How to use the different Avios vouchers correctly

The two Avios vouchers

There are two main vouchers UK collectors can earn from their credit cards. They sound similar, but they work in completely different ways.

The Companion Voucher

Spend £15,000 in a card year on a British Airways American Express card and you'll get a Companion Voucher in your British Airways Club account. It lets two people fly for the Avios of one seat. You pay the taxes and charges for both travellers.

How to book with a Companion Voucher

1. Check your voucher is in your account. Log in to British Airways Club and look under your vouchers. Note the expiry date.
2. Search for two reward seats on the same flight. This is the hard part. You need two seats available in the same cabin on every flight in the trip.
3. Be flexible and search early. Reward seats are released around a year ahead, and the best dates go quickly. Midweek and off-peak dates are easier to find.
4. Make sure you're travelling. The cardholder who owns the voucher must be one of the two people on the booking.
5. Apply the voucher when you book. Select it during the booking on the British Airways website or app. It can't be added afterwards.
6. Pay the taxes and charges with your Amex card. This is a rule of the voucher, so don't use a different card.

Companion Voucher mistakes to avoid

• Waiting too long. You must fly the outbound before the voucher expires. Leave it too late and there may be no seats left.
• Forgetting the taxes. Long-haul business class taxes and charges can be several hundred pounds per person. Budget for them.
• Cancelling at the last minute. Cancel more than 24 hours before departure and you get your voucher back for the rest of its validity. Cancel within 24 hours and it's lost.
• Trying to use it on Qatar or other partners. It only works on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus flights booked with Avios through British Airways Club.
• Booking the wrong cabin on the free card. Vouchers from the free BA Amex only work in economy.

The Barclaycard upgrade voucher

The Barclaycard Avios cards give you an upgrade voucher when you hit a yearly spend target. It's not quite an upgrade. Instead, it lets you book a seat in a higher cabin while paying the Avios of the cabin below.

How to book with an upgrade voucher

1. Choose when to issue it. Once you hit the spend target, you'll get the option in the Barclaycard app. If you don't choose, it's issued automatically at the end of your card year.
2. Search for a reward seat in the higher cabin. You only need availability in the cabin you want to fly, not the one below.
3. Book on the British Airways website using Avios and apply the voucher during booking.
4. Pay the higher cabin's taxes and charges. These are more than for the lower cabin, so check the total before you book.

Upgrade voucher mistakes to avoid

• Trying to book First Class. The highest cabin you can book is business class.
• Starting your trip outside the UK. All flights must depart from the UK.
• Using it on partner airlines. It only works on British Airways flights.
• Changing your card mid-year. Upgrading or downgrading your Barclaycard resets your spending back to zero.
• Trying to add it to an existing booking. You'll need to cancel and rebook to use it.
• Combining it with a Companion Voucher. You can't use both vouchers on the same ticket.

Which voucher is better?

For two people flying long-haul business class, the Premium Plus Companion Voucher usually saves the most Avios by far. It halves the Avios needed for the flights.

The upgrade voucher is more useful if you usually travel alone, or if you'd rather earn on a Mastercard that's accepted almost everywhere. Its target is also lower, at £10,000 on the Avios Plus card.

Many collectors hold one of each. See how the cards compare in our guide to the top UK airline credit and debit card offers, or read our BA Premium Plus review.

Frequently asked questions