How Does the British Airways Companion Voucher Work?
The biggest reason to keep the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† past its first year is the British Airways Companion Voucher. Spend enough on the card in a calendar year, and you earn a voucher that covers a second traveller's Avios on a British Airways Club Reward Flight, or takes 50% off the Avios if you're travelling on your own^.
Used well, it's one of the more valuable perks on any Canadian credit card. A single off-peak round-trip in business class to London for two can save 176,000 Avios or more, although you'll still pay the taxes and carrier charges on both seats.
British Airways raised its Reward Flight prices in December 2025, and the booking flow on ba.com has changed since this guide was first written. I'll walk through how the voucher works today, what it costs to use, and how to get the most out of it.
How to Earn a British Airways Companion Voucher
In Canada, there's only one way to earn the voucher. Each calendar year that you spend $30,000 on the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite†, you'll earn one British Airways Companion Voucher^.
First-year value
$955
Annual fee: $165
• Earn 50,000 points upon spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
Earning rates
Key perks
- Companion Voucher upon $30,000 annual spend (companion flies round-trip on BA)
- 10% off BA roundtrip fares via ba.com/RBC10^
- Automatic British Airways Club enrollment
Annual fee: $165
• Earn 50,000 points upon spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
Earning rates
Key perks
- Companion Voucher upon $30,000 annual spend (companion flies round-trip on BA)
- 10% off BA roundtrip fares via ba.com/RBC10^
- Automatic British Airways Club enrollment
You can only earn one voucher per calendar year no matter how much you spend, and the spending counter resets on January 1^. Spending more than $30,000 in one year doesn't carry over to the next.
Once you hit the spending requirement, allow six to eight weeks for the voucher to appear in your British Airways Club account^. Each voucher is valid for 24 months from the date it's issued, and travel on the booking has to start before it expires^.
Because vouchers last two years, it's possible to hold two at once. Up to two vouchers can be applied to a single booking, which covers a family of four^.
If you're still deciding whether the card is worth holding, our full review of whether the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† is worth it covers the welcome bonus, earn rates, and insurance alongside the voucher.
What Are the Companion Voucher Rules?
The voucher is simple to use once you know its limits, and a few of them shape where and how you can travel.
- British Airways flights only: the voucher can only be used on flights operated by British Airways, not franchise, codeshare, or alliance partners^
- Canada as the starting point: travel must originate in and return to Canada, on a one-way or return booking, and a return has to be booked at the same time as the outbound^
- Reward Flights with Avios: the voucher only applies when you book a Reward Flight using Avios on ba.com, and it can't be combined with any other offer or promotion^
- The cardholder travels: the voucher is issued in the primary cardholder's name, and they must be on the booking^
- Same flight, same cabin: both travellers must be booked at the same time, on the same flight, in the same cabin, and on the same reservation^
- Taxes on every seat: you still pay the taxes, fees, and carrier charges for each traveller^
If you're travelling with a companion, the voucher covers the second seat's Avios in full. If you're travelling solo, you can apply it to your own booking for a 50% discount on the Avios price instead^.
The discount works in any cabin British Airways sells on the route^. British Airways doesn't fly First Class to Canada, so business class is the top cabin you can book from here.
Plan your booking with the cancellation rules in mind. If you cancel more than 24 hours before the outbound flight from Canada, British Airways redeposits the voucher for the rest of its original 24 months. Cancel within 24 hours of departure, and both the voucher and the Avios are forfeited^.
Your card also needs to be in good standing at the time of travel, and you need to have collected at least one Avios in the past 12 months to book a Reward Flight^.
How to Use the British Airways Companion Voucher
To book with the voucher, log in to ba.com with your British Airways Club account. On the Book with Avios tab, select the Royal Bank of Canada Companion Voucher, pick the voucher you want to use, and search for your flights as usual.
Since travel has to start in Canada, your options begin with British Airways' three Canadian routes, all non-stop to London Heathrow:
- Vancouver (YVR) – London (LHR)
- Toronto (YYZ) – London (LHR)
- Montreal (YUL) – London (LHR)
From London, you can add onward British Airways flights to the rest of its network on the same booking.
Here's what the voucher does to real Reward Flight prices on off-peak dates. The prices come from recent ba.com searches. The Montreal searches were run with the voucher applied, so their base prices are the voucher price doubled, and the other voucher columns apply the voucher's rules to the base price.
| Route and cabin (one-way) | Off-peak Reward Flight | With the voucher, solo | With the voucher, two travellers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto (YYZ) – London (LHR), business class | 88,000 Avios + $499* | 44,000 Avios + $499 | 88,000 Avios + $998 |
| Vancouver (YVR) – London (LHR), business class | 99,000 Avios + $599* | 49,500 Avios + $599 | 99,000 Avios + $1,198 |
| Montreal (YUL) – London (LHR), business class | 88,000 Avios + $499* | 44,000 Avios + $499 | 88,000 Avios + $998 |
| Montreal (YUL) – London (LHR), premium economy | 46,750 Avios + $410* | 23,375 Avios + $410 | 46,750 Avios + $820 |
| Toronto (YYZ) – London (LHR), economy | 27,500 Avios + $150* | 13,750 Avios + $150 | 27,500 Avios + $300 |
A round-trip is simply double the Avios and double the taxes and fees. Peak dates cost more Avios, which I'll come back to below.
The Toronto business class search shows the voucher at work. On its own, a one-way seat prices at 88,000 Avios plus $499*.
Apply the voucher to a solo booking, and the same flight drops to 44,000 Avios plus $499, which is the 50% discount at work^.
How to Maximize the British Airways Companion Voucher
Generally speaking, the voucher saves more Avios the more a booking costs in the first place. You can't avoid the taxes and carrier charges, but you can shape the booking so the voucher does the most work.
Choose How Many Avios to Use
When you book a Reward Flight, British Airways shows a headline price along with a list of other ways to split the cost between Avios and cash. The headline price uses the most Avios and the least cash, and each step down swaps Avios for a larger cash payment.
With the voucher, you can choose a full Avios redemption or one of the other Avios and cash options, as long as you pay the taxes, fees, and charges on each seat^.
In most cases, the headline price is the one to take. For two travellers in business class from Toronto, moving from 71,500 Avios plus $1,658 to 88,000 Avios plus $998 costs 16,500 more Avios but saves $660 in cash. That works out to about 4 cents per Avios, double our valuation of 2 cents.
In economy, the gap narrows. Moving from 21,000 Avios plus $315 to the headline 27,500 Avios plus $150 saves $165 for 6,500 Avios, or about 2.5 cents each. That's still a better return than our valuation, so using more Avios usually wins.
How Does British Airways Reward Flight Saver Pricing Work?
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Add More Flights
The voucher isn't limited to London. British Airways prices Reward Flights by segment, so adding an onward connection to another city in Europe or beyond often takes only a modest number of extra Avios, and the voucher's discount applies to the full itinerary.
Paris is a good example. A solo off-peak business class booking from Toronto (YYZ) to Paris (CDG) via London, with the voucher applied, prices at 52,250 Avios plus $539*. Stopping in London instead costs 44,000 Avios plus $499, so the connection to Paris adds just 8,250 Avios and $40.
Cost is the trade-off. Longer onward flights add more Avios and, on far-flung destinations, a noticeably higher cash component, so run the numbers on ba.com before committing.
Book on Off-Peak Days
The British Airways Club uses peak and off-peak pricing, so the same seat costs fewer Avios on off-peak dates. You'll see an Off-Peak label in the search results on those days, and the reward flight calendar on ba.com makes it easy to compare dates.
How Does British Airways Peak & Off-Peak Pricing Work?
Read moreSince the voucher halves or fully covers the Avios, starting from an off-peak price keeps both your Avios and your companion's covered share lower. If your dates are flexible, it's worth checking before you book.
Book Business Class Flights
Because the voucher covers a share of the Avios price, it's worth more on expensive bookings. In economy from Toronto, the voucher covers a companion's 27,500 Avios. In business class, it covers 88,000 Avios, more than three times as much, for the same one voucher.
Premium economy sits in between. From Montreal (YUL), an off-peak premium economy seat booked solo with the voucher prices at 23,375 Avios plus $410*, compared with 44,000 Avios plus $499 in business class on the same flight.
From Vancouver, the numbers climb further. An off-peak business class seat prices at 99,000 Avios plus $599 one-way*, so a round-trip for two with the voucher saves 198,000 Avios.
Transfer Points to the British Airways Club During a Transfer Bonus
The RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† earns Avios directly, but you can also top up your balance from two Canadian transferable points programs, both at a 1:1 ratio:
RBC Avion Credit Cards
Welcome bonus: 100,000 Avion points
Annual fee: $175
First-year value
$2,375
Welcome bonus: 100,000 Avion points
Annual fee: $399
First-year value
$826
RBC Avion has run a 30% transfer bonus to the British Airways Club roughly twice a year, most recently from May 11 to June 19, 2026. Converting during a bonus stretches your points further before the voucher even comes into play.
Take a solo off-peak round-trip in business class from Toronto with the voucher applied, which costs 88,000 Avios. With a 30% bonus, you'd need about 67,692 Avion points to cover it. For two travellers, the same trip costs 176,000 Avios, or about 135,385 Avion points with the bonus.
Once your Avios are in the British Airways Club, you can also move them between the programs that share the currency. Our guide to transferring Avios between accounts covers how that works.
How Much Is the British Airways Companion Voucher Worth?
The value swings widely depending on how you use it. On the low end, it covers your companion's 27,500 Avios on an off-peak economy one-way from Toronto (YYZ) to London (LHR). On the high end, it can save 200,000 Avios or more on round-trip business class for two from Vancouver (YVR) to London (LHR) in peak season.
We value Avios at 2 cents each, which puts the voucher anywhere from about $550 at the low end to more than $4,000 at the high end.
For most travellers, the best use is an off-peak round-trip in business class to London. That saves 88,000 Avios solo from Toronto or 176,000 Avios for two, worth about $1,760 or $3,520 at our valuation. From Vancouver, the savings for two rise to 198,000 Avios, or about $3,960.
Put a dollar figure on it for a typical year, and a realistic value for the voucher lands around $1,000. That accounts for the taxes and carrier charges you'll pay on British Airways flights, and the $30,000 in spending it takes to earn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
The British Airways Companion Voucher is the main reason to keep the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† after the first year. Spend $30,000 in a calendar year, and you'll have 24 months to put it toward a British Airways flight from Canada^.
If you can travel as a pair, the math is hard to beat. An off-peak business class round-trip to London for two, from Toronto, costs 176,000 Avios with the voucher instead of 352,000. Just budget for the taxes and carrier charges on both seats, since the voucher doesn't touch those.
If you mostly travel solo or rarely fly British Airways, the voucher is worth less, and the $30,000 in spending is harder to justify. In that case, a card that earns transferable points may serve you better, with Avios still an option through a transfer.
Disclosures
† Terms and conditions apply. RBC is not responsible for maintaining the content on this page. Please click on the Apply Now link in the card box for the most up to date information.
^ This offer only applies to new applications for a RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card received and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”), subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card account are not eligible for this offer. Existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account transferring to a RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card, are not eligible for the offer.
To receive the offer of 50,000 Avios points (“Bonus”), (i) a total of $6,000 or more (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) must be posted to your Credit Card Account within the first 90 days of your Credit Card Account opening date (“Period”), and (ii) your Credit Card must remain open and in good standing, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive Credit Card Account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status at that time. If you are not currently a member of The British Airways Club, you will be enrolled automatically once you are approved for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card. Please note that the address your British Airways Club account is registered under must match the one for your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite account at all times for the Avios to be posted to your British Airways Club account. The Bonus will be awarded to your British Airways Club account, approximately 15 weeks after the date you reach $6,000 in Qualifying Transactions within the Period.
Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees. Credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Credit Card Account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions. The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.
If you close or change your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Bonus has been credited to your British Airways Club account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer, except as otherwise set out. Royal Bank of Canada and British Airways reserve the right to modify, cancel or withdraw this offer at any time. British Airways, not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for this offer and The British Airways Club program. For all British Airways Club Terms and Conditions, please visit ba.com/theclub.
*Reward Flights are available to any British Airways Club Members with an Avios balance. In addition to your Avios, the only cash amount required for Reward Flights is a fixed cash amount. Your chosen date of travel will determine whether you pay a peak or off-peak Avios amount. When booking Reward Flights, you can choose all peak dates, all off-peak dates or a mixture of the two. For travel in First, a cash amount to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges will be payable. The taxes, fees and carrier charges will vary dependent on airline and destination and will be calculated when you book your flights. The final fee (i.e. Avios plus payable taxes, fees and carrier charges) will be displayed at the final stage of your booking. To find out more about Reward Flights click here. British Airways Club Terms and Conditions and Conditions of Use apply.
^ You will earn 3 Avios points for every $1.00 spent on British Airways purchases, including British Airways Holidays purchases (“British Airways Purchases”) you make on your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card, provided that these purchases have been made directly through British Airways, classified by Visa’s Merchant Category Code MCC 3005 (“BA MCC”). Even though some merchants as a travel agency or a third-party booking site may sell British Airways flights and products, as well as British Airways Holidays purchases, purchases made at these merchants may not necessarily allow you to earn 3 Avios points for every $1 spent if the merchant is not classified as the BA MCC. Royal Bank of Canada cannot guarantee whether a merchant is classified as the BA MCC and in no event will Royal Bank of Canada be liable or responsible for any claims with respect to a British Airways Purchases made at a merchant that is not classified as the BA MCC.
You will earn 2 Avios points for every $1.00 spent on dining and food delivery purchases (“Food and Delivery purchases”) you make on your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card at merchants that are classified by the following eligible Visa’s Merchant Category Code (“Eligible MCCs”): “Eating Place and Restaurants” (MCC 5812), “Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) – Bars, Taverns, Nightclubs, Cocktail Lounges, and Discotheques” (MCC 5813), “Fast Food Restaurants” (MCC 5814), are “Dining and Food Delivery”. Government liquor agencies and package stores that sell beer, wine, and liquor do not qualify as part of the “Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)– Bars, Taverns, Nightclubs, Cocktail Lounges, and Discotheques”.
Even though some merchants may sell meals and food delivery, purchases made at these merchants may not necessarily allow you to earn 2 Avios points for every $1 spent if the merchant is not classified an Eligible MCC. Also, a merchant that is not classified by an Eligible MCC may be located on the premises of a merchant that is classified by an Eligible MCC, in which case a purchase made at this merchant would not qualify as Food and Delivery purchases. Royal Bank of Canada cannot guarantee whether a merchant is classified by an Eligible MCC and in no event will Royal Bank of Canada be liable or responsible for any claims with respect to Food and Delivery purchases made at a merchant that is not classified as an Eligible MCC.
You will earn 1 Avios per $1 CAD spent on all other qualifying net purchases when you use your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card. Avios are earned on qualifying net purchases only; they are not earned on cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges or fees, and credits for returns and adjustments will reduce or cancel the Avios earned by the amounts originally charged.
Where applicable, Avios are awarded based on the Canadian dollar equivalent of foreign currency purchase transactions. Avios are not refundable, transferable, and have no cash value. Please allow up to eight weeks after transactions are processed to your credit card account for the Avios to be posted to your British Airways Club account.
^ Eligible Members who spend a minimum of $30,000 CAD on qualifying purchases on their Card in a calendar year (“calendar year” refers to the time period starting from 1 January through to 31 December) will receive a maximum of one Companion Voucher for that calendar year. As an Eligible Member, you will be able to apply the Companion Voucher towards the purchase of a flight for a companion travelling with you, on the same Reward Flight (“Companion Ticket”).
Alternatively, for all valid Companion Vouchers earned, you can choose to use your Companion Voucher to make a solo Reward Flight booking, which will entitle you to a 50% discount on the Avios fare for your journey. Taxes fees and charges for you will still be payable (if travelling solo) or on your companion’s ticket (if travelling with a companion).
Please note that qualifying purchases exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges or fees, and credits for returns and adjustments will reduce or cancel the spend amount by the amounts originally charged.
When booking a Companion Ticket with a Companion Voucher, you can choose to make a full Avios redemption or from other Avios and cash price options (subject to payment of the Taxes, Fees and Charges for each seat).
Only one Companion Voucher can be earned in any calendar year. If an Eligible Member reaches their spend target before the end of the calendar year then further spends, it will not accumulate towards another Companion Voucher. Eligible Members can begin earning towards their next Companion Voucher from 1 January each year. Please allow six (6) to eight (8) weeks for the Companion Voucher to be added to The British Airways Club account after meeting the spending requirement.
The Companion Voucher entitles the Eligible Member to purchase a Companion Ticket at the time of booking a Reward Flight, without having to pay for the price of the companion’s flight. The Companion Voucher will be issued in the name of the primary cardholder, who must travel on any Companion Voucher booking. Reservations and bookings for both the Reward Flight of the Eligible Member and the Companion Ticket of the companion must be made at the same time, for the same flight, on the same date, in the same class and cabin and on the same passenger name record (PNR) for travel on the same itinerary.
Eligible Members will be responsible for paying, without limitation, the taxes, fees and carrier charges, related to the Companion Ticket. Prices shown are Reward Flight redemptions. Reward Flight offers customers great value flights with a low, flat fee to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges and a fixed Avios amount. To be eligible for Reward Flight, you need to have collected at least one Avios in the past 12 months. To find out more about Reward Flights, click here. At the time of publication, a standard Reward Flight booking or a standard Companion ticket booking (non-Reward Flight) would be subject to taxes of approximately $870 return travel from Vancouver to London in economy class and approximately $1,900 per person based on business class travel. To make a booking, (including the Companion Ticket) Eligible Members must visit ba.com and log in using their membership number and PIN/Password. It is not possible to book a Reward Flight or a Companion Ticket by contacting a travel agent, or at the airport.
The Companion Award Voucher may be used for flights operated by British Airways only. Travel on franchise, codeshare or alliance airlines is not permitted. Return flights must be booked at the same time the outward journey is booked. All travel must originate in and return to Canada. Companion Vouchers can be used on a one way or return flight. Return flights must be booked at the same time the outward journey is booked. All travel must originate in and return to Canada.
A Companion Voucher can only be used if and when an Eligible Member is booking a Reward Flight using Avios and cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, mileage or frequent flyer programme. Full details of fare rules can be found on ba.com. All Reward Flights and Companion Tickets are subject to availability and there is no guarantee Eligible Members will be able to book a flight for a companion on the Eligible Member’s choice of flight and destination. The Companion Voucher is only valid if it has been acquired in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
A Companion Voucher is valid for twenty-four (24) months from the date it is issued and must be exchanged for a Companion Ticket with travel commencing from Canada before the expiry date on the Companion Voucher. Eligible Members must still have a Card in good standing at the time of travel. British Airways and/or Royal Bank of Canada reserve(s) the right to refuse to issue or to honour any Companion Voucher in the event that the Eligible Member is in breach of either these RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Companion Voucher Terms and Conditions, their RBC Royal Bank Credit Card Agreement or The British Airways Club Terms and Conditions.
A maximum of two Companion Vouchers can be redeemed at any one time on the same booking e.g. [2] Avios reward fares plus [2] Companion Voucher tickets.
The Companion Voucher is not extendable, refundable, transferable, and has no cash or mileage value. At no time may the Companion Voucher be purchased, sold, or bartered but if it is, any such Companion Voucher will become void. Companion Vouchers are applicable to new and future bookings only; they cannot be used to amend or pay for existing bookings.
The Companion Ticket is subject to The British Airways Club Terms and Conditions relating to Companion Vouchers. If the Eligible Member cancels the Companion Ticket booking more than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled departure of the outbound flight from Canada, British Airways will redeposit the Companion Voucher which will only be valid for the remainder of its original twenty-four (24) month expiry period based on the original date of issue. Reward Flight bookings and Companion Tickets cancelled within twenty-four (24) hours of departure will result in the Companion Voucher and Avios being cancelled without any possibility of being reissued or credited to the Eligible Member. Please visit the full British Airways Club Terms and Conditions found online here.
^ Under 65 years of age, 31 consecutive days of coverage. For age 65 and over, 7 consecutive days of coverage. Coverage underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada. All insurance is subject to terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Refer to the insurance certificate for complete details.
^ 10% off British Airways flights round-trip flights originating in and returning to Canada when you book on ba.com/RBC10 and pay with your RBC BA Visa Infinite card. In order to take part in the 10% promotion, RBC British Airways Visa Infinite cardholders must log in at ba.com/RBC10 using their British Airways Club username and PIN and make a roundtrip booking now through December 31, 2026 and enter the promotion code CARDOFFERC in the marked box on the Price Quote page of the booking process. A 10% discount is valid on the total roundtrip price, including taxes, fees and carrier charges, on mainline flights operated by British Airways purchased now through December 31, 2026 only. Travel must be fully completed by December 15, 2027 (departure and return). A 10% discount will appear during the final payment page. Fares not purchased through ba.com/RBC10 do not qualify for the discount. Discount is not valid for flights on code share or franchise carriers. All rules of roundtrip fare purchased apply, including advance purchase, minimum stay, weekend add-ons, and cancellation/refund rules. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer. Valid for new bookings only made by Canadian residents paying in CAD using a valid British Airways Visa‡ card issued by Royal Bank of Canada for roundtrip travel commencing from Canada to London and beyond. Discount is taken off the total roundtrip price of every ticket including taxes and fees on the same booking. 10% discount applies for up to eight passengers booked on the same British Airways booking for the same flights. Cardholder must travel to qualify for the 10% discount. Refunds from previously purchased fare types not permitted. The 10% discount not combinable with any other offer and is taken off valid, published fares only and is subject to availability. Offer is subject to British Airways fare rules and conditions of contract available on ba.com and may be limited or withdrawn at any time without advance notice. Other significant restrictions may apply. Newly enrolled British Airways Club members, please allow 24 hours to use the promotion code. British Airways, not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for the terms and conditions of this offer and The British Airways Club programme.
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