How to book your US Airways Companion Certificate

Hurray!  Your US Airways Companion Certificate has arrived!  You’re excited to book your trip, but you realize that the fine print on this thing is crammed on the page.  This thing has more rules than the English language, so buckle up and we’ll walk you through the rules and teach you how to book the trip.

What is the US Airways Companion Certificate?

This is a huge benefit that is offered with the The US Airways Premier World MasterCard® credit card.   The card won’t be available for long, so if you’re interested in picking it up, do so quickly.

The certificate comes in the mail and looks like the photo above.  This certificate is a one-time offer, and will not be a renewable benefit for upcoming years.

You must book a flight that is over $250 for the cardholder.  This benefit is not transferrable to another individual.  The cardholder must be flying to use this benefit, and you must use the US Airways Premier World Mastercard to book the flight. (You want to anyway because you’ll earn 2x the miles by using this card anyway.   Up to your next two companions can fly for $99 each plus taxes.

They have a boatload of restricted dates, as well as a few restricted locations.  See your certificate to review these dates and make sure you’re not planning on traveling on those days .

How do I search for my flight?

• Go to USAirways.com
• Input the dates of your flight and the airports as well
• Tell them how many passengers will be flying (either 2 or 3 total)***This is important.  If you only choose 1 passenger, the price at the end might be more expensive.  They make the cardholder pay for the average price of the three tickets even though you’re only paying for the first one.  Kinda a bummer, but a reality.

• Choose Low Fare Finder
• Choose Weekly View (This is for people who have rather flexible dates)

• Sort the flights by the cheapest Coach flights by clicking on the “Coach” fare.

•  Pick the flight that works best for your schedule, travel time, and price that works well for both the outgoing flight and the return flight as well.
• Once you’ve selected the price for both flights it will come to a final price that looks like this below:

•  This price is the ticket price for the cardholder, the companions will then fly for $99 each plus the taxes, which usually amounts to $300 for both companions. As a ballpark you’re looking at paying $689 for the three passengers, which is a fantastic deal considering that all three passengers still earn miles for flying on the flight.
• Call and book it now.  Do it while you can give them the specific flight numbers.
• Daydream all of the fun things you’ll do on your vacation!

How do I book the US Airways Companion Certificate?

Because US Airways’ website isn’t the best piece of technology on the World Wide Web you cannot book this online.  You need to call the phone number listed on the certificate (800) 428-4322 so you can visit with a Reservation Representative.

When their endless hold finally ends with a rep, now is your chance to give them some info to get the flight booked:

• Give them the numbers on the certificate that they request to ensure that the voucher is valid.
• They’ll check the dates to make sure the days of your flights aren’t blackout dates.
• Then they will request the flight itinerary, and because you still have the flight numbers on your screen they’ll be able to find your proposed itinerary quickly.
• Ensure that the price they’re quoting matches what you found following the above mentioned steps.
• Give them your The US Airways Premier World MasterCard® number and they’ll gladly accept your money. Remember that you get two points for every dollar, so that will be nice!
• Follow the steps on the certificate that tell you where to send the certificate when the flight has been booked.  Include the information requested and mail the certificate to them the day you book your flight.

That’s the process.  Now your flight is booked and you’re on your way to your destination.  I just recently booked a flight using this benefit because my points wouldn’t work on the days that I needed to travel.

Reasons Why the US Airways Companion Certificate Rocks:

• You can fly into any airport, even the smaller airports that are usually more expensive.
• It allows two people to fly for roughly $300.  This works great when your work will pay for your flight, and you can add two family members for $300.
• Although it has quite a few blackout dates, you can usually adjust by picking a slightly different day.
• All flyers earn miles! (This is what the rep told me.  I should be able to tell you for sure after I take my upcoming trip)

Last Thoughts

What are your thoughts about the US Airways Companion Certificate?  Have you used this benefit?