A Guide to the Barclays British Airways Cabin Upgrade Voucher: Fly Higher with Your Avios

Dreaming of a better seat without shelling out thousands of Avios more? The Barclays Cabin Upgrade Voucher might just be the best-kept secret in the world of Avios rewards.

If you're a Barclays Premier Banking customer or hold one of the two Avios Barclaycards, you could be earning your way to cabin comfort upgrades.

Upgrade your next flight with an exciting cabin upgrade voucher courtesy of Barclays

Here’s everything you need to know, from how to qualify, to how to redeem your voucher for an elevated flying experience with British Airways.

What Is a Barclays British Airways Cabin Upgrade Voucher?

The Barclays Cabin Upgrade Voucher gives you the power to upgrade your seat by one cabin class when booking a British Airways Reward Flight using Avios.

What you'll pay is the Avios in the cabin class that you are upgrading out of. But, you will have to pay for the taxes and fees in cash for the cabin you are upgrading into. This means if you use your voucher to upgrade from Premium Economy to Business Class, you will pay the Avios for Premium Economy, and the taxes and fees for Business Class.

Overall, this means you could go from:

• Economy (Euro Traveller) to Business (Club Europe)

• Economy (World Traveller) to Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus)

• Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) to Business (Club World)

Important to note: You can’t upgrade to First using this voucher, but you can still enjoy a seriously improved travel experience in any other cabin above the original class.

How Do I Earn a Cabin Upgrade Voucher?

There are two ways to earn a Cabin Upgrade Voucher. Firstly, you’ll earn one Cabin Upgrade Voucher each year that you remain part of Barclays Avios Rewards.

To get started:

1. You must be a Barclays Premier Banking customer or hold a personal Wealth current account.

2. You need to join Barclays Avios Rewards through the Barclays app (a £12 monthly fee applies).

3. Stay enrolled and pay the monthly fee for 12 consecutive months.

Once your 12-month anniversary hits, you’ll be rewarded with either:

• 7,000 bonus Avios, or

• A British Airways Cabin Upgrade Voucher—the choice is yours.

Your voucher will appear in your British Airways Club account within five working days of your Barclays Avios Rewards anniversary.

Secondly, you can earn a Cabin Upgrade Voucher by hitting a spending threshold with either of the two Avios Barclaycards. The spend target varies depending on which card the you have:

• Barclaycard Avios Card - £20,000

• Barclaycard Avios Plus Card - £10,000 (£20 monthly fee)

To be entitled to receive a cabin upgrade voucher, you must have reached their required spend target within a 12-month period ending each year on the anniversary of their Card Account start date. This start date can be found on the Barclays app.

Just like with being part of Barclays Avios Rewards, you also do have the choice of selecting 7,000 Avios instead of taking the voucher.

Once you have hit the spending threshold, you will be able to select whether you take the Cabin Upgrade Voucher or the 7,000 Avios. My tip; you don't have to select to take the voucher immediately. Instead, wait until a time closer to the end of you anniversary year, or when you think you'll need to use the voucher. The two year expiry starts from the date of issue, so if you delay the date you take the voucher, in theory it lasts longer.

Should You Ever Take the 7,000 Avios Instead?

Simply, no.

The Cabin Upgrade Voucher has much more value in it. Consider a return to Paris, one of the cheapest routes to fly using Avios on British Airways. A one-way off peak flight in Economy is 9,250 Avios, so 18,500 Avios return. A one-way off peak flight in Business Class is 15,000 Avios, so 30,000 Avios return.

The difference between these fares is 11,500, vastly greater than the 7,000 Avios on offer.

Sam has previously used a Cabin Upgrade Voucher to fly to Hong Kong return in Business Class, saving 100,000 Avios. This is where the power of the Cabin Upgrade Voucher is.

How Do I Use the Cabin Upgrade Voucher?

The voucher can be used only on Avios Reward Flight bookings, and it must be applied at the time of booking, you can’t use it to amend existing reservations or request upgrades at the airport.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Head to ba.com and log into your Club account.

2. Go to "book flights with Avios", and then clicking over a tab to "book and upgrade". From there you search the cabin you wish to upgrade out of.

3. Find the flight you wish to purchase.

4. Apply your cabin upgrade voucher during the booking process.

5. Complete your booking and enjoy the upgraded experience!

Vouchers can be used:

• For one passenger on a return or one-way trip, or

• For two passengers on a one-way trip

Just make sure:

• The flight departs from the UK

• There’s upgrade availability in the cabin you want

• You're using full Avios (not "Avios & Money" or cash bookings)

Which Flights Are Eligible?

The Cabin Upgrade Voucher can be used on:

• Short haul and long haul Reward Flights

• Flights operated by British Airways (mainline and CityFlyer only)

Flights must depart from the UK, and you’ll need to pay the taxes, fees, and carrier charges applicable to the upgraded cabin.

Vouchers are valid for 24 months from the date of issue, and your outbound travel must commence before the voucher expires.

Flying With a Friend? Or Just Want a Little Extra Space?

One of the best perks of the Barclays Cabin Upgrade Voucher is flexibility:

• Use it solo for a round trip with one upgraded leg

• Or use it for two people on a one-way trip

And if you have more than one voucher (yes, you can collect them year after year), you can use up to two vouchers per booking, as long as the person who earned the vouchers is travelling on that booking.

You can choose to fly solo for a round trip or use it to upgrade one way with a loved one.

Just note that vouchers can’t be transferred, pooled with household accounts, or used in conjunction with other non-Barclays vouchers.

Who Is Eligible for Barclays Avios Rewards?

To join Barclays Avios Rewards and work towards your cabin upgrade voucher, you’ll need to:

• Be a Barclays Premier Banking customer, or

• Have a personal Wealth current account

• Register for the Barclays app

• Link your British Airways Executive Club account

• Opt out of Barclays Blue Rewards

• Agree to go paperless for all Barclays services

You’ll also need to be over 18 and meet Barclays Premier Banking eligibility criteria (typically £75,000+ income or £100,000 in savings/investments).

What Else Do I Get with Barclays Avios Rewards?

For a monthly fee of £12, Barclays Avios Rewards packs in a solid range of benefits:

• 1,500 Avios every month

• You’ll receive 25,000 Avios if you’re opening your first account with Barclays and complete a full switch using the Current Account Switcher Service within three months

• If you’ve been with Barclays for four months or more, you’ll receive 2,500 Avios as a joining bonus.

By the end of your first year if you're a new customer to Barclays, you will have earned 38,000 Avios, enough for a return Reward Flight to popular European cities like Milan, Nice, or Lisbon.

Important Booking Notes

A few final things to remember before booking with your voucher:

• The upgrade applies to Reward Flight bookings only (full Avios redemptions)

• The upgraded cabin must have Reward Flight availability at the time of booking

• If you cancel more than 24 hours before travel, your voucher is reissued (valid for the remainder of the 24 months)

• If you cancel within 24 hours of departure, the voucher is lost

• You can’t use the voucher for British Airways Holidays packages or flights booked using “Pay with Avios”

Final Thoughts

The Barclays Cabin Upgrade Voucher is a smart way to make your Avios stretch further, especially if you enjoy the comfort of a higher cabin without spending more points. It rewards long-term loyalty, gives you options each year, and slots in beautifully with the British Airways Club.

Upgrade your banking, and you might just upgrade your next flight.

Helena

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