Is the British Airways Travel Together Ticket a Good Deal?

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Million Mile Secrets reader, CB, emailed:

I have over 120,000 British Airways Avios points from spending $30,000 on the Chase British Airways card.  And I’ll soon get the Travel Together Ticket.

I want to fly myself and a companion from the East Coast to Europe in Business Class.  I’ve priced 1 round-trip ticket at 120,000 British Airways Avios points, plus exorbitant taxes and fees – up to $1,200.  My travel companion will fly “free,” but pay the same taxes and fees.

I obviously should not spend $2,400 and 120,000 British Airways Avios points for these flights, right?  Could we buy 2 tickets with another airline for less than $2,400?  Should I use my British Airways Avios miles on a partner airline and forget the Travel Together Ticket?

Thanks for the question, CB!

British Airways is infamous for tacking on steep fuel surcharges when you fly them across the Atlantic.  I usually recommend folks fly on partner airlines, like American Airlines or Air Berlin.

But, you can only use a British Airways Travel Together Ticket on British Airways flights.  And it’s very unlikely you’ll find 2 round-trip Business Class tickets to Europe for ~$2,400.  So this could be a good option for flying British Airways in Business (or First) Class!

I’ll briefly explain what the British Airways Travel Together Ticket is.  And help you decide when to use it!

What to Know About the British Airways Travel Together Ticket

Link:   Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card

Link:   British Airways Travel Together Ticket

Link:   My Review of the British Airways Travel Together Ticket

The Chase British Airways card earns British Airways Avios points, which are valuable if you know how to use them.  And for folks who don’t have it, the card is not subject to Chase’s tighter application rules!

One benefit of the Chase British Airways card is the opportunity to earn something British Airways calls a Travel Together Ticket.  When you spend $30,000 in a calendar year with your card, you will receive a certificate for a traveling companion .

This single-use certificate will get you a 2nd seat on the same flight and in the same cabin as you when you book a British Airways award flight.

According to British Airways:

All you’ll have to pay is the taxes, fees and carrier charges for you and your companion’s tickets.

But those taxes, fees, and carrier charges can be a much bigger deal than British Airways makes it sound!

There are other important conditions of the Travel Together Ticket you should know:

• Travel Together Ticket is good for 2 years
• Travel must begin and end in the US
• Travel must be round-trip
• You can have an open-jaw on both ends of the ticket (you can book a ticket from Boston to London and return from Dublin to Chicago)
• All flights must be on British Airways
• You and your companion must travel on the same flight and in the same class
• You must book your departure flight before the Travel Together Ticket expires; however, you CAN book your return flight after the expiration date

The 2 biggest drawbacks of the ticket is that you cannot use the British Airways Travel Together Ticket if you aren’t flying in a British Airways plane, and travel must begin and end in the US.  This guarantees you’ll be paying hefty fuel surcharges.

Is a Travel Together Ticket Worth Using?

It helps if you view the British Airways Travel Together Ticket as a less of a “free” flight, and more of a big discount.  Whether it’s worth putting $30,000 in spending on your British Airways card is up to you!

I’d rather spend that money to unlock the bonus on cards like The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN, which currently has a huge 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards point welcome bonus after meeting a substantial tiered spending requirement.

Plus, the amount British Airways charges for fuel surcharges can be a lot.  But, considering how much Business Class and First Class seats normally cost, you can still get a good deal.

Business Class prices are usually ~$2,000 to $3,000 per person from the East Coast to London.  So using the points and Travel Together Ticket will basically get you 1 ticket for free!

Taxes and fuel surcharges tend to be the same amount whether you’re traveling in Business Class or First Class.  So if you can scrape together the extra miles needed, you’ll be getting a huge discount.  First Class tickets can be from ~$4,600 to $10,000+ per person!

It costs 136,000 British Airways Avios points for an off-peak round-trip First Class award flight from New York to London (normally 160,000), plus ~$1,120 fees.  But with the Travel Together Ticket, you can fly with a companion for the same amount of miles.  And ~$2,240 in taxes and fees for both tickets.

You are NOT likely going to find 2 round-trip First Class or Business Class tickets for ~$2,400.  Even if you use the British Airways AARP discount (although incredible opportunities have popped up in the past).

There are cheaper ways to fly Business Class with miles & points, like with American Airlines or United Airlines.  It will usually cost more miles, but far less cash!

So it’s up to you whether or not the Travel Together Ticket is a good deal.  In the right circumstances, it can be worth it if you want to splurge on a fancy Business Class or First Class trip across the pond.

Note:   You can also use your British Airways Avios points on partner airlines that don’t pass along fuel surcharges, like Aer Lingus or American Airlines.  But you will not be able to use your Travel Together Ticket.

Here are some more ways to earn British Airways Avios points!

Bottom Line

Using the British Airways Travel Together Ticket can be expensive!  Because despite receiving a free companion fare, you’ll still need to pay British Airways’ huge fuel surcharges for both tickets.

But if you want to fly Business Class or First Class on British Airways, the Travel Together Ticket is a cheaper way to do it.

CB, I hope that gives you some ideas!