What is a British Airways Gold Upgrade For Two / For One Voucher?

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How does the British Airways ‘Gold Upgrade for Two’ and ‘Gold Upgrade for One’ voucher work? Today I thought I’d take a look at this often-confusing aspect of the Executive Club.

Unlike the other elite tiers, British Airways Gold status comes with various additional tier promotions and benefits. These include the various Gold Upgrade vouchers.

Once you attain British Airways Gold status at 1,500 tier points, there are further thresholds with extra treats:

At 2,500 tier points you get a Gold Upgrade for Two voucher (GUF2 in the trade)

At 3,500 tier points you get 2 Gold Upgrade for One vouchers (GUF1 in the trade)

At 5,000 tier points you become a Gold Guest List member – I explain Gold Guest List here. When you reach the appropriate thresholds the vouchers will automatically appear on your Executive Club homepage on the British Airways website.

What are BA Gold Upgrade vouchers?

Gold Upgrade vouchers allow you to upgrade your chosen cash or Avios booking to the next cabin on British Airways operated flights. If you are booked into premium economy, for example, you will be able to upgrade to business class. Since the voucher counts per booking, you will be upgraded on both the outbound and inbound flights if you book a return fare.

Following a change in June 2019, these vouchers are now easier to use.

It used to be that, if no Avios seats were showing in the higher cabin, you needed to get a travel agent to process the upgrade for you. This is because travel agents could upgrade you into cash seats.

This has now changed. The BA call centre can process your GUF2 upgrade if either:

Avios seats are showing in the upgraded class, or

Cash tickets are still available in the cheapest selling ‘bucket’, which is ‘A’ for First Class, ‘I’ for Club World and ‘T’ for World Traveller Plus

This was a major improvement to how GUF2 voucehrs could be used.

How long do BA Gold Upgrade vouchers last?

Each voucher is only valid for one year. It is generally accepted that British Airways will extend this a further six months if you call them although this is not officially in the rules. You must book your ticket before the expiry date although you can travel later, which effectively gives you up to 355 extra days to fly.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works. You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

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How to get 20,000 Avios from Amex Gold or 30,000 Avios from Amex Platinum (December 2021 offer)

The sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold converts to 20,000 Avios and the card is free for the first year. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

You don’t qualify for the Amex Gold bonus if you have a British Airways American Express card. You DO qualify for the bonus on The Platinum Card, which converts into 30,000 Avios. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have your own small business, the best way of earning Avios is via the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa. It has a sign-up bonus which converts to 10,000 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also look at the British Airways Accelerating Business card, because it currently has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up by 14th November. You can apply here.