I definitely believe it's worth it... because of it, I'm able to take my mom to London and Paris, in business class, for 100k miles and $1368 in fees. I consider this an experience I would otherwise be unable to give her, so I feel grateful for this companion pass.

Is $1300 steep? Yes, but considering I would have only been able to get 2 coach tickets for that amount (unless I got lucky and found a very good sale), I feel I am getting a great benefit out of this feature. Don't forget, if you use your BA card to pay for the fees, then you're getting 2.5 miles on that expense as well.

Since my husband was unable to benefit from *this* certificate (since I used it on Mom), I am striving to get another one for this year, which hubby and I will use either in 2012 or 2013 to go to Europe again.