Finally! RBC British Airways Visa companion vouchers can be used for a 50% discount on a single flight reward

RBC British Airways Visa Infinite cardholders rejoice! You can now choose to apply companion vouchers earned on the card to receive a 50% discount when redeeming points for only one reward ticket!

The Canadian version of their co-brand card has finally caught up to the U.S. and U.K. versions which have offered this option for just over a year now. You may recall that in June of 2022 Rewards Canada reached out to British Airways and RBC when the changes were revealed on the U.S. and U.K. cards and we were told that Canada was not following suit. Well, that’s all changed as of July 4, 2023!

The updated Companion Voucher

As pointed out by Prince of Travel there was a recent update to the product offering and terms and conditions on the application landing page for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card that spells out the good news. Companion vouchers earned on or after July 4, 2023 are now eligible to be used for a single traveller (50% discount on the amount of Avios required) or as its namesake implies a companion voucher (100% discount on the the amount Avios required for the second ticket). Both uses of the voucher still require the cardholder to pay for any associated taxes and fees.

Unlike WestJet’s  famous companion voucher on their cards also issued by RBC, the one offered on the British Airways card does not come free with payment of your annual fee. The voucher is awarded when the cardholder reaches $30,000 in spending on the card within a calendar year.

Once issued, vouchers are valid for 24 months with travel having to commence prior to the expiry of the voucher. Cardholders can also use up to two vouchers one reservation thus allowing a family or group of four to travel for the Avios price of two.

Recommended reading: RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card Review

Utilize the voucher on Executive Club Reward Savers to save Avios and on taxes and fees

In late 2022 British Airways Executive Club introduced an expanded Reward Flight Saver option that significantly reduced the amount of taxes and fees you need to pay on BAEC reward tickets. Of course the trade off was an increase the amount of Avios required. These Reward Flight Savers are your best bets for using the voucher:

In the above example we have a round trip economy class reward ticket between Toronto and London Heathrow. The Reward Flight Saver pricing is 50,000 Avios + $200. If you applied the voucher to this reward you only have to redeem 25,000 Avios and pay the $200. Or in the case of using for two people you would redeem 50,000 Avios and $400 for fees and taxes.

The standard non Reward Flight Saver redemption for an Off-Peak reward like this is 26,000 Avios but as you can see the taxes and fees to be paid are $880! The voucher would bring it down to 13,000 Avios but you would still need to pay $880. Definitely not worth it!

In the above example we have a round trip business class reward ticket between Toronto and London Heathrow. The Reward Flight Saver pricing is 160,000 Avios + $700. If you applied the voucher to this reward you only need to redeem 80,000 Avios and pay the $700. Or in the case of using for two people you would redeem 160,000 Avios and $1,400 for fees and taxes.

The standard non Reward Flight Saver redemption for an Off-Peak reward like this is 100,000 Avios with taxes and fees to be paid at $1,700! In this case the voucher would bring it down to 50,000 Avios but you would still need to pay $1,700. Again, not really worth it. Personally, I would go the 80,000 Avios + $700 route if I was to redeem for this reward.

Recommended reading: New British Airways Reward Flight Saver option offers lower surcharges!

Don’t forget this card offers 10% off British Airways flights

The companion voucher could be considered icing on the cake as the primary reason people get this card is for the 10% off British Airways flights benefit. The discount is off the total cost of the fare (including taxes, fees, and carrier charges) for travel in any cabin from economy (World Traveler) to premium economy (World Traveler Plus) for business (Club World) or even First Class. For semi-frequent to frequent British Airways flyers the 10% savings can add up quickly which makes it more than worthwhile to pay the $165 annual fee.

Wrapping it up

Over the course of the past year we’ve heard from several of our readers on how they wish the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card’s Companion Voucher could be used for a single traveller. Now, their wishes have come true as any vouchers that are awarded on or after July 4, 2023 can be used for one or two people travelling.

Click here to learn more about and/or to apply for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card

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