"Special Elite" award ticket type
Jul 6, 2016, 9:01 am
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,730
Fee waivers were never a feature of any level of FB membership.
That said, this does not mean that certain staff are not able to waive the €45 cancellation fee on Classic Awards at their discretion (or forget to apply the fee); and perhaps you rang up and the staff member actively told you that they were waiving the fee for you.
However, if you did this online you will probably notice, if you check the amount you initially paid and the amount actually refunded, that the fee was taken out of the amount refunded to you and you just assumed you got a full refund (as seems to have happened in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...licy-tops.html)
That said, this does not mean that certain staff are not able to waive the €45 cancellation fee on Classic Awards at their discretion (or forget to apply the fee); and perhaps you rang up and the staff member actively told you that they were waiving the fee for you.
However, if you did this online you will probably notice, if you check the amount you initially paid and the amount actually refunded, that the fee was taken out of the amount refunded to you and you just assumed you got a full refund (as seems to have happened in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...licy-tops.html)
Jul 6, 2016, 9:12 am
#17
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: AMS
Programs: KL PFL; BA Gold; A3 Silver; EY Silver; SU Silver
Posts: 2,488
Fee waivers were never a feature of any level of FB membership.
That said, this does not mean that certain staff are not able to waive the €45 cancellation fee on Classic Awards at their discretion (or forget to apply the fee); and perhaps you rang up and the staff member actively told you that they were waiving the fee for you.
However, if you did this online you will probably notice, if you check the amount you initially paid and the amount actually refunded, that the fee was taken out of the amount refunded to you and you just assumed you got a full refund (as seems to have happened in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...licy-tops.html)
That said, this does not mean that certain staff are not able to waive the €45 cancellation fee on Classic Awards at their discretion (or forget to apply the fee); and perhaps you rang up and the staff member actively told you that they were waiving the fee for you.
However, if you did this online you will probably notice, if you check the amount you initially paid and the amount actually refunded, that the fee was taken out of the amount refunded to you and you just assumed you got a full refund (as seems to have happened in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...licy-tops.html)
And my refund is 100%, i did not do this online, but via a call center.
I will lost now as i need to cancel 3 other award tickets
Jul 6, 2016, 9:25 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,730
I genuinely think you are mistaken regarding any "waived for Platinum" feature. If Classic Awards could be cancelled for free by Platinum members, then that would be a very handy benefit - and one that would have been mentioned in the past 10 years on this website. It is not mentioned at all. (A search of "waived Platinum Flying Blue" on flyertalk returns only threads talking about the waiving of the annual fee for the Amex Flying Blue credit card)
The current list of Platinum benefits mentions no such fee waivers. This post from 2011 from one of the old stickies here on FT shows no such feature at that time for Platinums. This old discussion of the Award Types from 5 years ago here on FT - also from a sticky - also makes no indication of a Platinum waiver for cancellation fees - despite mentioning the then extra award availability for Elite members.
Platinums do, of course, have certain seat selection fees waived.
But I have never seen any mention of the waiver of the €45 Classic Award cancellation fee ever having been a published benefit for Platinums. The fact that this has not been mentioned previously on Flyertalk seems to back that up.
(BA's equivalent level - Gold - used to offer free award cancellations up until 2 years ago. It caused uproar when they abolished that waiver: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ntroduced.html Having been Gold at the time, and following that thread and this, I have NEVER seen any mention of a similar benefit ever having been a published part of the FB programme).
The current list of Platinum benefits mentions no such fee waivers. This post from 2011 from one of the old stickies here on FT shows no such feature at that time for Platinums. This old discussion of the Award Types from 5 years ago here on FT - also from a sticky - also makes no indication of a Platinum waiver for cancellation fees - despite mentioning the then extra award availability for Elite members.
Platinums do, of course, have certain seat selection fees waived.
But I have never seen any mention of the waiver of the €45 Classic Award cancellation fee ever having been a published benefit for Platinums. The fact that this has not been mentioned previously on Flyertalk seems to back that up.
(BA's equivalent level - Gold - used to offer free award cancellations up until 2 years ago. It caused uproar when they abolished that waiver: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ntroduced.html Having been Gold at the time, and following that thread and this, I have NEVER seen any mention of a similar benefit ever having been a published part of the FB programme).
Last edited by irishguy28; Jul 6, 2016 at 9:34 am
Jul 6, 2016, 11:16 am
#20
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: AMS
Programs: KL PFL; BA Gold; A3 Silver; EY Silver; SU Silver
Posts: 2,488
It's like a waking up from a dream hahaha. I really saw that these fees do not apply for Platinum. I've been 3 years Platinum already but never really needed to redeem anything up to now. And when i read 'no fees' i booked many
To provide some more into: just tried to call US FB - they told me USD 50 for a refund. She needed a credit card number to cancel the ticket (as the ticket price was just EUR 5).
Called RU callcenter which is closed (and i knew it), so i was redirected to somewhere. A lady speaking French accent did not take any cancellation fees. The reason was that the fees i paid were just EUR 5 on this ticket. The EUR 5 will be refunded she told me.
When i asked if i can cancel another ticket she told me that on this one she would need to deduct 45 EUR first. And to my question 'why' she told me this is because I paid more than 45 EUR in taxes and charges on this one.
Amazing...
To provide some more into: just tried to call US FB - they told me USD 50 for a refund. She needed a credit card number to cancel the ticket (as the ticket price was just EUR 5).
Called RU callcenter which is closed (and i knew it), so i was redirected to somewhere. A lady speaking French accent did not take any cancellation fees. The reason was that the fees i paid were just EUR 5 on this ticket. The EUR 5 will be refunded she told me.
When i asked if i can cancel another ticket she told me that on this one she would need to deduct 45 EUR first. And to my question 'why' she told me this is because I paid more than 45 EUR in taxes and charges on this one.
Amazing...
May 16, 2017, 6:24 pm
#23
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Asia
Programs: FB Platinum
Posts: 186
sorry to dig up an old thread. but i was searching award tickets last night, and i came upon this Special Elite award, one which I've never seen before. only came upon this thread after a google search.
was searching for a long haul Asia-Europe on the AF award calendar view, and eyeing those classic 100,000/pax redemptions. clicked on one date, it shows 200,000 (for 2pax), and when i got to the 'Select flight' page, it shows Special Elite 180,000 miles/pax = 360,000.
is that some kind of special availability for elite members BUT at almost double the miles?!?!
was searching for a long haul Asia-Europe on the AF award calendar view, and eyeing those classic 100,000/pax redemptions. clicked on one date, it shows 200,000 (for 2pax), and when i got to the 'Select flight' page, it shows Special Elite 180,000 miles/pax = 360,000.
is that some kind of special availability for elite members BUT at almost double the miles?!?!