British Airways companion flight - best uses?

[loves2plan]

Hi all,
I have a BA companion flight voucher to use before May 2023 and I was looking for recommendations of where to go to use it! Flights would be from London and the list of possibilities includes Caribbean, Maldives, Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore etc. Thinking of using it in October or November this year. If you could go to any of those places which would it be? Has anyone been to them and can recommend places to stay/experiences etc? I'm desperate for some sun and just want to get something nailed down! Any comments welcome thanks in advance

[loves2plan]

@CrimbleCrumble1 I've had a look and packages are coming in around £1600pp for the same level of hotel/board basis and dates I'm looking at whereas using my companion voucher and booking hotel separately is coming in around £1100pp at the moment

[GuidingSpirit]

We went to Mauritius in late Oct / early Nov a few years ago for our honeymoon. It was fab - we stayed at the Sugar Beach hotel in Flic en Flac, but there are lots of other hotels around that area. If you planning on TTC within the next 6 months, you need to be careful as many parts of Africa have the Zika virus, but Mauritius is zika-free (which is why we chose it). Have a brilliant time!

[L0uby1]

Op. sorry, not about companion vouchers as such, but more about the best use of your avios. We have had a stash of avios over the last six years or so, mainly collected from credit card sign up bonuses! We have ended up using them on European reward flights, because that is the best use for us. We have recently booked flights to spain. The avios for two of us was 19,000 each plus £22.50 each in taxes. We've also booked the canaries 24,000 avios plus £20 each.

As soon as you want to go long haul, the taxes increase to such an extent that they can sometimes work out more than booking an actual cash flight. Bizzare!!. I have no idea why anyone would do this.
As an example. I can get cash flights to Jordan (we want to go. Next year) cheaper than the taxes alone on a b reward flight.

[loves2plan]

@L0uby1 I also looked at Jordan and you're right it makes absolutely no sense to use avios with BA, it's mad 😂 bet you'll have an amazing time!

[TizerorFizz]

The issue is that companion flights need to be business to be cost effective. Economy often isn’t worth it. You then need lots of Avios for long haul. The number needed has greatly increased over the years too. I do think Cape Town is a good shout though. Around 2 hours time difference and that’s a bonus too.

[BunsyGirl]

I would look at upgrading your card for future vouchers. We have four business class tickets to NYC booked for school hols using two companion vouchers plus 200,000 Avios. Cost was £2700 which was a fraction of the full business class price for four people in school hols.

[ABitOfAShitShow]

Good advice from @Hairbrush123.

If it was issued after 1st September 2021 with a standard Amex, it’s economy class only (before that is any class - or at least up to business). If you have the next level of card up, it’s premium economy - which is nice enough for 6-7 hours. All singing, all dancing card, don’t waste it on short-haul.

Shameless boast that I’m squeezing in Brazil business-class in March with a pre-September voucher. I have another pre-September one to use before November. Then one economy-only voucher left. Will be upgrading my card before I earn another one!

[Hairbrush123]

@ABitOfAShitShow ooo I just came back from Brazil last month. Fabulous place and the weather was gorgeous. Where in Brazil are you going? Fly to São Paulo instead of Rio de Janeiro if you can as it has a better business class product

[Totalwasteofpaper]

@loves2plan

Thanks all! Sorry *@Totalwasteofpaper* I'm still confused what you mean by bump to business?

So last time I used a companion voucher was a year years back but what I did was this…

I paid for the premium economy and used the avios to upgrade to business THEN applied the companion voucher and that way you get best bang for your buck.

[Totalwasteofpaper]

A few years*

We used it to go to Peru and it was amazzzzing

[ABitOfAShitShow]

[quote Hairbrush123]@ABitOfAShitShow ooo I just came back from Brazil last month. Fabulous place and the weather was gorgeous. Where in Brazil are you going? Fly to São Paulo instead of Rio de Janeiro if you can as it has a better business class product[/quote]
What are the chances?! Lucky us, eh?

Two of us are flying to Rio for 4 days before flying on to Salvador to join my Brazilian friend who’ll already be there. We’ll spend a few days with his family before all going on a road trip to who knows where (‘into nature, xuxu, nature’ ). Then we all fly back to London - via Rio. Can’t bloody wait!

Any tips for Rio gratefully received!

[CrimbleCrumble1]

ABitOfAShitShow my DC and I went on trip to the rain forest in a jeep. We were picked up from our hotel and booked with Viator.

We flew from Rio to Iguassa and stayed in Argentina and that was really good.

[MaggieFS]

This might not count as best use of a companion voucher, but... Pre children and the rule change for the Blue card, we used it for trips like to New York in business. Now we have DC, we aren't currently planning any long haul trips, and given the attraction of business class isn't possible either, we're not that fussed for now. So we've decided to focus on building our stockpile of Avios to save or the next time we want to go long haul. And in the mean time, we're not wasting the voucher, but just using it to cover trips we'd do anyway such as short haul European flights. We've found that post Covid, BA prices are quite favourable vs e.g. EasyJet and of course include luggage on a reward flight. So we're saving the cash we'd otherwise be paying on the flights and not using too many points in the process.

[ABitOfAShitShow]

@CrimbleCrumble1

ABitOfAShitShow my DC and I went on trip to the rain forest in a jeep. We were picked up from our hotel and booked with Viator.

We flew from Rio to Iguassa and stayed in Argentina and that was really good.

Thanks, Crimble. Bit gutted I can’t do the falls but it feels too tight with heading to Salvador after a few days.

A rain forest trip sounds fab. I’ll have a meander through Viator. I need to make the most of it as I’ll probably only go once!

[MaggieFS]

@ABitOfAShitShow It's possible to go to Igauzu and back in 48 hours comfortably. Fly out early one morning, leave luggage in the lockers on the Brazilian side, walk that side. Get a bus over to a hotel on the Argentinian side and stay over night there. Walk the Argentinian side the next morning and then cross back and fly back to Rio.

You don't actually need more time than that, although you could spend more if you wanted to. I know it would eat into your four days in Rio, but I'd seriously consider that over the rainforest trip. Couldn't you go to a Rainforest in Salvador? The Iguazu falls are completely unique and stunning whereas visiting a rainforest is fab, but less unique in location terms IYSWIM.

How many whole days do you have in Rio though? You can probably fill them without leaving the city. There's lots to see.

[CloudPop]

Companion vouchers are of very limited use, in my experience !

[RamblinBoy]

We've used ours to fly lots of places, mostly in First. The taxes are high but the experience is worth it. More recently since we've had children we've mostly used them for the USA east coast. In general Tampa has better availability than Orlando (and can fly first, Orlando is business) Boston better availability than NYC. We're planning to do Boston this year with 2 companion vouchers, 3 kids but one is a baby so doesn't need a ticket. We do have to pay for her - 10% of a full ticket price which in First is still quite a lot.

Prior to children we flew to the Far East a lot, Thailand and Hong Kong.

For us, using them in Europe or in Economy is not worth it.

I LOVE the idea of a safari but just not sure I'm brave enough, especially with small children in tow.

Hope you have a fantastic holiday OP.

[sleepykits]

Can anyone help me?!

I also have a companion voucher (blue card post sept, so economy only?) BUT I can't work out how to see flights available to use it with? Am I being particularly stupid?! When I use the calendar option it always says non available.

Hmppphhh!

[RamblinBoy]

It only works if you set it to 'anytime' and choose by region. Then just scroll along to the right month. If you try to look by month the search function doesn't work. At least that's the issue we've had with the website this week

[22Newnames]

This is an amazing website for seeing seats available with Avios.
rewardflightfinder.com/

[sleepykits]

@22Newnames that's really handy thanks!