How Does the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher Work?

One of many key options of the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card is the power to earn a British Airways Companion Award eVoucher annually.

As soon as earned, you possibly can apply a Companion Award eVoucher to a reserving from British Airways Government Membership, and save on the variety of Avios required for a reserving for one or two passengers.

Tips on how to Earn a British Airways Companion Award eVoucher

In Canada, there’s just one strategy to earn a British Airways Companion Award eVoucher.

Every calendar yr, upon spending $30,000 (all costs in Canadian {dollars}) on an RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card, you’ll earn a Companion Award eVoucher.

You’ll be able to solely earn one voucher per calendar yr, even if you happen to spend greater than $30,000. Subsequently, even if you happen to spend $65,000 on the cardboard in a yr, you’ll nonetheless solely earn a single Companion Award eVoucher.

The spending window resets on January 1 of yearly, and also you aren’t in a position to roll over any extra spending to the following yr.

After assembly the $30,000 spending requirement, you might have to attend as much as eight weeks for the Companion Award eVoucher to be added to your British Airways Government Membership account.

As soon as earned, Companion Award eVouchers are legitimate for twenty-four months from the date of issuance. Extra particularly, the flight to which the voucher is utilized should start earlier than its expiry date.

For the reason that vouchers are legitimate for 2 years, it’s doable to have multiple out there in your account. Due to this, you should utilize two Companion Award eVouchers on the identical reserving, which might then cowl as much as 4 passengers.

It’s value noting that there are different, comparable vouchers supplied on playing cards in the USA and the UK. These vouchers have totally different phrases and situations, which don’t apply to the Canadian Companion Award eVoucher.

This information is restricted to the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher earned on the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite.

British Airways Companion Award eVoucher: The Guidelines

When you’ve earned a British Airways Companion Award eVoucher, you’ll want to know its guidelines and limitations.

First off, the voucher can solely be used on flights operated by British Airways. You gained’t be capable of use the voucher on any codeshare flights, or flights with any Oneworld or British Airways accomplice airways.

Chances are you’ll use the voucher on both one-way or round-trip flights; nevertheless, you gained’t be capable of use the voucher on multiple reserving. In different phrases, if you happen to use it for a one-way flight, there’s no strategy to retain the worth for an additional one-way phase.

Journey should originate in and return to Canada, which implies that you may’t use it for flights departing from or returning to some other nation.

The British Airways Companion Award eVoucher can solely be utilized to award flights booked utilizing Avios from a British Airways Government Membership account. It might not be utilized to money bookings.

The British Airways Companion Award eVoucher could also be redeemed for one or two individuals on the identical reserving.

If it’s redeemed for a solo reserving, the Companion Award eVoucher reduces the fee in Avios by 50%.

For instance, if a round-trip redemption had been to value 100,000 Avios with out the voucher utilized, it’d value simply 50,000 Avios with the voucher utilized.

If it’s redeemed for a reserving for 2 individuals, the Companion Award eVoucher covers the second passenger’s base fare in Avios.

For instance, if a pair had been to make a redemption that’d value 200,000 Avios (100,000 Avios every) with out the voucher utilized, the identical reserving would value simply 100,000 Avios whole with the voucher utilized.

In both state of affairs, you’ll nonetheless be liable for paying all taxes, charges, and surcharges. As is usually the case with British Airways flights paid for with Avios, this could simply add as much as lots of of {dollars} for a solo traveller, and a hefty sum for 2 passengers.

Within the case of utilizing it for a reserving for 2 individuals, because of this you’ll must pay the identical quantity of taxes, charges, and surcharges that you’d if the voucher weren’t utilized.

Among the finest options of the Companion Award eVoucher is that it may be used to cut back the price of a reserving in any cabin class, together with financial system, premium financial system, enterprise class, and First Class. Sadly, British Airways doesn’t at the moment function plane with First Class cabins to Canada.

The Companion Award eVoucher might be issued within the title of the first cardholder, who should be travelling on the reserving to which it’s utilized. This implies you possibly can’t use the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher if the cardholder isn’t on the reserving.

As per the phrases and situations, your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card should be in good standing on the time of journey. British Airways and RBC might refuse to honour the Companion Award eVoucher if you happen to not have the cardboard on the time of journey.

Tips on how to Use the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher

To redeem a British Airways Companion Award eVoucher, you first have to login to your British Airways Government Membership account.

As soon as logged in, go to the primary web page of your profile, and scroll all the way down to “My eVouchers”.

From there, click on “Redeem”, and also you’ll be capable of seek for your required flights.

Recall that it’s solely doable to make use of the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher on one-way or round-trip British Airways flights departing from and returning to Canada.

Because it stands, British Airways solely operates 4 direct routes to Canada:

• Montreal – London Heathrow
• Toronto – London Heathrow
• Vancouver – London Heathrow
• Vancouver – London Gatwick

Despite the fact that these are the one routes that depart from Canada, you possibly can nonetheless add on one other British Airways flight elsewhere out of London.

Take into account that British Airways costs award flights based mostly on the gap of every particular person phase. Subsequently, along with the variety of Avios required for the primary flight to London, you’ll have so as to add extra for the second flight.

A easy one-way flight from one of many 4 British Airways Canadian routes will value the next quantity of Avios, taxes, charges, and surcharges for every class of service when booked as a Reward Flight Saver.

Montreal or Toronto to London Heathrow:

• Financial system peak: 30,000 Avios + $100
• Financial system off-peak: 25,000 Avios + $100
• Premium financial system peak: 60,000 Avios + $280
• Premium financial system off-peak: 42,500 Avios + $280
• Enterprise class peak: 90,000 Avios + $350
• Enterprise class off-peak: 80,000 Avios + $350

Vancouver to London Heathrow or London Gatwick

• Financial system peak: 35,000 Avios + $150
• Financial system off-peak: 30,000 Avios + $150
• Premium financial system peak: 67,500 Avios + $330
• Premium financial system off-peak: 47,500 Avios + $330
• Enterprise class peak: 100,000 Avios + $450
• Enterprise class off-peak: 90,000 Avios + $450

A round-trip Reard Flight Saver reserving is simply double the quantity in Avios, in addition to double the quantity of taxes, charges, and surcharges.

It’s value noting that you just pay a decrease quantity of taxes and charges for journey in financial system and premium financial system. Relying on which class of journey you’re comfy flying in, you could need to be aware of the additional prices that come alongside together with your chosen class of service.

Tips on how to Maximize the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher

Usually talking, you’ll save extra Avios through the use of a British Airways Companion Award eVoucher as you fly farther distances.

When you gained’t be capable of keep away from paying the taxes, charges, and surcharges, there are nonetheless just a few methods in which you’ll optimize your redemption.

E-book Reward Flight Savers

British Airways launched Reward Flight Savers to long-haul flights in 2022.

Reward Flight Savers permit you to select to pay extra Avios than the usual charge for a selected reserving, however much less in taxes and charges. You’ll know a flight is accessible on the Reward Flight Saver degree with a ticket emblem displayed within the search outcomes.

Utilizing a Companion Award eVoucher in tandem with a Reward Flight Saver reserving is an effective way to leverage the advantages of each.

For instance, the usual off-peak pricing for a one-way flight in enterprise class from Toronto to London is 50,000 Avios plus $865 in taxes and charges.

Nonetheless, the Reward Flight Saver pricing for a similar one-way flight in enterprise class is 80,000 Avios plus $350 in taxes and charges.

For a solo traveller, the whole value in Avios for a round-trip enterprise class flight with a Companion Award eVoucher utilized could be 80,000 Avios plus $700 in taxes, charges, and surcharges for a Reward Flight Saver reserving, or 50,000 Avios plus $1,730 in taxes, charges, and surcharges for the standard enterprise class award reserving.

It’s value noting that the taxes and charges are a lot better for the usual reserving versus the Reward Flight Saver reserving.

For a solo traveller on a Reward Flight Saver reserving, 40,000 Avios is a really cheap value to pay per path for a direct enterprise class flight to Europe. Even with the taxes, charges, and surcharges accounted for, it may signify an amazing use case for a Companion Award eVoucher, particularly if you happen to worth having direct flights to London.

The identical holds true for a reserving for 2 passengers. With a Companion Award eVoucher utilized to a round-trip Reward Flight Saver reserving in enterprise class on an off-peak date, the whole value could be 160,000 Avios plus $1,400 in taxes, charges, and surcharges.

Add Extra Flights

Since you possibly can apply a Companion Award eVoucher to British Airways flights, because of this you should utilize it to fly to the airline’s different locations in Europe or past.

When you’ll find yourself paying extra in Avios to start with, it may be a helpful strategy to cut back the price of what would have been a dearer redemption, no less than with Avios.

For different locations inside Europe, this may be pretty minimal.

For instance, a peak one-way Reward Flight Saver enterprise class flight from Toronto to Paris with a layover in London prices 95,000 Avios, plus $351 in taxes, charges, and surcharges. 

That is solely an additional 5,000 Avios plus $1 in taxes and charges in comparison with the price of simply flying from Toronto to London, which is 90,000 Avios plus $350 in taxes and charges.

With a Companion Award eVoucher utilized, it’d solely value an additional 2,500 Avios so as to add on an additional enterprise class flight from London to Paris.

If you wish to fly to a different vacation spot to which British Airways flies, remember that travelling additional afield will incur a big quantity of taxes and charges.

For instance, a one-way off-peak enterprise class Reward Flight Saver reserving from Toronto to Johannesburg by way of London costs out at 190,000 Avios plus $800 taxes and charges.

With a Companion Award eVoucher utilized, the fee for a similar flight drops to 95,000 Avios plus the identical $800 in taxes and charges. For a round-trip reserving for a solo traveller, you’d pay 190,000 Avios plus $1,600 in taxes and charges.

E-book on Off-Peak Days

British Airways Government Membership makes use of peak and off-peak pricing, which adjustments the quantity of Avios required for any explicit reserving.

Journey on peak days requires extra Avios, whereas journey on off-peak days requires fewer Avios. Peak and off-peak pricing fluctuate between occasions of yr and even days of the week.

You’ll discover the phrase “Off-Peak” written in a purple field within the search outcomes, which signifies that your journey date is an off-peak date. If there’s nothing written there, then it’s a peak date.

For instance, a one-way Reward Flight Saver reserving in enterprise class from Montreal to London prices 80,000 Avios on off-peak days.

On peak days, the worth jumps to 90,000 Avios.

If doable, attempt to guide journey on off-peak days, because you’ll find yourself saving Avios even earlier than the voucher is utilized.

You need to use the British Airways availability calendar to simply see which days have peak and off-peak pricing.

E-book Enterprise Class Flights

Given how the Companion Award eVoucher is structured, you’ll save extra Avios as you spend extra.

As is all the time the case, journey in premium cabins prices greater than journey in financial system.

Subsequently, you’ll wind up getting extra worth out of your Companion Award eVoucher by spending extra Avios to start with.

For instance, a round-trip Reward Flight Saver reserving from Vancouver to London throughout peak pricing prices 200,000 Avios plus $900 in taxes and charges for a solo traveller. With the voucher utilized, the whole value drops to 100,000 Avios plus the identical $900 in taxes and charges.

For 2 individuals, the round-trip value in enterprise class from Vancouver to London throughout peak season could be lowered to a complete of 200,000 Avios plus $1,800 in taxes and charges. That is down from 400,000 Avios plus $1,800 with out the voucher utilized.

In case you’re somebody who values direct flights from Canada to London, or if you happen to’re a British Airways aficionado, redeeming a Companion Award eVoucher this manner is certainly an excellent deal.

Switch Factors to British Airways Government Membership throughout a Switch Bonus

One other strategy to maximize the worth you may get from a Companion Award eVoucher is to maneuver factors from a transferable factors forex to British Airways Government Membership throughout a switch bonus occasion.

When you’ll earn Avios instantly via spending on the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card, it’s also possible to prime up your account with factors from different transferable factors currencies.

As a reminder, you possibly can switch factors from the next Canadian transferable factors currencies to British Airways Government Membership:

Prior to now, we’ve seen switch bonus promotions of 30–50% for British Airways Government Membership, typically with RBC. By transferring factors into your account throughout a promotion, you’re successfully decreasing the variety of Avios required for any explicit reserving by 30–50%.

For instance, if you happen to’re a solo traveller, a round-trip peak Reward Flight Saver reserving in enterprise class between Vancouver and London prices 200,000 Avios plus $900 in taxes and charges.

With a Companion Award eVoucher utilized, the fee drops to simply 100,000 Avios.

In case you had been to have acquired these Avios throughout a switch bonus occasion, then the efficient value drops all the way down to 76,923 or 66,667 Avios with a 30% or 50% switch bonus, respectively. There’s an argument to be made for that to be thought-about an amazing deal, even with the excessive quantity of taxes and charges.

Utilizing the identical logic for a pair, a round-trip off-peak Reward Flight Saver reserving in enterprise class between Toronto and London prices 160,000 Avios plus $700 in taxes and charges per particular person.

With the Companion Award eVoucher utilized, the fee drops to 160,000 Avios plus $1,400 (CAD) whole for 2 passengers.

In case you had been to have acquired these Avios throughout a 30–50% switch bonus promotion, then the efficient value drops down to simply 123,076 or 106,666 Avios, respectively.

As soon as once more, even with the taxes and charges, there’s loads of worth to be discovered right here.

How A lot Is the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher Price?

It’s troublesome to pin a precise worth on the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher, for the reason that quantity of Avios it saves is determined by the path to which it was utilized, and whether or not it’s used for one or two passengers.

On the low finish, it’d save 12,500 Avios for an off-peak one-way financial system flight from Toronto to London for one passenger.

Nonetheless, on the excessive finish, you may‌ save 200,000 Avios or extra for round-trip enterprise class flights for 2 individuals from Vancouver to London throughout peak season.

Actually, if you happen to add on one other flight out of London, you may probably save much more.

We at the moment worth British Airways Avios at 2.0 cents per level (CAD).

Utilizing this valuation, we will estimate that the Companion Award eVoucher is value wherever between $250–4,000, utilizing the potential financial savings of 12,500 or 200,000 Avios listed above.

Let’s assume that many travellers would possibly intention to redeem a Companion Award eVoucher for off-peak round-trip Reward Flight Saver enterprise class flights between Canada and London, which is arguably the best-use state of affairs.

If this had been the case, a round-trip enterprise class flight for a solo traveller would save both 80,000 or 90,000 Avios, and a round-trip reserving for 2 individuals would save both 160,000 or 180,000 Avios.

Utilizing our valuation, the theoretical vary of worth on this instance goes from $1,600–3,600.

Nonetheless, maybe a extra cheap valuation of the British Airways Companion Award eVoucher is nearer to $1,000.

This takes under consideration the relative quantity of effort required to earn one within the first place, in addition to the unavoidable quantity of taxes, charges, and surcharges that inherently include a British Airways redemption.

Conclusion

The British Airways Companion Award eVoucher is a perk earned with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card upon spending $30,000 (CAD) in a calendar yr.

The Companion Award eVoucher reduces the fee in Avios by 50% for a solo traveller, or covers the bottom fare value in Avios for the second passenger on a reserving for 2.

If used strategically, the Companion Award eVoucher can signify nice worth. Simply remember that you’ll inevitably must pay a big quantity of taxes and charges on the reserving.

In case you have a tendency to seek out worth in British Airways Government Membership, particularly for flights with British Airways, then think about setting your sights on incomes a Companion Award eVoucher annually.