Mar 14, 20, 4:58 pm
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
BA Covid-19 Rebooking / Cancellation / Refund Help & Advice
If your flight is cancelled by BA:
Commercial booking: Your options are: cash refund OR Future Travel Voucher (FTV) OR rebooking OR Avios credit
Redemption booking: Your options are: full refund of cash and Avios OR FTV OR rebooking.
BA Holidays booking: You should be given a refund pro-actively.
If your flight is cancelled by BA - any flight in the PNR - you can get a full refund so long as you booked directly with BA. You can only get a refund by telephoning BA. Refunds are taking between a few hours to a few weeks to be repaid, depending on the sort of booking made. If you don't wish to travel you can opt for an FTV or eVoucher valid for travel until 30 April 2022, though flights more than 355 days away are not currently bookable - flights are enabled at 355 days before departure. Vouchers such as 2-4-1 are also thereby extended. You can do this even if the flight is operating. The best advice we can give is to delay opting for an eVoucher options until the last moment, since if BA cancel your flight you have more options. BA have also adjusted the Standard Customer Guidelines so that if BA cancel the flight you can be rebooked to anytime in 12 months after you originally bought the ticket, so long as there is space in the cabin - there is no need to have a fare bucket available or Avios availability. If you choose the Avios credit you will get between 108 to 126 Avios per GBP of your fare. Note older posts in this thread may now be inaccuarate since the current policy has been amended several times.
===
If your flight is not cancelled but you don't wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until April 2022. Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee.
Redemption booking: Your can do the normal Avios refund, with the redeposit fee capped at GBP 35 per person. Alternatively for the same fee you can rebook to new dates subject to availability. Alternatively you can have an FTV.
BA Holidays booking: You may be get a refund proactively, otherwise you are looking at an FTV for at least the flight component of your trip, maybe for all components.
If all of the flights in your booking are still scheduled and you don't wish to travel then you best wait until a few days before departure in case there is a cancellation. As you can see above, a cancellation gives you better options. You are in scope with Buy with Confidence if you are flying between now and completing travel before 31 August 2021, also if you bought your ticket after 3 March and due to complete all flights before September 2021. The BA web page on this is:
ba.com/confidence
===
Below are some of the options / workarounds being suggested in order to obtain a refund as opposed to a Future Travel Voucher, but they probably no longer work:
Refund of Cancelled Flights:
Paid Seating Refund:
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
Lloyds Upgrade Voucher Notes
If your flight is cancelled by BA:
Commercial booking: Your options are: cash refund OR Future Travel Voucher (FTV) OR rebooking OR Avios credit
Redemption booking: Your options are: full refund of cash and Avios OR FTV OR rebooking.
BA Holidays booking: You should be given a refund pro-actively.
If your flight is cancelled by BA - any flight in the PNR - you can get a full refund so long as you booked directly with BA. You can only get a refund by telephoning BA. Refunds are taking between a few hours to a few weeks to be repaid, depending on the sort of booking made. If you don't wish to travel you can opt for an FTV or eVoucher valid for travel until 30 April 2022, though flights more than 355 days away are not currently bookable - flights are enabled at 355 days before departure. Vouchers such as 2-4-1 are also thereby extended. You can do this even if the flight is operating. The best advice we can give is to delay opting for an eVoucher options until the last moment, since if BA cancel your flight you have more options. BA have also adjusted the Standard Customer Guidelines so that if BA cancel the flight you can be rebooked to anytime in 12 months after you originally bought the ticket, so long as there is space in the cabin - there is no need to have a fare bucket available or Avios availability. If you choose the Avios credit you will get between 108 to 126 Avios per GBP of your fare. Note older posts in this thread may now be inaccuarate since the current policy has been amended several times.
===
If your flight is not cancelled but you don't wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until April 2022. Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee.
Redemption booking: Your can do the normal Avios refund, with the redeposit fee capped at GBP 35 per person. Alternatively for the same fee you can rebook to new dates subject to availability. Alternatively you can have an FTV.
BA Holidays booking: You may be get a refund proactively, otherwise you are looking at an FTV for at least the flight component of your trip, maybe for all components.
If all of the flights in your booking are still scheduled and you don't wish to travel then you best wait until a few days before departure in case there is a cancellation. As you can see above, a cancellation gives you better options. You are in scope with Buy with Confidence if you are flying between now and completing travel before 31 August 2021, also if you bought your ticket after 3 March and due to complete all flights before September 2021. The BA web page on this is:
ba.com/confidence
===
Below are some of the options / workarounds being suggested in order to obtain a refund as opposed to a Future Travel Voucher, but they probably no longer work:
Refund of Cancelled Flights:
- Call BA (no longer a requirement to be travelling in the next 72 hours, you may need to make repeated calls to get through). Telephone numbers are in this thread, but you can also find them on BA.com at the bottom left of the website, under Help and Contacts.
- Online forms (Post #435 - corporate-wage-slave) - manual process which may take many weeks
Paid Seating Refund:
- https://www.britishairways.com/trave...ing_claim_form (Post #765 - travelhappypair)
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
- Full refund of Avios and money paid
- A new voucher issued, which has validity for 6 months (from the date of issue, i.e. when you request the 'refund')
Lloyds Upgrade Voucher Notes
- Flights can be used within 12 months, so it will be good for travel up until the end 6 months plus 12 months if you book just before the new expiry
- It's been advised to take the voucher instead of rebooking as it gives me more flexibility.
- The original expiry date of the voucher was irrelevant because the booking was cancelled.
- You must book within 6 months of the voucher being issued and the ticket has 12 months validity so you can change flights after, provided the new flights are within the 12 month window.
- You won't receive any email, only the refund and the miles.
- Use the Qantas website and look back to your original PNR. Step by step guide in post 954
Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*
Apr 18, 20, 8:29 am
#1666
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: Avios, Miles & More
Posts: 14
at the moment your option is to cancel as per the t and cs of the booking which would be a loss of 35Ł per person.
if/when the voucher scheme is extended to cover your dates if you take the voucher you dont get anything back. Taxes Avios and voucher basically frozen to use within 12 months of outbound date of flight
or if ba cancel your flight then you can also get a refund no loss of anything and voucher is extended by 6 extra months too
if/when the voucher scheme is extended to cover your dates if you take the voucher you dont get anything back. Taxes Avios and voucher basically frozen to use within 12 months of outbound date of flight
or if ba cancel your flight then you can also get a refund no loss of anything and voucher is extended by 6 extra months too
Apr 18, 20, 8:36 am
#1667
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 84
at the moment your option is to cancel as per the t and cs of the booking which would be a loss of 35Ł per person.
if/when the voucher scheme is extended to cover your dates if you take the voucher you dont get anything back. Taxes Avios and voucher basically frozen to use within 12 months of outbound date of flight
or if ba cancel your flight then you can also get a refund no loss of anything and voucher is extended by 6 extra months too
if/when the voucher scheme is extended to cover your dates if you take the voucher you dont get anything back. Taxes Avios and voucher basically frozen to use within 12 months of outbound date of flight
or if ba cancel your flight then you can also get a refund no loss of anything and voucher is extended by 6 extra months too
Apr 18, 20, 8:39 am
#1668
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
Apologies for asking as no doubt this has been answered a million times but just to clarify - if you made a booking with a 2 for 1 voucher which is now expired - you are actually best off taking the BA voucher if your flight is cancelled as it gives your 2 for 1 another 12 months (as opposed to just 6 months if you take a refund)?
Apr 18, 20, 11:21 am
#1670
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 47
Flight voucher for a booking that included an Avios upgrade (wtp to cw)
Hi all, has anyone been issued a flight voucher for a booking that originally included an Avios upgrade?
I had booked and outbound in wtp and then upgraded to cw with Avios. When I received the voucher I was expecting to see the Avios refunded to my account but haven’t. I’ve emailed BA requesting the Avios to be returned but I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this?
I had booked and outbound in wtp and then upgraded to cw with Avios. When I received the voucher I was expecting to see the Avios refunded to my account but haven’t. I’ve emailed BA requesting the Avios to be returned but I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this?
Apr 18, 20, 11:29 am
#1671
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: 61,231
Hi all, has anyone been issued a flight voucher for a booking that originally included an Avios upgrade?
I had booked and outbound in wtp and then upgraded to cw with Avios. When I received the voucher I was expecting to see the Avios refunded to my account but haven’t. I’ve emailed BA requesting the Avios to be returned but I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this?
I had booked and outbound in wtp and then upgraded to cw with Avios. When I received the voucher I was expecting to see the Avios refunded to my account but haven’t. I’ve emailed BA requesting the Avios to be returned but I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this?
Just to do a re-statement on how eVouchers work, I know it's a long thread: if you apply for an eVoucher, whether online or via a Contact Centre, your original PNR and original ticket is preserved, without a flight (excluding the Mont-Joli dummy, see wiki). All the means of payments used are preserved in this, so cash, vouchers, Avios, credits, GUFs, 2-4-1s, previous eVouchers, the lot. If you have used a USA point of sale cancel+rebook, or had to defer a booking for sickness it is the same principle. The ticket, and all the means of payment, are frozen and get unfrozen when you are in a position to rebook.
Apr 18, 20, 12:24 pm
#1672
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 47
If you upgraded using Avios and didn't cancel it off first, then the eVoucher will retain the Avios for re-use in your new booking. So you wouldn't see the Avios refunded.
Just to do a re-statement on how eVouchers work, I know it's a long thread: if you apply for an eVoucher, whether online or via a Contact Centre, your original PNR and original ticket is preserved, without a flight (excluding the Mont-Joli dummy, see wiki). All the means of payments used are preserved in this, so cash, vouchers, Avios, credits, GUFs, 2-4-1s, previous eVouchers, the lot. If you have used a USA point of sale cancel+rebook, or had to defer a booking for sickness it is the same principle. The ticket, and all the means of payment, are frozen and get unfrozen when you are in a position to rebook.
Just to do a re-statement on how eVouchers work, I know it's a long thread: if you apply for an eVoucher, whether online or via a Contact Centre, your original PNR and original ticket is preserved, without a flight (excluding the Mont-Joli dummy, see wiki). All the means of payments used are preserved in this, so cash, vouchers, Avios, credits, GUFs, 2-4-1s, previous eVouchers, the lot. If you have used a USA point of sale cancel+rebook, or had to defer a booking for sickness it is the same principle. The ticket, and all the means of payment, are frozen and get unfrozen when you are in a position to rebook.
Thanks. Just for extra context I requested the voucher just before checkin closed as ba didn’t cancel the flight. I also mistyped. The outbound was wtp, the return was wtp but upgraded to cw using Avios
So for clarity - when I come to use the voucher I can use the cash value and then make use of the Avios that was frozen with the PnR? Wish this stuff was explained on the email (unless I missed it elsewhere on the ba website).
Apr 18, 20, 2:37 pm
#1673
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: 61,231
In terms of stuff being explained, don't hesitate to check in this forum, there is usually someone online who can help.
Apr 19, 20, 1:21 am
#1674
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 370
May I add my thanks to BA refund helperhttps://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32267001-post259.html who dealt swiftly with my tax/fees refund. Most appreciated.
Apr 19, 20, 2:16 am
#1675
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,599
I think it might be time for me to PM BA Refund Helper again, 2 bookings waiting for cash refund (Avios received instantly when I called in) @ 17 days, 2 bookings waiting on cash refund @ 11 days.
Apr 19, 20, 3:06 am
#1676
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: BHX
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Amb
Posts: 172
We have an Avios LHR-(SIN)-SYD return for late May (booked at +355). It uses both a 2-4-1 and a GUF2. At the moment neither the BA15 or BA16 is cancelled, but even if it does we wouldn't want the 2-week reschedule option so it'll be either a full refund or an eVoucher.
It's very much a first world problem but I'm unsure what's best as the 2-4-1 expires in September 2020 and the GUF2 expires in May 2020.
Option 1: Request a eVoucher which freezes the Avios, Taxes, 2-4-1/GUF2 in a bundle. Using it needs award availability. Has to be used in full with the new inbound within 12 months of the original outbound.
Option 2: Request a refund. Get back all Avios, Taxes (minus GBP 35/pax if done before cancellation) and the 2-4-1/GUF2. Both the 2-4-1 and GUF2 will get extended by 6 months (relevant thread)
The eVoucher has the limitation that we have to book and travel before mid may 2021. If this wouldn't be to SYD we'd leave some Avios on the voucher to be lost (I think?) as there isn't a single other BA destination that will require the same Avios as SYD in peak F. It is however the only way to 'protect' both the 2-4-1/GUF2 until May 2021.
The refund means more options in terms of using the Avios/2-4-1/GUF2 for different bookings but we'd have to use and fly the 2-4-1 before March 2021 or loose it.
Any other considerations I'm missing? I'm leaning towards the refund option just because of the added flexibility.
It's very much a first world problem but I'm unsure what's best as the 2-4-1 expires in September 2020 and the GUF2 expires in May 2020.
Option 1: Request a eVoucher which freezes the Avios, Taxes, 2-4-1/GUF2 in a bundle. Using it needs award availability. Has to be used in full with the new inbound within 12 months of the original outbound.
Option 2: Request a refund. Get back all Avios, Taxes (minus GBP 35/pax if done before cancellation) and the 2-4-1/GUF2. Both the 2-4-1 and GUF2 will get extended by 6 months (relevant thread)
The eVoucher has the limitation that we have to book and travel before mid may 2021. If this wouldn't be to SYD we'd leave some Avios on the voucher to be lost (I think?) as there isn't a single other BA destination that will require the same Avios as SYD in peak F. It is however the only way to 'protect' both the 2-4-1/GUF2 until May 2021.
The refund means more options in terms of using the Avios/2-4-1/GUF2 for different bookings but we'd have to use and fly the 2-4-1 before March 2021 or loose it.
Any other considerations I'm missing? I'm leaning towards the refund option just because of the added flexibility.
Apr 19, 20, 3:23 am
#1677
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott Plat
Posts: 685
Just as a datapoint I got through to the gold line quickly on Friday and cancellation and refund processed within a couple of minutes. All Avios returned and money (~Ł1200) pending already on my AMEX. All in all very impressed.
Apr 19, 20, 4:15 am
#1678
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 2
Cancel travel voucher for refund
I had booked a flight for my parents scheduled to travel on May 1 2020. Back in March I had applied for a voucher thinking that I could use the voucher for anyone in the household. BA’s voucher conditions in their website back in March had said “You may use the voucher however you want but each person In the ticket will receive a voucher”. But now, they updated their voucher information in their website that the voucher is non-transferable and can only be used by the original passengers. The flight is not cancelled yet but will get cancelled next week due to ongoing restrictions. My parents are older people and won’t be able to travel within the next 1 year. I have been trying to cancel the voucher and get a refund instead. BA simply says that there is no option. They insist that once a voucher is issued, it cannot be reversed. Can anyone please let me know what options I have to avoid losing all of the money? Isn’t it possible for them to cancel the voucher and reinstate the original booking, so I can apply for a refund when the flight gets cancelled?
Thank you,
Thank you,
Apr 19, 20, 5:20 am
#1679
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
We have an Avios LHR-(SIN)-SYD return for late May (booked at +355). It uses both a 2-4-1 and a GUF2. At the moment neither the BA15 or BA16 is cancelled, but even if it does we wouldn't want the 2-week reschedule option so it'll be either a full refund or an eVoucher.
It's very much a first world problem but I'm unsure what's best as the 2-4-1 expires in September 2020 and the GUF2 expires in May 2020.
Option 1: Request a eVoucher which freezes the Avios, Taxes, 2-4-1/GUF2 in a bundle. Using it needs award availability. Has to be used in full with the new inbound within 12 months of the original outbound.
Option 2: Request a refund. Get back all Avios, Taxes (minus GBP 35/pax if done before cancellation) and the 2-4-1/GUF2. Both the 2-4-1 and GUF2 will get extended by 6 months (relevant thread)
The eVoucher has the limitation that we have to book and travel before mid may 2021. If this wouldn't be to SYD we'd leave some Avios on the voucher to be lost (I think?) as there isn't a single other BA destination that will require the same Avios as SYD in peak F. It is however the only way to 'protect' both the 2-4-1/GUF2 until May 2021.
The refund means more options in terms of using the Avios/2-4-1/GUF2 for different bookings but we'd have to use and fly the 2-4-1 before March 2021 or loose it.
Any other considerations I'm missing? I'm leaning towards the refund option just because of the added flexibility.
It's very much a first world problem but I'm unsure what's best as the 2-4-1 expires in September 2020 and the GUF2 expires in May 2020.
Option 1: Request a eVoucher which freezes the Avios, Taxes, 2-4-1/GUF2 in a bundle. Using it needs award availability. Has to be used in full with the new inbound within 12 months of the original outbound.
Option 2: Request a refund. Get back all Avios, Taxes (minus GBP 35/pax if done before cancellation) and the 2-4-1/GUF2. Both the 2-4-1 and GUF2 will get extended by 6 months (relevant thread)
The eVoucher has the limitation that we have to book and travel before mid may 2021. If this wouldn't be to SYD we'd leave some Avios on the voucher to be lost (I think?) as there isn't a single other BA destination that will require the same Avios as SYD in peak F. It is however the only way to 'protect' both the 2-4-1/GUF2 until May 2021.
The refund means more options in terms of using the Avios/2-4-1/GUF2 for different bookings but we'd have to use and fly the 2-4-1 before March 2021 or loose it.
Any other considerations I'm missing? I'm leaning towards the refund option just because of the added flexibility.
Apr 19, 20, 1:14 pm
#1680
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Glasgow or London or elsewhere
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Rewards Spire Ambassador
Posts: 135
Hi
Does anyone know what happens if I use a voucher I received for an Avios booking to book new flights and then cancel those flights via the call centre? Would it be possible to get the Avios refunded into my account (subject to the usual fee) or would they insist on giving me another voucher?
I really feel done by them as due to time differences I wasn't able to telephone to cancel and had no option but to go for the voucher as otherwise I'd have been a no show and the Ts & Cs they had (more like FAQs) on the voucher page were really unclear - they didn't say, for eg, that you wouldn't get your Avios back. I naiviely assumed the voucher would just be for the tax and the Avios would land back in my account...
Thanks
Does anyone know what happens if I use a voucher I received for an Avios booking to book new flights and then cancel those flights via the call centre? Would it be possible to get the Avios refunded into my account (subject to the usual fee) or would they insist on giving me another voucher?
I really feel done by them as due to time differences I wasn't able to telephone to cancel and had no option but to go for the voucher as otherwise I'd have been a no show and the Ts & Cs they had (more like FAQs) on the voucher page were really unclear - they didn't say, for eg, that you wouldn't get your Avios back. I naiviely assumed the voucher would just be for the tax and the Avios would land back in my account...
Thanks
