What are British Airways Amex companion vouchers, and how do they work?
American Express customers with British Airways credit cards can effectively double the value of their Avios points by using a companion voucher. We look at what they are, and how you can use them.
Oojal Dhanjal
A companion voucher is an exclusive benefit offered to American Express British Airways (BA) credit card customers.
The voucher lets you boost the power of your Avios points when you book a BA reward flight.
A BA reward flight means a flight booked with Avios as the main payment method – depending on how many points you have, your flight could cost you as little as £1 in cash.
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Avios points and the BA companion voucher are different to British Airways tier points, which we look at in a separate guide.
What is a British Airways American Express companion voucher?
BA Amex companion vouchers allow cardmembers to effectively double the power of Avios points when purchasing reward flights.
This can be done in one of two ways:
- Travelling with a companion: You can use a companion voucher to take someone with you on the same flight and in the same cabin without spending any extra points.
- Travelling alone: You can use a companion voucher to discount the Avios price of your reward flight by 50%.
If you choose to bring a companion along by using a voucher, you will not need to spend any additional Avios points, but you will need to pay any applicable taxes and other flight charges.
Customers travelling with a companion who have multiple vouchers can use a maximum of two of the same type on one reward flight booking. This amounts to a maximum of four passengers (excluding infants under two years old).
Solo travellers can only use a maximum of one voucher per booking.
Use a companion voucher with BA Holidays
British Airways Amex card holders who book with British Airways Holidays using Avios points (either full or part payment) can now redeem their companion voucher on the package, to get 25% of the Avios back.
The offer is available on holiday package bookings made before 31 March 2027.
British Airways American Express card members can get up to 50,000 Avios back per booking, while British Airways American Express Premium Plus cardmembers can get up to 200,000 Avios back per booking.
In order to redeem the voucher, you will have to submit an online form within 72 hours of booking via BA Holidays.
25% of the Avios used will then be credited back to your BA account. For instance, if you put 40,000 Avios towards a holiday in Rome, 10,000 would be returned to your account.
When using a voucher on a reward flight, customers must fly on the outbound flight before the voucher expires. However, with this offer, the voucher only needs to be valid at the time of booking – letting customers travel on their BA holiday after the companion voucher expires.
How do you get a BA Amex companion voucher?
To earn a BA Amex companion voucher, you must spend £15,000 on your participating BA Amex card in a given year.
The current cards eligible for companion vouchers are the British Airways American Express Credit Card and the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card.
You are only able to earn one companion voucher per year.
Companion vouchers earned with the British Airways American Express Credit Card will be eligible for 12 months after they are earned.
Meanwhile, companion vouchers earned with the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card will be eligible for 24 months after they are earned.
Note that you cannot earn a companion voucher if you spend the required amount on a different Amex card.
For a full rundown of all of Amex’s available cards, read ‘Which is the best American Express credit card?’.
What are the different types of companion vouchers?
The type of companion voucher you have depends on when and how you earned it.
Companion vouchers earned through the British Airways American Express Credit Card after 1 September 2021 are displayed on your British Airways Club account as 'BA American Express Credit Card Companion Voucher'.
Meanwhile, companion vouchers earned through the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card after 1 September 2021 will be displayed as ‘BA American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher'.
Finally, if you earned your companion vouchers before 1 September 2021, they will be displayed in your account as 'BA American Express Companion Voucher'. These have different terms, validity, and benefits than the others. BA says more information about these can be found at ba.com/amex-companion.
You cannot combine two different types of companion vouchers in one booking.
How to redeem a BA Amex companion voucher
Once you have spent the required £15,000 on your eligible BA Amex card, you will be able to see your voucher displayed in your British Airways Club account.
You can then redeem it by going to ba.com/bookwithavios and signing in. You can then select your voucher at the top of the page and choose your destination and dates.
You can then look through the available flights, choose them, and book your tickets.
If the companion voucher is used on a reward flight, the outbound flight would need to be taken within the eligibility period, before the voucher expires.
