The RBC British Airways companion ticket is on of the perks if you hold the RBC BA Visa card.  I wrote a review of the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite. It’s one of Canada’s best travel credit cards if you fly BA a lot. But let’s see how this companion voucher works.

What’s the RBC British Airways companion ticket?

RBC British Airways Visa card holders who reach an annual spend of $30,000 in a calendar year will receive a Companion ticket. It’s also known as the Royal Bank of Canada Companion Voucher.

The companion ticket will post into the member’s British Airways Executive Club account up to 8 weeks after meeting the spend requirement. The Companion Award eVoucher allows the member to book a companion airfare without having to pay for its required Avios miles.

As an example, the Companion Award eVoucher for a Toronto-Amman one way flight will save a member 23,000 Avios.  The same redemption without an eVoucher would’ve cost the member and their flying partner 46,000 Avios. They still need to pay the taxes and charges for both travelers. 

This brings up the issue of high fees and constraints on the eVoucher.

The RBC British Airways companion ticket 3 main constraints you need to know about

The Companion Award eVoucher has three major constraints that we have to address. We will look at them individually. You need to be aware of them as we look at the best ways to work with them.

Any redemption flight has to originate out of Canada 

Since the companion ticket is associated to a Canadian credit card, this rule is expected. Not only does the travel have to originate from Canada but it also has to end in Canada.  That means flights out of Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto or Montreal. A one way flight will work.

However you can redeem a multi-destination (also called multi-city) itinerary by calling British Airways Executive Club at 1 800 452 1201. For example, you can book an outbound Vancouver to Istanbul flight with an inbound Madrid to Vancouver flight. Multi destination or stopover airfares are a great way to see more places without having to backtrack for the return leg.

Flights operated by British Airways only 

The second constraint in my opinion is a real pain. It restricts the use of the companion ticket redemption with flights operated only by British Airways.

That means that oneworld and interline partner flights are totally excluded. This not only reduces flight options but also will keep taxes and fees high. Which brings us to the last constraint.

High fees and charges on reward tickets

British Airways reward international flights have a reputation to have one the highest fees and charges.

It is a bummer for Canadians who want to cross the pond with a reward ticket.  But we know that crossing the pond with a reward ticket is very tough since most carriers impose very high charges. Although this has changed with the new Air Canada Aeroplan.

Conclusion

The RBC British Airways companion ticket or eVoucher is one the many perks the credit card offers. Is it the best one? In my opinion no. Too many constraints. 

Also, it does not address the issue of trans-Atlantic flights high fees and charges for Canadian travelers. However, in the case of a last minute booking or when British Airways halves points on reward flights then it makes sense to use it.