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

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*

Old May 22, 2020, 2:51 am
  #2416  
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Originally Posted by Koru Flyer
The trouble with being out in the colonies, and god knows how many decisions are being adversely affected by either a lack of alignment, or a local decision to quietly prefer the option of vouchers or open dated tckets?
Ding ding Koru Flyer - since KARFA has pointed out that Update 3 of Guideline 1 is now Update 4, and the main difference is that they have identified that bookings with the following Cancellation codes are eligible for Guideline 1: OMN, OPEN and COVN. If the agent can see any of those codes and looks up Update 4 then I think it's crystal clear, particularly when read with the previous and longstanding sentence that says this is the principal guideline.
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Old May 22, 2020, 4:18 am
  #2417  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
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My partner has a flight booked bru- tokyo-icn-lhr going 7th july returning on the 20th. He booked this in Feb before the covid19. Looking at the voucher rules it shows can get voucher for flights booked after 6th March. Now is looking unlikely he will be able to enter either japan or Sth Korea but flights still showing. What are the options?
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Old May 22, 2020, 4:28 am
  #2418  
 
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An update to the voucher conundrum. I'm one of the people here who have been given a voucher instead of a refund because of the website misdirects any refund requests to the voucher page. In order:

Gold line refused to refund.
AMEX said it wasn't their problem.
Got through the complaint process until I got a deadlock letter.
Filed a dispute with CEDR... and now I'm waiting to see how that goes.

I hope other people have had an easier time than I did but I'll report back when I'm successful or when I'm in court.
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Old May 22, 2020, 4:53 am
  #2419  
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Originally Posted by thebigben
An update to the voucher conundrum. I'm one of the people here who have been given a voucher instead of a refund because of the website misdirects any refund requests to the voucher page. In order:

Gold line refused to refund.
AMEX said it wasn't their problem.
Got through the complaint process until I got a deadlock letter.
Filed a dispute with CEDR... and now I'm waiting to see how that goes.

I hope other people have had an easier time than I did but I'll report back when I'm successful or when I'm in court.
I am not sure you are likely to have much success tbh. The future travel voucher form is fairly clear that you are applying for a voucher. There were a few instances of people getting FTVs converted to full refunds where the flight was cancelled, but this was early on and I don't see that happening now two months in.

You still have the value on your FTV which you can use up to April 2022 so you haven't lost out at least.
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Old May 22, 2020, 4:54 am
  #2420  
 
Join Date: May 2020
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Get him to login under his account, then use this URL
ba.com/contact
But in reality, Bremen (select Germany in the drop down) is easiest to get hold off during the European day time, UK/USA any number in the European evening.

Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum Melgrafs, it's good to see you here.
Thank you, hes just checked the back of his card and the number is on there 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
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Old May 22, 2020, 4:56 am
  #2421  
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Originally Posted by Melgrafs
Thank you, hes just checked the back of his card and the number is on there 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
See here https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32382391-post2295.html

The gold line number may request you call the central numbers, but you should be able to speak to an agent fairly quickly anyway.
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Old May 22, 2020, 6:14 am
  #2422  
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
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Originally Posted by KARFA
I am not sure you are likely to have much success tbh. The future travel voucher form is fairly clear that you are applying for a voucher. There were a few instances of people getting FTVs converted to full refunds where the flight was cancelled, but this was early on and I don't see that happening now two months in.

You still have the value on your FTV which you can use up to April 2022 so you haven't lost out at least.
It's not really a matter of money but a matter of principle. In a vacuum and if you wanted to really understand what the form was for, then yes, you'd see that it is for a voucher. But you don't necessarily expect that after clicking a "refund" button. You'd just fill in the form and that'd be it. As for my chances of success, well, if CEDR doesn't work it will be up to my legal protection insurance as to whether or not they will take that case. That's where the odds are thinning out, I guess. If all else fails I'll write to some consumer columns in journals to make that experience public so other people will not make the same mistake.

Let's not forget that BA had a perfectly functional cancellation/refund page but they pulled it away with the pandemic.
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Old May 22, 2020, 6:21 am
  #2423  
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Originally Posted by thebigben
But you don't necessarily expect that after clicking a "refund" button. You'd just fill in the form and that'd be it.
What is unclear about the sentence: "Please fill out this form to receive your voucher or contact us to discuss your refund options"? This is the third sentence on the FTV form.
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Old May 22, 2020, 6:49 am
  #2424  
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Originally Posted by thebigben
It's not really a matter of money but a matter of principle. In a vacuum and if you wanted to really understand what the form was for, then yes, you'd see that it is for a voucher. But you don't necessarily expect that after clicking a "refund" button. You'd just fill in the form and that'd be it. As for my chances of success, well, if CEDR doesn't work it will be up to my legal protection insurance as to whether or not they will take that case. That's where the odds are thinning out, I guess. If all else fails I'll write to some consumer columns in journals to make that experience public so other people will not make the same mistake.

Let's not forget that BA had a perfectly functional cancellation/refund page but they pulled it away with the pandemic.
tbh i think that is your strongest argument that you had clicked on that button previously and had got a refund (although if you go down that line BA may say how come you didn't recognise it was a completely different page from what you had experienced before). Perhaps also argue that you have found subsequently that BA had withdrawn the ability to do a refund online which you had previously been used to, but at no point did they tell you that in their communications during this period so you didn't have a reason to believe that had changed. it's a very tricky one to argue tbh, you need to have a think about the basis you want to frame this one to have any chance.

EDIT: also difficult to argue when it appears you did notice it was different and did seem to be for a voucher but carried on filling the form in anyway https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32222042-post857.html

The form has in big letters at the top that it is an application for a voucher so it would be hard to argue that it was difficult to understand what you were applying for.



anyway, good luck and let us know how it goes
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Old May 22, 2020, 7:39 am
  #2425  
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Originally Posted by thebigben
It's not really a matter of money but a matter of principle. In a vacuum and if you wanted to really understand what the form was for, then yes, you'd see that it is for a voucher. But you don't necessarily expect that after clicking a "refund" button. You'd just fill in the form and that'd be it. As for my chances of success, well, if CEDR doesn't work it will be up to my legal protection insurance as to whether or not they will take that case. That's where the odds are thinning out, I guess. If all else fails I'll write to some consumer columns in journals to make that experience public so other people will not make the same mistake.

Let's not forget that BA had a perfectly functional cancellation/refund page but they pulled it away with the pandemic.
Most airlines do the same thing thebigben ,

When you click at the refund button on most airlines' website, it redirects you to a voucher page.
TAP Portugal is another example. Lufthansa is another example.

Airlines have to encourage people to get vouchers to ensure their cash-flow and they might often do some tricks like this as removing the online refund option and as far as I think, there is no legal requirement that airlines should have an online refund button for irregularities. BA's policy is simple and available on top of the voucher page as KARFA shared, you need to call them.

And also, probably for personal reasons ( do not want the hotline and talk to someone, etc... ), you preferred to fill the voucher form for a refund thinking that it would work. However, as soon as you accept the voucher, it means that you didn't want to get a refund and you are OK for a voucher.

Sorry to tell you that, legal options would take you nowhere as BA probably has the evidence ( IP number, etc... ) that you agreed to take a voucher rather than a refund.
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Old May 22, 2020, 8:29 am
  #2426  
 
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Originally Posted by ISTFlyer
Most airlines do the same thing thebigben ,

When you click at the refund button on most airlines' website, it redirects you to a voucher page.
TAP Portugal is another example. Lufthansa is another example.

Airlines have to encourage people to get vouchers to ensure their cash-flow and they might often do some tricks like this as removing the online refund option and as far as I think, there is no legal requirement that airlines should have an online refund button for irregularities. BA's policy is simple and available on top of the voucher page as KARFA shared, you need to call them.

And also, probably for personal reasons ( do not want the hotline and talk to someone, etc... ), you preferred to fill the voucher form for a refund thinking that it would work. However, as soon as you accept the voucher, it means that you didn't want to get a refund and you are OK for a voucher.

Sorry to tell you that, legal options would take you nowhere as BA probably has the evidence ( IP number, etc... ) that you agreed to take a voucher rather than a refund.
There is one difference with other airlines, who offer 10% value on top. I am no lawyer but there may be a thing about consideration for both parties in entering a contract to get a voucher. I do not believe that there is any consideration for the customer in this case and as such may make the contract void.
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Old May 22, 2020, 9:21 am
  #2427  
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Originally Posted by thebigben
There is one difference with other airlines, who offer 10% value on top. I am no lawyer but there may be a thing about consideration for both parties in entering a contract to get a voucher. I do not believe that there is any consideration for the customer in this case and as such may make the contract void.
I think BA would plausibly argue that the contract started when you bought the ticket. This will go nowhere in CEDR, and I very much doubt an MCOL application would succeed.There may be some scope under the Consumer Rights Act if you argue the mechanism was unbalanced. BA are offering a small extra on Avios credits now, but presumably not at the point when you filled in the FTV form.
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Old May 22, 2020, 9:37 am
  #2428  
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Originally Posted by thebigben
There is one difference with other airlines, who offer 10% value on top. I am no lawyer but there may be a thing about consideration for both parties in entering a contract to get a voucher. I do not believe that there is any consideration for the customer in this case and as such may make the contract void.
There is no requirement or basis for there to be any bonus in taking a voucher. Airlines that have done it are doing so by choice. I really do not think there is any point attempting to raise this n your dispute since it just confuses your complaint.

Last edited by KARFA; May 22, 2020 at 10:32 am
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Old May 22, 2020, 3:42 pm
  #2429  
 
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Originally Posted by thebigben
There is one difference with other airlines, who offer 10% value on top. I am no lawyer but there may be a thing about consideration for both parties in entering a contract to get a voucher. I do not believe that there is any consideration for the customer in this case and as such may make the contract void.
Offer, acceptance and consideration. BA offer you a FTV which you either accept or decline. If the former, then the value of the the ticket paid is exchanged or converted into the FTV. If you decline the offer of the FTV, then one should be minded to proceed with an alternative solution which may include a full refund.

H

Last edited by Hoch; May 22, 2020 at 3:45 pm Reason: Typo
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Old May 23, 2020, 3:54 am
  #2430  
 
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Are rebookings still limited to 355 days out? Have a flights booked from Santorini-LHR-GLA and happy to move it 364 days out, but assume that will mean taking FTV and rebooking when flight becomes available?
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