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 20, 2022, 5:11 pm
#616
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Dorset, UK
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 635
I wonder if they've settled the ambiguity about that then. When I GUF'd the BA codeshare they had a long back and forth with the back office about how to handle it - they were mostly concerned about a lack of I class on the AA flight forcing a reprice. In the end they just rebooked it and waived the tax of about £35(!)
Jun 24, 2022, 6:41 am
#617
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Close to Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL, Gold for Life, CCR, VS Silver, HHonours Diamond
Posts: 549
I have a BUD-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL and return, booking for Nov. I have already used a GUF to upgrade the LHR-JFK and return from Business to First on BA.
I am now trying to upgrade the JFK-LAX and return on AAL to First. I have called GGL line 4 times so far and have been told there is no availability at the moment but keep trying.
However, as an AA Advantage member I uploaded the AA booking site and made a dummy booking on the actual fights I have for JFK-LAX-JFK. I am able to book, using AA airmiles, F seats on both flights. So there is reward availability. Why can't BA find this availability??
I am now trying to upgrade the JFK-LAX and return on AAL to First. I have called GGL line 4 times so far and have been told there is no availability at the moment but keep trying.
However, as an AA Advantage member I uploaded the AA booking site and made a dummy booking on the actual fights I have for JFK-LAX-JFK. I am able to book, using AA airmiles, F seats on both flights. So there is reward availability. Why can't BA find this availability??
Jul 2, 2022, 6:56 am
#618
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 33
I have done a search but can't find a clear answer to this.
I am looking to book a DUB-LHR-BOS-LAX in J as a package with car hire through BA Holidays for next January, and pay the deposit.
Can I use a GUF2 with this?
I've read threads from a few years ago which said ex-EU holidays are dealt with by Bremen and they said no, any more recent experiences of this?
If yes, does the booking need to be paid in full to use the GUF, or just the deposit?
Am I looking for Ireland POS availability for A class?
I am looking to book a DUB-LHR-BOS-LAX in J as a package with car hire through BA Holidays for next January, and pay the deposit.
Can I use a GUF2 with this?
I've read threads from a few years ago which said ex-EU holidays are dealt with by Bremen and they said no, any more recent experiences of this?
If yes, does the booking need to be paid in full to use the GUF, or just the deposit?
Am I looking for Ireland POS availability for A class?
Jul 2, 2022, 9:44 am
#619
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oxford (&Western Isles )
Programs: BA GGL, CCR; RyanAir MillionMiler :( ;
Posts: 756
I have a BUD-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL and return, booking for Nov. I have already used a GUF to upgrade the LHR-JFK and return from Business to First on BA.
I am now trying to upgrade the JFK-LAX and return on AAL to First. I have called GGL line 4 times so far and have been told there is no availability at the moment but keep trying.
However, as an AA Advantage member I uploaded the AA booking site and made a dummy booking on the actual fights I have for JFK-LAX-JFK. I am able to book, using AA airmiles, F seats on both flights. So there is reward availability. Why can't BA find this availability??
I am now trying to upgrade the JFK-LAX and return on AAL to First. I have called GGL line 4 times so far and have been told there is no availability at the moment but keep trying.
However, as an AA Advantage member I uploaded the AA booking site and made a dummy booking on the actual fights I have for JFK-LAX-JFK. I am able to book, using AA airmiles, F seats on both flights. So there is reward availability. Why can't BA find this availability??
Jul 4, 2022, 7:41 am
#620
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Close to Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL, Gold for Life, CCR, VS Silver, HHonours Diamond
Posts: 549
And in response to your question, "No, I haven't managed to get my transcon flights upgraded yet.
Last edited by IFE Wizard; Jul 5, 2022 at 2:57 am Reason: Spelling error
Jul 4, 2022, 8:18 am
#621
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Surrey
Programs: BA Executive Club Gold
Posts: 176
I have done a search but can't find a clear answer to this.
I am looking to book a DUB-LHR-BOS-LAX in J as a package with car hire through BA Holidays for next January, and pay the deposit.
Can I use a GUF2 with this?
I've read threads from a few years ago which said ex-EU holidays are dealt with by Bremen and they said no, any more recent experiences of this?
If yes, does the booking need to be paid in full to use the GUF, or just the deposit?
Am I looking for Ireland POS availability for A class?
I am looking to book a DUB-LHR-BOS-LAX in J as a package with car hire through BA Holidays for next January, and pay the deposit.
Can I use a GUF2 with this?
I've read threads from a few years ago which said ex-EU holidays are dealt with by Bremen and they said no, any more recent experiences of this?
If yes, does the booking need to be paid in full to use the GUF, or just the deposit?
Am I looking for Ireland POS availability for A class?
Jul 5, 2022, 11:40 pm
#622
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond *, IHG, Couples Romance Rewards
Posts: 2,350
Stratospheric YQ with a GUF - beware
I've just been charged £400 on a GUF1. YQ on a TATL upgrade from WT+ to CW one way from London is £395. (Return was already CW)
The difference in fare for the two trips is about £800
While some GUFs offer good value (we upgraded a CW to F both ways for no extra fees) it seems not such good value for other flights.
The difference in fare for the two trips is about £800
While some GUFs offer good value (we upgraded a CW to F both ways for no extra fees) it seems not such good value for other flights.
Jul 11, 2022, 6:45 am
#623
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hhonors Diamond
Posts: 18
IFE Wizard and wanderingjock Interested if you find out anything - I'm doing a LHR-JFK-LAX. Looks like availability in LHR-JFK, but no A availability on the AA operated flight to LAX. Strangely, if you look at the BA codeshare flight details on Expert Flyer it does have some A availability (and F wide open - eg F7A5) but the exactly same flight on AA ticket has F7A0.
Jul 11, 2022, 7:41 am
#624
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL / GfL
Posts: 3,261
IFE Wizard and wanderingjock Interested if you find out anything - I'm doing a LHR-JFK-LAX. Looks like availability in LHR-JFK, but no A availability on the AA operated flight to LAX. Strangely, if you look at the BA codeshare flight details on Expert Flyer it does have some A availability (and F wide open - eg F7A5) but the exactly same flight on AA ticket has F7A0.
For those looking to try take advantage of a GUF, JFK-SFO seems to open up A class on slightly more flights and BOS-LAX (which has the A321T on certain flights) would also be a better bet vs the heavily travelled and premium heavy JFK-LAX sectors.
Pilot37
Jul 22, 2022, 11:36 am
#625
Join Date: Mar 2003
Programs: BA GGL; AA LT Gold; AS 100K; DL MM GM; Hyatt G*list, Hilton Diamond; SQ silver
Posts: 3,806
Mystery GUF
I have an eVoucher issued from a Future Travel Voucher for a ticket on which I had applied a GUF. When I got the FTV, I was told the GUF would be attached to it. The change from FTV to eVoucher was done last year though.
Do the GUF that were attached to the FTV transfer to the eVoucher? Should I prepare for difficulties trying to use that GUF?
Do the GUF that were attached to the FTV transfer to the eVoucher? Should I prepare for difficulties trying to use that GUF?
Last edited by DeltaFlyingProf; Jul 22, 2022 at 1:26 pm
Jul 22, 2022, 11:59 am
#626
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold; Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,227
I've just been charged £400 on a GUF1. YQ on a TATL upgrade from WT+ to CW one way from London is £395. (Return was already CW)
The difference in fare for the two trips is about £800
While some GUFs offer good value (we upgraded a CW to F both ways for no extra fees) it seems not such good value for other flights.
The difference in fare for the two trips is about £800
While some GUFs offer good value (we upgraded a CW to F both ways for no extra fees) it seems not such good value for other flights.
Jul 22, 2022, 12:42 pm
#627
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond *, IHG, Couples Romance Rewards
Posts: 2,350
I was expecting to pay some YQ but it was a lot. Mrs firstlight was told using her GUF1 for the same trip on a different pnr that the difference was taxes, a blatant lie as £395 of the £401 is carrier surcharge with the small balance being airport fees
Jul 22, 2022, 2:25 pm
#628
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,963
I have an eVoucher issued from a Future Travel Voucher for a ticket on which I had applied a GUF. When I got the FTV, I was told the GUF would be attached to it. The change from FTV to eVoucher was done last year though.
Do the GUF that were attached to the FTV transfer to the eVoucher? Should I prepare for difficulties trying to use that GUF?
Do the GUF that were attached to the FTV transfer to the eVoucher? Should I prepare for difficulties trying to use that GUF?
Jul 25, 2022, 6:45 am
#629
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,163
With the combined real improvements of being able to use GUFx for A inventory on BA TATL and even AA transcontinental flights, I am trying to find a suitable flight for a soon to be expiring GUF2. AA seems to marry I transcontinental inventory with AA-operated TATL flights and not make them available on BA-operated TATL flights. The deeply discounted I-fare I want to use requires BA-operated TATL flights. Does anybody know if I need I-class availability on any given sector when booking using a GUF at time of booking, or is it enough to have the A class available? I know the AA prime flight must also have A inventory and that is the case, but there is no I inventory. Do I need to look for flights which are at least A2 I2 on both the BA coded and AA prime, or is A2 on both sufficient?
Aug 7, 2022, 11:30 pm
#630
Join Date: Mar 2003
Programs: BA GGL; AA LT Gold; AS 100K; DL MM GM; Hyatt G*list, Hilton Diamond; SQ silver
Posts: 3,806
Has anybody gotten into this situation? What's my best recourse? The agent said he would send a request to investigate but that it would take 7 to 14 days.