Mar 27, 2015, 9:09 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
If you are new to this thread, please read this wiki before posting a question.
It's here to summarise what we know so far. It will save you the trouble of skim-reading the whole thread and should only take a minute to read. Thanks!
The very short version is:
If all your BA Avios have vanished, don't panic. They have probably been temporarily frozen by BA, not stolen by hackers.
British Airways have issued an FAQ on the issue:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s?p_faqid=5249
Starting on 27 March 2015, a very large number of people have found that their Avios balance has been reset to zero. Their list of transactions shows an "Ex-Gratia" deduction of their entire previous balance. Other people are also reporting they are unable to access their accounts at all, with their BAEC number not being recognised.
As of 17 hrs BST 30 March 2015, some members of FT have seen their Avios returned, as an equal Ex-Gratia credit to their account.
BAEC call centre staff do not seem to have received a thorough briefing and are giving at times contradictory information. However, an email has gone out to some, not all, BAEC members affected by this issue, with the subject "Executive Club Password Change", details here in post 181. At present there is no definitive information about the exact cause, but it's clear that BA believes there has been a serious security breach (or that there was a serious risk of such a breach).
Can I fix it myself?
Not at this stage. Early posts described a two part process but that no longer works, perhaps because there were too many cases. It will be necessary to reset your password if you are affected. After that you can login to your account, but at the moment those affected will still see zero Avios. Tier Points are unaffected by this incident.
Do I need to reset my password?
If you can't get into BA.com then yes. There seems to be two ways to do this:
1) If you received the email in post 181 above, follow the link to generate a new password. Note that you should double check that this is the precise same email shown in the link. There is a facility to view this email in a browser, top right, this is hosted by ed4.net
2) On the front page of BA.com -- when not logged in -- there is a "Forgotten PIN/Password" option. This should send an email to your registered account and from there you can reset your password.
There are, however, many reports of option 2 not working, although it is working for some BAEC members on some occasions. As always, check your spam box. If you can't get it to work, you can telephone the call centre (service centre) and after asking additional questions to verify identity, they can generate the email too.
I haven't received the email but I have been locked out / zero'd, what should I do?
Try to reset your password as above, and you could ring BA to find out if you need to take additional action. However the chances are that at the moment you will need to wait at least a few days until the situation becomes clearer.
I haven't been blocked, do I need to do anything?
No. But if you are worried you can reset your password inside BAEC, just go to My Executive Club / Manage My Account / Update My Personal Information / Login Details. However with so many BAEC members inhibited in making bookings at the moment, now may be a good time to take advantage of unclaimed availability.
Have other Avios partners been hit by this?
Yes, Iberia have been, Avios.com apparently not.
How do I look for or book redemptions?
If you have been zero'd then the Book with Avios or Money tab on the left side of My Executive Club may be blocked. However, you can at least check availability via Executive Club / Reward Flights / Book a Reward Flight. BAEC call centre staff are able to book redemptions for you. Remember to check that any booking fee is waived (hopefully they will do this without prompting). In other cases call centre staff have offered to put a redemption booking on "hold" pending the resolution of this issue. Alternatively if you have an Avios.com account with Avios already available there, then this maybe another way of handling this matter.
Statement of March 28 by AwardWallet.com : https://awardwallet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6616&sid=28d901e85aafebb62044 609dc1a1ae7b
It's here to summarise what we know so far. It will save you the trouble of skim-reading the whole thread and should only take a minute to read. Thanks!
The very short version is:
If all your BA Avios have vanished, don't panic. They have probably been temporarily frozen by BA, not stolen by hackers.
British Airways have issued an FAQ on the issue:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s?p_faqid=5249
Starting on 27 March 2015, a very large number of people have found that their Avios balance has been reset to zero. Their list of transactions shows an "Ex-Gratia" deduction of their entire previous balance. Other people are also reporting they are unable to access their accounts at all, with their BAEC number not being recognised.
As of 17 hrs BST 30 March 2015, some members of FT have seen their Avios returned, as an equal Ex-Gratia credit to their account.
BAEC call centre staff do not seem to have received a thorough briefing and are giving at times contradictory information. However, an email has gone out to some, not all, BAEC members affected by this issue, with the subject "Executive Club Password Change", details here in post 181. At present there is no definitive information about the exact cause, but it's clear that BA believes there has been a serious security breach (or that there was a serious risk of such a breach).
Can I fix it myself?
Not at this stage. Early posts described a two part process but that no longer works, perhaps because there were too many cases. It will be necessary to reset your password if you are affected. After that you can login to your account, but at the moment those affected will still see zero Avios. Tier Points are unaffected by this incident.
Do I need to reset my password?
If you can't get into BA.com then yes. There seems to be two ways to do this:
1) If you received the email in post 181 above, follow the link to generate a new password. Note that you should double check that this is the precise same email shown in the link. There is a facility to view this email in a browser, top right, this is hosted by ed4.net
2) On the front page of BA.com -- when not logged in -- there is a "Forgotten PIN/Password" option. This should send an email to your registered account and from there you can reset your password.
There are, however, many reports of option 2 not working, although it is working for some BAEC members on some occasions. As always, check your spam box. If you can't get it to work, you can telephone the call centre (service centre) and after asking additional questions to verify identity, they can generate the email too.
I haven't received the email but I have been locked out / zero'd, what should I do?
Try to reset your password as above, and you could ring BA to find out if you need to take additional action. However the chances are that at the moment you will need to wait at least a few days until the situation becomes clearer.
I haven't been blocked, do I need to do anything?
No. But if you are worried you can reset your password inside BAEC, just go to My Executive Club / Manage My Account / Update My Personal Information / Login Details. However with so many BAEC members inhibited in making bookings at the moment, now may be a good time to take advantage of unclaimed availability.
Have other Avios partners been hit by this?
Yes, Iberia have been, Avios.com apparently not.
How do I look for or book redemptions?
If you have been zero'd then the Book with Avios or Money tab on the left side of My Executive Club may be blocked. However, you can at least check availability via Executive Club / Reward Flights / Book a Reward Flight. BAEC call centre staff are able to book redemptions for you. Remember to check that any booking fee is waived (hopefully they will do this without prompting). In other cases call centre staff have offered to put a redemption booking on "hold" pending the resolution of this issue. Alternatively if you have an Avios.com account with Avios already available there, then this maybe another way of handling this matter.
Statement of March 28 by AwardWallet.com : https://awardwallet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6616&sid=28d901e85aafebb62044 609dc1a1ae7b
27 Mar: Large numbers of BAEC accounts being Locked/Zeroed Out/in Audit ('Ex-gratia')
Mar 27, 2015, 7:56 am
#46
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Global Again
Programs: OWS IHG Diamond + Accor Plat, Scandic Top Level
Posts: 762
At least some off you can log on...can't even do that now and check...
No point in wasting the day calling either, with so much panic going on, will leave the phone line for some one who may need it more than I.
Edit: changed pword...logged in, 0 Avios, oh dear BA what have you done today..
No point in wasting the day calling either, with so much panic going on, will leave the phone line for some one who may need it more than I.
Edit: changed pword...logged in, 0 Avios, oh dear BA what have you done today..
Last edited by Engineering Travel; Mar 27, 2015 at 9:09 am Reason: Update
Mar 27, 2015, 8:03 am
#48
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ireland
Programs: VS Silver, EK Gold, BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 487
My account went into audit on the 19th of this month.
Called the (usually very helpful) GGL team who knew / could do nothing about it. They advised they send a message to the audit team to phone me asap to discuss.
No phone call was ever received and the Avios reappeared about eight days later without any further intervention.
I'm not sure calling will help - it seems to be a "process". I'd suggest people only waste time calling if they need to redeem avios / speak to BA for some other reason. other than that give it two weeks and call then if it's not resolved.
Called the (usually very helpful) GGL team who knew / could do nothing about it. They advised they send a message to the audit team to phone me asap to discuss.
No phone call was ever received and the Avios reappeared about eight days later without any further intervention.
I'm not sure calling will help - it seems to be a "process". I'd suggest people only waste time calling if they need to redeem avios / speak to BA for some other reason. other than that give it two weeks and call then if it's not resolved.
Mar 27, 2015, 8:03 am
#49
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,964
Mar 27, 2015, 8:04 am
#50
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: MME (midway between NCL and LBA)
Programs: BA Gold, AF/KL Gold, Hilton Gold, Nordic Choice Gold
Posts: 743
Mar 27, 2015, 8:08 am
#53
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,644
Wonder if this will cause issues when flying today. My first BA flight in 12 months. I am (will have been) a Gold on mainly full fare tickets - no one has bothered to ask where I've gone... Maybe I am being told to stuff it
Mar 27, 2015, 8:11 am
#56
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,644
Just tried my partners details, same issue. Cannot recognize the number. BA IT in full scale melt down it would seem.
Mar 27, 2015, 8:12 am
#57
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
Programs: I go wherever the content takes me.
Posts: 5,698
What is "Ex Gratia"?
I can log in and view my points fine - but I've had very little recent activity. Nothing at all this month except for a few AA flights posting as normal. No transfers in or out.
Mar 27, 2015, 8:12 am
#58
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 4,029
If it's not recognising your BA number, click the 'Forgot PIN/Password' link and follow that through to reset your password.
Same thing happened to me and I could get back in after resetting it (having already reset it via that method about 10 minutes previously)
Same thing happened to me and I could get back in after resetting it (having already reset it via that method about 10 minutes previously)
Mar 27, 2015, 8:15 am
#60
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,964
Ok, so now called GGL line. Basically they will run through a number of additional security questions about your account (beyond the usual address and date of birth). Once this is done they will confirm to the audit department that teh additional questions have been completed and your account can be taken out of audit. Also I should have received an email to reset my password already today, but since I hadn't the agent sent me an email with the link to do it.
I have now resent my password and can log in. Avios balance is 0 but the agent explained these will be reinstated in the next few days once the audit department do their bit. In the meantime they can book any avios bookings I might need but I would have to phone.
I have now resent my password and can log in. Avios balance is 0 but the agent explained these will be reinstated in the next few days once the audit department do their bit. In the meantime they can book any avios bookings I might need but I would have to phone.