BA/AMEX Companion Vouchers Booking??
Discussion
Morning all, my second BA/AMEX Companion Voucher has just dropped which means i now have a pair both live & able to combine i believe through to July 2020.
Got a couple of questions as have a trip in mind for Xmas 2020 for the family (4).
Am i right that i can use both valid companion vouchers together, as long as the first issued is still in date (as above, its validity is through to July 2020 & the 2nd will be valid until i guess Oct 21)?
Secondly, am i correct that if booking for 4 passengers (myself, wife & our 2 kids) that i can indeed use 2 companion vouchers?
If using 2 companion vouchers, i assume the balance of the fares is made up with Avios (currently have around 350k in the family account) & the taxes/fees paid in cash?
Lastly, the trip in mind is to Australia for 2/3weeks Xmas 2020, which i'd be fairly sure will be a popular route & time of year to visit, thus limiting the availability of Reward seats on the flights? Any suggestions on how to approach a booking with the best chance of success?
Thanks in advance.
Got a couple of questions as have a trip in mind for Xmas 2020 for the family (4).
Am i right that i can use both valid companion vouchers together, as long as the first issued is still in date (as above, its validity is through to July 2020 & the 2nd will be valid until i guess Oct 21)?
Secondly, am i correct that if booking for 4 passengers (myself, wife & our 2 kids) that i can indeed use 2 companion vouchers?
If using 2 companion vouchers, i assume the balance of the fares is made up with Avios (currently have around 350k in the family account) & the taxes/fees paid in cash?
Lastly, the trip in mind is to Australia for 2/3weeks Xmas 2020, which i'd be fairly sure will be a popular route & time of year to visit, thus limiting the availability of Reward seats on the flights? Any suggestions on how to approach a booking with the best chance of success?
Thanks in advance.
To use the companion vouchers, then you must at least fly out while they are valid. The vouchers are valid for 2 years with the BA Amex premium card, and 1 year with the basic card.
If you have 2 vouchers, they will need to be booked separately, and whoever earns the voucher will need to be on the booking. Once they are both booked, you can probably be able to phone BA to get the bookings combined.
Business class reward tickets to Australia are like gold dust. BA releases 2 seats for each flight 355 days out, you’ll need to phone at midnight to have a good chance of getting the 2 seats, but you might struggle as you need 4 seats. Signing up to rewardflightfinder.com will alert you if more seats become available, it will also identify other destinations that might be easier to get 4 reward ticket availability.
Head over to headforpoints.co.uk and post on the comments section of the articles, as there are some very knowledgable people on there.
If you have 2 vouchers, they will need to be booked separately, and whoever earns the voucher will need to be on the booking. Once they are both booked, you can probably be able to phone BA to get the bookings combined.
Business class reward tickets to Australia are like gold dust. BA releases 2 seats for each flight 355 days out, you’ll need to phone at midnight to have a good chance of getting the 2 seats, but you might struggle as you need 4 seats. Signing up to rewardflightfinder.com will alert you if more seats become available, it will also identify other destinations that might be easier to get 4 reward ticket availability.
Head over to headforpoints.co.uk and post on the comments section of the articles, as there are some very knowledgable people on there.
foiled said:
To use the companion vouchers, then you must at least fly out while they are valid. The vouchers are valid for 2 years with the BA Amex premium card, and 1 year with the basic card.
If you have 2 vouchers, they will need to be booked separately, and whoever earns the voucher will need to be on the booking. Once they are both booked, you can probably be able to phone BA to get the bookings combined.
Business class reward tickets to Australia are like gold dust. BA releases 2 seats for each flight 355 days out, you’ll need to phone at midnight to have a good chance of getting the 2 seats, but you might struggle as you need 4 seats. Signing up to rewardflightfinder.com will alert you if more seats become available, it will also identify other destinations that might be easier to get 4 reward ticket availability.
Head over to headforpoints.co.uk and post on the comments section of the articles, as there are some very knowledgable people on there.
Thanks for that comprehensive response.If you have 2 vouchers, they will need to be booked separately, and whoever earns the voucher will need to be on the booking. Once they are both booked, you can probably be able to phone BA to get the bookings combined.
Business class reward tickets to Australia are like gold dust. BA releases 2 seats for each flight 355 days out, you’ll need to phone at midnight to have a good chance of getting the 2 seats, but you might struggle as you need 4 seats. Signing up to rewardflightfinder.com will alert you if more seats become available, it will also identify other destinations that might be easier to get 4 reward ticket availability.
Head over to headforpoints.co.uk and post on the comments section of the articles, as there are some very knowledgable people on there.
To check i've understood, you're saying that any Companion Voucher needs to be flown, not just booked within the 2yr window (mine are from a BA Amex Premium Card)? See attached for validity. For an Oz trip next year then, i'd either need the wife to get a Companion Voucher within the next few weeks on her BA Amex Premium card so we can book 355 days out & is also valid for flying Dec 2020 as one of mine expires in Nov 2020?
Also i can't book a trip for 4 people & use 2 vouchers (all vouchers are in my name/account)? So i'd need to make 2 separate bookings for 2 people & then at a later date combine them, or as above get the wife to use hers if she has/gets one?
Lastly, as we're looking to use 2 Companion vouchers for 4 people to travel, we'd basically be looking for a route that had 4 reward seats available?
Edited by w8pmc on Thursday 31st October 12:21
The outbound from the UK must be flown before expiry or it is lost - no leway on this, use it or lose it. In your case this must be before expiry of both, so yes, you will need another voucher if you plan on using Dec 2020
The inbound can be after expiry.
If you have two current vouchers in your name yes they can be booked at the same time for your three companions (as obviously you can only be one of those four passengers).
As for four award seats to Oz at primetime... good luck as many are wise to this and will be trying. It is crucial you have your dates and times noted and know when they open up, and be on the phone to a non UK line on the dot to book the outbound sectors, and then be ready to do it all again to amend it to add the returns when they open up at the later date. It can be done though.
I would hope you have the miles for F rather than J as it will be significantly nicer and not that much more cost.
The inbound can be after expiry.
If you have two current vouchers in your name yes they can be booked at the same time for your three companions (as obviously you can only be one of those four passengers).
As for four award seats to Oz at primetime... good luck as many are wise to this and will be trying. It is crucial you have your dates and times noted and know when they open up, and be on the phone to a non UK line on the dot to book the outbound sectors, and then be ready to do it all again to amend it to add the returns when they open up at the later date. It can be done though.
I would hope you have the miles for F rather than J as it will be significantly nicer and not that much more cost.
Edited by GCH on Thursday 31st October 15:25
GCH said:
The outbound from the UK must be flown before expiry or it is lost - no leway on this, use it or lose it. In your case this must be before expiry of both, so yes, you will need another voucher if you plan on using Dec 2020
The inbound can be after expiry.
If you have two current vouchers in your name yes they can be booked at the same time for your three companions (as obviously you can only be one of those four passengers).
As for four award seats to Oz at primetime... good luck as many are wise to this and will be trying. It is crucial you have your dates and times noted and know when they open up, and be on the phone to a non UK line on the dot to book the outbound sectors, and then be ready to do it all again to amend it to add the returns when they open up at the later date. It can be done though.
I would hope you have the miles for F rather than J as it will be significantly nicer and not that much more cost.
Thanks, so looks like Oz Dec 20 is out of the question as no chance the wife can earn a Companion voucher between now & early Dec this year & one of mine will have expired before Dec 20.The inbound can be after expiry.
If you have two current vouchers in your name yes they can be booked at the same time for your three companions (as obviously you can only be one of those four passengers).
As for four award seats to Oz at primetime... good luck as many are wise to this and will be trying. It is crucial you have your dates and times noted and know when they open up, and be on the phone to a non UK line on the dot to book the outbound sectors, and then be ready to do it all again to amend it to add the returns when they open up at the later date. It can be done though.
I would hope you have the miles for F rather than J as it will be significantly nicer and not that much more cost.
Edited by GCH on Thursday 31st October 15:25
Currently sat on about 400k Avios in the Household account & unlikely to rise much over the next few weeks, so unlikely F would be an option anywhere of interest.
Other considerations could be Thailand or even Florida in the Summer 2020, however the latter i'd assume would also be a challenge due to availability.
Another question, i'd want my journey to start from MAN as is my local airport, however i noticed on Reward Flight Finder it only shows 'direct' flights, so does this mean i'd have to pay for the MAN-LHR/LGW if i did manage to secure any interesting available Reward destinations?
I do not have the Amex, however I do get vouchers from the normal Tier points scheme (2,500 & 3,500 levels). These ones can definitely be used for flights beyond their validity, so long as they are booking within their validity. I have done that already this year, and got a booking for next May using upgrade vouchers that 'expired' in Sept this year. Of course these vouchers may be completely different T&Cs to the Amex.
For reward flights, I have found for the popular ones I need to book the outbound on a one way basis the day it becomes available (usually online), and then add on the return when it becomes available (have to do this by phone). I did this for my May trip (to Delhi) and the upgrade voucher I used for the outbound was then applied to the return. Of course I'd gone through all this with them on the phone ahead of time to be sure it'd all work out like that.
For reward flights, I have found for the popular ones I need to book the outbound on a one way basis the day it becomes available (usually online), and then add on the return when it becomes available (have to do this by phone). I did this for my May trip (to Delhi) and the upgrade voucher I used for the outbound was then applied to the return. Of course I'd gone through all this with them on the phone ahead of time to be sure it'd all work out like that.
eein said:
I do not have the Amex, however I do get vouchers from the normal Tier points scheme (2,500 & 3,500 levels). These ones can definitely be used for flights beyond their validity, so long as they are booking within their validity. I have done that already this year, and got a booking for next May using upgrade vouchers that 'expired' in Sept this year. Of course these vouchers may be completely different T&Cs to the Amex.
For reward flights, I have found for the popular ones I need to book the outbound on a one way basis the day it becomes available (usually online), and then add on the return when it becomes available (have to do this by phone). I did this for my May trip (to Delhi) and the upgrade voucher I used for the outbound was then applied to the return. Of course I'd gone through all this with them on the phone ahead of time to be sure it'd all work out like that.
Got all excited then as thought Oz Dec 20 was back on, but alas it appears the 2 Companion voucher schemes although similar in some ways, are not the same when it comes to validity. Checked on the AMEX website & says the below:For reward flights, I have found for the popular ones I need to book the outbound on a one way basis the day it becomes available (usually online), and then add on the return when it becomes available (have to do this by phone). I did this for my May trip (to Delhi) and the upgrade voucher I used for the outbound was then applied to the return. Of course I'd gone through all this with them on the phone ahead of time to be sure it'd all work out like that.
I’ve just realised that my Voucher has expired. Can I get it extended?
Unfortunately, this is not possible. Vouchers must be exchanged for an outbound ticket departing before the expiry date on your voucher, which is 12 months from date of issue for Classic cardmembers and 24 months from date of issue for Premium Plus cardmembers.
w8pmc said:
Thanks, so looks like Oz Dec 20 is out of the question as no chance the wife can earn a Companion voucher between now & early Dec this year & one of mine will have expired before Dec 20.
Check your mail.w8pmc said:
Another question, i'd want my journey to start from MAN as is my local airport, however i noticed on Reward Flight Finder it only shows 'direct' flights, so does this mean i'd have to pay for the MAN-LHR/LGW if i did manage to secure any interesting available Reward destinations?
You can start in MAN, you just have to pay the additional avios for the connecting flight, subject to the same 4 seats being there in award availability on the flight you want.Probably best posting this on flyertalk in the BA forum...there is a big thread dedicated to stuff like this and more knowledgable people you will not find.
GCH said:
You can start in MAN, you just have to pay the additional avios for the connecting flight, subject to the same 4 seats being there in award availability on the flight you want.
Probably best posting this on flyertalk in the BA forum...there is a big thread dedicated to stuff like this and more knowledgable people you will not find.
Thank you, all excellent & valuable infoProbably best posting this on flyertalk in the BA forum...there is a big thread dedicated to stuff like this and more knowledgable people you will not find.
Bit of a thread resurrection.
Im hoping to book a direct flight from London to Cape Town (direct) leaving first week of Feb and coming back early/mid March.
A few flights seem to pop up here and there but not managed to nail both the outbound and return timings yet.
Does anyone know how the seats are made available? Do more appear closer to the departure date, or do they become more scarce?
Gets to a point where if they don’t show up I’ll just have to book a couple of seats and suck up the cost.
Im hoping to book a direct flight from London to Cape Town (direct) leaving first week of Feb and coming back early/mid March.
A few flights seem to pop up here and there but not managed to nail both the outbound and return timings yet.
Does anyone know how the seats are made available? Do more appear closer to the departure date, or do they become more scarce?
Gets to a point where if they don’t show up I’ll just have to book a couple of seats and suck up the cost.
FrankAbagnale said:
Bit of a thread resurrection.
Im hoping to book a direct flight from London to Cape Town (direct) leaving first week of Feb and coming back early/mid March.
A few flights seem to pop up here and there but not managed to nail both the outbound and return timings yet.
Does anyone know how the seats are made available? Do more appear closer to the departure date, or do they become more scarce?
Gets to a point where if they don’t show up I’ll just have to book a couple of seats and suck up the cost.
Availability does change right up to the day before the flight. But there is no guarantee & there also is no pattern to it that I've noticed.Im hoping to book a direct flight from London to Cape Town (direct) leaving first week of Feb and coming back early/mid March.
A few flights seem to pop up here and there but not managed to nail both the outbound and return timings yet.
Does anyone know how the seats are made available? Do more appear closer to the departure date, or do they become more scarce?
Gets to a point where if they don’t show up I’ll just have to book a couple of seats and suck up the cost.
I am however guessing that cape town in the winter months is going to be a popular route. If you want to take the risk then take the flight you can get, then keep checking for the other leg. If you try waiting for both legs at the same time you are more likely to be unlucky.
FrankAbagnale said:
Ah I see, so book a one way flight and then grab the other with the companion… makes sense.
I assume they won’t let me book a return companion flight that is economy out, business back?
They will. I assume they won’t let me book a return companion flight that is economy out, business back?
I also recall you could use the companion voucher to book one leg of your flight then add the other one later.
You may need to phone them on this though.
My booking referred to above (back in 2019!) I booked the outbound as a one way exactly 1 year in advance when it came available, then I phoned up two weeks later exactly as the return date became available and booked it as an update to the same booking, and thus got the upgrade voucher applied to the whole return journey.
... not really related to the ability to book, however my flight booking story did not completely play out to plan... trip was April 2020, covid delayed, again, and again. Each time BA changed their rebooking policy, eventually refusing to let me choose a rebooking at an available date of my convenience. I initiated their legal arbitration process and won the judgement, after utterly destroying the BA lawyers defence (it was comical, like they'd put their trainee grad on it) and set a new precedent for the interpretation of the legislation. Unfortunately it took so long that I had to book (with money) an alternative flight with another airline, so after I won I just got the original points refunded (although not the upgrade voucher, and I'd lost the energy to raise another arbitration process for that). In the end the holiday was awesome and we flew in Qatar Qsuites, and I still have all my BA points to use another time.
... not really related to the ability to book, however my flight booking story did not completely play out to plan... trip was April 2020, covid delayed, again, and again. Each time BA changed their rebooking policy, eventually refusing to let me choose a rebooking at an available date of my convenience. I initiated their legal arbitration process and won the judgement, after utterly destroying the BA lawyers defence (it was comical, like they'd put their trainee grad on it) and set a new precedent for the interpretation of the legislation. Unfortunately it took so long that I had to book (with money) an alternative flight with another airline, so after I won I just got the original points refunded (although not the upgrade voucher, and I'd lost the energy to raise another arbitration process for that). In the end the holiday was awesome and we flew in Qatar Qsuites, and I still have all my BA points to use another time.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff