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Looking to book a trip for my wife (soon arriving baby) and I for January 2025. I have been fixated on BA (as a companion voucher holder, 120k avios, 90k Amex rewards).
I am struggling with finding anything suitable, be it availability, Club Suite potential, and just the overall BA product (With some pretty high fees too..).
My voucher expires Feb 2025, so using in Jan is last real option. Baby coming in May negates any chance of getting away.
I have found some good Qatar redemptions for Doha which I think is somewhere we’d like to visit, along with the ability to experience Q suites. Of course utilising Avios.
Am I being completely ridiculous letting a companion voucher go to waste? I am struggling to see a benefit of holding one at this moment in time.
N.B. I am about £600 away from another companion voucher.
Any help would be appreciated. I am quite new to all this.
BA availability to DOH is usually very good if that’s where you want to go, there can even be F seats available.
QR – people generally rate the overall experience as better but don’t forget you’re not 100% guaranteed to get Q Suite so don’t book on that basis.
But if you’re about to get another 241, I wouldn’t stress too much about not being able to use the current one.
Though – if you’re having a baby in May there’s still plenty of opportunity to get away by Feb!
SeatSpy is showing availability to DOH pretty much every day in Jan & Feb if you want to go there and use your 241.
There’s never a 100% guarantee of which seats you’d get, but in any case, old Club World is better with a baby than CS!
You can always earn another companion voucher, let’s put it this way! On my personal circumstance with little one turning 2 soon, I have decided to let go 1 amex voucher and 1 barclay voucher both expiring this summer. Our usual family-visiting trip to the East later this year, we will utilise just “half” of the amex voucher as we prefer QR (in–air) experience on the way back. Life is much more than this and big congratulations! 🙂
SeatSpy is showing availability to DOH pretty much every day in Jan & Feb if you want to go there and use your 241.
Old BA business product though right? May have got that completely wrong
You can always earn another companion voucher, let’s put it this way! On my personal circumstance with little one turning 2 soon, I have decided to let go 1 amex voucher and 1 barclay voucher both expiring this summer. Our usual family-visiting trip to the East later this year, we will utilise just “half” of the amex voucher as we prefer QR (in–air) experience on the way back. Life is much more than this and big congratulations! 🙂
That is very kind thank you 🙂
Seat type can and frequently does change between booking and flying, but you might want to do a bit more research, the middle pair of old CW seats with an infant are the best option IMO.
I wouldn’t let it go to waste. If anything just use it to book a short Club Europe trip. Not sure if it will be your first born but if it is, it will be your last chance for that “just two of you” last minute trip.
It is financially, not making the most of the voucher but it is a decent second option and one last hurrah if it’s your first born.the middle pair of old CW seats with an infant are the best option IMO.
Agree with this. It’s far far better for families with young kids.
“ Am I being completely ridiculous letting a companion voucher go to waste?”
The way to look at it is – the voucher is an option to reduce the cost of your travel plans. Doesn’t mean you must travel or restrict your travel plans to certain routes. Don’t let the tail wag the dog.
Many vouchers expire every day. If everyone was maximising the vouchers on long haul J and F, the card would’ve been shut down by now.
Would seem madness not to use it in some form. Remember (unlike the Barclays voucher) you don’t have to pick Reward Fare Saver pricing with the Amex voucher. You can pick which combination of Avios and taxes you want so you can optimise the amount of Avios you use so using on short haul can be good value if you pick the plus £25/pp each way taxes option. Why not do a weekend away somewhere in Club Europe?
Personally the only silly thing is to fixate on a seat CS really isn’t the utopia people make out especially with a child CW is so much better.
Anyway if it works for your plans use it otherwise let it go no point throwing good money after bad just to make a voucher “work”
The way to look at it is – the voucher is an option to reduce the cost of your travel plans. Doesn’t mean you must travel or restrict your travel plans to certain routes. Don’t let the tail wag the dog.
100% this.
I’ve lost 2 companion vouchers and a Barclays voucher.
Refused to fly just for the sake of not losing them.I’ve wasted half of my first Virgin cc voucher and probably a 2nd one unless the CS agent next month thinks it’s book by rather than fly by!
I realised that it was bonkers to return from Mexico via the US solely to use the voucher and VS points, which is what we would have ended up doing (and getting new ESTAs just to transit). Used VS points for internal flights on AeroMexico instead. Booked with a BA 241 to fly to MEX, F out and CW home.
I’m with BBB here. Only use it if you want to. Booking a trip to specifically use it rather than let it go to waste is actually what BA wants you to do as it uses up some of their Avios liability. Obviously the point of spending £10k to get the voucher makes you think you should use it but remember that you still earned Avios from your spending.
I try to use all of my vouchers but one just lapsed as I could not fit a trip into my plans. I would not have just organised a trip to make use of it.
No you are not! There is too much credence given to the voucher now. Availability is dire as so many people are chasing seats with so many vouchers, and as you rightly point out, BA fees, which are more than double APD are scandalous. This fact was driven home when I cancelled seats last week and got £1400 back!
Don’t get me wrong, from 2010 to 2017 I used them extensively but also relatively easily to go to the USA in F as a family of 4. Now you’ll struggle even on TATL routes.
I Havnt flown long haul BA since 2018 and a disastrous and disgusting flight to Cairo. Since then my vouchers have either expired or been used to go to Europe. Avios on the other hand have been used to fly Qatar and frankly even 2x2x2 seating beats BA!At Christmas my wife and I spent 180,000 MR points, 150,000 Avios and £2500 in total and constructed an around the world J class trip involving 4 airlines to visit Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia. Every flight was on time, every bag delivered inside 20 minutes and BA avoid entirely.
Entirely your choice. We’re fortunate in having many opportunities to use the vouchers but I can understand why others might struggle. I also also agree with those people who say middle seats in CW with small children work very well. Also, things can and do go wrong with other airlines incl Qatar. We’ve only ever had one major issue with BA, which they did their utmost to mitigate and resolve.
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