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*
#3946
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Buckeye, AZ
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 241
Followed KARFA's sage advice, filled out the form online and recieved an eVoucher in about 30 minutes. I am good to go.Thank you again.
#3947
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,916
I want to go to Brazil next month with BA.
I've seen a couple of mentions here in passing but can't find them now ... where can I get travel insurance notwithstanding HMG's all but essential travel guidance?
As a single, healthy 30 y.o. I am not worried about catching coronavirus but to have insurance coverage is the only entry requirement I need
I've seen a couple of mentions here in passing but can't find them now ... where can I get travel insurance notwithstanding HMG's all but essential travel guidance?
As a single, healthy 30 y.o. I am not worried about catching coronavirus but to have insurance coverage is the only entry requirement I need
#3948
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,810
I want to go to Brazil next month with BA.
I've seen a couple of mentions here in passing but can't find them now ... where can I get travel insurance notwithstanding HMG's all but essential travel guidance?
As a single, healthy 30 y.o. I am not worried about catching coronavirus but to have insurance coverage is the only entry requirement I need
I've seen a couple of mentions here in passing but can't find them now ... where can I get travel insurance notwithstanding HMG's all but essential travel guidance?
As a single, healthy 30 y.o. I am not worried about catching coronavirus but to have insurance coverage is the only entry requirement I need
BA-Allianz Travel Insurance - COVID Cover
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coro...surance-7.html
COVID Travel Medical Insurance... suggestions?
Brazil - Mandatory Insurance Masterthread
#3949
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 94
*Edit* Twitter useless "refunds are taking longer than usual"
Last edited by kath2049; Sep 26, 2020 at 12:16 am
#3950
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 158
still waiting for refund requested 23/07. Have phoned twice and also did twitter DM over a week ago. Usual bluff about longer than usual, coming soon/word like hopefully, should etc. I mentioned chargeback and twitter team advised not to do this as it could complicate things/make things longer.
#3951
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 274
I have paid a deposit on a BAH trip to Copenhagen, balance due next week. Given the recent change in restrictions, I can no longer travel and want to try an alternative destination. BA is still showing as having multiple flights LHR-CPH in October, which doubtless will be consolidated.
What's my best course of action? Wait it out for cancellation + refund? But what would happen if the flights aren't cancelled by the time the balance is due next week - do I lose any right to the FTV and essentially forfeit the deposit?
Or should I cancel it myself, take the FTV and use it to pay part of the balance for my alternative destination? My understanding is that it can't use it to pay a deposit.
Thanks!
What's my best course of action? Wait it out for cancellation + refund? But what would happen if the flights aren't cancelled by the time the balance is due next week - do I lose any right to the FTV and essentially forfeit the deposit?
Or should I cancel it myself, take the FTV and use it to pay part of the balance for my alternative destination? My understanding is that it can't use it to pay a deposit.
Thanks!
#3952
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: 63,767
still waiting for refund requested 23/07. Have phoned twice and also did twitter DM over a week ago. Usual bluff about longer than usual, coming soon/word like hopefully, should etc. I mentioned chargeback and twitter team advised not to do this as it could complicate things/make things longer.
#3953
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: 63,767
I have paid a deposit on a BAH trip to Copenhagen, balance due next week. Given the recent change in restrictions, I can no longer travel and want to try an alternative destination. BA is still showing as having multiple flights LHR-CPH in October, which doubtless will be consolidated.
#3954
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 547
I've had to cancel a return to DOH in November. My FTV arrived immediately but I've not yet received avios I used to upgrade from WTP to CW. Will they come automatically or need to be chased up?
Thanks
Thanks
#3955
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,287
ETA: It also explains why you received an FTV, and not an eVoucher which people are receiving when their bookings are simple and cash-only.
#3956
Join Date: May 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 3,951
What is the current wait time, roughly, for the refund for the tax element of an award booking?
Also, is the £35pp change/cancel fee currently being waived?
Also, is the £35pp change/cancel fee currently being waived?
#3959
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,936
it’s only waived for involuntary cancellations - so where flights are cancelled. It won’t be waived for voluntary cancellations.
#3960
Join Date: May 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 3,951
Thanks, unsure why my change fee was waived the other day, the trip in question has not seen a schedule change! Will look at is as a bonus then and not the present rule.