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*
#3421
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: 63,821
I know that BA will allow a rebooking, even if there is no Avios availability, on the same route if the booked flight is cancelled by them, however would anyone know what the options would be if the SJC-LHR route is cancelled or not reinstated by the time of my trip. Would it be possible to rebook to fly from say SFO even if there is no Avios availability on SFO flights?
#3422
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: London, UK
Posts: 2
That's great to know- many thanks for the quick reply!
#3423
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
I have a flight switched from LGW to LHR 02 Nov. I know I can request a refund if I wish, but is there a timeframe attached to that? I haven't yet accepted the change in MMB. Thanks.
#3424
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: 63,821
#3426
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
Yes because the flight has been cancelled. LGW to LHR shuffle might have the same number but the email from BA says cancelled so all good.
#3427
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: LHR
Programs: BAEC GGL & CCR / QF LTG
Posts: 829
I spoke with 'You First' today and while the agent was incredibly pleasant to talk to, she seemed a little unsure on how an Avios triggered FTV works with a GUF2. A little like me!
The booking is in A (through a GUF2), she really wasn't sure whether the voucher will entitle me to book directly into a new A/Z fare or whether I would need availability in U and A/Z. Can anyone confirm the correct answer please - on a route like Sydney, it makes quite a difference finding A availability compared to finding working U + A/Z dates.
Thanks.
The booking is in A (through a GUF2), she really wasn't sure whether the voucher will entitle me to book directly into a new A/Z fare or whether I would need availability in U and A/Z. Can anyone confirm the correct answer please - on a route like Sydney, it makes quite a difference finding A availability compared to finding working U + A/Z dates.
Thanks.
I used a GUF1 to upgrade a flight to Cyprus, which departs next week on Sunday. I used the GUF1 as it was about to expire. The faff of getting a COVID test done with results back within 72 hours is not something I can be bothered with, so plan to apply for an FTV before checkin closes in case the flight is cancelled. However, is there an advantage to taking the FTV to extend the expiry of the GUF1 since all FTVs are valid till April 2022?
#3428
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LHR
Programs: BAEC Silver, Delta Platinum medallion
Posts: 278
8 second waiting time on Gold line to get refund for cancelled flight
Just called (Saturday 5.06pm) Gold Line to get a refund on my cancelled by BA yesterday 2-4-1 J LHR-SYD.
Call wait time was just 8 seconds, very helpful Manchester centre set up a full refund without any quibble. 250,000 Avios already back in household account. Extended voucher and £1500 will follow in next few days.
A pity - I would have been celebrating my 70th on the flight out.
Call wait time was just 8 seconds, very helpful Manchester centre set up a full refund without any quibble. 250,000 Avios already back in household account. Extended voucher and £1500 will follow in next few days.
A pity - I would have been celebrating my 70th on the flight out.
#3429
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Devon, England
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 66
The booking is in A (through a GUF2), she really wasn't sure whether the voucher will entitle me to book directly into a new A/Z fare or whether I would need availability in U and A/Z. Can anyone confirm the correct answer please - on a route like Sydney, it makes quite a difference finding A availability compared to finding working U + A/Z dates.
Thanks.
Thanks.
#3430
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: 63,821
i had a similar booking (241 and GUF2 into First) for end of Aug (low season as that was all that I could get when I booked it last Nov) to Grenada which has been cancelled and I was offered a rebooking (no FTV needed) for March (high season) without the need for award availability. I said I’d think about it and when I rang back to confirm I was told I needed reward availability but there was none. I said that I understood the GUF2 would override that and was told ‘oh yes, you are correct, my apologies’ and the booking was then confirmed. Now I’m not sure if I was lucky or if that is indeed correct, either way I’m happy.
#3431
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IC Hotels Spire, BA Gold
Posts: 8,668
Very quick question (I see this thread is now at a whopping 229 pages so will be tedious to trawl through).
I have just had a flight cancelled by BA for the first time in around 4 months and wondered what the latest way of getting a cash refund is? I don't want a voucher so don't want to do anything in MMB until am sure that pressing anything that looks vaguely like a "Refund" button actually does just that and gives me my money back!
So for a cash refund, is this possible again in MMB or is it a case of calling BA on the phone to get this?
I have just had a flight cancelled by BA for the first time in around 4 months and wondered what the latest way of getting a cash refund is? I don't want a voucher so don't want to do anything in MMB until am sure that pressing anything that looks vaguely like a "Refund" button actually does just that and gives me my money back!
So for a cash refund, is this possible again in MMB or is it a case of calling BA on the phone to get this?
#3432
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,262
Call up. Cash refund
#3433
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 804
Very quick question (I see this thread is now at a whopping 229 pages so will be tedious to trawl through).
I have just had a flight cancelled by BA for the first time in around 4 months and wondered what the latest way of getting a cash refund is? I don't want a voucher so don't want to do anything in MMB until am sure that pressing anything that looks vaguely like a "Refund" button actually does just that and gives me my money back!
So for a cash refund, is this possible again in MMB or is it a case of calling BA on the phone to get this?
I have just had a flight cancelled by BA for the first time in around 4 months and wondered what the latest way of getting a cash refund is? I don't want a voucher so don't want to do anything in MMB until am sure that pressing anything that looks vaguely like a "Refund" button actually does just that and gives me my money back!
So for a cash refund, is this possible again in MMB or is it a case of calling BA on the phone to get this?
#3434
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Ireland
Posts: 135
Ive had both my BA DUB-LHR and backs cancel on me and been rescheduled onto EI's via phone call with no problem. Must depend who you talk to.
#3435
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Home Counties, UK
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 539
I have just had an Avios redemption cancelled for two of us in J LHR/DUR/LHR, out in Feb and back in March where I also used Avios for seat reservations on the return portion. I am assuming they have terminated this very useful (for us) service and want me to rebook via JNB. I personally feel it’s highly likely that we will now choose not to go anyway. It would be advantageous for me to just contact them for a full refund as I will then get the Avios for the seats and our £35 x 2 back. If I rebook on to the LHR/JNB/DUR route and then cancel I am aware that I will lose the seat Avios and the £70. I know that even if there is no redemption availability for the new flights they will accommodate us. My question is can I just hang on now until January without contacting them at all as that will be around the time we’ll make our decision? Did I read somewhere that I have six years and don’t even have to turn up for the (now non-existant) flight?
Many thanks.
I have just found C-W-S’s no.3424 reply about the six years so I guess that answers my question in full. I am just wary about doing nothing in the way of contacting BA for the next six months.
Many thanks.
I have just found C-W-S’s no.3424 reply about the six years so I guess that answers my question in full. I am just wary about doing nothing in the way of contacting BA for the next six months.
Last edited by Shingi; Aug 10, 2020 at 2:50 am Reason: Addition