Fly Companions To Canada for $99 + Taxes Each with US Airways Companion Certificate
Although Canada is our next door neighbor, it’s an expensive destination to visit. One solution is to use miles, especially British Airways miles if you live in the right city. But as we all know, miles don’t always open up the most convenient flights, especially during high travel periods. A few years ago, I wanted to visit Vancouver over Labor Day weekend and, with my restrictive travel times, there was no good way to do it with miles. I ended up paying $700 for the first ticket, but got my second ticket for $150… saving me $650.
What I did was use the US Airways Companion Certificate I got when I signed up for the US Airways Premier World MasterCard. Besides offering 40,000 miles immediately after the first purchase, one of the really attractive perks of the credit card is the US Airways Companion Certificate. The way it works is that you purchase a round-trip ticket of $250 (before any taxes) or more on US Airways flights with your US Airways credit card and you can have up to two companions fly with you for $99 each plus taxes. The companion certificate can be used to fly within the 48 states as well as from the 48 states to Canada. (Note: The companion certificate benefit will be going away in 2015, but is still given to new card sign-ups).
Application Link: US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®
(In the interest of full disclosure, I do earn an affiliate commission for approved applications through my site. You don’t have to use my links, but if you choose to, thank you very much for your support!)
Almost Two For One On a Trip to Vancouver
The one time I used the US Airways Companion Certificate, I was trying to plan a two person trip to Vancouver. As it was Labor Day weekend and the end of summer, there was no award availability and convenient tickets were $700 each. With my work schedule, I am pretty inflexible on my flight schedule so tickets end up being pretty expensive when I want to fly. Instead of paying $1400 for two tickets, we paid $850 ($700 for the first and $150 for the second as it was $99 in taxes). Not cheap, but not bad at all… and we both earned miles as both the passenger and the flying companion earn miles for their flights. Either way, I immediately saved $650 by having the Companion Certificate.
After that first visit to Vancouver, I consider Vancouver to be one of the most beautiful cities in North America and am super glad I had a chance to go!
How US Airways Companion Certificate Works
You need to fly US Airways carrier flights and you have to book at least 14 days in advance and there are no other fare restrictions other than the $250 minimum. In my opinion, it’s the perfect secret weapon to have around for when you can’t redeem miles and ticket prices are high – and, for a family of three, it can offer absolutely incredible value. I personally have two US Airways MasterCards and I definitely recommend signing up just for the easy 40,000 miles, but with the Companion Certificate, it’s even better. You can read my Full Review of the US Airways MasterCard here.
Where in Canada Does US Airways Fly?
US Airways actually flies to a number of cities in Canada covering the ski destinations, national parks and cities that you’d want to visit simply for beauty like Vancouver and Toronto.
- Toronto from Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charlotte, Los Angeles
- Ottawa from Philadelphia, Charlotte
- Montreal from Philadelphia, Charlotte
- Quebec City from Philadelphia
- Halifax from Philadelphia
- Vancouver from Los Angeles, Phoenix
- Edmonton from Los Angeles, Phoenix
- Calgary from Phoenix
How to Book With the Companion Certificate
You actually cannot use the companion certificate online and you must call customer service number on your certificate. When you do call, you need to have the actual physical certificate with you as they will ask for the certificate number and you must provide it when you book. All the tickets must be paid for with the holder’s US Airways credit card. Then, after the flights are set, you need to actually mail in the certificate to finalize processing.
For a full review of the companion certificate, including blackout dates and cities, you can read the post:
Using the US Airways Companion Certificate to Fly Two Additional Passengers for $99 Each!
Summary
- Those that travel as a couple or a family can get incredible value from the US Airways Companion Certificate.
- The Companion Certificate allows a traveler to bring up to two additional passengers on flights booked on US Airways for $99 each plus taxes. This can be a truly valuable savings on expensive tickets for family travel.
- The US Airways MasterCard (full review here) currently offers a Companion Certificate along with a 40,000 mile sign-up bonus after your first purchase.
Hello,
I wanted to get your advise on how to fly on a award. Which one should i go with? I want to fly from Miami to LAX spend a couple days there and then go to Cabo? Thanks
You don’t “get to book up to 14 days in advance, ” you have to book at least 14 days in advance. It’s a consequence in part of having to physically mail in the certificate. I just did this. It is a great deal and I’ll be sorry to see it go.
I meant that to be interpreted as “you can continue to book until 14 days before the flight”, meaning your advance notice period does not have to be very long. But the wording did not come out right so I fixed it… thanks!
Haven’t taken advantage of the US Airways companion certificate (yet) but have used one that came with the Alaska Airlines card. Always good to have more than miles and points in our arsenal for free/low cost travel!
The Alaska Airlines one is another good one and can even be used for Hawaii :) I have on my list to write a post comparing the two Companion Certificates. Hopefully soon!
I currently have a US Airways Master Card (for about 6 months) and would like to apply for a 2nd card. Can I apply for a 2nd card while still having the first card opened? Will I receive the bonus again? Or should I close the current card I have an wait for a certain period of time before applying again?
Thanks!
I actually have two cards right now so canceling isn’t always necessary… though everyone’s experiences varies. If it’s been 6 months, then that sounds reasonable… Barclays usually allows two cards a year for most people. If you do get approved for the offer, you will get the bonus miles.
I thought the US Airways CC is for domestic use only? Isn’t Canada consider international? Thanks!
It’s actually the 48 states and Canada that it says on the certificate, not domestic.
Which companion pass that I could use to fly my partner to Carribean with me? US Airways, Southwest Companion Pass, or Alaska Airlines ?
Of those, only the Southwest Companion Pass can be used to fly to the Caribbean and Southwest Airlines is expanding its international destinations… so definitely worth taking a look there :)
The US Airways direct flight from LAX (Los Angeles) to YVR (Vancouver) starts Oct. 2, 2014
Thanks for the info!
Hi, Do you know if it is possible to buy three tickets and not fly with the full price ticket aka the us airways member? I am the cardholder but want to gift them to parents. I realize it is a waste of money but if you knew my parents you would understand…lol thanks
Very nice of you to want to make a gift for your parents :) I believe the cardholder does need to fly, unfortunately, but haven’t really heard any accounts of anyone trying this.
Can the companion tickets be used in 2015 or must they get used by the end of this year?
If you already have a companion ticket, the “book by” and “travel by” dates should be on the certificates. For the new ones being issued, they can currently still be used for travel in 2015, but the expiration dates change as time goes on.