Barclaycard Avios Mastercard upgrade vouchers

The launch of two Barclaycard Avios Mastercards this year was good news for UK reward flight seekers, widening the choice of Avios -earning credit cards beyond American Express and Visa

The new cards award customers one or more Avios for each pound they spend and have welcome bonuses — currently doubled until 18 July 2022.

Perhaps the best perk, however, is the chance to earn an annual British Airways cabin upgrade voucher to use on reward flights. Here’s the lowdown on how it works.

How can I earn upgrade vouchers with Barclaycard Avios?

There are two cards — the Barclaycard Avios, which is free to those eligible, and the Barclaycard Avios Plus, which has more perks but a £20 monthly fee. With the fee-paying card, you’re rewarded with an upgrade voucher on every 12-month anniversary if you have spent £10,000 or more on the card. If you have the free Barclaycard Avios, you’ll need to spend £20,000 a year to get the same perk.

On which flights can I use the upgrade voucher?

As detailed on the British Airways website, you can use the Barclaycard upgrade voucher for either:

A return BA flight for one person

Two one-way BA flights

Part of a multi-leg flight, if it isn’t available in every sector.

The flights must depart from the UK and there must be available in the cabin in which you wish to fly.

Which classes is it valid for?

Every class except first. The voucher can be used to upgrade your reward flights to premium economy or business from the class below, but not from business to first class.

Can it be used on BA’s partners?

The upgrade must be made on a British Airways-operated flight, so it’s not valid for Oneworld alliance partners, or on codeshare flights that aren’t being operated by BA (though it is on subsidiaries like BA CityFlyer).

Can the voucher be used on a cash flight?

The upgrade must be made on a BA reward flight (paid fully with Avios), not a flight paid partly or entirely with cash.

You can only use it on a flight-only booking, so not on the flight aspect of a BA Holidays purchase.

Can I book, and then upgrade later?

You must make the relevant reward flight booking and upgrade at the same time.

Do I have to pay anything?

As with a regular BA reward flight, you’ll still have to pay fees and taxes for the cabin that you fly in. So, if you’re upgrading from economy to business with the voucher you’ll pay tax on the business class fare.

What can I save?

You will save the difference in Avios of a reward flight in your chosen cabin compared to the one below.

For instance, if you book a BA Club Europe (business class) reward flight using your voucher you will only pay the cost in Avios of Euro Traveller (economy).

On flights with a premium economy cabin, you will pay the World Traveller (economy) price to fly World Traveller Plus (premium), or the premium economy price to fly Club World (business).

The cost difference between cabins on long-haul flights can be significant, so you could be saving the Avios equivalent of hundreds of pounds.

Is the upgrade voucher transferable?

Barclaycard Avios customers can book a flight for anyone using the voucher but the booking must be made by the voucher holder using their British Airways Executive Club account.

How many vouchers can I use at once?

You can use up to two vouchers per booking.

Can I use an American Express Companion Voucher at the same time?

No, this would have to be made as a separate booking, so wouldn’t work if you were travelling in a pair.

When do the upgrade vouchers expire?

You must fly at least the outbound leg of your upgraded reward flight within 24 months of the voucher’s issue.

What if I need to cancel the flight?

The rules of the original fare for the ticket apply, so, if you cancel more than 24 hours before departure you will be refunded. i.e. your voucher will be returned to your British Airways Executive Club account (with its original validity left to run).

How do I check if reward seats are available for my upgrade?

Being able to bag a Barclaycard reward flight upgrade is still subject to reward seat availability in the class you’re upgrading to, so you’ll need to get searching on your preferred routes and dates.

You can do this on the BA website, but if you use Reward Flight Finder we can help you get ahead of the game because we can search multiple criteria at once and alert you when new reward seats become available.

Other ways the credit cards shape up

It’s not all about upgrade vouchers — your way to a Barclaycard reward flight is paved by the Avios you earn. Here’s an outline of the Avios perks across the two cards.

Barclaycard Avios (free):

Cardholders earn one Avios for every £1 spent within credit.

New Barclaycard customers receive 5,000 Avios if they spend £1,000 or more in the first three months (doubled to 10,000 if you join before 18 July 2022).

Existing Barclaycard customers who switch to the Avios card collect 1,000 points if they spend at least £1,000 in the first three months.

Every 12 months, those who’ve spent £20,000 or more on the card by its anniversary receive a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher.

Barclaycard Avios Plus (£20 a month):

Cardholders collect 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent within credit.

New Barclaycard customers receive 25,000 Avios when they spend at least £3,000 in the first three months (doubled to 50,000 if you join before 18 July 2022).

Existing customers switching to Avios Plus receive 5,000 points if they spend £3,000 or more over the first three months.

Every 12 months, those who’ve spent £10,000 or more on the card by its anniversary receive a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher.

Do note, however, that greater perks mean higher interest rates. You’ll need to factor this in (besides the fee if you’re considering the Barclaycard Avios Plus) if you’re unlikely to be paying off your balance monthly. When weighing up financial products, it’s always best to seek independent advice.

Other ways to earn upgrades, through Barclays Avios Rewards

You can also earn the upgrade voucher without one of the relevant Barclaycards if you become a member of the Barclays Avios Rewards scheme with a Barclays Premier or Barclays Personal Wealth current account. See our article on how they work here.

The thresholds are pretty high, but, if eligible, you could have one of these current accounts and a Barclaycard Avios, which would potentially mean two upgrade vouchers a year to help you travel in style.

Original Source — https://rewardflightfinder.com/news-and-advice/barclaycard-avios-mastercard-upgrade-vouchers