Several rewards credit cards offer airline companion tickets as a standard benefit or as a reward for spending. Some of these companion fares are fairly easy to use, while others are more restrictive. Knowing the rules in advance will help you get the most out of them when you’re ready to redeem.
Here’s how some of the most popular companion tickets work and how to know if your companion ticket is still valid if you cancel the associated credit card.
How companion tickets work
First, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card cardmembers receive an annual Delta companion ticket with each annual card renewal.
Since this voucher benefit is extended to both the consumer and small-business versions of the cards, you can earn more than one companion voucher if you have multiple. However, these vouchers are not granted in the first year, meaning you must renew your card and pay the annual fee to earn it (see rates and fees for the Delta Platinum Amex; see rates and fees for the Delta Platinum Business Amex; see rates and fees for the Delta Reserve Amex; see rates and fees for the Delta Reserve Business Amex).
According to Delta’s terms and conditions for the above cards, if you close or downgrade your Delta card within 60 days of the annual fee posting, your companion ticket will likely be canceled or voided.
A different example would be British Airways, which offers what’s known as the Travel Together Ticket, earned after making $30,000 in purchases in a calendar year on the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
This companion fare allows you to book a second ticket in conjunction with a round-trip award flight or receive a 50% discount when traveling solo. While you won’t have to cover the normal Avios requirement for the second ticket, you’ll still have to pay taxes and fees for both passengers, which can add up quickly.
Your card account must still be open and in good standing in order to redeem the Travel Together ticket. The terms and conditions stipulate that only primary cardholders are eligible to receive this benefit and that you must remain eligible for the promotion at the time of travel.
I’ve heard from flyers whose vouchers remained active in their Executive Club accounts after their cards were canceled, but the official policy (which I’ve confirmed with my contacts at Chase) is that closing your account will nullify the Travel Together ticket.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
If your account is open, the ticket remains valid for 24 months from the issue date.
These rules are somewhat inconsistent with other companion tickets, however. For example, the Alaska Airlines Companion Fare is typically only usable when you purchase your ticket with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card.
Some Reddit users who closed their credit card accounts reported that they could still get the companion fare to work by using an Alaska Airlines gift card to pay for their ticket, but this isn’t guaranteed to work.
Bottom line
As you can see, whether you’ll still be able to use your companion ticket if you cancel the associated credit card is highly dependent on which particular card (and companion ticket) you’re trying to take advantage of.
It’s just one more reason why it’s important to read the fine print on the credit cards in your wallet — one of the best ways to ensure that you can take advantage of all the card’s perks every time without leaving any value on the table.
Related: Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?
For rates and fees of the Delta Platinum Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Platinum Business Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve Business Amex, click here.
