are flying short haul economy, you should check if the taxes or fees on a reward flight are higher than the lowest available cash prices. With long haul flights, in premium cabins a reward flight plus taxes will almost always be significantly cheaper than the cash fare, particularly when you use a Companion Voucher.
Know When to Book Reward Seats
355 days initialRelease
Book as soon as available
90 days ExtraSeats
Seat are added here
21 days MoreSeats
Availability increases here
7 days Last-Minute Drops
More seats may appear
What Else Should I Know?
Important details about using your British Airways Companion Voucher.
Booking & Travel Rules
Booking Rules
You need to book and fly the outbound leg booked with a Companion Voucher before its expiry date, but you can fly back whenever you like.
Payment Requirement
You must use an American Express card to pay your taxes on a Companion Voucher booking, though it doesn’t actually have to be a BA Amex card.
No Part-Payment
You can’t split your payment for a BA Companion Voucher flight with cash and Avios. “Part pay with Avios” bookings are ineligible, it has to be a Reward Flight booking where the full price of the flight ticket is covered by an Avios redemption, minus taxes and fees.
Changing Traveler Names
You aren’t allowed to change the name of the second traveller after making a booking. To do so, you have to cancel the whole booking, but there is no guarantee that Reward Flight seats will still be available when you rebook.
Adding Infants
You can add an infant under 2 to your booking for two adults, the cost will be 10% of the Avios and taxes required for an adult ticket.
Cancellations & Changes
Cancellation Policy
Your flights will not be cancelled if you cancel your BA Amex card after making your Companion Voucher booking.
No Retroactive Refunds
If BA cancels your flight you are still entitled to be rebooked onto new flights or to receive a refund of your voucher and Avios.
Expiry Date Extensions
British Airways will not extend the expiry date of Companion Vouchers, however they may offer some flexibility on the flights you booked with it, depending on the ticket type or during exceptional circumstances, such as during the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic you could artificially extend your voucher by booking Companion Voucher flights then cancelling them to receive a future travel voucher with a longer expiry date.
BA Flight Cancellation
If you need to cancel a flight booked with a Companion Voucher, you will get the voucher back. However, the original expiry date will remain the same.
Card-Related Information
Cancelling Your Amex Card
If you earn the Premium Plus voucher, it will still be valid for two years, even if you then downgrade to the fee-free BA Amex card.
Voucher After Card Cancellation
If you earn the voucher, then cancel your card, the voucher will still be valid but you will need some form of Amex card to pay the taxes when you redeem it.
Other Important Details
Combining with Other Vouchers
You can combine Gold Upgrade For Two vouchers with a Companion Voucher.
No Avios Earning
You will not earn new Avios or BA Tier Points on the flight booked with your Companion Voucher.
Still have questions?
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