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.
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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
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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*
#5221
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: 63,716
If the very first sector is cancelled, correct. But if the return flight stays operational, it's important to contact BA at least 24 hours before departure.
#5222
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Aberdeen
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 641
Hi
I have a few FTVs and and evoucher starting to pile up. Am I right I saying that if I book something now and later I get a cancellation I can get the money back as a cash refund? Or is it more vouchers as that was the original payment method?
I need domestic feeder flights for long haul so I know if I book for March there will be a cancellation if I pick my domestic feeders carefully.
Just a thought as to try and get rid of some of them.
Thanks for any assistance.
I have a few FTVs and and evoucher starting to pile up. Am I right I saying that if I book something now and later I get a cancellation I can get the money back as a cash refund? Or is it more vouchers as that was the original payment method?
I need domestic feeder flights for long haul so I know if I book for March there will be a cancellation if I pick my domestic feeders carefully.
Just a thought as to try and get rid of some of them.
Thanks for any assistance.
#5223
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: 63,716
I'm not sure making more maybe bookings really helps, but yes, a cancelled flight enables a refund back to the form of payment behind the FTV flight. I'm not sure how quick that will be, but I guess it depends on the underlying complexity of the bookings.
#5224
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Scotland, Spain
Programs: Skywards Gold, Amex Plat, SkyTeam Silver
Posts: 1,162
Sorry for another random question:
If for some reason (say I can't take my return flight due to positive Covid test) can I ask BA to rebook? I booked during their fly with confidence but I am assuming when I take my outbound flight that's out the window?
If for some reason (say I can't take my return flight due to positive Covid test) can I ask BA to rebook? I booked during their fly with confidence but I am assuming when I take my outbound flight that's out the window?
#5225
Join Date: May 2012
Location: JFK, MAN
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 425
#5226
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Scotland, Spain
Programs: Skywards Gold, Amex Plat, SkyTeam Silver
Posts: 1,162
#5227
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: South Glos, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver/OW Sapphire
Posts: 1,157
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Last edited by wb1969; Dec 29, 2020 at 4:32 am
#5228
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Miami Beach FL, Philadelphia PA, and Oxfordshire UK
Programs: BA Gold, AA Executive Platinum, PriorityPass, Global Entry, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 737
1. Yes. Just ask the agent to cancel that sector for a refund. This can only be done if you stick to the same travel day.
2. Yes, generally speaking. However if you were booked on codeshares on AA, given we have just gone over a Sunday, I'd leave it a while, maybe look at it in February, unless you are willing to keep mothering the booking until then.
3. Generally yes, but it depends on specific details.
4. If there is space available and you are travelling the same day, yes.
Be wary of maybe bookings, particularly if you aren't a USA citizen. You may want to do nothing at all so as to preserve your refund options. If you rebook then you lose flexibility.
2. Yes, generally speaking. However if you were booked on codeshares on AA, given we have just gone over a Sunday, I'd leave it a while, maybe look at it in February, unless you are willing to keep mothering the booking until then.
3. Generally yes, but it depends on specific details.
4. If there is space available and you are travelling the same day, yes.
Be wary of maybe bookings, particularly if you aren't a USA citizen. You may want to do nothing at all so as to preserve your refund options. If you rebook then you lose flexibility.
I suppose one’s initial reaction is to want to change it/fix it as soon as possible, so its helpful to see your words about not being in too much of a rush to rebook. As we all know, what happens in the last week of March could be very different from what is bookable this week!
Leads me on to one further query. If I were to call BA, say in Feb, and want to preserve the itinerary but move it to later in the year, is that an option? Or am I restricted to a window nearer the existing flights?
The alternative is to take the cash refund, and see what comes up before my TP year end - this was basically a TP run, so the trip can happen any time, before year end.
#5229
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: 63,716
Leads me on to one further query. If I were to call BA, say in Feb, and want to preserve the itinerary but move it to later in the year, is that an option? Or am I restricted to a window nearer the existing flights?
The alternative is to take the cash refund, and see what comes up before my TP year end - this was basically a TP run, so the trip can happen any time, before year end.
The alternative is to take the cash refund, and see what comes up before my TP year end - this was basically a TP run, so the trip can happen any time, before year end.
#5230
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 762
I called BA and re-booked an itinerary (same dates) with a cancelled sector on the outbound. They allowed a re-routing on the outbound (MIA-LAX-SFO instead of MIA-SFO) but said they couldn’t do the same on the return as the return was not disrupted. Is that correct? Thanks.
#5231
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: 63,716
I called BA and re-booked an itinerary (same dates) with a cancelled sector on the outbound. They allowed a re-routing on the outbound (MIA-LAX-SFO instead of MIA-SFO) but said they couldn’t do the same on the return as the return was not disrupted. Is that correct? Thanks.
#5232
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: krisflyer
Posts: 135
Both my departure and return leg to Istanbul are now cancelled for 2nd week Jan. Am I right to say that I can leave it as it is and take no action before my flight, and call BA up when I have a more firmer date in mind in the future?
#5233
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: 63,716
Yes you can, notably if your first flight is cancelled. Keep your ticket number handy since that may be easier to locate the booking than the PNR if you leave it a long time. Note that tickets expire 1 year after issue.
#5235
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,042
Any recent experiences re how long is it taking e-vouchers to be issued if requested online for a simple booking that hasn't been changed? Want to cancel and re-book as fare has dropped but don't want to be waiting days for the e-voucher to arrive