BA Amex PP – Latest to spend by X date to receive companion voucher

[squawkbox]

Long time reader, first time poster!

I have been a BA AMEX PP holder for quite a number of years and for the first time, I am trying to be strategic in relation to the issue of the companion voucher to ensure that I can use it either next year or the following year.

When I log into my account it states that I need to spend X before the 29th June. In my job, we always have a big event leading up to the middle of June (so rules out travel before then), so I have been sitting on around £100 short of the spend since last month.

Ideally, I’d like trigger the companion voucher as close as possible to 29th June (certainly after 19th, if possible), but without risking any slow processing of charges etc to the account (I have been holding off making a number of purchases, so I will make sure I am a good few hundred over with multiple purchases, but not that many, I’ll leave them to the new card year!).

What would others consider to be the last moment to trigger the companion voucher?

[Rob]

For a store purchase you’re fine up to, say, 26th I’d say.

It gets trickier with an online transaction because you can never be sure when the card will be charged – I’d be more wary there.

I’m in a similar boat. My wife is on £9,967 and my plan is not to trigger the voucher until late October to give half term flexibility for both 2024 and 2025.

I have screwed this up though, because it now means we can’t take advantage of any good cashback deals on her BA Amex over the Summer.

[Oviplokos1]

Amazon clears payment same or next day, me thinks.

[freckles]

As soon as payment clears on Amex – usually a day or so, just beware of weekends. Rob’s advice above is good – I was in same position in May, a few days before deadline worked for me

[heartfaced]

If the transaction clears one day after the deadline, but posts as the day before the deadline, does the voucher appear or is some manual intervention required?

[NorthernLass]

It’s when it clears that counts, Amex won’t help you if you miss the deadline.