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-   -   Cancelling Avianca Award Flights - Not flying is cheaper than buying miles (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/avianca-lifemiles-amigo/1396001-cancelling-avianca-award-flights-not-flying-cheaper-than-buying-miles.html)

harryhv Oct 10, 2012 12:45 am

Cancelling Avianca Award Flights - Not flying is cheaper than buying miles
 
You can't buy miles by cancelling an award any more oh yes you can again

Cancelling an Avianca Lifemiles award

update - Apparently "Google-talk" can be useful as it can transmit the credit-card number faultlessly.

1. This will take 20-30 minutes and costs $50
2. You have to pay the $50 up front and will need to have your credit card handy
3. You will need a PIN number for the call center. You set up the PIN online by changing your "information and preferences". Note that this has 3 pages but you only need to change the "Manage the Basics" page and hit "Save". The progress-bar at the top never seems to reach 100% but it doesn't matter. There are two places to press "Save and continue" when you give the PIN. The top button doesn't work. You have to click on the one on the bottom of the screen
4. Call the USA reservations number preferably during business hours +1 800 284 2622
5. Key 2 for English (or 1 for Spanish), 3 for Lifemiles/Corporate, then 1 for Lifemiles
6. If you have got a noisy phone line, hang up and go back to step 4. It is possible to get a good line even from overseas.
7. With luck, someone coherent will answer. If not, don't waste your time, HUACA
8. Give them the PNR to be cancelled
9. [not any more] You will get a sales pitch encouraging you to change the flight to another date which would cost $150, rather than cancel. Insist on cancelling.
10. You will be asked "do you have a PIN". say yes. You will be put on hold
11. You will be connected to an automated system to key in your PIN. Don't press # afterwards. [Sometimes they dont ask for the PIN any more]
12. You will be asked to pay the $50 via an automated system. You'll be asked for your CC number, then you must repeat it. Don't press # afterwards. Then the expiry month, then year, then the id number. Be ready to rattle through the keys as any hesitation causes the system to think you've finished. So, typically you will need 2-3 attempts. [The operator listens in on the automated process and helps you along if you don’t key in the right numbers]
13. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes while the card is checked. It may fail the first time, for no reason. Go back to step 12.
14. Once the CC is confirmed the operator will ask you for the full billing address, then your name as it appears on the card, then the name of the bank which issued the card.
15. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
16. The operator will confirm the cancellation, or rather confirm it will be put in the queue for manual cancellation.
17. After 24 hours or so, you should receive an E Mail receipt for the $50 (could be in Spanish)
18. Miles will be refunded within 2-3 days, as if you had paid using the maximum miles with no cash to refund all the cash and the miles to what you had before making the booking. The miles sometimes reappear immediately. [Most often, the miles are available within 24 hours.]
19. The taxes - fairly modest - will be refunded in full since you already paid the cancellation fee up front. The refund should hit the CC within a week or so. No refund for the $25 booking fee.
20. AFAIK the cash will be refunded to the original card not the one you just gave them.

[Thanks to SMK77 for the updates]

yerffej201 Oct 10, 2012 8:31 pm


Originally Posted by harryhv (Post 19469028)
Cancelling an Avianca Lifemiles award

1. This will take 20-30 minutes and costs $50
2. You have to pay the $50 up front and will need to have your credit card handy
3. You will need a PIN number for the call center. You set up the PIN online by changing your "information and preferences". Note that this has 3 pages but you only need to change the "Manage the Basics" page and hit "Save". The progress-bar at the top never seems to reach 100% but it doesn't matter.
4. Call the USA reservations number preferably during business hours +1 800 284 2622
5. Key 2 for English (or 1 for Spanish), 3 for Lifemiles/Corporate, then 1 for Lifemiles
6. If you have got a noisy phone line, hang up and go back to step 4. It is possible to get a good line even from overseas.
7. With luck, someone coherent will answer. If not, don't waste your time, HUACA
8. Give them the PNR to be cancelled
9. You will get a sales pitch encouraging you to change the flight to another date which would cost $150, rather than cancel. Insist on cancelling.
10. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
11. You will be connected to an automated system to key in your PIN. Don't press # afterwards.
12. You will be asked to pay the $50 via an automated system. You'll be asked for your CC number, then you must repeat it. Don't press # afterwards. Then the expiry month, then year, then the id number. Be ready to rattle through the keys as any hesitation causes the system to think you've finished. So, typically you will need 2-3 attempts.
13. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes while the card is checked. It may fail the first time, for no reason. Go back to step 12.
14. Once the CC is confirmed the operator will ask you for the full billing address, then your name as it appears on the card, then the name of the bank which issued the card.
15. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
16. The operator will confirm the cancellation, or rather confirm it will be put in the queue for manual cancellation.
17. After 24 hours or so, you should receive an E Mail receipt for the $50 (could be in Spanish)
18. Miles will be refunded within 2-3 days, as if you had paid using the maximum miles with no cash. So if you had booked using cash + miles, you will effectively have bought some more miles cheaply.
19. The taxes - fairly modest - will be refunded in full since you already paid the cancellation fee up front. The refund should hit the CC within a week or so.
20. AFAIK the cash will be refunded to the original card not the one you just gave them.

Very nice.
This should be a sticky.

ebaksa Oct 11, 2012 3:55 am


Originally Posted by harryhv (Post 19469028)
Cancelling an Avianca Lifemiles award

1. This will take 20-30 minutes and costs $50
2. You have to pay the $50 up front and will need to have your credit card handy
3. You will need a PIN number for the call center. You set up the PIN online by changing your "information and preferences". Note that this has 3 pages but you only need to change the "Manage the Basics" page and hit "Save". The progress-bar at the top never seems to reach 100% but it doesn't matter.
4. Call the USA reservations number preferably during business hours +1 800 284 2622
5. Key 2 for English (or 1 for Spanish), 3 for Lifemiles/Corporate, then 1 for Lifemiles
6. If you have got a noisy phone line, hang up and go back to step 4. It is possible to get a good line even from overseas.
7. With luck, someone coherent will answer. If not, don't waste your time, HUACA
8. Give them the PNR to be cancelled
9. You will get a sales pitch encouraging you to change the flight to another date which would cost $150, rather than cancel. Insist on cancelling.
10. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
11. You will be connected to an automated system to key in your PIN. Don't press # afterwards.
12. You will be asked to pay the $50 via an automated system. You'll be asked for your CC number, then you must repeat it. Don't press # afterwards. Then the expiry month, then year, then the id number. Be ready to rattle through the keys as any hesitation causes the system to think you've finished. So, typically you will need 2-3 attempts.
13. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes while the card is checked. It may fail the first time, for no reason. Go back to step 12.
14. Once the CC is confirmed the operator will ask you for the full billing address, then your name as it appears on the card, then the name of the bank which issued the card.
15. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
16. The operator will confirm the cancellation, or rather confirm it will be put in the queue for manual cancellation.
17. After 24 hours or so, you should receive an E Mail receipt for the $50 (could be in Spanish)
18. Miles will be refunded within 2-3 days, as if you had paid using the maximum miles with no cash. So if you had booked using cash + miles, you will effectively have bought some more miles cheaply.
19. The taxes - fairly modest - will be refunded in full since you already paid the cancellation fee up front. The refund should hit the CC within a week or so.
20. AFAIK the cash will be refunded to the original card not the one you just gave them.

Sounds very nice, except that I should contact the call center, a few times.
Thanks for sharing your idea in detail.
Any online procedure do you recommend?

babypuwet Oct 11, 2012 4:07 am


Originally Posted by harryhv (Post 19469028)
Cancelling an Avianca Lifemiles award

1. This will take 20-30 minutes and costs $50
2. You have to pay the $50 up front and will need to have your credit card handy
3. You will need a PIN number for the call center. You set up the PIN online by changing your "information and preferences". Note that this has 3 pages but you only need to change the "Manage the Basics" page and hit "Save". The progress-bar at the top never seems to reach 100% but it doesn't matter.
4. Call the USA reservations number preferably during business hours +1 800 284 2622
5. Key 2 for English (or 1 for Spanish), 3 for Lifemiles/Corporate, then 1 for Lifemiles
6. If you have got a noisy phone line, hang up and go back to step 4. It is possible to get a good line even from overseas.
7. With luck, someone coherent will answer. If not, don't waste your time, HUACA
8. Give them the PNR to be cancelled
9. You will get a sales pitch encouraging you to change the flight to another date which would cost $150, rather than cancel. Insist on cancelling.
10. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
11. You will be connected to an automated system to key in your PIN. Don't press # afterwards.
12. You will be asked to pay the $50 via an automated system. You'll be asked for your CC number, then you must repeat it. Don't press # afterwards. Then the expiry month, then year, then the id number. Be ready to rattle through the keys as any hesitation causes the system to think you've finished. So, typically you will need 2-3 attempts.
13. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes while the card is checked. It may fail the first time, for no reason. Go back to step 12.
14. Once the CC is confirmed the operator will ask you for the full billing address, then your name as it appears on the card, then the name of the bank which issued the card.
15. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
16. The operator will confirm the cancellation, or rather confirm it will be put in the queue for manual cancellation.
17. After 24 hours or so, you should receive an E Mail receipt for the $50 (could be in Spanish)
18. Miles will be refunded within 2-3 days, as if you had paid using the maximum miles with no cash. So if you had booked using cash + miles, you will effectively have bought some more miles cheaply.
19. The taxes - fairly modest - will be refunded in full since you already paid the cancellation fee up front. The refund should hit the CC within a week or so.
20. AFAIK the cash will be refunded to the original card not the one you just gave them.

Please forgive my ignorance as I dont quit get it. From what I can gather is that if I had used the miles and cash option, and cancel, i would get no cash back and all miles at the cost of the miles(I think about .01275/mile) plus $50 cancellation. Isnt that costing $50 more than I would normally pay had I simply used the miles and cash option?

choupeo Oct 11, 2012 8:34 am

Thank you for a very useful post. However, I really hope I won't have to cancel an award booking with them. But if I have to suffer that scary process, I will take the cheap miles as positive outcome.

yerffej201 Oct 11, 2012 10:53 am


Originally Posted by choupeo (Post 19476996)
Thank you for a very useful post. However, I really hope I won't have to cancel an award booking with them. But if I have to suffer that scary process, I will take the cheap miles as positive outcome.

Exactly.

yerffej201 Oct 11, 2012 10:59 am


Originally Posted by babypuwet (Post 19475949)
Please forgive my ignorance as I dont quit get it. From what I can gather is that if I had used the miles and cash option, and cancel, i would get no cash back and all miles at the cost of the miles(I think about .01275/mile) plus $50 cancellation. Isnt that costing $50 more than I would normally pay had I simply used the miles and cash option?

It is but still cheaper than buying miles at a non-2x1 promo

harryhv Oct 12, 2012 1:46 am

It's about $13.75 to acquire a thousand miles this way, $15.00 to buy when there's a 2-for-1, and $30.00 normally.

And there's no annual limit this way.

And unfortunately no there's no way to cancel online.

derpelikan Oct 14, 2012 4:18 am

dont do it
 
hi,

you can do this.
i had to cancel tickets, but its a pain in the ... to get the money back (takes a couple of weeks) you dont know which part has been credited back, if you have problems you are doomed with lifemiles.

i had 4 tickets, which have been cancalled, it took me 3 days to cancel the tickets, as the PIN computer didnt get my CCV Numbers etc.

the agent didnt know how to cancel the ticket first, and i had to call back a couple of times.

i can not recommend doing this, its not worth your while trying this. wait for the next 2/1 promo and buy the miles for 15cent. still a bargain!

dp

chrisljo Dec 4, 2012 10:50 am

Is the 25$ award fee refunded?

nydad Dec 5, 2012 5:55 pm


Originally Posted by chrisljo (Post 19794568)
Is the 25$ award fee refunded?

Nope.

1k650 Dec 12, 2012 1:04 pm

This is no longer operative. They will refund your money, not add miles.

pantanal Dec 12, 2012 1:48 pm


Originally Posted by 1k650 (Post 19844376)
This is no longer operative. They will refund your money, not add miles.


Thanks..I was planning to buy the promo miles and get additional miles using this trick. When did they stop the cash and miles (where u get to keep miles after cancelling)

ckn2 Jan 14, 2013 5:38 pm


Originally Posted by 1k650 (Post 19844376)
This is no longer operative. They will refund your money, not add miles.

I just cancelled a ticket yesterday and the agent specifically told me I'd get the miles back, not the money.

Unfortunately, she also said I had to go personally to a ticketing office to request a refund, so no more automated system working.

Does anybody else have the same experience lately?

YorkieFlyer Feb 8, 2013 11:11 am


Originally Posted by ckn2 (Post 20047264)
I just cancelled a ticket yesterday and the agent specifically told me I'd get the miles back, not the money.

Unfortunately, she also said I had to go personally to a ticketing office to request a refund, so no more automated system working.

Does anybody else have the same experience lately?

I can confirm from two tickets cancelled for two different accounts this week. All done on the phone with a lot of patience, curiously no auto credit card shenanigans with one booking. All points back in the accounts not cash.


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