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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 Mar 22, 2020, 2:03 am
  #811  
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 19
Refund - Sunday 7:30am

Just wanted to thank the representative who sorted out a refund for me this (Sunday) morning (was due to travel on Wednesday am). I called the Silver Line at 7:30am, but the recorded message asked me to redial the general (freephone) number, which I did. My call was answered after a ten-minute wait (which even under normal circumstances would not have been a terribly long wait) and my request was processed efficiently. Thank you!
KIDLI is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 4:01 am
  #812  
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE, BA silver
Posts: 2,906
Is the voucher personal? If so, is it in the name of the passenger or the person who paid for the booking?
iwillflytheworld is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 4:16 am
  #813  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,347
I am / was due to go to LAS on 7 May as part of a BA Hol. The balance was due 2 April but phoned them and they’ve pushed it out to 16 April. It’s looking highly unlikely it’s going to happen but IF on 16 April it’s still scheduled, do I have to pay the balance and then claim all of that back versus not pay it and lose the deposit? I asked the agent and she wouldn’t commit either way
andymcdonnell is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 4:19 am
  #814  
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
Originally Posted by iwillflytheworld
Is the voucher personal? If so, is it in the name of the passenger or the person who paid for the booking?
eVouchers, in the normal sense, are not personal, they can be used on other people's flights. The only thing that makes me hesitate is that what is happening to a lot of bookings is that they are not issuing a standalone eVoucher, which can be used freely in BA.com, but are linking the voucher to the original PNR, so you have to call up to use them. Moreover some eVouchers have a mix of things in them (cash, Avios, GUF etc). So consequently I'm not so sure they are as flexible as standalone eVouchers.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 4:58 am
  #815  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: London
Programs: BA bronze, Hertz pres circle, Marriott Platinum, hilton diamond
Posts: 2,537
So I managed to get the online java work around to submit the cancellation request for my already cancelled flight, as opposed to a voucher (why that was so much work on a basic avios booking eludes me)

However friends used a 241 voucher as an openjaw, into LAS and out of BNA, their flights have been cancelled, but when they take the same steps they cant seem to because the booking "contains a surface sector" are they out of luck for doing it online?
aceman is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 6:40 am
  #816  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BER
Programs: BA GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,842
BA799 got cancelled from Tuesday on for the rest of the year. but it still shows up in MMB. can anyone anticipate how long it takes till the system shows that cancellation?
Nephoi is online now  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 7:03 am
  #817  
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: clue is in the nym
Programs: BA Gold, TP Gold, VS Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 826
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
eVouchers, in the normal sense, are not personal, they can be used on other people's flights. The only thing that makes me hesitate is that what is happening to a lot of bookings is that they are not issuing a standalone eVoucher, which can be used freely in BA.com, but are linking the voucher to the original PNR, so you have to call up to use them. Moreover some eVouchers have a mix of things in them (cash, Avios, GUF etc). So consequently I'm not so sure they are as flexible as standalone eVouchers.
Are people actually getting confirmation emails? Took the voucher option on Wednesday morning for a SH booking with the outbound going out that day and had no acknowledgement of any kind from BA thus far. I know it's only been a few days and they're very busy, but don't want to find myself in a situation where I've been recorded as a no-show for the flight and have to argue the toss with some stressed out CSA over the phone to get reimbursed that which I am owed, so would ideally like to know how long it's taking for people to get confirmation that the vouchers have been applied and details of how to use them?
southlondonphil is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 7:14 am
  #818  
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
Originally Posted by southlondonphil
Are people actually getting confirmation emails? Took the voucher option on Wednesday morning for a SH booking with the outbound going out that day and had no acknowledgement of any kind from BA thus far.
I applied on Tuesday for the eVoucher online, and nothing yet. But with the screenshots I am relaxed about this. The flight was on Wednesday and operated as normal.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 8:05 am
  #819  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: London
Programs: Executive Club - Gold, HH - Gold, Marriott - Gold
Posts: 372
I’ve now had both my BA flights to/from LHR to Helsinki on 2nd May to 3rd May cancelled.

I have been able to rebook onto Finnair flights instead but surely it’s only a matter of time before they are also cancelled.

I am willing to let it play out as I need the TP to retain Gold but I doubt I’ll be going anywhere.
Spinstorm is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 8:54 am
  #820  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, AF/KL Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 830
Just had the below response from Twitter team (which is the same link as C-W-S posted)

@British_Airways Replying to XXXX
Hey there, if your flight has been cancelled then you can apply for a refund by using the following link https://www.britishairways.com/travel/webform.... JulieR
ens100 is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 8:57 am
  #821  
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,525
Originally Posted by Spinstorm
I’ve now had both my BA flights to/from LHR to Helsinki on 2nd May to 3rd May cancelled.

I have been able to rebook onto Finnair flights instead but surely it’s only a matter of time before they are also cancelled.

I am willing to let it play out as I need the TP to retain Gold but I doubt I’ll be going anywhere.
Finnair is planning on flying twice daily to LHR until end of June.

Of course this is subject to change given the current situation.
florens is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 8:57 am
  #822  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: IAD
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 347
Originally Posted by southlondonphil
Are people actually getting confirmation emails? Took the voucher option on Wednesday morning for a SH booking with the outbound going out that day and had no acknowledgement of any kind from BA thus far. I know it's only been a few days and they're very busy, but don't want to find myself in a situation where I've been recorded as a no-show for the flight and have to argue the toss with some stressed out CSA over the phone to get reimbursed that which I am owed, so would ideally like to know how long it's taking for people to get confirmation that the vouchers have been applied and details of how to use them?
I used the Javascript workaround (using the forms in post 435 did not result in any change in the booking). After a day, I got a confirmation e-mail that BA was processing the cancellation and refund. MMB now shows the flight as pending refund ("We are currently processing a cancellation and refund for this booking. Please contact us if you wish to discuss this booking.")

Nothing since then, refund hasn't happened, but I expect that to take several days so I'm not worried about it. BA has more important/urgent issues to deal with right now.
gormless is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 9:12 am
  #823  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, AF/KL Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 830
Originally Posted by gormless
I used the Javascript workaround (using the forms in post 435 did not result in any change in the booking). After a day, I got a confirmation e-mail that BA was processing the cancellation and refund. MMB now shows the flight as pending refund ("We are currently processing a cancellation and refund for this booking. Please contact us if you wish to discuss this booking.")

Nothing since then, refund hasn't happened, but I expect that to take several days so I'm not worried about it. BA has more important/urgent issues to deal with right now.
I am in the same situation as you. Submitted the form and still no sign of the money but suspect will take some time to process
ens100 is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 9:22 am
  #824  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 382
How long is it currently taking BA to process cancellations of avios bookings? I was booked to travel in late April, US-UK-US, and cancelled the booking 10 days ago. I'd really like to see my avios and 241 voucher back in my account, not to mention the $3000 in taxes etc. I really don't want to call them during these crazy times, but how much longer should I expect to have to wait?
jkirk is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2020, 9:27 am
  #825  
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
Originally Posted by jkirk
How long is it currently taking BA to process cancellations of avios bookings? I was booked to travel in late April, US-UK-US, and cancelled the booking 10 days ago. I'd really like to see my avios and 241 voucher back in my account, not to mention the $3000 in taxes etc. I really don't want to call them during these crazy times, but how much longer should I expect to have to wait?
That sounds like the manual cancellation process, so normally a week anyway, at this time it may well take longer. If you don't see it in a fortnight it would be worth sending a DM on Twitter. If you need the money more urgently then you can use Twitter now, they seem to need a day or two before replying.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  

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