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
May 20, 2020, 12:44 am
#301
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
Just so I'm clear, say I have a FTV for £500 and 30000 Avios. I call up to make a booking worth £100. I understand that BA will issue a voucher for the remaining £400 and this will be a standard e-voucher that can be used for part payment online? In terms of the Avios, am I able to choose how many Avios I use when using the FTV? So, in this scenario I can choose to pay £100 and use 10000 Avios. Can this be done and do I get the 20000 remaining Avios credited back to my Exec account? Thanks.
May 20, 2020, 1:19 am
#302
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: 63,803
Just so I'm clear, say I have a FTV for £500 and 30000 Avios. I call up to make a booking worth £100. I understand that BA will issue a voucher for the remaining £400 and this will be a standard e-voucher that can be used for part payment online? In terms of the Avios, am I able to choose how many Avios I use when using the FTV? So, in this scenario I can choose to pay £100 and use 10000 Avios. Can this be done and do I get the 20000 remaining Avios credited back to my Exec account? Thanks.
May 20, 2020, 1:51 am
#303
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
Thanks for the clarification. It does seem odd that there are reports of some people receiving standard e-vouchers redeemable online and others not. Anyone else have experience either way? Hmmmm🤔
May 20, 2020, 2:02 am
#304
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
So I assume this applies to all Covid FTV's, no matter when issued i. e. From the start in March?
May 20, 2020, 2:08 am
#305
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Eurostar Carte Blanche, SBB-CFF-FFS GA-AG, SNCF Grand Voyageur LeClub
Posts: 7,836
I am completely lost now, rules seem to be changing all the time...
So here is my case: I had an Avios booking and cancelled that. I did not get Avios returned to my account, but simply got "a voucher". No mentioning of the value of the voucher.
Have rules changed now? Can I get my Avios back on to my account? I am fine with a voucher for taxes/fees, but I have doubts about a voucher for Avios. My booking was a oneway Business Class Tokyo-Europe, will they have issued a voucher for the equivalence of a one-way Business Class Tokyo-Europe?
I am happy to call BA, but it would be good to get some guidance from forum members here so that I know what to tell them/what to ask for. My experience with the BAEC Gold line has been that every second call is with somebody competent and savvy, and every other call is a pure disaster (hang up and try again is the usual strategy and always works to get the result, but in times where waiting times on the phone are long that is less attractive).
Thanks
So here is my case: I had an Avios booking and cancelled that. I did not get Avios returned to my account, but simply got "a voucher". No mentioning of the value of the voucher.
Have rules changed now? Can I get my Avios back on to my account? I am fine with a voucher for taxes/fees, but I have doubts about a voucher for Avios. My booking was a oneway Business Class Tokyo-Europe, will they have issued a voucher for the equivalence of a one-way Business Class Tokyo-Europe?
I am happy to call BA, but it would be good to get some guidance from forum members here so that I know what to tell them/what to ask for. My experience with the BAEC Gold line has been that every second call is with somebody competent and savvy, and every other call is a pure disaster (hang up and try again is the usual strategy and always works to get the result, but in times where waiting times on the phone are long that is less attractive).
Thanks
May 20, 2020, 3:40 am
#306
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
Just so I'm clear, say I have a FTV for £500 and 30000 Avios. I call up to make a booking worth £100. I understand that BA will issue a voucher for the remaining £400 and this will be a standard e-voucher that can be used for part payment online? In terms of the Avios, am I able to choose how many Avios I use when using the FTV? So, in this scenario I can choose to pay £100 and use 10000 Avios. Can this be done and do I get the 20000 remaining Avios credited back to my Exec account? Thanks.
May 20, 2020, 3:43 am
#308
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
I am completely lost now, rules seem to be changing all the time...
So here is my case: I had an Avios booking and cancelled that. I did not get Avios returned to my account, but simply got "a voucher". No mentioning of the value of the voucher.
Have rules changed now? Can I get my Avios back on to my account? I am fine with a voucher for taxes/fees, but I have doubts about a voucher for Avios. My booking was a oneway Business Class Tokyo-Europe, will they have issued a voucher for the equivalence of a one-way Business Class Tokyo-Europe?
I am happy to call BA, but it would be good to get some guidance from forum members here so that I know what to tell them/what to ask for. My experience with the BAEC Gold line has been that every second call is with somebody competent and savvy, and every other call is a pure disaster (hang up and try again is the usual strategy and always works to get the result, but in times where waiting times on the phone are long that is less attractive).
Thanks
So here is my case: I had an Avios booking and cancelled that. I did not get Avios returned to my account, but simply got "a voucher". No mentioning of the value of the voucher.
Have rules changed now? Can I get my Avios back on to my account? I am fine with a voucher for taxes/fees, but I have doubts about a voucher for Avios. My booking was a oneway Business Class Tokyo-Europe, will they have issued a voucher for the equivalence of a one-way Business Class Tokyo-Europe?
I am happy to call BA, but it would be good to get some guidance from forum members here so that I know what to tell them/what to ask for. My experience with the BAEC Gold line has been that every second call is with somebody competent and savvy, and every other call is a pure disaster (hang up and try again is the usual strategy and always works to get the result, but in times where waiting times on the phone are long that is less attractive).
Thanks
the voucher you have will be for the value of what paid for example if you used 75000pts and £350 that is the value of your voucher, you can use it for any booking in any class on any route. If it is a more expensive journey you pay the extra if it's less you get it refunded
May 20, 2020, 11:08 am
#309
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Eurostar Carte Blanche, SBB-CFF-FFS GA-AG, SNCF Grand Voyageur LeClub
Posts: 7,836
no rules haven't changed you have applied for a voucher for future travel and got that to use by 30 April 2022 but what is being mentioned above is if your new booking is say for 50000 Avios less and £500 in taxes and fees less you then get these credited back to you rather than another voucher
the voucher you have will be for the value of what paid for example if you used 75000pts and £350 that is the value of your voucher, you can use it for any booking in any class on any route. If it is a more expensive journey you pay the extra if it's less you get it refunded
the voucher you have will be for the value of what paid for example if you used 75000pts and £350 that is the value of your voucher, you can use it for any booking in any class on any route. If it is a more expensive journey you pay the extra if it's less you get it refunded
May 20, 2020, 11:39 am
#310
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,957
I know we are all calling it a voucher, but it isn't really a voucher - or not at least like any you have had before. Effectively they leave your existing ticket open hence why your voucher number is your ticket number - and when you call they change the booking using the value held on that ticket.
May 20, 2020, 2:13 pm
#311
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 4
Voucher terms of use
I received a voucher for a canceled Avios booking on American Airlines from LIH to LAX. My intent was to use the voucher for the same trip next year. I recently read on BA's website that vouchers can only be used on BA marketed routes with a BA flight number. The only BA flight numbers I am aware of from the LAX area would be to London. Is a flight to London from Los Angeles the ONLY way I can use this voucher? Is it at all possible to use it for the American Airlines flights to and from Hawaii?
May 20, 2020, 2:54 pm
#312
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: 63,803
I received a voucher for a canceled Avios booking on American Airlines from LIH to LAX. My intent was to use the voucher for the same trip next year. I recently read on BA's website that vouchers can only be used on BA marketed routes with a BA flight number. The only BA flight numbers I am aware of from the LAX area would be to London. Is a flight to London from Los Angeles the ONLY way I can use this voucher? Is it at all possible to use it for the American Airlines flights to and from Hawaii?
May 20, 2020, 3:32 pm
#314
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: 63,803
Correct, it would have been better to have cancelled the ticket, but in essence you have the same Avios and cash tied in the voucher, and you can use it on that or any other AA route if there is availability, you will need to call to make the booling. Or indeed on a BA or AS redemption booking. Codeshares aren't actually relevant for redemptions, they exist purely for commercial (revenue) bookings, so no need to hunt down a BA flight number.
May 20, 2020, 4:00 pm
#315
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 4
Correct, it would have been better to have cancelled the ticket, but in essence you have the same Avios and cash tied in the voucher, and you can use it on that or any other AA route if there is availability, you will need to call to make the booling. Or indeed on a BA or AS redemption booking. Codeshares aren't actually relevant for redemptions, they exist purely for commercial (revenue) bookings, so no need to hunt down a BA flight number.
Thank you corporate-wage-slave!