Last edit by: Prospero
Same Day Change (SDC) is known as Free Change on the Day (FCOD) within BA. It is available on Plus and CE revenue tickets, single and return, so long as they are not complicated. It is not available on Avios tickets, redemption tickets issued to other frequent flyer schemes, to open jaw tickets, on carriage (tickets with connections) or any other sort of complexity. Also previously changing a ticket with SDC (FCOD) may make it ineligible for SDC, for example if it now becomes open jaw.
You can change the ticket online, via the Contact Centre or at the airport, but see the thread for details and experiences. You can change only after local midnight - up to one hour before departure - for the leg concerned, and only on to another flight on the same route, you can't switch arrival or departure airport at all. If you want to switch a LHR-NCE to LGW-NCE you would have to pay the fare difference and change fee, though in that example it wouldn't necessarily be a huge cost. If there is bad weather or operational problems BA may allow SDC/FCOD anyway, and that does allow a change to airports.
You can change the ticket online, via the Contact Centre or at the airport, but see the thread for details and experiences. You can change only after local midnight - up to one hour before departure - for the leg concerned, and only on to another flight on the same route, you can't switch arrival or departure airport at all. If you want to switch a LHR-NCE to LGW-NCE you would have to pay the fare difference and change fee, though in that example it wouldn't necessarily be a huge cost. If there is bad weather or operational problems BA may allow SDC/FCOD anyway, and that does allow a change to airports.
FAQ: Same Day Changes (SDC) and Free Change on the Day (FCOD) on BA tickets
#406
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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So my plan is to book on the BA app just a straight day trip LHR-ZRH. It does let you pick Basic on the outbound and Plus on the return.
If I did mix them, do you think I’d still have a good chance of being able to do FCOD online? Don’t won’t to overcomplicate things and mess it up.
If I did mix them, do you think I’d still have a good chance of being able to do FCOD online? Don’t won’t to overcomplicate things and mess it up.
#408
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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#409
Join Date: Oct 2018
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I think there will be space but I wouldn’t be too fussed if I couldn’t change.
#410
Join Date: Aug 2014
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#412
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum rickroll. Formally the answer is no, the POUG (as we call them) makes the ticket inflexible, though a full fare upgrade would normally be OK for Free Change on the Day. You can remove the POUG, revert back to the original ticket, lose the money on the POUG and then change for free. Sometimes agents at airports just whack it through anyway in CE, but you can't rely on that, and the best advice is not to do a POUG if you suspect the FCOD facility may be used. Typically a POUG can be done after moving to the new flight, even after check-in, so that's tactically the better way of doing things.
#413
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Is the FCOD currently borked (or maybe I'm using it wrong)
Tried to change a flight weekend just gone and whilst it was showing you can change your flight for free, the system came back with an additional fare requirement and the details of who was paying it (this was from the UK so don't think there should have been any time difference unless the system gets confused between GMT and BST), so I didn't proceed as the amount was circa Ł420.
Should have picked up the phone but really didn't want to deal with a call centre at half past midnight.
Tried to change a flight weekend just gone and whilst it was showing you can change your flight for free, the system came back with an additional fare requirement and the details of who was paying it (this was from the UK so don't think there should have been any time difference unless the system gets confused between GMT and BST), so I didn't proceed as the amount was circa Ł420.
Should have picked up the phone but really didn't want to deal with a call centre at half past midnight.
#414
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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As mentioned upthread, it sometimes shows an additional fare at the first screen, which then vanishes on the confirmation screen. Also if you have previously made changes to the ticket or some other complexity then the keyword for FCOD may have dropped out and thus MMB doesn't spot the change. You would then have to ring up to get that to work. Finally it depends a bit on the specifics, if you had a connecting flight, for example, FCOD doesn't apply.
#415
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: BA Gold/ Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 401
Hi all, some quick questions on this topic:
I have a LIN-MAD-BOG return ticket in J.
BA Ticket Stock, Operated by IB
Due to COVID this has already been moved now to the latest possible dates within ticket validity.
I don't want to take a voucher as we want to protect the fare.
Questions:
1. Does this ticket allow for SDC at all?
2. If so, could we move it outside of ticket validity, say to next year?
Thanks for your thoughts
I have a LIN-MAD-BOG return ticket in J.
BA Ticket Stock, Operated by IB
Due to COVID this has already been moved now to the latest possible dates within ticket validity.
I don't want to take a voucher as we want to protect the fare.
Questions:
1. Does this ticket allow for SDC at all?
2. If so, could we move it outside of ticket validity, say to next year?
Thanks for your thoughts
#416
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,289
Hi all, some quick questions on this topic:
I have a LIN-MAD-BOG return ticket in J.
BA Ticket Stock, Operated by IB
Due to COVID this has already been moved now to the latest possible dates within ticket validity.
I don't want to take a voucher as we want to protect the fare.
Questions:
1. Does this ticket allow for SDC at all?
2. If so, could we move it outside of ticket validity, say to next year?
Thanks for your thoughts
I have a LIN-MAD-BOG return ticket in J.
BA Ticket Stock, Operated by IB
Due to COVID this has already been moved now to the latest possible dates within ticket validity.
I don't want to take a voucher as we want to protect the fare.
Questions:
1. Does this ticket allow for SDC at all?
2. If so, could we move it outside of ticket validity, say to next year?
Thanks for your thoughts
#417
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,773
SDC or FCOD to give the official BA title only applies to point to point tickets, so you definitely can't use it here, and there are also some restrictions on FCOD for IB flights. Generally you can't move outside the 1 year ticket validity, but can ask for FTV. However a lot hinges on whether this is a codeshare flights or IB prime flight. If the ticket is IBnnnn Sold as BAnnnn then that's a codeshare, and BA's policies apply. If it is IBnnnn only then IB's policies apply and BA is a travel agent. In that scenario it was probably a travel agent ticket anyway, so they would be your first port of call.
#419
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Comair aren't on the same FCOD system. However currently I understand they are not charging the usual 400 ZAR change fee, plus at airports they tend to be flexible if stuff happens.
#420
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: BA Gold/ Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 401
SDC or FCOD to give the official BA title only applies to point to point tickets, so you definitely can't use it here, and there are also some restrictions on FCOD for IB flights. Generally you can't move outside the 1 year ticket validity, but can ask for FTV. However a lot hinges on whether this is a codeshare flights or IB prime flight. If the ticket is IBnnnn Sold as BAnnnn then that's a codeshare, and BA's policies apply. If it is IBnnnn only then IB's policies apply and BA is a travel agent. In that scenario it was probably a travel agent ticket anyway, so they would be your first port of call.
Looks like I have to refund these then, sadly ...