Sep 16, 2017, 2:32 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
Summary
This is a guide to gold upgrade vouchers which BA issues. In the wiki there are a number of frequently asked questions, and in the posts below there is a lot of detail and information on these vouchers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a Gold Upgrade Voucher?
Gold Upgrade Vouchers are awarded when you reach certain Tier Point levels and allow you to an upgrade to the next travel class.
Q: How do I qualify for a Gold Upgrade Voucher?
You will be awarded a Gold Upgrade Voucher for Two (GUF2) when you reach 2,500 Tier Points. Two Gold Upgrade Vouchers for One (GUF1) are awarded when you reach 3,500 Tier Points. You have the option to choose another two GUF1s at 7,000, 8,000 and 9,000 Tier Points.
Q: When will I know I have a voucher?
The voucher will appear on your BAEC homepage when you hit the required Tier Points in the same place as any Amex 241s that you may have.
Q: How long is the voucher valid for?
The voucher is valid for 12 months must be redeemed within one year of its issue.
Q: Do I have to travel by the expiry date?
No. You must book your ticket by the expiry date so you can travel up to 355 days after.
Q: Can the voucher be extended?
If you do not redeem the voucher within twelve months you can request an extension. Extensions are usually granted for a further six months.
Q: Where can I use the voucher?
You can use the voucher for a one class upgrade on any BA published fare on flights operated by BA.
Q: Can I use the voucher for a one way ticket?
Yes. The voucher can be used for a one way booking. FT opinion may say that this is not a good use but your individual circumstances will influence this.
Q: Where can I upgrade to?
You can upgrade to the next cabin on any BA flight:
- Euro Traveller to Club Europe
- World Traveller to World Traveller Plus
- World Traveller Plus to Club World
- Club World to First (where fitted on the aircraft)
As the voucher will upgrade you to the next available cabin, an economy (Euro Traveller / World Traveller) booking would upgrade you to Club Europe (from ET) on the short haul flight and World Traveller Plus (from WT) on the long haul flight.
Q: I haven’t got a companion. Can I still use a GUF2?
Yes. You can use a GUF2 on your own for a single or return journey. GUF2 can be divided to two GUF1 meaning that if you want to use it as a solo traveller, ask first through customer service to divide it.
Q: Does the voucher have to be used in conjunction with a paid fare?
No. Gold Upgrade Vouchers can be used either with a paid fare or a journey booked with Avios.
Q: Can I use the Gold Upgrade voucher with an Amex 2-4-1 voucher?
Yes. You can combine a GUF with a companion voucher (also known as a 2-4-1). This is a great way to really get a really good value use for the voucher as you will save a very large amount of Avios.
Q: Can I use the Gold Upgrade voucher with a Lloyds voucher?
No. A Lloyds voucher cannot be combined with a Gold Upgrade voucher.
Q: Can I UuA a ticket and then use my GUF voucher?
No. Tickets can only be upgraded using the Gold Upgrade voucher or Avios, not both.
Q: Are bookings made with the Gold Upgrade voucher flexible?
Only if the underlying ticket is in a flexible bucket. For example a J ticket upgraded to First will be flexible according to the original ticket rules. The same applies to redemption tickets.
Q: Can I use the Gold Upgrade voucher on another oneworld airline?
Yes, currently only with AA when certain conditions of use are fulfilled.
Q: Is the voucher valid on franchise operated flights?
Yes. Gold Upgrade vouchers are available for British Airways and franchise operated flights only.
Q: Can I use the voucher on an itinerary that includes non-BA flights?
With a booking direct with BA this is fine. For a TA booking you can’t include non-BA flights. However, there are the occasional reports of a few slipping through where some Travel Agents have managed to apply a GUF to a booking which includes both BA and non-BA flights on BA codeshares.
Q: Can I upgrade an existing booking?
Yes. Please call the BA Service Centre to do this.
Q: Do I have to travel myself when I use the Gold Upgrade voucher like the Amex 2-4-1?
If you book with BA you can use the voucher for any other person or persons. However you must pay for the booking yourself either through your account on ba.com or through the Service Centre. If you book through a TA then the voucher owner must travel on the booking.
Q: If I cancel the booking will I get the Gold Upgrade voucher back?
If you cancel more than 24 hours before departure then the voucher will be reinstated to your account if the original validity has not expired. If you cancel within 24 hours then the voucher will not be available for further use. Any refund on the other part of the ticket will be subject to the original fare rules.
Q: Does there have to be Avios availability in the upgraded cabin to use the Gold Upgrade voucher?
No. There only needs to be discounted revenue fare availability in the cabin you are upgrading to (A for First, I for Club and T for WT+).
It used to be the case that you had to book through a Travel Agent to achieve this, and that direct bookings with BA required Avios availability in the cabin you are upgrading to. With changes to GUF2 made in 2019, this is no longer the case.
Q: Can I book the outbound leg using an Amex 2-4-1 and GUF2 and then add the inbound when it becomes available?
Yes. This can be done in the same way as adding a return leg to a booking using the Amex 2-4-1 voucher.
Q: Can I use the Gold Upgrade voucher on flights that do not originate in the UK?
Yes. Flights do not have to originate in the UK. A GUF can be used on an ex-EU booking - there is no requirement to start and finish in the UK or your Executive Club resident country.
Q: Can I use two GUF1s to upgrade two classes?
No. Nice try
Q: Can the Gold Upgrade voucher be used by anyone in the Household Account?
Any Household Account Member who earns Gold Upgrade vouchers must redeem them personally. Gold Upgrade vouchers are not part of the Household Account pool and cannot be redeemed by another Member of the Household Account. Household Account Members who earn Gold Upgrade vouchers are subject to applicable Household Account redemption rules, whereby the Gold Upgrade vouchers can only be used for members within the Household Account. These upgrades cannot be allocated to Executive Club Members under age 18. An upgrade earned by a member under 18 is allocated to the Head of that Member's Household Account, but the head must be a gold card holder. If the head is not a gold the voucher is effectively lost since it can’t be allocated.
Q: Will I earn Tier Points and Avios with the Gold Upgrade voucher?
Yes. You should earn tier points and Avios in line with the original selling class of the booking and not based on the cabin you upgraded in to - although sometimes mistakes do seem to happen and you do end up earning based on the cabin you upgraded to. As a reward booking doesn’t earn any tier points or Avios you won’t earn anything from a reward booking to which you had applied a GUF.
Q: I have more than two people in my booking. Can I just upgrade two of them?
No. A GUF can’t be applied to a selection of passengers on a booking, and has to cover all of them - you can’t end up with a booking for four people where two are still in CW and the other two are upgraded to F. If necessary you can as BA to split the booking so that those not being upgraded are under one booking reference, and those being upgraded by the GUF are in a new separate booking reference.
Q: Does an infant use an available upgrade?
No. If an upgraded booking contains an infant travelling on an infant fare, the infant will be automatically upgraded with the adults. Child fares will be subject to the same rules as adults.
BA Gold Upgrade Voucher Discussion and Wiki Thread
Jun 4, 2022, 10:43 am
#601
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,035
yes you just have to use the GUF by the expiry date. The flights can be beyond that point. Also consider requesting an extension if that would be better for you.
Jun 4, 2022, 11:08 am
#603
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4,294
Cheers!
Jun 4, 2022, 11:11 am
#604
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,035
When was it expiring and was it already extended before? I have still a GUF2 (was extended already once in Jan this year, but only for 6 months). Since these can't be used on 001 (AA-issued tickets) it's difficult to use them as I don't have any upcoming tavels on BA ticket stock. Was going to call to ask if I can extend it for another 6 months.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Jun 4, 2022, 11:16 am
#605
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
When was it expiring and was it already extended before? I have still a GUF2 (was extended already once in Jan this year, but only for 6 months). Since these can't be used on 001 (AA-issued tickets) it's difficult to use them as I don't have any upcoming tavels on BA ticket stock. Was going to call to ask if I can extend it for another 6 months.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Jun 5, 2022, 3:15 am
#606
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: London-Nice
Programs: GGL
Posts: 1,425
Jun 8, 2022, 11:25 pm
#607
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 844
I know (because I have tried) I can apply a GUF (via the GGL line) to a flight booked through Amex Corporate Travel (there seem to be reasonable discounts there at the moment). Has anyone persuaded Amex Corporate Travel to apply a GUF themselves?
Jun 10, 2022, 5:40 am
#608
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Dorset, UK
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 638
Had some entertainment over the last few days with the GGL line and applying a GUF (already applied on the booking) on AA sectors that had the availability on it.
The first sector was BA coded on AA metal (transcon) which resulted in about 2 days of debate inside BA as far as I can make out - they needed to rebook onto the AA prime which had no I class availability(the original booking class), only D and up, and then upgrade it to A. It seems their advice contradicts itself, as it says in one part for them to just rebook it, and in another part it says rebook AND refare accordingly.
The second was an easy AA prime I (D due to invol changes) to A, which was done easily.
In the end all done, including a load of invol changes due to cancellations and reroutings, for £35 tax which was also waived. The agent asked me to next time phone up when he was off 
The first sector was BA coded on AA metal (transcon) which resulted in about 2 days of debate inside BA as far as I can make out - they needed to rebook onto the AA prime which had no I class availability(the original booking class), only D and up, and then upgrade it to A. It seems their advice contradicts itself, as it says in one part for them to just rebook it, and in another part it says rebook AND refare accordingly.
The second was an easy AA prime I (D due to invol changes) to A, which was done easily.
In the end all done, including a load of invol changes due to cancellations and reroutings, for £35 tax which was also waived.
The agent asked me to next time phone up when he was off
Jun 15, 2022, 9:10 am
#609
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGL/GfL
Posts: 12,112
Just to say that I had a new dilemma today with a GGL upgrade where A suddenly appeared JFK-SFO.
I am starting in AMS tomorrow then connecting in London to AA to JFK and on to SFO.
This morning AA nor BA would let me check-in on the app and the agency staff in AMS are not the best. So luckily a helpful lady in CCR at LHR checked me in for tomorrow and gave me boarding passes.
Of course to get the AA upgrade I would have to be off-loaded, upgraded and then have to check back in at AMS.
I passed on the upgrade for the sake my sanity at 7am tomorrow at AMS.
I am starting in AMS tomorrow then connecting in London to AA to JFK and on to SFO.
This morning AA nor BA would let me check-in on the app and the agency staff in AMS are not the best. So luckily a helpful lady in CCR at LHR checked me in for tomorrow and gave me boarding passes.
Of course to get the AA upgrade I would have to be off-loaded, upgraded and then have to check back in at AMS.
I passed on the upgrade for the sake my sanity at 7am tomorrow at AMS.
Jun 16, 2022, 9:06 am
#610
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oxford (&Western Isles )
Programs: BA GGL, CCR; RyanAir MillionMiler :( ;
Posts: 756
Had some entertainment over the last few days with the GGL line and applying a GUF (already applied on the booking) on AA sectors that had the availability on it.
The first sector was BA coded on AA metal (transcon) which resulted in about 2 days of debate inside BA as far as I can make out - they needed to rebook onto the AA prime which had no I class availability(the original booking class), only D and up, and then upgrade it to A. It seems their advice contradicts itself, as it says in one part for them to just rebook it, and in another part it says rebook AND refare accordingly.
The second was an easy AA prime I (D due to invol changes) to A, which was done easily.
In the end all done, including a load of invol changes due to cancellations and reroutings, for £35 tax which was also waived. The agent asked me to next time phone up when he was off
The first sector was BA coded on AA metal (transcon) which resulted in about 2 days of debate inside BA as far as I can make out - they needed to rebook onto the AA prime which had no I class availability(the original booking class), only D and up, and then upgrade it to A. It seems their advice contradicts itself, as it says in one part for them to just rebook it, and in another part it says rebook AND refare accordingly.
The second was an easy AA prime I (D due to invol changes) to A, which was done easily.
In the end all done, including a load of invol changes due to cancellations and reroutings, for £35 tax which was also waived.
The agent asked me to next time phone up when he was off
Jun 16, 2022, 9:30 am
#611
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,268
Here's one link. Other bloggers sites are available.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/gold-u...ican-airlines/
Jun 16, 2022, 11:20 am
#612
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGL/GfL
Posts: 12,112
There was a change last month and it's now possible to upgrade cash tickets on American Airlines using a gold upgrade voucher. However, I think there has to be reward availability on the flight. I don't think they can be used the way we use them now on BA with I and A class availability on revenue tickets.
Here's one link. Other bloggers sites are available.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/gold-u...ican-airlines/
Here's one link. Other bloggers sites are available.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/gold-u...ican-airlines/
Jun 16, 2022, 12:16 pm
#613
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oxford (&Western Isles )
Programs: BA GGL, CCR; RyanAir MillionMiler :( ;
Posts: 756
aaaaghhhh! . Saw there was A5 and A1 on transatlantic - so, called and agent on GGL went away to calculate tax on upgrading Lhr-JFK and JFK-LHR on my BUD-OGG, but by the time she came back to say £88 extra tax (onto my 1350gbp fare) the last A1 had been taken - she didn't (couldn't?) hold it?! gave up and am trusting to my faithful AA to reschedule everything from JFK westwards - so I can rebook and get some A availability. 
EDIT: If I was cynical I'd say they pulled the last A1 so they could keep instead of giving to GUF
EDIT: If I was cynical I'd say they pulled the last A1 so they could keep instead of giving to GUF
Jun 20, 2022, 3:10 pm
#614
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Dorset, UK
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 638
Jun 20, 2022, 4:11 pm
#615
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oxford (&Western Isles )
Programs: BA GGL, CCR; RyanAir MillionMiler :( ;
Posts: 756
but they wanted to reprice as they moved me from the BA to AA prime flight. AA and BA A space was available. £720. No deal.
Last edited by wanderingjock; Jun 20, 2022 at 4:12 pm Reason: Spelling