Whether you’re flying with a plus one or going solo, if you want to boost your Avios or figure out the best way to book your tickets, here’s everything you need to know about how to earn and redeem your British Airways American Express Companion Voucher

What is a British Airways American Express Companion Voucher?
A Companion Voucher is an exclusive perk available to British Airways Executive Club Members with a British Airways American Express^® Credit Card or British Airways American Express^® Premium Plus Card. In short, once you reach your spend threshold each Cardmembership year, you’ll receive a Companion Voucher. This voucher entitles you to a second seat for a plus one – on the same British Airways flight and in the same cabin as you¹ – for no additional Avios when you make a Reward Flight booking. All you’ll have to pay are the taxes, fees and charges for you and your companion’s tickets.

But I want to fly by myself
Going it alone? You don’t have to take a buddy. Recent enhancements mean that the Companion Voucher is more flexible than ever.² If you prefer, you can use your Companion Voucher to get a 50 per cent discount on the Avios price for your Reward Flight travelling as a solo adult instead, so you’ll have more holiday spending money for hotels or meals. Win-win.

How to earn a Companion Voucher
The only way to earn a Companion Voucher is by using your British Airways American Express Credit Card or British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card. Spend £12,000 in a membership year on your Credit Card and you’ll receive your voucher (your Cardmembership year starts the moment your card application is approved). If you have a Premium Plus Card, you’ll get a Companion Voucher when you spend £10,000 in a Cardmembership year on your Card.

Ways to boost your balance
There are lots of ways to reach the spend threshold. American Express is accepted in more than 35,000 places across the UK so you can use your British Airways American Express Credit Card or British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card for day-to-day expenditure, whether that’s grocery shopping or filling up on fuel. You’ll collect Avios on every purchase (one Avios for every £1 spent – or 1.5 Avios if you’re a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Cardholder), and you’ll receive bonus Avios when you reach the spend target in the first three months of Cardmembership.³

At a time when financial budgeting has never been so important, this way you’ll be able to whisk a loved one away on a romantic break or embark on a once-in-a-lifetime solo adventure without having to blow your budget. In fact, your everyday spend could take you further than you might realise. Suddenly those travel plans don’t seem like a pipe dream after all.

How to redeem your Companion Voucher
Once you’ve reached the required spend on your card, the Companion Voucher will appear in your British Airways Executive Club account.

Next, you need to decide where to go. When booking your Reward Flight – and thanks to the Companion Voucher’s increased flexibility – you can now access all the Avios + Money and Reward Flight Saver options. So that dream trip could cost as little as £1 in cash.⁴

Once you’ve decided the Reward Flight you’d like to take – whether that’s long-haul or short-haul – you can then use your Companion Voucher to receive a second seat in the same cabin on the same British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus flight for no additional Avios.

If you choose to use your Companion Voucher as a solo traveller, you’ll receive a 50 per cent discount on the Avios price of your Reward Flight in Euro Traveller or World Traveller, or if you’re a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Cardmember you can use your voucher in any cabin.

Making the most of your Companion Voucher
The Companion Voucher you receive will depend on the British Airways American Express Card product you have. Cardmembers who’ve earned a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher will have access to enhanced availability in Club World (with tens of thousands more British Airways seats on offer) when booking their Reward Flight.⁵

You can use your Companion Voucher on a booking with one or more stops across British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus in any combination, which means even greater availability and flexibility when choosing where to go.

If you’re travelling in a group, Companion Vouchers of the same type⁶ can be combined and redeemed in the same cabin. You can combine a maximum of two vouchers, allowing four passengers to travel together (excluding infants under the age of two).

It’s worth bearing in mind that you can only earn one Companion Voucher per British Airways American Express Card Account, per Cardmembership year, regardless of how much you spend. Once issued, your Companion Voucher is valid for 24 months for the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card and 12 months for the British Airways American Express Credit Card. Reward Flights and Companion Voucher bookings are subject to availability, and taxes, fees and carrier charges apply per person.

For more information about the British Airways American Express Companion Voucher, visit ba.com. Further T&Cs can be found here

British Airways American Express Credit Card: No annual fee. Representative 27.2% APR variable.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card: Annual fee £250. Representative 106% APR variable. APR correct as of 30 November 2022. Subject to change.

Terms and Conditions 
1. British Airways American Express Credit Card Companion Vouchers can only be used when redeeming Avios for a British Airways Reward Flight seat in economy only, paid in full with Avios. British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card Companion Vouchers can only be used when redeeming Avios for a British Airways Reward Flight seat in any cabin, paid in full with Avios.
2. Companion Vouchers earned from 1 September 2021 can be used on bookings departing from outside of the UK as well as allowing the Companion Voucher holder to benefit from a 50% reduction in Avios when making a Reward flight booking with their Companion Voucher as a solo traveller. For full Companion Voucher Terms and Conditions visit: ba.com/amex-companion
3. Welcome bonus applies to new Cardmembers only. 18+ subject to status. Terms apply.
4. British Airways American Express Credit Card and British Airways American Express Premium Plus terms and conditions apply to Avios redemptions. Reward Flights and Companion Voucher bookings are subject to availability and taxes, fees and carrier charges apply per person. Reward Flights and Companion Voucher bookings are subject to availability and taxes, fees and carrier charges apply per person. Detailed information on Companion Vouchers can be found at ba.com/amex-companion or by calling 0844 493 0750 (calls cost 7ppm plus your telephone company access charge).
5. Reward Flights are available to any Executive Club Members with an Avios balance. In addition to your Avios, the only cash amount required for Reward Flights is to cover the taxes, fees and carrier charges. Reward Flights are subject to availability.
6. Only Companion Vouchers of the same type can be combined and redeemed on one Reward Flight booking. You can combine a maximum of 2 Companion Vouchers of the same type which will allow a maximum of 4 passengers to travel (excluding infants under the age of 2 years old). If using a Companion Voucher as a solo traveller, no other Companion Vouchers can be used in conjunction with the solo traveller Voucher. You cannot combine two different types of Companion Voucher. (e.g. If a you hold a British Airways American Express Companion Voucher (earned before 1 September 2021) and a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher (earned after 1 September 2021) you will need to redeem these on separate bookings).

To find out more about Reward Flights and/or Reward Flight Saver visit: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/spending-avios/reward-flights. 

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