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Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*

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Old Mar 14, 2020, 4:58 pm
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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:
  • 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.

Paid Seating Refund:
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.
How to find out the status of your voucher and the amount it contains Future Travel Vouchers versus eVouchers
  • See posts 3052 and 3151 to understand the difference. FTVs cannot be used online (and are not really vouchers), whereas eVouchers, issued for simple bookings, can be used online.
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Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*

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Old Apr 29, 2020, 3:43 pm
  #1876  
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No, at the moment the cancel button will only take you to a page to request a voucher. If you want a refund you need to call. Also you may want to review the new voucher conditions which allow use for travel through 2022, in case these new terms and conditions might be useful.
Update on book with confidence vouchers
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Last edited by jerry a. laska; Apr 29, 2020 at 3:50 pm
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Old Apr 29, 2020, 3:44 pm
  #1877  
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Originally Posted by dawntreader380
Hi all, probably a stupid question, I tried to search the forum but with such common keywords I've not found anything relevant to my specific query.
Both flights in my upcoming booking (straight up cash booking) have been cancelled - when I go to MMB it is showing a button to "cancel" - will clicking it actually request a full refund? I am hesitant to try as I do not want to end up with a voucher and everywhere I checked it says I have to call to obtain a refund - but the page is strongly suggesting refund can be obtained by clicking.. Any advice welcome!
As I understand it, the next screen will take you to the eVoucher application screen, so yes you do have to call if you want a cash / Avios refund. The queue time isn't usually too bad at the moment.
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Old Apr 29, 2020, 3:54 pm
  #1878  
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
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Thank you both for confirming so quickly! ^
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 3:30 am
  #1879  
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
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Received an e-mail saying my flights end of may are cancelled and to phone up for a refund [Paraphrased]. There was no mention of rebooking.

When I go to MMB the flights don't show as cancelled, and when I go to book a new flight on same dates it shows them on sale.

Assuming they are cancelled - do I have to take a refund, or can I rebook in the future? I don't want to bog down the phone lines (tried to phone but says too busy) as this is normally something I'd do online but because MMB shows the flight as running, it's asking me to pay the difference. I actually don't want a refund because it is a trip that is essential to travel as soon as possible due to a terminal prognosis of a family member... Hopefully the border will be open in time...
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 3:34 am
  #1880  
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Originally Posted by Sailbot3310
Received an e-mail saying my flights end of may are cancelled and to phone up for a refund [Paraphrased]. There was no mention of rebooking.

When I go to MMB the flights don't show as cancelled, and when I go to book a new flight on same dates it shows them on sale.

Assuming they are cancelled - do I have to take a refund, or can I rebook in the future? I don't want to bog down the phone lines (tried to phone but says too busy) as this is normally something I'd do online but because MMB shows the flight as running, it's asking me to pay the difference. I actually don't want a refund because it is a trip that is essential to travel as soon as possible due to a terminal prognosis of a family member... Hopefully the border will be open in time...
Yes for a cancelled flight you can rebook. As long as there is any space in the cabin you will be allowed to rebook to the new flights, you don't need the same selling class to be available. You can book anytime up to your ticket validity.

It may be that you can rebook online once the cancellation has been done, although I suspect it won't work and you will have to call.
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 3:38 am
  #1881  
 
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Is that the same for bookings that are GUF'ed or upgraded with miles. Will the honour the ticketed cabin or force you back down a notch?

Thanks,

KF
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 3:39 am
  #1882  
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Originally Posted by Koru Flyer
Is that the same for bookings that are GUF'ed or upgraded with miles. Will the honour the ticketed cabin or force you back down a notch?

Thanks,

KF
It is the same.
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 3:52 am
  #1883  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London
Programs: British Airways
Posts: 114
Is there still a dedicated gold number I can ring about a refund on a cancelled reward flight. Or which is the best number to ring from UK.
Manged to talk to someone.

Last edited by pumatwin; Apr 30, 2020 at 4:06 am
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 5:43 am
  #1884  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: GB - LONDON
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Originally Posted by pumatwin
Is there still a dedicated gold number I can ring about a refund on a cancelled reward flight. Or which is the best number to ring from UK.
Manged to talk to someone.
Try the BA call centre in Bremen +494215575767 for refunds, it takes 7 minutes in total
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 5:48 am
  #1885  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 148
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Your options will be:
- eVouchers
- rebook on the same routes (some variations would also be allowed such as swapping IAH for MSY)
- full refund - I am assuming that at least one of your flights will be cancelled and neither Nashville nor New Orleans can accept international flights at the moment.
- mostly refund - being an Avios booking you can cancel for the £35 redeposit fee and do that now, if you want the certainty.

Rebook and eVouchers are essentially a nuance on each other, but yes, you can now simply rebook for the same trip on another date within 355 days - you just need space in the cabin and on those routes that should be relatively easy. If you want to book beyond this then you can go for the eVoucher instead which allows travel until 2022 and can be used on other routes or BA Holidays. It's not really a voucher, which has confused a lot of people, it's retaining the payment in a wrapper, which can then be redeployed to the same value as you spent. So in your case it's a mix of cash, Avios and a 2-4-1. This is more flexible than a rebook on one level, but as things stand you may need Avios availability for the period from May 2021 to April 2022, whereas a rebook you just need space in the cabin. Strictly speaking a refund is the most flexible, the 2-4-1 would be extended 6 months if necessary but then you have to find Avios space, not currently very difficult.

You don't need to decide right now, you have until 24 hours before departure before you have to make a decision. If a date in early June 2021 would work as a rebooking date then you can leave it until you are within 355 days of the departure date and thus it is in the schedule. The only small risk I can think of is if the policy changes again for some reason, but you should be OK for a few weeks, BA isn't that nimble.
Thanks for this detailed reply, I'm sorry I missed it originally. Very helpful, I've been very confused but it seems to make sense for me to wait for the flight to be cancelled.

Does anyone have a sense of how far out flights are being cancelled/when decisions are being made about future flights? Is it quite last minute or are they cancelling for entire chunks of time as they go along?
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 5:52 am
  #1886  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
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Originally Posted by greenchicken
Does anyone have a sense of how far out flights are being cancelled/when decisions are being made about future flights? Is it quite last minute or are they cancelling for entire chunks of time as they go along?
Most of my May flights have been cancelled or amended, but only a few of June so far, excluding all the NCL legs. BA is doing them in waves, which makes sense, I'd say they are at the back end of May at the moment.
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 5:54 am
  #1887  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 148
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Most of my May flights have been cancelled or amended, but only a few of June so far, excluding all the NCL legs. BA is doing them in waves, which makes sense, I'd say they are at the back end of May at the moment.
Thanks, I was nervous they may be waiting then cancelling hundreds of flights in one sweep, which would mean another rush on the phone lines etc. At least if the cancellations are drip feeding then it may not be too bad. Let me know if anyone hears anything about flights from mid June!
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 6:02 am
  #1888  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
Hi all


I want to cancel some reward flights that i booked for July. I understand that if i request a voucher, i wont get my avios back and if i want my avios back, i have to call to cancel the reservation and i will lose the £35 or whatever it was that i paid for them but get my avios back. How do they work out how much to give me in vouchers?

I am sorry if this has been answered already.
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 6:03 am
  #1889  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 148
Sorry to ask for clarity on one more part of this. If BA cancels my flight, which was booked in First with Avios and Amex companion voucher, I can get a voucher for that total payment which can be used to book a new First flight whenever there is First availability, or would I be limited to flights wit Reward seats available?

And if it's cancelled and I get a refund of the Avios and companion voucher, they get returned to my account and I'd essentially need to start from scratch for a new booking, i.e. I'd need to find flights with Reward seats available in First?
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Old Apr 30, 2020, 6:05 am
  #1890  
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Originally Posted by MiraculousM
Hi all


I want to cancel some reward flights that i booked for July. I understand that if i request a voucher, i wont get my avios back and if i want my avios back, i have to call to cancel the reservation and i will lose the £35 or whatever it was that i paid for them but get my avios back. How do they work out how much to give me in vouchers?

I am sorry if this has been answered already.
the voucher value will be whatever amount of avios and cash (taxes/fees/charges) you originally paid for the booking. The value isn’t reduced by any fees.

is there a rush to cancel? Tbh I would wait and see if you get any cancelled flights - if you do you can just get a full refund or rebook.
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