On this page
The British Airways American Express Companion Voucher lets the cardholder book a second reward seat on the same flight and in the same cabin without paying that seat's Avios. You still pay the taxes, fees and charges for both people, on an Amex card. It works on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus Reward Flights booked through BA, and seats are subject to availability (BA Companion Voucher terms, checked 13 Nov 2026).
The voucher saves Avios, never cash. It's worth the most where the Avios price is high: long-haul, and above all in business class with a Premium Plus voucher. It's worth the least on short European hops.
What we'd do first: open "my eVouchers" in your British Airways Club account and note the voucher's type (Credit Card or Premium Plus), its cabin and its expiry date. Then search for two reward seats on the dates you want, with the voucher selected, before you plan anything else.
What the voucher does, by card
| Free BA Amex Credit Card voucher | BA Amex Premium Plus voucher | |
|---|---|---|
| Earned at | £15,000 spend in a card year | £15,000 spend in a card year |
| Cabins | Economy only: Euro Traveller and World Traveller | Any cabin, with "enhanced access" to Club World (long-haul business) reward seats |
| Valid for | 12 months from when it appears in your BA account | 24 months |
| Solo option | 50% off your own Avios | 50% off your own Avios |
Both vouchers, if earned from 1 September 2021, can be used with "all 'Avios & Money' and 'Reward Flight' payment options", so you can pay part in cash to use fewer Avios. Vouchers earned earlier have different rules, linked from BA's terms page. If you haven't chosen a card yet, see whether BA Amex Premium Plus is worth the fee.
Taxes, fees and charges: what you actually pay
On British Airways flights, Reward Flights have "a fixed cash amount to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges plus an Avios amount". BA's own examples, "correct as of May 2026" (BA Reward Flights), per person:
- Europe, the UK and Ireland: from 10,000 Avios + £2.50 each way
- Further afield: from 55,000 Avios + £150 return (BA doesn't name the cabin)
- Club World: from 154,000 Avios + £350 return
With a voucher, two people pay one Avios price and two sets of charges. On Iberia, American Airlines and other partners, BA says "the cash amount required to cover the taxes, fees and carrier charges is variable rather than fixed". Check the total at checkout before you confirm.
BA's examples are dated and may have changed, so we don't use them in the sums. Worked examples (hypothetical prices per person, not BA prices: 24,000 Avios + £20 Europe return, 60,000 + £200 long-haul economy return, 170,000 + £500 Club World return):
| Trip for two, return (hypothetical prices) | Without voucher | With voucher | Avios saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe, economy | 2 × 24,000 = 48,000 Avios + 2 × £20 = £40 | 24,000 Avios + £40 | 24,000 |
| Long-haul, economy | 2 × 60,000 = 120,000 Avios + 2 × £200 = £400 | 60,000 Avios + £400 | 60,000 |
| Club World (Premium Plus voucher only) | 2 × 170,000 = 340,000 Avios + 2 × £500 = £1,000 | 170,000 Avios + £1,000 | 170,000 |
The cash column is the same either way. That's the most common surprise. Our guide to when paying cash beats spending Avios shows how to check whether the charges plus the Avios are good value against a cash fare.
Seat availability: what BA guarantees and what it doesn't
BA says it guarantees a minimum number of reward seats "on all our British Airways flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick":
- at least 8 in economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller)
- 2 in premium economy (World Traveller Plus)
- 4 in business (Club Europe and Club World)
On London City flights it's 2 in Club Europe and 2 in Euro Traveller. Premium Plus vouchers also get "additional Reward flight seats within Club World… subject to availability".
What isn't guaranteed: that those seats are still free when you search, or that they're on your dates. The voucher terms say BA "offers no guarantee that Cardmembers will be able to book a seat for themselves or for a Companion on any specific flight". BA's own advice is to be flexible, book early, and try quieter times "such as midweek and during school terms". BA's help centre says flights can be booked "up to 355 days ahead of the departure date" (BA FAQ).
The best routes from London for a voucher
We can't promise availability on any route, and we haven't tested specific dates. What we can say is where the voucher has the most to save, based on BA's pricing rules and the terms.
- Long-haul business (Club World) from Heathrow, with a Premium Plus voucher. Club World costs far more Avios than economy, so the voucher saves the most there (in our hypothetical example above, 170,000 Avios for two). The charges are fixed on BA-operated flights, and Premium Plus vouchers get extra Club World seats. It's the single biggest saving.
- Long-haul economy or premium economy from Heathrow or Gatwick. The voucher saves one person's long-haul Avios price (60,000 in our hypothetical example). Premium economy is available with a Premium Plus voucher only, since the free card's voucher is economy only.
- BA's "Avios-only" summer flights. BA has listed Heathrow–Palma (BA494, 14 Aug 2027; return BA495, 21 Aug 2027) and Heathrow–Heraklion (BA698, 14 Aug 2027; return BA697, 21 Aug 2027) as flights sold only as Reward Flights until 21 May 2027. BA confirms a "Companion Voucher… can be used on bookings for these flights". The Avios saving is smaller than long-haul, but it lands in the school summer holidays, when cash fares are usually high.
- Iberia via Madrid and Aer Lingus via Dublin. These are allowed (including Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, Aer Lingus UK and Emerald Airlines), but the charges are variable, so compare the total with BA's. Our guide to lower fees on Avios redemptions through Iberia, Qatar or Aer Lingus goes into those programmes. A voucher can only be used on a booking made through BA.
Short European hops are the weakest use: the voucher saves only one person's short-haul Avios (24,000 in our hypothetical example), and some travellers would rather keep it for a long-haul trip before it expires. If you're travelling as a family in the school holidays, see a family Avios trip in school holidays.
How to book, step by step
- Check the voucher in "my eVouchers" in your British Airways Club account.
- Log in and go to Book with Avios on ba.com or the Avios app. The Avios help centre says an eligible voucher "will appear as an option at the top of the search page" (Avios help: Companion Vouchers, checked 13 Nov 2026). Select it, then search for two. It has to be applied at the time of booking. BA's FAQ says you can't add it later.
- Check the price before you pay. You should see one Avios price for the two seats, plus charges for both. Charges are fixed on BA flights and variable on partners. BA's terms say all taxes, fees and charges "must be paid for using an American Express Card".
- Book both seats together. The companion must be booked at the same time and travel with you on every flight. If you're coming back, book the return in the same booking: that's the condition for flying home after the voucher expires.
- If online booking fails, call BA on 0344 493 0750. There's "an offline service fee per passenger" for phone bookings. Travel agents can't book it; BA's FAQ says the booking "must be made directly with British Airways".
If the seat won't book or the price changes at checkout, see what to do when a BA reward seat won't book. If BA cancels your flight, see BA cancelled or changed your reward flight, which covers protecting the voucher.
The rules that catch people out
- Only the main cardholder earns it, and they must travel. Supplementary cardholders can't earn a voucher, though their spending counts towards the target.
- Anyone can be your companion. If you have a BA household account, the companion must be in the household or on your Friends and Family list.
- Outbound before expiry. "Inbound travel can take place after the expiry date… provided it is booked at the same time as the outbound travel."
- Cancelling: more than 24 hours before departure, the voucher is reissued "for the remainder of its original validity period". Within 24 hours, it's gone. Service fees for cancelling or changing Reward Flights also apply (BA cites £35 for its Avios-only flights).
- Extensions: "up to three months" may be granted, case by case and at BA's discretion, for listed reasons such as an airline cancellation, serious illness or bereavement, with documents.
- No name changes once booked. Up to two vouchers of the same type on one booking (four passengers). The solo option (50% off your Avios) can't be mixed with a companion on the same booking.
- BA can change the terms with three months' notice, but changes don't affect vouchers already issued.
BA Companion Voucher FAQs
Does the voucher cover taxes?
No. You pay taxes, fees and charges for both people.
Can I use it for a one-way?
BA's UK terms don't answer this directly. They say vouchers "can be used for travel on any route as long as the Cardmember has sufficient Avios", and that inbound travel after expiry is allowed "provided it is booked at the same time as the outbound travel" (BA voucher terms, clauses 18 and 25, checked 13 Nov 2026). The Avios help centre says a voucher "can also be used on return journeys". Neither says in so many words that a one-way is allowed on every route, although BA's terms for its special Avios-only flights do say "One-way tickets may be booked" on those. So check your own trip before you pay:
- Log in to ba.com with your British Airways Club account.
- Go to Book with Avios.
- Select your Companion Voucher; it appears at the top of the search page if it's eligible.
- Choose one-way, then enter the route, date, cabin and two passengers.
- Before paying, check the summary shows one Avios price for the two seats, plus taxes, fees and charges for both. If it shows the full Avios price for two people, the voucher hasn't been applied.
- If the voucher price doesn't appear, don't pay and expect to fix it afterwards: the voucher can't be added to a booking once it's made. Try other dates or a return search, or call BA on 0344 493 0750 and ask before you book (phone bookings carry an offline service fee per passenger).
Can I upgrade a voucher booking? BA's Reward Flights FAQ says changes to bookings "made using any type of voucher, such as a Companion Voucher" have to be made through the contact centre. Ask before you book if an upgrade matters to you.
How long until the voucher arrives? BA says it "will normally reach your account within 10-15 working days" after Amex confirms you've hit the spend.
