Mar 19, 2020, 2:45 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
Latest official update, posted by BA refund helper on 16 August (post no 579)
Historic wiki updates:
There seems to be some confusion over the ‘vouchers’ for future travel so here is some clarity in the hope it proves helpful to others.
The ‘voucher number’ will be the customer’s existing ticket number. The process is no different to putting a booking on hold for medical reasons and the existing booking will be reused for future travel, with the ticket reissued following payment of any difference in fare. This is why it takes so long to receive confirmation as someone has to manually go into each booking (as you’ll imagine there are a lot!), remove the live flights, hold in a ghost flight and send the confirmation email to the customer. It is not an eVoucher that you would enter into ba.com for a discount off a brand new booking and new travel arrangements should NOT be made in this way.
Similarly, customers should NOT cancel their own bookings at any point in the voucher process. This will invalidate any eligibility for the voucher and process a fare rules refund.
When ready to rebook (and once the lines are a lot quieter!) customers will need to call to be rebooked as there is no facility to do this online at all and anything done online in this manner will be at the customer’s own expense since you won't be able to deploy the eVoucher's funds. The voucher is valid for travel completed (both outbound and inbound) by 30th April 2021.
There is no telephone service charge for using the eVoucher, you have to call up, but you won't have to pay an extra fee to make the booking in this scenario.
Historic wiki updates:
There seems to be some confusion over the ‘vouchers’ for future travel so here is some clarity in the hope it proves helpful to others.
The ‘voucher number’ will be the customer’s existing ticket number. The process is no different to putting a booking on hold for medical reasons and the existing booking will be reused for future travel, with the ticket reissued following payment of any difference in fare. This is why it takes so long to receive confirmation as someone has to manually go into each booking (as you’ll imagine there are a lot!), remove the live flights, hold in a ghost flight and send the confirmation email to the customer. It is not an eVoucher that you would enter into ba.com for a discount off a brand new booking and new travel arrangements should NOT be made in this way.
Similarly, customers should NOT cancel their own bookings at any point in the voucher process. This will invalidate any eligibility for the voucher and process a fare rules refund.
When ready to rebook (and once the lines are a lot quieter!) customers will need to call to be rebooked as there is no facility to do this online at all and anything done online in this manner will be at the customer’s own expense since you won't be able to deploy the eVoucher's funds. The voucher is valid for travel completed (both outbound and inbound) by 30th April 2021.
There is no telephone service charge for using the eVoucher, you have to call up, but you won't have to pay an extra fee to make the booking in this scenario.
Rebooking with e-voucher
Apr 15, 2020, 6:58 am
#196
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 27
I'm still not entirely clear if there are any benefits for me to call up and request a refund or get two vouchers...
Situation
LHR to YVR - 20th May - 8th June
2-4-1 voucher used
Business Out, Economy Back (Although I now have enough AVIOS to upgrade to Premium Economy)
Flight has not yet been cancelled but you now cannot book flights to YVR before 1st of June so only a matter of time before MMB shows cancelled.
Is it the case:
A) Phone up and get two vouchers which is the cash equivalent of all this, which I could then use my AVIOS to upgrade to Premium Economy?
B) Phone up and cancel to get a full AVIOS + cash refund and rebook using my extended 2-4-1 which lets me use it until end of next year, rather than just giving me one year...
It seems option B is the best, unless I'm missing some clever trick with regard to the voucher?
Situation
LHR to YVR - 20th May - 8th June
2-4-1 voucher used
Business Out, Economy Back (Although I now have enough AVIOS to upgrade to Premium Economy)
Flight has not yet been cancelled but you now cannot book flights to YVR before 1st of June so only a matter of time before MMB shows cancelled.
Is it the case:
A) Phone up and get two vouchers which is the cash equivalent of all this, which I could then use my AVIOS to upgrade to Premium Economy?
B) Phone up and cancel to get a full AVIOS + cash refund and rebook using my extended 2-4-1 which lets me use it until end of next year, rather than just giving me one year...
It seems option B is the best, unless I'm missing some clever trick with regard to the voucher?
Apr 15, 2020, 7:08 am
#197
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,991
Apr 16, 2020, 5:34 am
#198
Join Date: May 2015
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 281
I have just contacted British Airways regarding another issue but I did ask the very helpful agent if I could use the cash voucher I received from a cancelled flight (cash paid, no avios used) towards my taxes and charges on a future avios booking. She said no, only on another cash booking. When I asked her about using the voucher on exactly the same route but where the price had increased - would I have to pay the extra, she said yes. That seems to me a little unfair. BA cancel the flights and then charge you more in the future for exactly the same route.
Apr 16, 2020, 5:41 am
#199
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,991
I have just contacted British Airways regarding another issue but I did ask the very helpful agent if I could use the cash voucher I received from a cancelled flight (cash paid, no avios used) towards my taxes and charges on a future avios booking. She said no, only on another cash booking. When I asked her about using the voucher on exactly the same route but where the price had increased - would I have to pay the extra, she said yes. That seems to me a little unfair. BA cancel the flights and then charge you more in the future for exactly the same route.
If you are saying BA cancelled the flight in your case I would suggest that asking for a full refund would have been the better option rather than taking a FTV.
Apr 16, 2020, 5:55 am
#200
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
I have just contacted British Airways regarding another issue but I did ask the very helpful agent if I could use the cash voucher I received from a cancelled flight (cash paid, no avios used) towards my taxes and charges on a future avios booking. She said no, only on another cash booking. When I asked her about using the voucher on exactly the same route but where the price had increased - would I have to pay the extra, she said yes. That seems to me a little unfair. BA cancel the flights and then charge you more in the future for exactly the same route.
Apr 17, 2020, 7:54 am
#202
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Cheltenham
Programs: KLM Plat for Life , BA Gold, HH Silver, (Other half Diamond), IHG Gold
Posts: 2,399
Booking a flight even if only partly with a voucher reinstates the old ticket conditions I was told today . You don’t Benefit from the book with confidence policy if a voucher is used .
Apr 17, 2020, 8:41 am
#203
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,203
If I call up to ask for a voucher for a cancelled flight can I in the same call book a future flight (the new flights would be a different route) or would I have to wait for them to do back office stuff?
Apr 17, 2020, 9:10 am
#204
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,991
FTVs are really only for bookings where flights are not cancelled and you don't know what you want to rebook yet.
Apr 17, 2020, 1:59 pm
#206
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: BAEC Gold, Miles & More Silver, Privilege Club Silver
Posts: 544
Should add that the value of the voucher was subtracted from the original holiday cost and not the balance but came to the same thing in the end. Showed in MMB shortly after the call.
Last edited by BESTEDIFLYER; Apr 17, 2020 at 2:08 pm
Apr 17, 2020, 2:07 pm
#207
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,991
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...e=HOME#voucher
Can I use my voucher to pay some or all of the balance on an existing holiday booking?
A voucher may only be redeemed towards a new British Airways Holidays booking made once you have received the voucher. Vouchers are not eligible to be used in payment or part-payment towards an existing holiday booking.
A voucher may only be redeemed towards a new British Airways Holidays booking made once you have received the voucher. Vouchers are not eligible to be used in payment or part-payment towards an existing holiday booking.
Apr 18, 2020, 5:06 am
#209
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: BAEC Gold, Miles & More Silver, Privilege Club Silver
Posts: 544
Yes you can, just did this exact thing earlier today. Best probably going 2-2-1 in the menus when you call, I did 2-2-2 but the agent I spoke to had to contact the Holidays people to add the voucher to another existing holiday booking.
Should add that the value of the voucher was subtracted from the original holiday cost and not the balance but came to the same thing in the end. Showed in MMB shortly after the call.
Should add that the value of the voucher was subtracted from the original holiday cost and not the balance but came to the same thing in the end. Showed in MMB shortly after the call.
Now if you remember the problems with Thomas Cook systems when they went down the tubes and the hoops you had to jump through to get your money back I don’t want to go through that again. As they say “once bitten “, rebooked with BA after the same holiday with TC was cancelled. Also told that if this holiday is cancelled the £1700 voucher value would remain as a voucher to be used for a future holiday.
Not happy with that so spoke with a manager saying that I would have gone for a refund to my card if I had known the voucher would remain as a voucher in the future. Our holiday is to Mexico late September so I am far from certain it will go ahead. Manager says the situation is very fluid and things may very well change re refunds.
Will leave it for now but will come back to this later.
Apr 18, 2020, 8:15 am
#210
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Berkshire
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Accor Plat, Pucci Fan Club
Posts: 1,779
Just another data point in case it helps others. If you have not yet received an e-voucher (like me) you don’t need to wait for it.
I wanted to make a new flight booking. I priced the flights up on BA.com, then called BA and asked them to make the booking for me. I then provided the two booking references (PNRs) for the vouchers I have been waiting for.
No problem whatsoever reducing the cost of my new flight booking by the sum of the two previously cancelled flights (so you can use more than one e-voucher towards a new booking).
In summary... you don’t have to wait for the e-voucher to arrive. The old PNR will do or the original e-ticket number if you still have it (I didn’t).
I wanted to make a new flight booking. I priced the flights up on BA.com, then called BA and asked them to make the booking for me. I then provided the two booking references (PNRs) for the vouchers I have been waiting for.
No problem whatsoever reducing the cost of my new flight booking by the sum of the two previously cancelled flights (so you can use more than one e-voucher towards a new booking).
In summary... you don’t have to wait for the e-voucher to arrive. The old PNR will do or the original e-ticket number if you still have it (I didn’t).