Thomathy

I have operated something incorrectly on the website at some point and can't use the 'partner card' benefit, which is frustrating. I always try and follow the rules but they can be so obscure. I really didn't think I was trying to fiddle anyone or use the system incorrectly.

Here's what I did. The website has a list of people which it calls 'Family & Friends'. The list page https://www.britishairways.com/trave...ctivatetab=faf says that by adding people to this list, you can:

- Nominate people for your Executive Club partner cards from your Family and Friends list.
- Save their personal details for speedier cash and reward flight bookings.

I've been using it for just that second purpose - saving personal details for speedier cash and reward flight bookings. When I make a booking, the people then come up in the list of people dropdown to add them to my booking. It's very quick and easy. I thought it was alright, to have people added to this list so that I could use their details in the booking tools when buying tickets. This works better than the 'Travel Companions' list, because the 'Travel Companions' list doesn't link to the person's BAEC account. I like it being linked together because I can book for a family member and the ticket just pops up in their BAEC account without my having to have the details to hand every time.

So, now the Family & Friends list contains a list of family members of mine, which I use to avoid re-typing people in every time. I now wish to assign a partner card to someone, and use this benefit. Since everyone in the family has a card already, I want to assign this to another person who isn't in this list.

But, when I try and add them on to do so, I get a message saying that I can't add a person because there are already five people present in the list. When I try and remove a person, I get a message that the Family & Friends list can't be updated until sometime in 2019!

I rang in to ask how to fix this and the answer was that I can't fix it, and therefore can't use the benefit.

I feel I am missing a piece of the bigger picture here, as I can't work out what benefit is accruing to me by adding people to this list, which BA is keen to restrict. It doesn't give either the list member or myself any benefit at all.

The person on the phone claimed that if there were unlimited people on the list, I would then be able to book a flight using Avios for anyone I pleased, and this is why the restriction is in place. But I already can book flights using Avios for anyone I please. The representative seemed pretty certain that I could not, and I feel certain I can, which is a bit of an impasse.

Does anyone know if there is another way of assigning this partner card to a person, please? Or what the intended use of the list is, if it is not in fact to save personal details for speedier bookings?

I rather feel that the text on the page proposing that the feature be used for saving personal details for speedier bookings should be removed, if this is an inappropriate use of the list. I had not realised that by doing so, I was preventing myself from assigning any GGL benefit additional cards. I don't think this is at all clear.

Thanks for any help.

hypercrypt

Globaliser

The Travel Companions list does the same thing. I do not have a Household Account nor do I have a Family and Friends List, but there are a number of people on my Travel Companions list for whom I can book, and whose frequent flyer numbers (not all of them BAEC numbers, either) will automatically populate when I book.

Those on my Travel Companions list have been automatically added when I have booked for them. However, looking at ba.com now I can see that the option for adding people directly to the list includes inserting their frequent flyer number. So I don't understand the difficulty with entries on that list not "linking" to the passenger's BAEC account.

The big problem with using the Family and Friends List is that it can only be changed at infrequent intervals, as you have found - so it is not something to use or tinker with lightly, and it is not suitable for being used in the way that you have been using it.As hypercrypt says, the primary intended use of the list is to allow those in household accounts to book for a limited and inflexible list of additional people who are not in the household account, as well as for partner card nominations.

pauldb

When you rang did you ask in parallel if they could manually assign the Partner Card to someone outside of your HHA/F&F? I can see why the website might automatically offer you a choice from the list, but do the T&Cs of the Partner Card really restrict you to those members.

Alternatively would there be a big downside in disbanding your HHA, for the minimum 6 months. If you have the plenty of avios in your own name (or another member's name) to make any redemptions you intend in that period, disbanding the HHA would free your hand in regards to the Partner Card. (Potentially complicated if you have under 18s in your HHA.)

KARFA

I think firstly stuff may need to be clarified a bit when it comes to Household Accounts, F&F lists, and Travel Companion lists. They are three distinct things.

HHA
This is where you join up members of the same household in order to pool avios, this isn't what the OP is talking about. I assume the OP isn't in a HHA, but if they are it would be useful to know.

F&F list
Everyone has this although for some they may never have added anyone, it is a list of up to 5 people. If nominating someone for a partner card they need to me one of the people in your F&F list, Also if you have a HHA one of the restrictions is you can only book reward flights for someone either in your HHA or in your F&F list, if you are not in a HHA you can book reward flights for anyone - they do not have to be in your F&F list or even your Travel Companions list, you can book for whoever you want.

Travel companions list
As Globaliser notes this is just a list where peoples details are saved if you have booked for them in the past, nothing more. When you go to book a reward ticket the drop down list will include both those on your F&F list and those on your Travel Companions list - if you select any of them it will populate the passenger name and exec number fields. You are also free to book for anyone else, it specifically says "You can select a passenger from the drop-down list below or enter a new passenger's details directly into the fields."


Going back to the OP's issue, the F&F list is the relevant one for partner card nominations. You shouldn't have been adding people in to it simply to book reward flights, there awns;t any need to do that and the Travel Companions list would have worked. You can add people to your F&F list when you want if there are free spaces. However, as noted by Globaliser, unfortunately once your F&F list is full you can't simply remove people at will, as noted on ba.com:

So once your list is full that's locked for 6 months and you can't remove anyone to add someone else in to one of the 5 slots until the 6 month period has passed.

The agent is right in the sense that the F&F list was brought in to allow those in a HHA to book reward flights beyond HHA members - I think this was introduced around 2014/2015. Before if you were in a HHA you could only book reward flights for those in the HHA and no one else. If the F&F allowed completely free addition and removal it really would be a pointless restriction. However, as the GGL partner cards also work from the F&F list this restriction clearly has an impact on that too.

pauldb

Unless something changes when you reach Gold or GGL, I think you're wrong to say F&F lists are for everyone. AFAIK as I know you only have one if you're in a HHA, so the OP does seem to be in an HHA and that is part of their problem (and potentially the answer).

My mum's account for example is not in a HHA and her F&F pages says:

KARFA

Ah ok, Yes, it may be a list which is only available for GGLs and HHAs then.

Globaliser

I'm a plain Gold without a Household Account, and I'm being offered the opportunity to create a Family and Friends List (which, obviously, I am not going to take up).

windowontheAside

I have a F&F list and I'm not in a HHA (and never have been).

KARFA

pbdj11

I've never had a problem simply "editing" someone in the F&F list to be someone entirely different - gender, name etc all changeable- doesn't seem to impose any 6-month limit to this way of changing the list. I'm just a lowly Blue with a HHA, in case that's relevant

rapidex

Are you trying to nominate someone under 18 for the partner card. This can only be done by telephone.

KARFA

I am not quite clear, how are you editing people in the f&f list?



The only options are to add new people or remove existing ones - I am prevented from removing until 1 February 2019 atm. Clicking on the "View" box just brings up a pop up with more information on that person but no editable fields, clicking on the "i" icon brings up a message "You can't edit this person's details because they are an Executive Club Member. Only the Member can make changes to their own details."

windowontheAside

Can't speak for anyone else, but I use it to book tickets easily for errrr.... friends and family for whom I book tickets frequently Just means I don't have to enter their details each time.

KARFA

ah ok. but you can use the Travel Companions list for that? The TC list also stores details and those in that list are also shown in the drop down box when booking rewards?

The problem is if you use the F&F list and at some stage you become a GGL (I appreciate that isn't a pressing concern for most ) you can fall in to the trap that the OP seems to have done and be stuck not being able to nominate cards to those not already on your F&F list.