72 hour hold / BA holidays booking
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,382
72 hour hold / BA holidays booking
I have some flights on my screen at what I consider an attractive price and there is a button to hold for 72 hours for 5. If I add a car rental, there is no longer a 'hold' button that I can see, and I understand that an online BA Holidays booking does not benefit from free cancellation within 24 hours.
So the question is - if I use the 72 hour hold facility, will I be able to add a car and turn it into a BA holidays booking when I come back to the held booking to complete it? My risk would then presumably only be that the car rental price has increased in the interim.
So the question is - if I use the 72 hour hold facility, will I be able to add a car and turn it into a BA holidays booking when I come back to the held booking to complete it? My risk would then presumably only be that the car rental price has increased in the interim.
#2
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 25
No, hold booking for a fee doesnt apply to holidays bookings and you cant amend any aspect of it (flight times/dates etc even if the same price was available when you first looked) when you go to confirm it as its no longer the booking you held. The only thing you can change is names where there are multiple passengers but you havent entered them at the point of holding the booking. They appear as the lead passengers full name then others as LASTNAME/TWO, LASTNAME/THREE so these must be updated. Reducing the cost using Avios also doesnt apply to this type of booking.
You'd need to make a choice between holding the flights and booking car hire separately or taking a risk on whether the package price goes up. There is a 24 hour cooling off period for packages booked over the phone though, I believe.
You'd need to make a choice between holding the flights and booking car hire separately or taking a risk on whether the package price goes up. There is a 24 hour cooling off period for packages booked over the phone though, I believe.
#3
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LHR
Programs: BAEC Silver, Delta Platinum medallion
Posts: 278
You can turn a non holiday booking into a holiday beyadding a car, whilst going through the booking process. I did this last week as I was flying out WT+ and back CW, which you can't do as a BA holiday booking. The booking screens offer the chance to add a car after the flights have been selected and this turns the booking into a holiday, with the bonus Avios points and deposit only option being offered, This has not always been the case - last year when I tried this adding a car didn't turn it into a deposit only required booking. Not sure if this applies to a flight only booking made using the 72 hour hold facility - would be interested to hear if this is the case.
#4
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,653
You can turn a non holiday booking into a holiday beyadding a car, whilst going through the booking process. I did this last week as I was flying out WT+ and back CW, which you can't do as a BA holiday booking. The booking screens offer the chance to add a car after the flights have been selected and this turns the booking into a holiday, with the bonus Avios points and deposit only option being offered, This has not always been the case - last year when I tried this adding a car didn't turn it into a deposit only required booking. Not sure if this applies to a flight only booking made using the 72 hour hold facility - would be interested to hear if this is the case.
What you are talking about (in terms of adding car) is at a point in the booking process before any booking has been set up thats why it can be done that way.