ajcopley

Hello --

I have a credit with AC for the return portion of a flight from VCE to YVR (via YYZ). Couldn't make the return portion for reasons I won't get into. So I inquire with AC about using this credit for future trip I'm planning, and this is the response I received:

"it can only be used for a same direction flight. The unused portion was from Europe back to Canada therefore the future travel booked with this credit needs to be from Europe back to Canada."

For real??? If I receive a credit on AC, why on earth does it matter what my future itinerary is? Why would I be forced to only be able to use this credit for a future return flight from Europe?

Also, in the 'remarks' section of the e-ticket receipt I received when I had to 'cancel' the return portion of my flight, it says I can convert this credit to an AC travel voucher. Is a travel voucher also subject to this silly "can only be used for a same direction flight" garbage?

TIA

King Chung Huang

It's because you flew the outbound on what was likely a roundtrip fare. Your credit is applicable for a return flight.

The cost of your outbound would be higher if repriced as a one-way. You probably won't have much of a residual value left if you take a credit that way.

emcampbe

it’s certainly not ideal, but the first response explains the issue well. You booked a round trip fare - without the round trip - the credit you’d get would be less since they’d reprice the outbound as a one way. That could even leave you with zero credit - as a OW to EU could even be more than the price of a roundtrip.

If you want the voucher, call to find out - if they will give you the full value of the half-round trip as an AC travel voucher, then take that. AC travel voucher is pretty flexible, and essentially is a gift card you can use for any ticket purchase from the AC site - for you ir someone else. Issue with the vouchers is they take time to convert. Don’t know if it’s gotten any better - I got my last one in Dec. ‘21, and the quoted time was 6 weeks, and I received it probably sometime in 4-5. Just as a note, if you choose this, as they process, you’ll get sent the voucher Info., and initially that will have zero value - it will take 2-3 further days after that email for the value to be loaded.

ajcopley

Thanks. Still seems odd. If it's a credit for future travel, isn't a credit a credit? It's like me walking into a store and getting store credit for something I've returned, only to be told that the credit is only applicable if I purchase the same thing again.....

Anyway, I got the travel voucher instead, and it turns out the amount I ended up getting was more than half the price of the overall ticket. And voucher can be used for any future travel, any direction, any destination. And yeah, voucher takes upwards of 6 weeks (which is another oddity ----- are they still doing things by hand / paper / pencil over there at AC?!?!?!)

In the end, it all worked out.

Appreciate the insight (even though I still don't really get it).

rankourabu

Sorry no, thats not how the evoucher has worked in the last 2 years.

I've cancelled quite a few returns of round trip international tickets (since tickets ex-Europe is so much cheaper on AC), especially last year when USA connctions were not possible, and always the evoucher issued has been for whatever the value of the return was (or more )

OP, ask the credit to be converted to an evoucher - it will take a few months, but you will eventually get a gift card. (edit: I see you did )

ajcopley

Yup as I mentioned, I had it converted to a voucher. All good.

ohmark

Glad it worked out for you.