Issue with Using New Companion Voucher for Reward Booking with 3 People

[RK228]

Hi there,

I’m investigating potential trips for next summer using the new style Amex 241 voucher that is supposed to have increased Business class availability.

When I search using the voucher and select any business class flights for me, my wife, and my son, I get an error message saying:

Add another companion voucher: You won’t see enhanced availability for this flight until you use one BA American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher for every two travellers in this booking”.

I’m definitely using the voucher to search and it appears to increase availability compared to not selecting/using the voucher (the number of business class seats increases from 4 to 7), but when I click on the seats, the website gives me the error message, says there is a problem with booking this journey online, won’t calculate the prices for the tickets, and, as such, I don’t seem to be able to buy anything.

Has something changed? Do I need two companion vouchers now to take advantage of these additional seats from the new voucher? If so, I’m definitely moving my Avios to Nectar.

[JDB]

The issue is that one voucher will only allow the enhanced availability for the two people travelling on the voucher, but not for the third person who needs ordinary Avios availability. You either need to telephone when it may be possible to sort this out or to make two separate bookings.

[memesweeper]

JDB wrote:

The issue is that one voucher will only allow the enhanced availability for the two people travelling on the voucher, but not for the third person who needs ordinary Avios availability. You either need to telephone when it may be possible to sort this out or to make two separate bookings.

Good grief — so the site is showing availability, which you can’t actually book, for >2 passengers? I’d thought it was doing the opposite, showing availability that it shouldn’t for passenger numbers above two, and would then let you book this, but I never completed a transaction to be sure.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[RK228]

JDB wrote:

The issue is that one voucher will only allow the enhanced availability for the two people travelling on the voucher, but not for the third person who needs ordinary Avios availability. You either need to telephone when it may be possible to sort this out or to make two separate bookings.

Thanks for the response and explanation.

Jeez. There are enough seats though without the voucher though, so I don’t understand why I can’t price it or book it.

When I last was looking at flights with the voucher a couple months ago, I wasn’t getting this error even for seats that required the enhanced availability.

In more ordinary times, I didn’t mind calling BA, but it’s a big drawback nowadays. It’s become too difficult to book and I think my wife wants us to cash out via Nectar.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .