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I have an Amex BA card and the Barclaycard version, albeit with it’s restrictions. I have booked a flight to Australia, where I am now courtesy of my reward voucher and return in a week.
I have booked my return to Australia to see my family for next year from Heathrow to Sydney and keeping an eye on my flight back from Sydney to Heathrow. Fortunately I have enough avios to cover the return before I link them. But what if I hadn’t. Anyway. I tried to use my Barclays Reward flight to come back as I was playing with the system. Nope! I couldn’t use it as the flight wasn’t from the UK. Maybe a glitch! But I think not. So basically it’s only for short haul when you can book outward and inward flights. That is a big downside.
I’ll keep the Barclays account but I’m not sure many know of this significant shortfall.
It’s one of the key terms of the Barclaycard voucher that it can only be used on flights departing UK.
From this article: https://www.headforpoints.com/2025/01/03/how-do-barclaycard-avios-mastercard-upgrade-vouchers-work-4/
“All flights must depart from the UK – you cannot upgrade a one-way flight TO the UK”
I’m not fully clear from your rambling post, but I think you’re saying you didn’t know this? It’s always sensible to read the T&Cs.
There are plenty of destinations – long and short haul – where you can book the out and back at the same time and on the same ticket with no issues when using the Barclays voucher.
There are a handful of destinations where due to demand this isn’t possible but that’s not the fault of the voucher. So no it isn’t restricted just to short haul.
Yes, you can’t book a journey online starting from outside the UK using the Barclays voucher. You CAN use it for a return journey (long or short haul) starting in the UK.
Where it gets a bit murky is that if you have 2 vouchers and use one for the outbound, BA have been known to apply a 2nd voucher to the inbound leg, because the trip itself starts in the UK. But you would need to call to do this, and also get an agent who thinks like this!
But yes, always read the Ts and Cs, and also HFP where this has been common knowledge since the Barclays avios card was launched!
There are plenty of destinations – long and short haul – where you can book the out and back at the same time and on the same ticket with no issues when using the Barclays voucher.
There are a handful of destinations where due to demand this isn’t possible but that’s not the fault of the voucher. So no it isn’t restricted just to short haul.
Are you able to list the ‘handful ‘ ?
But I can book one-way e.g. LHR-PVG, then ring
later at -355 to try to add, say, NRT-LHR, right?!Yes! You can also call and add domestic connections when you upgrade from PE to CW as this defeats BA’s IT if you try and do it online.
Has anyone actually called to add a return open-jaw? If so that would really help me out because I find myself now with 2 Barclays vouchers.
@Michael-C and @strickers – you can do both of these things but you need to have included enough vouchers for the returns on the outbound booking so that there is another upgrade available without adding a voucher to an existing booking or trying a separate booking not ex UK.
@JDB So use half a voucher for each person outbound, leaving half for the return? Does that work?
@JDB So use half a voucher for each person outbound, leaving half for the return? Does that work?
Yes, that’s what you need to do!
@JDB Much obliged.
I was hoping to see a follow-up to my response above….what ‘handful’ of destinations ?
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