Help using BA COMPANION VOUCHER
Discussion
Hi All,
My voucher runs out in October this year and I want to use it for a family holiday.
It seems that I have to use my avios points to make the payment for the flights which is not ideal, in addition there are no flights available for any of the destinations we want to go to during the school holidays!
My thought was that I could get my wife's ticket free and pay for the kids flights?!!! Not so simple.
HELP.
IceBoy
My voucher runs out in October this year and I want to use it for a family holiday.
It seems that I have to use my avios points to make the payment for the flights which is not ideal, in addition there are no flights available for any of the destinations we want to go to during the school holidays!
My thought was that I could get my wife's ticket free and pay for the kids flights?!!! Not so simple.
HELP.
IceBoy
No real help available I think. You need to conform to the rules regarding the companion voucher and the availability or otherwise of flight availability to where you want to go and when.
You can only use the companion voucher when you book a flight for yourself using Avios. You get the flights for both of you for free using Avios and the voucher, plus tax.
As regards available flights, there's a limited number of "Avios" seats available per flight, and from what you say these have been taken already.
So, other than look at availability of an upgrade for your preferred flight and date using more Avios plus the companion voucher and paying for the children I cannot see anything else you can do.
By the way, I don't think there's much value in using Avios for economy, in fact I never have: much better to use them for premium economy or better still club.
R.
You can only use the companion voucher when you book a flight for yourself using Avios. You get the flights for both of you for free using Avios and the voucher, plus tax.
As regards available flights, there's a limited number of "Avios" seats available per flight, and from what you say these have been taken already.
So, other than look at availability of an upgrade for your preferred flight and date using more Avios plus the companion voucher and paying for the children I cannot see anything else you can do.
By the way, I don't think there's much value in using Avios for economy, in fact I never have: much better to use them for premium economy or better still club.
R.
Where are you looking at going and what dates?
Try nearby destinations eg if looking for Orlando try Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Try different cabins as well.
Failing that a dirty weekend away in Club Europe might be the only way to spend the voucher. Not the best value from it but better than letting it expire.
Try nearby destinations eg if looking for Orlando try Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Try different cabins as well.
Failing that a dirty weekend away in Club Europe might be the only way to spend the voucher. Not the best value from it but better than letting it expire.
justin220 said:
Also interested in this.
Can I book an economy flight, upgrade with Avios points to Club, and then use the companion voucher for another Club seat?
Or is it more restrictive than that?
More restrictive. You need to pay for the flight in full using avios and use the voucher at the same time. If you don’t have enough avios you can buy them which can actually be cheaper than booking a ticket with cash.Can I book an economy flight, upgrade with Avios points to Club, and then use the companion voucher for another Club seat?
Or is it more restrictive than that?
IceBoy said:
Hi All,
My voucher runs out in October this year and I want to use it for a family holiday.
It seems that I have to use my avios points to make the payment for the flights which is not ideal, in addition there are no flights available for any of the destinations we want to go to during the school holidays!
My thought was that I could get my wife's ticket free and pay for the kids flights?!!! Not so simple.
HELP.
IceBoy
Amex vouchers are great providing that:My voucher runs out in October this year and I want to use it for a family holiday.
It seems that I have to use my avios points to make the payment for the flights which is not ideal, in addition there are no flights available for any of the destinations we want to go to during the school holidays!
My thought was that I could get my wife's ticket free and pay for the kids flights?!!! Not so simple.
HELP.
IceBoy
a) you can plan a long way ahead to access the limited flights that are available for use with Avios
b) you have some flexibility about where and when you want to travel.
As mentioned above, you get much better value if you use them for business / first class flights rather than economy.
We have used our vouchers to access long haul, first or business class flights for very reasonable prices, but we’ve had to plan up to 12 months ahead (I.e. when the Avios / reward flights are released) and been flexibility about destination.
I’m currently looking to book a trip for Jan-Feb 2019 - each day i’ll check flight availability in a few preferred destinations - Thailand, Malaysia etc and when I see an outward and a return flight that fit my criteria I’ll snap them up ASAP and look to find accommodation afterwards.
Often it is worth buying Avios points when there is a sale to have them ready to use for the reward seats.
sidicks said:
Amex vouchers are great providing that:
a) you can plan a long way ahead to access the limited flights that are available for use with Avios
b) you have some flexibility about where and when you want to travel.
As mentioned above, you get much better value if you use them for business / first class flights rather than economy.
We have used our vouchers to access long haul, first or business class flights for very reasonable prices, but we’ve had to plan up to 12 months ahead (I.e. when the Avios / reward flights are released) and been flexibility about destination.
I’m currently looking to book a trip for Jan-Feb 2019 - each day i’ll check flight availability in a few preferred destinations - Thailand, Malaysia etc and when I see an outward and a return flight that fit my criteria I’ll snap them up ASAP and look to find accommodation afterwards.
Often it is worth buying Avios points when there is a sale to have them ready to use for the reward seats.
Someone at work was telling me he phones the BA office in Kuala Lumpur and books his reward flights as it means they become available several hours before they go live in the U.K. If I see him at work over the next few days I’ll ask him how exactly to go about it I.e. time of day etca) you can plan a long way ahead to access the limited flights that are available for use with Avios
b) you have some flexibility about where and when you want to travel.
As mentioned above, you get much better value if you use them for business / first class flights rather than economy.
We have used our vouchers to access long haul, first or business class flights for very reasonable prices, but we’ve had to plan up to 12 months ahead (I.e. when the Avios / reward flights are released) and been flexibility about destination.
I’m currently looking to book a trip for Jan-Feb 2019 - each day i’ll check flight availability in a few preferred destinations - Thailand, Malaysia etc and when I see an outward and a return flight that fit my criteria I’ll snap them up ASAP and look to find accommodation afterwards.
Often it is worth buying Avios points when there is a sale to have them ready to use for the reward seats.
R33FAL said:
Similar themed topic...
How does it work if you want to use a companion voucher for wife and a 2+ year old
Pay for my ticket and the childs ticket using avios, and get my wife for free?
It’s not something I’ve ever tried to do. That’s one where I’d be phoning the lovely people at the exec club. I’ve always found them to be very helpful and they’re UK based so give them a call and ask.How does it work if you want to use a companion voucher for wife and a 2+ year old
Pay for my ticket and the childs ticket using avios, and get my wife for free?
djc206 said:
Someone at work was telling me he phones the BA office in Kuala Lumpur and books his reward flights as it means they become available several hours before they go live in the U.K. If I see him at work over the next few days I’ll ask him how exactly to go about it I.e. time of day etc
I believe BA release inventory at 1am GMT, they will be available online then but if you want to phone & book you have to find a BA customers services office which is open at the time, which means the far east or Japan.GT03ROB said:
djc206 said:
Someone at work was telling me he phones the BA office in Kuala Lumpur and books his reward flights as it means they become available several hours before they go live in the U.K. If I see him at work over the next few days I’ll ask him how exactly to go about it I.e. time of day etc
I believe BA release inventory at 1am GMT, they will be available online then but if you want to phone & book you have to find a BA customers services office which is open at the time, which means the far east or Japan.R33FAL said:
Similar themed topic...
How does it work if you want to use a companion voucher for wife and a 2+ year old
Pay for my ticket and the childs ticket using avios, and get my wife for free?
You can use the voucher for you and your wife. You will only pay the Avios for one of you plus the taxes for both of you. If your child is 2 or over you they need their own seat so you will pay the full Avios amount plus taxes for the child. If the child is under 2 you pay 10% of the full Avios amount plus 10% of taxes, but the child will sit on your lap.How does it work if you want to use a companion voucher for wife and a 2+ year old
Pay for my ticket and the childs ticket using avios, and get my wife for free?
The voucher means that you pay the Avios for two of you and taxes for all three if the child is 2 or over. You will save on the Avios for one of you.
I have done this a few times and it's straight forward. The difficult part is you need three reward seats to be available.
Have a look at Flyertalk. The BA forum is great.
Availability is very good to the Middle East. So Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman.
Also some less glamorous US destinations such as SAN Diego, Texas then onward from there.
Use the points for Club and First. Anything else can be poor value due to charges and fees.
Availability is very good to the Middle East. So Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman.
Also some less glamorous US destinations such as SAN Diego, Texas then onward from there.
Use the points for Club and First. Anything else can be poor value due to charges and fees.
lrdisco said:
Have a look at Flyertalk. The BA forum is great.
Availability is very good to the Middle East. So Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman.
Also some less glamorous US destinations such as SAN Diego, Texas then onward from there.
Use the points for Club and First. Anything else can be poor value due to charges and fees.
The lesser known and newer destinations I have found have good availability. Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland (in place of San Fran and a cheap Uber ride away). Availability is very good to the Middle East. So Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman.
Also some less glamorous US destinations such as SAN Diego, Texas then onward from there.
Use the points for Club and First. Anything else can be poor value due to charges and fees.
Definitely call the call-centre. They're able to override standard availability especially to destinations where there are lots of flights. We did NYC in August, there was no online availability and it was a last minute change from Barcelona and the lady at the call centre did it and applied 2 companion vouchers I had.
djc206 said:
lrdisco said:
Have a look at Flyertalk. The BA forum is great.
Availability is very good to the Middle East. So Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman.
Also some less glamorous US destinations such as SAN Diego, Texas then onward from there.
Use the points for Club and First. Anything else can be poor value due to charges and fees.
The lesser known and newer destinations I have found have good availability. Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland (in place of San Fran and a cheap Uber ride away). Availability is very good to the Middle East. So Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman.
Also some less glamorous US destinations such as SAN Diego, Texas then onward from there.
Use the points for Club and First. Anything else can be poor value due to charges and fees.
I seem to consistently fail to use the things so probably best not to listen to me though! Got 2 companion vouchers & a million Avios to burn through!
GT03ROB said:
Without doubt flexibility is the key to using Avios well, with or without vouchers. You can also often find availability gets released at the last minute. if you have fixed dates to popular destinations & at busy times you are probably going to be out of luck.
I seem to consistently fail to use the things so probably best not to listen to me though! Got 2 companion vouchers & a million Avios to burn through!
Wow!I seem to consistently fail to use the things so probably best not to listen to me though! Got 2 companion vouchers & a million Avios to burn through!
I know what you mean and you’re spot on. We went to the States a couple of years ago, we wanted SF but could only get LA, not a problem, £30 on a Southwest flight to get between the two. We wanted to fly home from Dallas, nothing, so another cheap Southwest flight to Houston and a day spent at the space centre. Just small concessions and I really enjoyed the space centre so thanks BA!
However, the last two companion vouchers we’ve had what we wanted. Into New Orleans and out of Austin last year and into New Orleans and out of Vegas booked for this year. We did look for our South Africa trip but no luck so just paid for those tickets and used the voucher for the US instead. We travel enough that at some point in the year we should be able to use our voucher, this years is the 4th one we’ve spent within a couple of months of acquiring it.
If you want to use your companion voucher on a popular route you need to book as soon as the flights are released as there are only, I think, four seats available on each flight which can be booked with avios. Flights are released 355 days prior, see the link below for some good tips.
This page seems to offer some excellent tips http://www.turningleftforless.com/5-tips-for-redee...
This page seems to offer some excellent tips http://www.turningleftforless.com/5-tips-for-redee...
djc206 said:
GT03ROB said:
Without doubt flexibility is the key to using Avios well, with or without vouchers. You can also often find availability gets released at the last minute. if you have fixed dates to popular destinations & at busy times you are probably going to be out of luck.
I seem to consistently fail to use the things so probably best not to listen to me though! Got 2 companion vouchers & a million Avios to burn through!
Wow!I seem to consistently fail to use the things so probably best not to listen to me though! Got 2 companion vouchers & a million Avios to burn through!
I know what you mean and you’re spot on. We went to the States a couple of years ago, we wanted SF but could only get LA, not a problem, £30 on a Southwest flight to get between the two. We wanted to fly home from Dallas, nothing, so another cheap Southwest flight to Houston and a day spent at the space centre. Just small concessions and I really enjoyed the space centre so thanks BA!
However, the last two companion vouchers we’ve had what we wanted. Into New Orleans and out of Austin last year and into New Orleans and out of Vegas booked for this year. We did look for our South Africa trip but no luck so just paid for those tickets and used the voucher for the US instead. We travel enough that at some point in the year we should be able to use our voucher, this years is the 4th one we’ve spent within a couple of months of acquiring it.
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