BA American Express 2-4-1 Voucher Discussion
Sep 10, 2018, 5:07 am
#916
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
I think that it might be instructive to go one step further on ba.com. I have found that that page sometimes uses (apparently) cached figures that aren't 100% accurate. But if you go one page further and get a firm price quote, the TFC figure should match the ITA Matrix figure.
Sep 10, 2018, 5:12 am
#917
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 166
I think that it might be instructive to go one step further on ba.com. I have found that that page sometimes uses (apparently) cached figures that aren't 100% accurate. But if you go one page further and get a firm price quote, the TFC figure should match the ITA Matrix figure.
Sep 10, 2018, 5:40 am
#918
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Not to the TFC. The GDS surcharge is added to each fare component. So while the total figure has to be adjusted to match a ba.com quote for a cash fare, the TFC figures on their own should be accurate.
Sep 10, 2018, 7:55 am
#920
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: living near Malaga
Programs: BA Gold , Mucci recipient. Coffee Drinker, Blue Sky Thinker
Posts: 2,112
deleted
Sep 10, 2018, 12:33 pm
#921
Join Date: Oct 2010
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 16
My experience is that I booked outward legs at about 350 days out on 8th August 2019, with a dummy return on 12th August 19 using 2 Amex 2-4-1's into JFK. I extended my booking this morning when my desired return leg on 30th August opened up. The call centre rep was excellent although insistent that the £35 change fee would apply. They haven't taken the change fee yet but can anyone advise if there has been a change in policy as one of the earlier posts ton this thread stated that it was policy to waive this fee if only extending return date to same destination?
The option to extend the return date was not available via MMB as the return leg is more than 365 days out from issue of original ticket so my options were either to change via phone line or cancel and start again which I wasn't keen on after getting the exact flight I wanted (however when I checked availability on my outbound I still could have).
Advice appreciated on how (if at all) to get back £35 fee on each the 4 tickets?
The option to extend the return date was not available via MMB as the return leg is more than 365 days out from issue of original ticket so my options were either to change via phone line or cancel and start again which I wasn't keen on after getting the exact flight I wanted (however when I checked availability on my outbound I still could have).
Advice appreciated on how (if at all) to get back £35 fee on each the 4 tickets?
Sep 10, 2018, 12:38 pm
#922
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,997
My experience is that I booked outward legs at about 350 days out on 8th August 2019, with a dummy return on 12th August 19 using 2 Amex 2-4-1's into JFK. I extended my booking this morning when my desired return leg on 30th August opened up. The call centre rep was excellent although insistent that the £35 change fee would apply. They haven't taken the change fee yet but can anyone advise if there has been a change in policy as one of the earlier posts ton this thread stated that it was policy to waive this fee if only extending return date to same destination?
The option to extend the return date was not available via MMB as the return leg is more than 365 days out from issue of original ticket so my options were either to change via phone line or cancel and start again which I wasn't keen on after getting the exact flight I wanted (however when I checked availability on my outbound I still could have).
Advice appreciated on how (if at all) to get back £35 fee on each the 4 tickets?
The option to extend the return date was not available via MMB as the return leg is more than 365 days out from issue of original ticket so my options were either to change via phone line or cancel and start again which I wasn't keen on after getting the exact flight I wanted (however when I checked availability on my outbound I still could have).
Advice appreciated on how (if at all) to get back £35 fee on each the 4 tickets?
This isn’t what you did though. You booked a return and then sought to change the inbound to another date when it was released. This would seem to be a standard reward booking change so the fee would appear to reply.
Last edited by KARFA; Sep 10, 2018 at 12:57 pm
Sep 10, 2018, 1:07 pm
#923
Join Date: Oct 2010
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 16
Thanks Karfa, that's the trouble with only booking the vouchers every couple of years, you forget the rules and then only scan read the posts!! Doh
Process was very smooth with zero stress and agent was excellent so persuading myself it was worth the £140
Process was very smooth with zero stress and agent was excellent so persuading myself it was worth the £140
Sep 10, 2018, 1:18 pm
#924
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 4
2-4-1 adding a return at T-355 tax/fee recalculation
I have recently booked the outbound leg of a 2-4-1 open jaw booking online at T-355 (LHR-YVR).
Following some advice I have seen from people on here this year, last week I then booked the return flight (YYC-LHR) as a separate 1-way online at T-355, rather than call one of the call centres at 00:50.
I have now called BA 3 times to try to get them to combine the two bookings and apply the voucher to the open-jaw return. Last week I spoke to 2 people who insisted that what I wanted to do simply wasn’t possible, for well over an hour each time before giving up. This evening, after another hour on the phone to a third person, I finally managed to get her to manually refund the 75k Avios difference, but would not re-calculate the taxes/fees. After another 30 mins of explaining the maths behind it to her (she refused to accept that you pay less in fees for a return than you do for two singles), I gave up again, figuring I was at least half way to getting my bookings combined, which felt like a miracle after my first two attempts!
I have paid about £685 each over the two bookings, and expect it to be more like £580 each, having put through a dummy return to both Vancouver and Calgary, so am expecting about £200 back, but I don’t know if I can stomach another 90 minute phone call consisting of me hitting my head against the wall over-and-over to staff who are poorly trained and don’t understand their own policies on redemptions.
Does anyone have any advice on who I need to complain to/speak to in order to get the taxes recalculated correctly?
Following some advice I have seen from people on here this year, last week I then booked the return flight (YYC-LHR) as a separate 1-way online at T-355, rather than call one of the call centres at 00:50.
I have now called BA 3 times to try to get them to combine the two bookings and apply the voucher to the open-jaw return. Last week I spoke to 2 people who insisted that what I wanted to do simply wasn’t possible, for well over an hour each time before giving up. This evening, after another hour on the phone to a third person, I finally managed to get her to manually refund the 75k Avios difference, but would not re-calculate the taxes/fees. After another 30 mins of explaining the maths behind it to her (she refused to accept that you pay less in fees for a return than you do for two singles), I gave up again, figuring I was at least half way to getting my bookings combined, which felt like a miracle after my first two attempts!
I have paid about £685 each over the two bookings, and expect it to be more like £580 each, having put through a dummy return to both Vancouver and Calgary, so am expecting about £200 back, but I don’t know if I can stomach another 90 minute phone call consisting of me hitting my head against the wall over-and-over to staff who are poorly trained and don’t understand their own policies on redemptions.
Does anyone have any advice on who I need to complain to/speak to in order to get the taxes recalculated correctly?
Sep 10, 2018, 1:29 pm
#925
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,997
Edit: just to add welcome to FT! Sorry didn’t realise it was your first post before I wrote mine below.
Unfortunately that is the main downside of doing it by that method - it does seem that taxes/charges/fees are not recalculated when the voucher is applied across to the second booking. Sometimes this will work out well for you (bookings exHKG for example), but for exUS or exCA bookings it is not recommended at all and the old method of calling and adding in the inbound is much better since TFC is recalculated for the return.
This is precisely why every time someone has recommended the book two singles this method i have commented that you should not do it if you are going to the US/CA as you will get stuck paying much more in TFC.
Sorry this isn’t good news for you. You can keep trying and you may get lucky, but the likelihood of doing so is low.
Unfortunately that is the main downside of doing it by that method - it does seem that taxes/charges/fees are not recalculated when the voucher is applied across to the second booking. Sometimes this will work out well for you (bookings exHKG for example), but for exUS or exCA bookings it is not recommended at all and the old method of calling and adding in the inbound is much better since TFC is recalculated for the return.
This is precisely why every time someone has recommended the book two singles this method i have commented that you should not do it if you are going to the US/CA as you will get stuck paying much more in TFC.
Sorry this isn’t good news for you. You can keep trying and you may get lucky, but the likelihood of doing so is low.
Sep 10, 2018, 1:41 pm
#926
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 4
Thanks for the reply, and the welcome KARFA. I have been a member for a while, but have just been a lurker up until now.
I guess I should have read more thoroughly before going ahead with the online option, although to be honest, the main reason for doing it this way this time was because it was my wife’s 2-4-1, and she was in work early the following day, so didn’t want to stay up until 1am
I will probably just try an email/online form on the off-chance I get something back from it - I was planning on submitting a complaint about the complete lack of training and knowledge from their call centre staff anyway to be honest.
I’ve had some similarly frustrating experiences in the past when calling at 1am to add a return flight, with taff not knowing what to do/what I am on about, but had generally put that down to the fact that I was calling a non-UK centre, so why would they have been trained to know about a UK-issued voucher.
I guess I should have read more thoroughly before going ahead with the online option, although to be honest, the main reason for doing it this way this time was because it was my wife’s 2-4-1, and she was in work early the following day, so didn’t want to stay up until 1am
I will probably just try an email/online form on the off-chance I get something back from it - I was planning on submitting a complaint about the complete lack of training and knowledge from their call centre staff anyway to be honest.
I’ve had some similarly frustrating experiences in the past when calling at 1am to add a return flight, with taff not knowing what to do/what I am on about, but had generally put that down to the fact that I was calling a non-UK centre, so why would they have been trained to know about a UK-issued voucher.
Sep 14, 2018, 12:30 pm
#927
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver Seigneur des Horaires des Mucci.
Posts: 2,047
If you can find a good 2 4 1 outbound but no inbound; can you combine cash fares for the return ? So that you only pay a return segment fare rather than a single fare for the return
Sep 14, 2018, 4:35 pm
#929
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 447
Bit of an urgent one... Looking to call BA in 90 minutes or so for T-355 ticket release, and I've just realised that the Japan call centre is Mon-Fri... And it's now Saturday morning. Where should I be calling?
Sep 14, 2018, 4:36 pm
#930
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, ITA Club Executive, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,599