Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Alaska Airlines | Mileage Plan
Reload this Page >

Companion Fare FAQ - Bank of America Mileage Plan Visa

Old May 14, 2013, 10:30 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: ashill
Based on an original post by flyer206

I summarized a few posts on the companion fare. I initially had some questions and went through some of the posts as well as asked Missydarlin. So I thought I would post it for future people. If there is something incorrect or perhaps is useful for the next person please add or let me know.

Extending a companion fare
Tickets must be booked by the expiry date but can be for travel up to 330 days in advance. So book 2 full-fare tickets (coach fare only with new certificates issued after Aug. 1, 2012) for travel 11 months in advance to any destination on AS. When you have decided when and where you want to go, call AS to change the tickets. Since the tickets are full-fare or first class the changes will be no charge. The tickets can be changed to a lower level ticket including hot fare and the destination can be changed as well. If the tickets are cheaper then the amount will be refunded to the same credit card.
However, the ticket can not be extended for another 330 days. Meaning, you can not keep on extending the companion certificate. Hence travel must be completed within the initial 330 day window of when you booked your initial ticket.
The business companion fare however is different. Travel must be completed by expiry date although it is said that they may let it slide for 30 days.
Business companion fare expiration question

One of the travelers can not go
If the revenue passenger can not go then the companion passenger can not go. The T&C of the companion fare is that the companion must travel with the revenue passenger. Changes can be made by calling AS but change fees apply. Changes can now be done on-line. If the companion passenger can not go, the revenue passenger can still go. If you want to use the companion certificate another time, a call has to be made to AS.
Name changes are allowed but must be called in for change and is subject to change fee($125 --exempt if the name change involves a passenger who has status).

Should status flyer be the revenue or companion ticket.
Since the companion ticket is dependent on the revenue ticket, the status flyer should be the companion fare unless the tickets are in full fare or first class. Why? If the companion traveler can not fly the companion coupon can be saved for future use. The status passenger is allowed to make changes at no charge. THERE IS DEBATE ABOUT THIS ANSWER
 
Do I have to be one of the passengers flying?
No, the T&C states that you must either be one of the passengers or the credit card booking the tickets be in your name. One poster mentioned that he did not travel or use his credit card when he let his father use it. However it that case I believe they shared the same last name.
 
Do you have to use the AS airline credit card when booking the companion fare?
Through September 30, 2019, no. "For companion fares issued on or after October 1, 2019, both the primary fare and the companion fare must be purchased using your Alaska Airlines credit card." Exceptions: Fare can also be paid with your Wallet funds or AS Gift cards.
 
Does the companion fare accrue points.
YES, both tickets accrue points on any frequent flyer plan that gives out points on AS flights ie AS, AA, DL, CX, BA etc

Is the companion fare upgradeable?
YES, depending on first class upgrade (U) inventory and by priority based on the status of the traveler. There has to be 2 upgradeable seats available. If using paper certificates there has to be 2 certificates. Both travelers must upgrade or none at all. At T-24, you will be added to the flight upgrade list upon checkin per normal procedure and upgrades will process in the usual order of priority.
companion fare and upgrade question

When will I get my Companion certificate? 
As soon as you get approved for the credit card the certificate will appear in your Alaska airline online account. As of June 2016, the initial companion fare will post shortly after the statement where you reach the minimum spend (currently $1000) closes. Another will appear around the 1 year anniversary of your credit card. JULY 2020 UPDATE: spend is now $2,000 within 90 days.

Cancelling a companion fare
Rebook=kept in system however change fees may apply based on fare purchased.
Refund=gone

What class of fares can be booked?
All fares can be booked from "hot fares" to "first class" but only on Alaska/Horizon operated flights. It is not eligible for AA, DL etc operated flights. (coach fare only with new certificates issued after Aug. 1, 2012). You cannot purchase F but you can upgrade to F after purchase or try your luck at free upgrades if you have status.

Can the companion fare be used on a one-way, round trip, open jaw, OR multi-city?
Any of the above. Also, if you purchase RT, you can subsequently call to change to a one-way ticket and potentially get a credit for the fare that applies to the cancelled segments.

I don't want to change my travel now, is there a way to cancel & reissue the code?

It's not technically "reissued." It's basically encased in amber for reuse.

If you change more than 60 days from the date of travel, AND the companion has no status (sorry, spouse), you can reuse the companion cert by calling in, having the reservation split, and then re-deposting the primary traveler's airfare into My Wallet and keeping a record of the companion traveler's ticket number separately.

Then, to reuse the companion cert for the same companion on a different itinerary, you need to phone in and make the primary traveler's reservation, and pay with a credit card for the primary traveler's ticket. No My Wallet funds can be used. Then the companion's cert and fees are reattached and any difference in fees and taxes are collected/refunded.

If the primary traveler decides that he/she does not want to reuse the companion cert after canceling the original reservation (as long as it's done before the value of the companion cert/fees/taxes expires), the value of the fees/taxes of the companion cert can be redeposited into the primary traveler's My Wallet. But the cert itself is forfeited.
(from Seattlenerd. Thank you!)

What are the Terms and Conditions as issued by Alaska Air
Discount: Valid for one $99 USD Companion Ticket when traveling with another passenger on a paid airfare. Both passengers must be booked in the same itinerary, at the same fare, traveling together, and ticketed at the same time. Valid for round-trip or one-way travel. Valid on published fares. Not applicable to Mileage Plan Award Reservations, Alaska Airlines Vacation packages, tour or contract fares.

Reservations & Ticketing: Valid for new ticket purchases through alaskaair.com, Alaska Airlines Reservations, or Horizon Air Reservations. The Companion Ticket Discount Code is redeemed at time of ticketing and is void for future changes or purchases. Traveler and/or Purchaser name must match the name issued on the Discount Code. Credit card required for purchase.

Passengers: Valid for one $99 USD Companion Ticket when traveling with a second passenger on a paid fare, traveling together, and booked and ticketed at the same time in the same reservation.

Routes: Valid systemwide on flights operated by Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air.

Advance Purchase: Per applicable fare rule.

Purchase By: Expiration date on Discount Code.

Blackout Dates: Per applicable fare rule.

Minimum & Maximum Stay: Per applicable fare rules.

Flights: Valid only on flights operated by Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air and on PenAir between Anchorage and Dutch Harbor. Not valid on codeshare flights.

Taxes, Fees and Surcharges: Passenger is responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges, including checked baggage fees.

Combinability: Not valid with any other discounts, including Discount Codes, coupons, discount programs, MyAccount online discount, or other arrangements.

Changes and Refunds: Changes and refunds are allowed per the applicable fare rule and may result in the forfeiture of the Discount Code.

Mileage Plan: Mileage Plan credit applies and upgrades are allowed.

Transferability: Discount Codes and tickets are not transferable. They may not be given to another individual, and may not be sold, bought, bartered, auctioned or collected in bulk. Any deemed by Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air to have been distributed or acquired improperly will not be honored and traveler will be liable for payment of full fare.

Additional Terms: All rules of Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, alaskaair.com, and the applicable fare rules not mentioned within these terms and conditions apply.

Other: Lost or stolen Discount Codes or tickets cannot be replaced. Alaska/Horizon has the final authority regarding redemption. Travel is subject to Alaska and Horizon contract of carriage. Terms and conditions as written herein are final and cannot be changed by any statement or representation of any unauthorized person, including employees of Alaska/Horizon or issuing organization. Other restrictions may apply and Alaska/Horizon reserves the right to suspend or change this offer without notice.




Print Wikipost

Companion Fare FAQ - Bank of America Mileage Plan Visa

Old Aug 10, 2015, 5:09 pm
  #316  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS
Posts: 2,292
Do you mean Gift Certificate? You can deposit those in your Wallet by entering code with PIN. I just booked a trip for my daughter and fiancé to PVR. Used one of my companion certificates and had Gift Certificates in Wallet to apply during check out. Now she is applying for Alaska Visa for free checked bag on their PNR.
pcoll is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2015, 12:36 am
  #317  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Originally Posted by pcoll
Do you mean Gift Certificate? You can deposit those in your Wallet by entering code with PIN. I just booked a trip for my daughter and fiancé to PVR. Used one of my companion certificates and had Gift Certificates in Wallet to apply during check out. Now she is applying for Alaska Visa for free checked bag on their PNR.
Yes, gift certificate is what I mean.
hiima is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2015, 1:07 pm
  #318  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt LT Global Elitist, Bonvyoed LT Titanium, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 468
Does the companion certificate still post to your AS account immediately upon approval as per the Wiki?
roder is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2015, 1:11 pm
  #319  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
Programs: AS 75k, UA peon, BA Bronze, AC E50k, Marriott Plat, HH Diamond, Fairmont Plat (RIP)
Posts: 7,818
Originally Posted by roder
Does the companion certificate still post to your AS account immediately upon approval as per the Wiki?
Yes. Mine posted the following day. And this was just last week so very recent experience.
Finkface is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2015, 4:56 pm
  #320  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Originally Posted by roder
Does the companion certificate still post to your AS account immediately upon approval as per the Wiki?
Mine took about a week and half, I wanted to use mine immediately but couldn't.
hiima is offline  
Old Aug 21, 2015, 11:59 pm
  #321  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
If a companion can't fly, can the name be changed to another person?
hiima is offline  
Old Aug 22, 2015, 12:06 am
  #322  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Hilton Contributor BadgeIHG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,942
Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Originally Posted by hiima
If a companion can't fly, can the name be changed to another person?
With a name change fee and refare yes.
beckoa is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2015, 10:07 pm
  #323  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,604
Hi -

When it says "Companion fare expires 9/1/15" does that mean I have to ticket by 9/1/15 or do I have to ticket by 8/31/15?
Orwaid is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2015, 6:44 pm
  #324  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: YVR/BLI
Programs: SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 232
I am pretty sure it would be the 1st. You could always try a test booking and see if it accepts the coupon.
ken98230 is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2015, 6:05 pm
  #325  
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Charlotte NC USA
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat, Alaska 75k, IHG Diamond, Wyndham Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 862
If one cancels a ticket with the companion pass on it for later re-use, can the fare difference on the new ticket somehow be paid for by gift certificate? Or must the difference be paid by credit card?

I have plenty of AS credit from BPG requests and cancelled tickets, which I'd much prefer to use rather than paying more out-of-pocket. I was told that in order to keep the companion discount code intact, I had to keep it attached to the (now cancelled) ticket, rather than just move it from the old ticket to a new ticket (e.g., one bought with my AS credit). Would appreciate any confirmation on this too. TIA!
DaveH is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2015, 7:35 pm
  #326  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Hilton Contributor BadgeIHG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,942
Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Originally Posted by ken98230
I am pretty sure it would be the 1st. You could always try a test booking and see if it accepts the coupon.
Ironically I did this on the 1st of September with a companion cert expiring on the 1st.
beckoa is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2015, 7:36 pm
  #327  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Hilton Contributor BadgeIHG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,942
Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Originally Posted by DaveH
If one cancels a ticket with the companion pass on it for later re-use, can the fare difference on the new ticket somehow be paid for by gift certificate? Or must the difference be paid by credit card?

I have plenty of AS credit from BPG requests and cancelled tickets, which I'd much prefer to use rather than paying more out-of-pocket. I was told that in order to keep the companion discount code intact, I had to keep it attached to the (now cancelled) ticket, rather than just move it from the old ticket to a new ticket (e.g., one bought with my AS credit). Would appreciate any confirmation on this too. TIA!
Online it seems to only allow changes in fare to be paid by credit card, not via gift certs. Not sure about changes by phone.
beckoa is offline  
Old Oct 13, 2015, 7:26 am
  #328  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 432
Does anyone know if you can keep the certificate if you cancel the card? Or what if you're booked and confirmed using the certificate and then proceed to cancel the card?
cardinalkid1891 is offline  
Old Oct 13, 2015, 9:49 am
  #329  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Originally Posted by cardinalkid1891
Does anyone know if you can keep the certificate if you cancel the card? Or what if you're booked and confirmed using the certificate and then proceed to cancel the card?
One you're booked, you're booked. Keeping the certificate after canceling is iffy.
hiima is offline  
Old Oct 13, 2015, 12:15 pm
  #330  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Hilton Contributor BadgeIHG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,942
Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Originally Posted by hiima
Originally Posted by cardinalkid1891
Does anyone know if you can keep the certificate if you cancel the card? Or what if you're booked and confirmed using the certificate and then proceed to cancel the card?
One you're booked, you're booked. Keeping the certificate after canceling is iffy.
Did you pay the annual fee yet?
beckoa is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.