Can you control the issue date of your Barclaycard voucher?

[Rob]

A reader emailed me about this and I don’t know, even though I should.

Given that you can now choose between the upgrade voucher and the 7000 Avios, is the voucher now triggered immediately when you hit £10k / £20k spend (using the default setting, which I believe in the voucher) or is there an option to drag out the issue date, and so delay the 2-year expiry date?

Thanks.

[Anna]

Someone posted about this recently – IIRC they delayed selecting their option and the voucher was then dated from when they made the selection.

I imagine it’ll be in one of the BC threads.

[aq.1988]

Didn’t they also say that BC told them that if they don’t make a decision, the voucher would then be issued at their anniversary date? Thus, effectively, allowing them to have a voucher with over 2 years validity.

[ns]

The voucher does not trigger automatically. Once you hit your 10k spend target the option becomes available in the app to choose 7k avios or the upgrade voucher. You can choose which one you want (and change that choice repeatedly) up until your normal card anniversary date. You then have to press redeem to actually trigger your choice. I hit my spend target last month but my card anniversary date is October – the app says I can change my choice up until then. I assume the two year expiry will be from the day I press redeem but haven’t done this yet so can’t confirm that.

[Anna]

The option becomes available when your account year resets (or mine did, anyway), but obviously you don’t have to choose at that point.