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Old May 12, 2020 | 6:55 am
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groenroos
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BA cancellations with no insurance

This might also (or better?) fit the Amex forum here, but they seem to be more US-focused over there, so I'll try my luck here first.

On BA, I've got BOS in late June, HEL (now rebooked to AY) in August, and PUJ in September, all booked last year. I've a feeling BOS will be cancelled (our travel companion with slightly different dates had theirs cancelled already, so I think it's a matter of time), and the others are looking increasingly unlikely to happen as well. Or in any case, even if the flights do fly, I don't think we'll elect to be on board.

Thus far, I've relied on my Amex Platinum travel insurance to bail us out, should we need to blink first before BA does in terms of cancelling these trips. But now it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify the £575 annual fee for loads of travel benefits in a new world where there is no travel, priority tickets for events that aren't happening, useless offers for mattresses and pilates over video conference, and a £10 credit on a minicab company that doesn't even operate in the city I live in. And while US-based Platinum cards seem to be getting credits for food delivery, supermarkets and streaming services, here in the boring old UK, the best they can offer is "being here for you in these unprecedented times".

So cancelling Amex Platinum (and its travel insurance) seems to be in the cards. I'm still hoping BA and AY will cancel the flights I'm on so I can apply for a full cash refund or rebook for next year (both equally good options to me), but should it come to pass that we have to decide to cancel, what exactly are my recourse options for these three if I don't have Platinum insurance to help me? Obviously taking up any new separate travel insurance policy does not cover coronavirus cancellations, so that's out.
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