Using your Upgrade Voucher:a beginner's guide
Have you got a Barclaycard Avios Upgrade Voucher but aren't sure how to use it?
Or have you heard about these amazing travel perks and are
wondering how they work and how to get one? Then you're in exactly the right place!
What Is a Barclaycard Upgrade Voucher?
A Barclaycard Upgrade Voucher is only available to people with a Barclaycard Avios, or Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card. It allows you to upgrade one return Avios reward seat for one person, or two one-way Avios reward seats, for two people.
Let's say you wanted to travel from London to Singapore and back. Using your Upgrade Voucher you can book return reward seats in Business Class, and pay the Premium Economy Avios cost, plus Business Class fees and taxes. Usually that would cost up to 240,000 Avios plus £600 taxes. With an Upgrade Voucher you'd pay the Premium Economy Avios price of just 160,000 Avios plus the Business Class taxes of £600 for your journeys. If you apply the 1p value per 1 Avios principle we encourage travellers to aim for, you're essentially paying £800 less for a Business Class booking using the Upgrade Voucher perk.
There are a couple of things you need to remember:
Although the voucher is called the Upgrade Voucher, there needs to be BA reward seat availability in the higher cabin class you want to book, NOT in the lower cabin class
The taxes and charges you will pay are those of the higher cabin class, because that is the seat you are booking
It can be a little complicated, but Think of it this way: you are not booking a World Traveller Plus seat using Avios and then upgrading to Business Class using the Upgrade Voucher. You are booking a Business Class seat using Avios and using the voucher to REDUCE the cost of the Avios component to that of the next lowest cabin.
An Upgrade Voucher allows you to upgrade your booking by one cabin class (where Avios reward seats are available). For example:
From Economy (Euro Traveller) to Business Class (Club Europe)
From Economy (World Traveller) to Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus); or
From Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) to Business Class (Club World)
Unfortunately, you cannot use your voucher to upgrade from Business Class to the First cabin.
That Sounds Fantastic. How Do I Get One?
You can earn an Upgrade Voucher from your Barclaycard credit card in two ways:
If You're a Barclaycard Avios or Barclaycard Avios Plus Cardholder
To be eligible to earn the Upgrade Voucher, you must be both a member of the British Airways Club, and be the main account holder of a Barclaycard Avios or Avios Plus Card account. You must be an active member in order to redeem your Cabin Upgrade Voucher.
You must have reached the required spend within a 12-month period ending each year on the anniversary of your Card Account start date (e.g. if you opened a Card Account on 1 September 2023 then you must have reached your spend target by 31 August 2024). Your spend target varies depending on which credit card you have.
Barclaycard Avios Credit Card - £20,000, in 12 months
Barclaycard Avios Plus Credit Card - £10,000, in 12 months
If you're an authorised user to the main cardholder's Barclaycard Avios or Avios Plus Card you are not eligible to receive a Cabin Upgrade Voucher for yourself. Any amount spent by the named authorised user will be added towards the main cardholder's spend target.
Only one Upgrade Voucher can be earned in any 12-month period.
There Are Two Types of Cards Available
Barclaycard Avios Credit Card
To earn an Upgrade Voucher with the fee-free Avios credit card, you need to spend £20,000 on it within a membership year. As for Avios earning potential - you'll earn 1 Avios point per £1 spent on your card.
It does come with some other perks. If you're new to Barclaycard, you'll collect 5,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 in the first three months.
Barclaycard Avios Plus Credit Card
The premium Avios credit card comes with a £20 a month fee. You will receive your Upgrade Voucher if you spend £10,000 within a membership year. You'll earn 1.5 Avios points per £1 spent on your card.
If you're new to Barclaycard, you'll collect 25,000 Avios if you spend £3,000 in the first three months. But that's not all, with the premium card you'll get Airport Lounge Membership – a benefit that means you can access over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide at a discounted rate of £24 per pass, per person.
If you're a Barclays Avios Rewards Customer
To be eligible to earn the Upgrade Voucher, you must be both a member of the British Airways Club and a customer of Barclays Avios Rewards. You must be an active member in order to redeem your Upgrade Voucher.
Your Upgrade Voucher will be issued to the British Airways Club account linked to your nominated account for Barclays Avios Rewards within five working days of your Barclays Avios Rewards anniversary - defined as "12 monthly payments for Barclays Avios Rewards".
Only one Upgrade Voucher can be earned in any 12-month period.
Will I Need a British Airways Club Account?
Yes, the British Airways Club is BA's loyalty programme. It's free to join and you will earn loyalty points, called Avios, when you fly on BA and its partner airlines. You can also earn Avios when you buy things from a range of partners. Anything you buy using your Barclaycard Avios Plus Credit Card will earn you Avios too.
Your Executive Club account acts as your Avios wallet, so you will need to link it to your credit card account.
When you reach the qualifying spend for an Upgrade Voucher it will automatically be added to your British Airways Club account within five days. Once you have earned enough Avios to exchange for a British Airways reward seat, you can use your Upgrade Voucher towards your booking. BA calls tickets that have been bought by redeeming Avios "reward flights".
Which Card Offers the Best Value?
For most Reward Flight Finder members the Avios Plus card offers good value because, regardless of the £20 monthly fee, cardholders earn more Avios per £1 spent on the card, as well as their Upgrade Voucher. That being said, the basic card still offers good value, particularly for solo travellers.
The Upgrade Voucher allows you to experience a better class of flying, for fewer Avios points spent. You could think of this as either saving money on your travel, or paying less for an enhanced experience, depending on your viewpoint.
Of course, it depends on your circumstances and you should only apply for these cards if you can afford to pay your credit card bill each month. You will also need to be able to earn enough Avios to redeem for at least one flight, otherwise the Upgrade Voucher isn't worth it.
So, Is the Free Avios Credit Card a Waste of Time?
Absolutely not. The free Avios credit card is still a great way to earn Barclaycard Avios to redeem for reward flights. You will earn 1 Avios for every £1 spent on the card. The Avios Plus card offers 1.5 Avios for every £1 but has a £240 annual fee. So, unless you are likely to spend over £50,000 a year on it, the fee-free card is the best choice for anyone planning on flying solo.
How Long Is the Upgrade Voucher Valid For?
An Upgrade Voucher is valid for 24 months from the date of issue which will be visible to you in the e-Voucher section of your British Airways Club account. Your booking must be made, and travel commenced within 24 months following the date of issue. If you leave it later than this, the Upgrade Voucher will expire and cannot be replaced or extended.
Of course, you can continue to collect Barclaycard Avios on your everyday spending whilst you're planning to spend your Upgrade Voucher.
Can I Give an Upgrade Voucher to Someone Else?
Great news. The Upgrade Voucher you earn from your Barclaycard credit card is semi-transferable. Whilst your reward seat(s) must be booked from the account of the person who receives the voucher, the flight can be booked for anyone. The usual restrictions apply if you are in a British Airways Club Household Account - be sure to check those beforehand.
How Many Upgrade Vouchers Can I Earn Each Year?
You can only earn one Upgrade Voucher, per credit card account, per year, regardless of how much you spend on it. If you're an authorised user to the main cardholder's Barclaycard Avios or Avios Plus Card you are not eligible to receive a Cabin Upgrade Voucher for yourself. Any amount spent by the named authorised user will be added towards the main cardholders spend target.
If you plan to travel with a partner or friend you can each apply for your own Avios (Plus) credit card to earn a pair of Upgrade Vouchers. But it's only worth it if you'll also earn enough Avios to make use of both vouchers. Don't overspend on your Barclaycard credit cards just to get a voucher each.
If your collective spend is sufficient to earn two vouchers, you can each afford to pay the credit card bill off each month and you each earn plenty of Avios, then opening two accounts might make sense.
Can I Use My Upgrade Voucher on Other Oneworld Airlines?
No. Whilst British Airways does let you redeem Avios for reward flights on its Oneworld partner airlines, such as Qatar Airways and Iberia, you can't use an Upgrade Voucher on other airline bookings. Your voucher can only be used for British Airways operated flights. It can't be used on franchise or codeshare services either.
Can I Use an Upgrade Voucher on a One-Way Ticket?
An Upgrade Voucher can be used for one-way flight bookings in the case of two people travelling. You can use the voucher to upgrade one journey for two people. If you're booking on behalf of two or more travellers, you can use up to two Upgrade Vouchers issued under their Barclays Avios Rewards or credit card for any one booking.
Can I Use an Upgrade Voucher in Conjunction With a Reward Flight Saver?
British Airways allows BA Executive Club members to pay lower fees and taxes on their Avios reward seat bookings by applying the Reward Flight Saver option during booking. A Reward Flight Saver essentially allows you to lower the cash cost of your ticket in exchange for paying a higher Avios fare. Airline taxes, fees and charges, or the Reward Flight Saver ("RFS") cost (if applicable), must be paid on all tickets booked using an Upgrade Voucher at the time of booking. You can opt to use this option whenever you book reward seats.
Am I Limited to Short or Long Haul Upgrade Voucher Redemption?
No. You can use your Upgrade Voucher on both short and long haul flights. If you want to maximise the value of your Upgrade Voucher, in relation to both Avios points saving and cabin experience, it's better to use your voucher on long haul journeys.
What Else Should I Know?
Members must 'remain eligible' for this promotion at the time of travel. That means you must be an active member in order to redeem your Upgrade Voucher. If you've earned an Upgrade Voucher, and want to cancel (or downgrade) your credit card, you need to wait until after you've redeemed that voucher before you do so.
If you cancel a booking made using an Upgrade Voucher more than 24 hours before departure, the Upgrade Voucher will be re-issued to the Member's British Airways Club account for the remainder of its original validity (24 months from the date of issue). If you cancel within 24 hours of travel, your Upgrade Voucher will not be re-issued - you'll lose it.
You can't use your Upgrade Voucher on British Airways Holidays bookings where your flights are included within the holiday package.
Upgrade Vouchers cannot be used in combination with any other vouchers that haven't been earned with Barclays. That means you cannot use a Barclays Upgrade Voucher and American Express Companion Voucher at the same time if you have both credit cards.
You will not earn new Avios or BA Tier Points on the flight booked with your voucher.
What's the Solution?
Reward Flight Finder helps you track down those hard-to-find reward seats. We're rated 4/5 on Trustpilot and have been featured by top publications including Business Traveller and The Sunday Times.
The site makes using your Companion Voucher easy, whether you know exactly where you want to go or if you're open-minded.
Reward Flight Finder helps you track down those hard-to-find reward seats.I Already Know Where I Want to Go. What's Next?
Choose where you're flying from and to
Enter your departure and arrival airports and select your preferred travel cabin. Make sure to choose two passengers to use your Companion Voucher.
View all available dates and book on BA
Check available reward seats in one place. If your dates are available, complete the booking directly on the airline website.
Set up an alert for new seat availability
If no seats are available, create an alert. We'll monitor your route and notify you as soon as new Reward Flight seats open up for your selected trip.
Try Reward Flight Finder for yourself