How to get a 'free' British Airways or Virgin Atlantic companion voucher

Spend enough on a specialist airline credit card and you could bag yourself a 'free' companion voucher to use on British Airways or Virgin Atlantic.

In this article we're going to explain how this is possible by taking a closer look at four airline credit cards.

What is companion voucher?

A companion voucher is a type of airline ticket that allows you to bring a second person with you on a flight for free, though taxes and charges will still need to be paid. In the UK companion tickets are typically earned by accumulating points through credit card spending and there are two UK-based airlines that offer them — British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Let's take a look at how you can earn a companion voucher with these airlines.

How to earn a free companion flight with British Airways

To earn a British Airways companion voucher you need to sign up for either the BA Amex or the BA Amex Premium credit card.

One big difference between the BA Amex and BA Amex Premium credit cards is the annual fee. The standard British Airways American Express Card remains fee-free, while the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card now carries a £300 annual fee (as of the 2025/2026 cycle). Despite the increase, the Premium Plus card remains a favorite for frequent flyers due to its superior voucher flexibility and higher Avios earning rates. Here's a closer look...

BA Amex

With the fee-free BA Amex, you will earn a companion voucher after spending at least £15,000 in a single cardmembership year. Notably, both the free and the paid Premium Plus card now share this same £15,000 trigger level. This makes your choice between the two cards less about the spending target and more about the voucher's power: the free card's voucher is restricted to Economy, whereas the Premium Plus voucher can be used in any cabin, including Business and First Class.

It's worth knowing that with BA's fee-free card, the companion ticket must be for the economy cabin. Taxes and charges are also payable, though this applies to BA's Premium card too (see below).

In addition to the companion voucher you'll earn a 5,000 points bonus if you spend £1,000 on the card within three months. You also earn 1 Avios point for every £1 you spend. The card carries a representative APR of 30.4%. It is vital to contextualize this rate: as of January 2026, the average credit card interest rate in the UK has reached 24.66%—the highest in more than 30 years. Because this card's rate is significantly above the market average, you must clear your balance in full every month to avoid interest charges that would quickly negate the value of any Avios earned.

Note: BA has recently relaxed its companion voucher rules. Instead of taking a companion, solo travelers can instead get 50% off the cost of a flight when booking with Avios.

BA Amex Premium

The BA Amex Premium comes with a £250 annual fee. Unsurprisingly, however, the card is more generous than BA's fee-free offering.

The BA Amex Premium offers a 25,000 Avios points bonus if you spend £3,000 on it within three months. You also earn 1.5 Avios points for every £1 you spend on the card.

The spending requirement to unlock the companion voucher on the Premium Plus card is £15,000 per year. This aligns it with the free BA card, meaning big spenders no longer get a 'faster' trigger on the paid card, but they do benefit from a voucher that is valid for two years (rather than one) and can be used for premium cabin redemptions.

Under the terms of the companion voucher you can take a friend in the same cabin class as you — it doesn't have to be economy. So, if you fly Business, so will they. Just bear in mind that you'll have to stump up for the taxes and charges on both tickets. The representative APR for this card is 138.5%, which accounts for the £300 annual fee. This high figure illustrates why this card is strictly for those who use it as a rewards tool and pay off the statement in full each month.

How to earn a free companion flight with Virgin Atlantic

The Virgin Reward and Virgin Reward+ credit cards are targeted towards frequent Virgin Atlantic flyers. Here's how they differ from one another...

Virgin Atlantic Reward

The Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card comes without a fee. It offers a free economy or premium companion voucher if you spend £20,000 a year on the card. Similar to BA's offering, taxes and charges are still payable on the free flight.

If you don't want a companion voucher then you can get a cabin upgrade instead. Alternatively, you can choose a Virgin 'Clubhouse' airport lounge pass.

For the Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card, the representative APR is 26.9% (variable), reflecting the latest 2025/2026 terms for new applicants.

Virgin Atlantic Reward+

If you're happy to pay the £160 annual fee, then the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card could be for you. It gives a 15,000 points bonus if you use your card within 90 days, regardless of how much you spend.

The Reward+ card grants a companion voucher after £10,000 of annual spend, which is significantly lower than the £20,000 required on the free version. For most users, the 'breakeven' point between the two cards is £21,000 of annual spend; at this level, the extra Virgin Points earned on the Reward+ card (1.5 per £1 vs 0.75 per £1) effectively pay for the £160 annual fee.

Like Virgin's fee-free offering, you can choose to forgo your companion voucher if you'd prefer a cabin upgrade or a lounge pass.

The representative APR on this card is 63.9%, including the £160 annual fee.

How to redeem a companion voucher

To redeem a free companion voucher on BA or Virgin Atlantic, you must first ensure you've enough Avios or Virgin Flying points to fly to your chosen destination.

Both BA and Virgin have redemption calculators on their websites, which can help you roughly calculate how many points you need to fly to specific destinations.

While you can redeem for Economy, our 2026 Value Strategy recommends aiming for Business (Club World) or Upper Class upgrades. Strategic redemptions in premium cabins can yield an implied value of 2.4p per mile, whereas Economy redemptions often struggle to reach a value of 0.3p to 0.8p per mile once you factor in the mandatory taxes and surcharges.

It's worth bearing in mind that prices can change depending on the time of year. You won't be surprised to learn that off-peak dates are cheaper than peak dates, though dates that as classed as 'off-peak' can vary between destinations.

Also, not all flights have generous availability, especially on popular routes. So, if you want to cash in your companion voucher and you're set on a destination, it's best to book as early as you can.

Are you looking for an airline credit card? Take a look at our best airline credit cards guide.