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
Dec 30, 2020, 5:09 am
#721
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,059
Hi. I've been trying to redeem an e-voucher on a multicity itinerary online. There seems to be no facility to enter the voucher. The option is there if not using multicity. Is this a known issue? I've tried on standard desktop ba.com, on the app and on mobile ba.com. All the same.
Dec 30, 2020, 5:36 am
#722
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
Doesn’t multicity still push you down the old selling flow, not the (even uglier, IMO) newer version? In which case this explains it, as the new voucher functionality will only have been made available in the new channel. You can still use the voucher if you call to book.
Dec 31, 2020, 5:35 am
#723
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 373
Convert FTV into eVoucher
Hello everybody. I just applied for a voucher on ba.com after deciding not to travel in February. After 10 mins the usual email came through, but instead of a single eVoucher (which I had selected in the "Apply for a Voucher" page) I received 2 FTVs for the one booking. Is there a way to have them converted into eVouchers? Should I go down the Twitter route and ask them to do it?
Using FTVs is a pain, I'd much rather have the flexibility of an eVoucher. Many thanks.
Using FTVs is a pain, I'd much rather have the flexibility of an eVoucher. Many thanks.
Dec 31, 2020, 5:38 am
#724
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,942
Hello everybody. I just applied for a voucher on ba.com after deciding not to travel in February. After 10 mins the usual email came through, but instead of a single eVoucher (which I had selected in the "Apply for a Voucher" page) I received 2 FTVs for the one booking. Is there a way to have them converted into eVouchers? Should I go down the Twitter route and ask them to do it?
Using FTVs is a pain, I'd much rather have the flexibility of an eVoucher. Many thanks.
Using FTVs is a pain, I'd much rather have the flexibility of an eVoucher. Many thanks.
generally you can’t convert an offline FTV to an online evoucher. If the booking is a simple cash one and has not been changed at all (i.e. no previous ticket re-issues) you normally get an evoucher, but anything else you will get an offline FTV.
Dec 31, 2020, 4:58 pm
#725
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 373
did you receive two separate emails , or is this one email with two voucher numbers listed? Was the booking for one or two people?
generally you can’t convert an offline FTV to an online evoucher. If the booking is a simple cash one and has not been changed at all (i.e. no previous ticket re-issues) you normally get an evoucher, but anything else you will get an offline FTV.
generally you can’t convert an offline FTV to an online evoucher. If the booking is a simple cash one and has not been changed at all (i.e. no previous ticket re-issues) you normally get an evoucher, but anything else you will get an offline FTV.
Does this mean I have no other option than go through the pain of a long phone call to book with these FTVs? I did send a Twitter message, but no reply yet...
Dec 31, 2020, 5:03 pm
#726
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,942
It was for one person, with two voucher numbers listed, on a single email. I did have to change one of the flights after the outbound was canceled back in late November, so they re-issued the ticket.
Does this mean I have no other option than go through the pain of a long phone call to book with these FTVs? I did send a Twitter message, but no reply yet...
Does this mean I have no other option than go through the pain of a long phone call to book with these FTVs? I did send a Twitter message, but no reply yet...
yes you would have to call to use this FTV I am afraid. Tbh generally I haven’t found it too laborious to do.
unfortunately it’s unlikely they will convert it to an evoucher.
Dec 31, 2020, 5:56 pm
#727
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,059
There was originally a plan to convert FTVs triggered from reissued tickets to e-vouchers - as far as I know it’s still on the cards for the future, but might have been parked if Amadeus complexity with additional fare payments got in the way. It’s redemptions that were (and are) totally out of scope, as IATA doesn’t recognise Avios as a currency so selfishly (!) didn’t build it into their EMDS standards.
Jan 1, 2021, 5:11 am
#728
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 373
aha, yes I have had that sometimes where there are two tickets associated with the booking so you get one email with two numbers listed.
yes you would have to call to use this FTV I am afraid. Tbh generally I haven’t found it too laborious to do.
unfortunately it’s unlikely they will convert it to an evoucher.
yes you would have to call to use this FTV I am afraid. Tbh generally I haven’t found it too laborious to do.
unfortunately it’s unlikely they will convert it to an evoucher.
And a happy new year!
Jan 1, 2021, 5:58 am
#729
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,290
Thank you for the reply. One question: When booking with FTVs, do they block the price which is available when I ring BA? In other words, if tomorrow I see a flight for £100, and I call BA then, will the FTV be used to pay £100? Previously, it took me a long time for e-tickets paid for with FTVs to be issued: would the price increase between my call to BA and the issuing of the e-ticket?
And a happy new year!
And a happy new year!
Jan 1, 2021, 7:28 am
#731
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: BA GGL & GfL, AA LTP, Marriott (sigh) Ambassador, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,233
i discovered yesterday with a FTV that had three ticket numbers (just me traveling) and was due to the fact that it had been changed and reissued three times so eventually just relied on the locator instead to figure out the total value. annoying but hey, at least they could sort it under the reference locator!
Jan 8, 2021, 4:57 am
#732
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
Hi. My travel companion and I were initially booked on the same reservation. My companion was divided off, cancelled and an FTV issued. I planned to still travel but that now looks unlikely. I was advised when we cancelled one passenger off that when the voucher was redeemed I could be added onto their booking. As things have changed again I am now going to have to cancel my flight and get a FTV. Are we able to use our two individual FTV's to travel together on the same booking? I realise that in theory we could make two separate booking but that always has a few risks attached. Also as an edit, can an e-voucher be added to an FTV booking when being made over the phone? Thanks for your assistance.
Last edited by northeastflyer; Jan 8, 2021 at 5:18 am
Jan 16, 2021, 5:18 am
#733
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 508
Looking at using my £500 FTV I got from a cancelled BA holiday.
in the terms it says for Hotel only bookings I need to give a minimum 7 days notice.
has anyone used their FTV to book a hotel only and if so, how did you go about it?
Thanks
in the terms it says for Hotel only bookings I need to give a minimum 7 days notice.
has anyone used their FTV to book a hotel only and if so, how did you go about it?
Thanks
Jan 16, 2021, 12:55 pm
#734
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: 63,776
No personal experience, but it was reported last year that FTVs can be used on standalone hotel bookings, which are booked by calling up BAH, after doing some reseach online via Find A Hotel option on BA.com. Hotel only bookings don't have the same protection as full BAH bookings, or Flight Only bookings for that matter, so you need to watch the cancellation conditions, which vary from property to property. For those who aren't regular BA travellers, this option strikes me as being a useful way to spend FTVs.
Jan 17, 2021, 12:45 am
#735
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 508
No personal experience, but it was reported last year that FTVs can be used on standalone hotel bookings, which are booked by calling up BAH, after doing some reseach online via Find A Hotel option on BA.com. Hotel only bookings don't have the same protection as full BAH bookings, or Flight Only bookings for that matter, so you need to watch the cancellation conditions, which vary from property to property. For those who aren't regular BA travellers, this option strikes me as being a useful way to spend FTVs.
certainly a nice alternative as I’m sitting on a lot of miles and a couple of companion vouchers. Hoping that next few trips will be on miles.