Companion Voucher and Household Account

Old Aug 13, 2012, 8:27 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by smooth1978
I was told that as my companion passes were in my name on my BA acc (as it was my amex card she has a card on the acc as well) then even though my wife is on the household acc she cannot use it... i have to be one of the passengers.
AIUI, that is indeed the rule.
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Old Aug 13, 2012, 11:17 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by jerry a. laska
The amex companion voucher specifically allows you to take someone outside of your household as the companion, but you cannot book with someone outside the household online, you must call.
This was true when it was written back in January, but the Terms & Conditions for the U.K. Amex voucher have since changed, and Household Account members cannot select a companion who is not a HHA member. Here are the new Terms & Conditions for the Amex voucher (see item no. 20):
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...c/public/en_gb

So far, this change has not been made in the U.S. Chase voucher, fortunately. The U.S. Terms:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s/public/en_us
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Old Aug 13, 2012, 11:34 am
  #18  
 
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[QUOTE=Steve in Olympia;19111898]This was true when it was written back in January, but the Terms & Conditions for the U.K. Amex voucher have since changed, and Household Account members cannot select a companion who is not a HHA member. Here are the new Terms & Conditions for the Amex voucher (see item no. 20):
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...c/public/en_gb

A good spot - certainly seems to have been another silent enhancement - it wasn't in place when I booked a 2-4-1 redemption in the middle of May.
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Old Aug 17, 2012, 12:39 pm
  #19  
 
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I've earned a companion voucher and have a household account. If I want to take someone outside of the HHA can I break away from the household account and still retain the companion voucher? Would I then be allowed to take someone else?
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Old Aug 17, 2012, 1:42 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by ejspice
I've earned a companion voucher and have a household account. If I want to take someone outside of the HHA can I break away from the household account and still retain the companion voucher? Would I then be allowed to take someone else?
As I understand it from my own experience, so long as a member of HHA is flying the companion can be anybody you want. In my case the companion was not even a member of the BAEC.
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Old Aug 17, 2012, 9:08 pm
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by johnaalex
As I understand it from my own experience, so long as a member of HHA is flying the companion can be anybody you want. In my case the companion was not even a member of the BAEC.
Yes, that is true for the U.S. Chase companion voucher, but no longer true for the U.K. Amex voucher.
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Old Aug 27, 2012, 1:51 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by ejspice
I've earned a companion voucher and have a household account. If I want to take someone outside of the HHA can I break away from the household account and still retain the companion voucher? Would I then be allowed to take someone else?
The specifics of this question still haven't been answered. Anyone out there know?
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Old Aug 27, 2012, 10:21 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by CityRules
The specifics of this question still haven't been answered. Anyone out there know?
If you earned the voucher and it is issued in your name it should go with you but I doubt you will find many with experience as there was no need in the past to leave a HHA to use a voucher with someone outside the HHA.
Call BA and ask and note the details of the call.
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Old Aug 27, 2012, 12:35 pm
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by ejspice
I've earned a companion voucher and have a household account. If I want to take someone outside of the HHA can I break away from the household account and still retain the companion voucher? Would I then be allowed to take someone else?
I don't see why you think this would not be the case, the voucher is personal to you.

I dissolved my household account in January 2012, with a 241 in place for each of the 3 members.

All vouchers remained in place after the dissolution.

In answer to the specific query I can confirm that I used my 241 voucher for a booking made in April 2012 for myself and a third party who was not a member of the original household account.
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Old Sep 8, 2012, 5:55 am
  #25  
 
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I would appreciate some advice on whether I have found a solution to make a booking for 4 people, 1 of whom is not a member of my HHA with 2 Amex 241 vouchers one in my name and one is Mrs flyoff. From what I have researched here and on the Amex and BA website I can't book a ticket for a person outside my HHA. I am also trying to avoid the person outside the HHA joining my HHA as they wish to have an independent account that they manage and control.

I have spoken to the Exec Club about dissolving my HHA but this is not good a solution as I would loose the Avios in my daughters account as she can't hold an account outside a HHA due to her age. Mrs flyoff and I have enough Avios to fund the tickets in each of our accounts so this isn't an issue once she leaves the HHA.

I am looking to remove Mrs flyoff from the HHA account to allow me:
1. Book myself and my daughter one set of tickets with my Amex 241
2. Mrs flyoff to book for herself and the other person with her Amex 241

I can't see any other issues here other than we can't reform the HHA for another 6 months. The Shell and Tesco 2000 bonus points I think should continue as the account numbers won't change.

Can anyone see any downside to this strategy?
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Old Sep 9, 2012, 1:57 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by flyoff
I would appreciate some advice on whether I have found a solution to make a booking for 4 people, 1 of whom is not a member of my HHA with 2 Amex 241 vouchers one in my name and one is Mrs flyoff. From what I have researched here and on the Amex and BA website I can't book a ticket for a person outside my HHA. I am also trying to avoid the person outside the HHA joining my HHA as they wish to have an independent account that they manage and control.

I have spoken to the Exec Club about dissolving my HHA but this is not good a solution as I would loose the Avios in my daughters account as she can't hold an account outside a HHA due to her age. Mrs flyoff and I have enough Avios to fund the tickets in each of our accounts so this isn't an issue once she leaves the HHA.

I am looking to remove Mrs flyoff from the HHA account to allow me:
1. Book myself and my daughter one set of tickets with my Amex 241
2. Mrs flyoff to book for herself and the other person with her Amex 241

I can't see any other issues here other than we can't reform the HHA for another 6 months. The Shell and Tesco 2000 bonus points I think should continue as the account numbers won't change.

Can anyone see any downside to this strategy?
I don't see a problem with that plan.

I need to do something similar, but need to remove 1 person from the HHA and add another 2 people.
This will take me to a max of 7 people (inc myself) in the HHA.

Can this change be done in a single transaction?
As my Dad will be moving out the same time my in-laws move in.

I don't really want to have my Dad move out then wait 6 months before adding the in-laws to the HHA.
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Old Sep 14, 2012, 1:20 pm
  #27  
 
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Does anyone check that all members permanently reside at the hh account address?
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Old Oct 3, 2012, 2:16 pm
  #28  
 
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AN UPDATE: Unlike the U.K.-based 2-4-1 vouchers, the Terms & Conditions for the U.S.-based 2-4-1 companion voucher continue to state that a Household Account (HHA) member can use his/her voucher for a companion who is not a member of the HHA:

"Companions do not have to be named within a BA Executive Club Household Account. Members can choose to take anyone as a Companion on their redemption voucher booking."

The T & C's can be found at:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...2/public/en_us

This cannot be done on-line; it requires a phone call to the U.S. call center in Jacksonvill, FL. However, when I attempted to do this today, the CSA received "an error message" on his computer that denied the booking because my companion was not part of my HHA. I pointed out what the T & C's actually state, but the CSA indicated that he was powerless to override the computer. (He said it was a fairly recent change in the rules.)

He obligingly recommended that I simply add my companion to my HHA, and he stayed on the line while I logged in and accomplished that feat. The CSA never questioned whether the companion resided in my household.

This workaround won't work in every situation (for example, if you have already maxxed out the allowed six members of a HHA, or if the companion was already part of somebody else's HHA, or if the companion didn't want to combine his miles with yours, etc.)

The other possible option would be to dissolve the HHA, if you had sufficient Avios balance to pull that off.
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Old Sep 26, 2018, 11:08 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by cornishsimon
obviously you didnt hear this from me.............

but in my recent experience, you can book using miles from a HHA and a companion voucher and exclude the member that the voucher was issued in the name of.

tried and tested, no problems at all in the tickets being issued or during travel

cs
Hi, how did you this this? I cannot seem to be able to remove the voucher 'owner' (my partner) and trying to issue a flight for myself (household account) and a friend. Tks
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Old Sep 26, 2018, 11:18 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by carinasoccal
Hi, how did you this this? I cannot seem to be able to remove the voucher 'owner' (my partner) and trying to issue a flight for myself (household account) and a friend. Tks
​​​​​​​The voucher holder must be one of the passengers. No way around this.
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