The British Airways Companion Voucher: A Complete Guide

British Airways Companion Voucher – How Does It Work?

The British Airways Companion Voucher is unique in that it’s designed to be used with British Airways’ loyalty program, the British Airways Club.

The companion voucher lets you choose from one of two redemption options: (1) you can bring a friend for free (hence “companion” voucher) when you pay full price using British Airways’ Avios loyalty points for a reward ticket, or (2) you can enjoy a 50% discount on the cost of your next reward flight if you prefer to travel solo.

You can redeem your voucher for either a one-way flight or a return flight. Since you’ll get the most value out of the return flight redemption, this is certainly the better option.

When it comes to redeeming your companion voucher, there are a handful of rules you’ll need to be aware of:

• Flights must depart from and return to Canada, and they must be British Airways operated flights (no codeshares or partner airlines are eligible).
• The companion voucher can only be used when accompanying a reward flight booked with Avios (compared to other companion passes that accompany cash fares).
• Both the paid and companion tickets must be booked at the same time, for the same day, and on the same flight.
• The paid reward flight and free companion flight can be booked in any cabin class (economy, premium economy, business class, and first class) and must be booked in the same class.

When considering the rules mentioned above, keep in mind that there are currently only a handful of British Airways flights to/from Canada:

• Montreal to London (Heathrow)
• Toronto to London (Heathrow)
• Vancouver to London (Heathrow)
• Vancouver to London (Gatwick)

Given this, your redemption options are limited to flights to/from these three Canadian airports and to flights that arrive in, depart from, or transit through one of two London airports. However, the good news is that you can always add a leg onto your journey from London, opening up large parts of Europe and beyond (just as long as these additional flights are operated by British Airways). We go over this and other ways to maximize the value of the voucher in the final section of this article.

When you’re ready to redeem your companion voucher, you’ll need to sign in to your British Airways Club account, navigate to the « Membership » tab, and click on « Membership Vouchers. » From there, you’ll be able to select up to two companion vouchers to use with your booking.

British Airways Companion Voucher – How Do I Get One?

In Canada, there’s only one way to get a British Airways Companion Voucher and that’s through the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite.

As an RBC British Airways Visa Infinite cardholder, you can earn an annual companion voucher by spending $30,000 on the card within the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).

Also, take note that you can earn a maximum of one companion voucher each year. Even if you were to spend an additional $30,000 on the card in the calendar year, you would not receive another voucher.

Once you’ve met the spending requirement, your companion voucher will be deposited into your British Airways Club account in approximately 6 to 8 weeks.

Your voucher is valid for 24 months from the date its issued, and your associated flight must depart before the expiry date.

Since the companion voucher is good for two years, you could potentially have two in your account at the same time. In this situation, you’re able to use both companion vouchers on the same booking, with two travellers paying their fares and two enjoying a free ride.

In addition to letting you earn a companion voucher, the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite also lets you earn Avios on all your purchases and includes a number of valuable travel perks and benefits like a 10% discount on British Airways flights and strong travel insurance coverage.

British Airways Companion Voucher – Cost

Since the British Airways Companion Voucher provides a free flight for a second traveller (rather than a “discounted” fare like those offered with the Air Canada and WestJet companion passes), there is no base fare cost.

However, you do need to pay the associated taxes and fees for both the full-price reward flight and for the free companion fare.

British Airways Companion Voucher – Tips for Maximizing Value

Once you’re ready to use your British Airways Companion Voucher, there are a few ways to maximize its value.

Choose a Reward Flight Saver fare

Reward Flight Saver fares cost a fixed number of Avios and charge a flat fee to cover taxes, fees, and carrier charges. This can save you a ton of money since British Airways’ standard Reward Flight fares tend to charge some of the highest taxes and fees in the business.

To be eligible for the “Saver” fares, you need to have earned at least one Avios in the past 12 months. Conveniently, if you’re spending on your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, you’ll be earning Avios with each purchase, meaning that you’re much more likely to find the “Saver” fares.

During your reward flight search, you can easily find the Reward Flight Saver fares since they’re marked with a blue star icon.

If you’re not eligible for a Reward Flight Saver flight, or there are none available, you’ll instead see standard Reward Flights which charge the full taxes, fees, and charges. As an example of what these fees could cost you, the RBC fine-print states that this could equal approximately $870 for a return trip from Vancouver to London in economy class. This is compared to the $300 in fees that is required if you’re eligible for the Reward Flight Saver fare (shown below).

Choose long and/or premium flights

Another way to maximize your British Airways Companion Voucher is by using it for longer or more expensive flights. For example, you could use the companion voucher for a “Saver” level business class return flight between Montreal and London. This would get you two business class seats for 180,000 Avios and $1,500 in taxes and fees, saving you 180,000 Avios!

Considering these flights are around $5,000 each if you pay cash, this can be a great way to get a lot of value out of your companion voucher.

Save with solo travel

If you’re inclined towards travelling solo, using the companion voucher to save 50% off your Avios cost is a great way to gain value with limited financial output. Not only will you only need to pay the taxes and fees for one person, but you’ll also get half-off your Avios cost.

As you can see from the business class redemption example above, this could save you tens of thousands of Avios.

Get more by going further

One final way to get some extra value out of your British Airways Companion Voucher is by travelling onwards from London to other destinations in Europe and beyond.

After travelling from Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver to London and staying for a brief layover, you can continue on to loads of other destinations — just as long as all your flights are operated exclusively by British Airways.

The number of Avios needed and the cost of the taxes and fees for these connecting flights will depend on your final destination, but as you can see from the images below the difference in cost may not be too much. The price difference for a return flight between Montreal to London and a return flight from Montreal to Rome (through London) is only 25,500 Avios and $2 in taxes and fees.

Bottom Line

The British Airways Companion Voucher is a nice credit card perk that can help you save money and Avios the next time you travel with British Airways.

Regardless of whether you’d like to bring a friend on a trip for free or just enjoy a nice solo adventure for a lower cost, there’s no wrong way to enjoy your companion pass.

If you’re looking for more ways to save, you can also check out our guides to the companion passes from Air Canada, WestJet, and Porter Airlines.

FAQs

What is a British Airways Companion Voucher?

The British Airways Companion Voucher is a travel perk offered through the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite. The voucher lets you either bring a companion for free when you book an eligible rewards flight, or you can enjoy a 50% discount on the Avios cost of an eligible solo booking.

How do I get a British Airways Companion Voucher?

You can earn a British Airways Companion Voucher by spending $30,000 on your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite within the calendar year.

Once you’ve met the spending requirement, your companion voucher will be deposited into your British Airways Club account in approximately 6 to 8 weeks.

Which airlines can I use my British Airways Companion Voucher with?

The British Airways Companion Voucher can only be used for flights operated by British Airways.

Does the British Airways Companion Voucher expire?

Yes, the British Airways Companion Voucher expires 24 months after its been issued.