Jan 1, 2021, 8:29 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
01 - 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 2023 (now extended from April 2022 including existing FTVs), 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. If you us,ed an FTV to pay for this now cancelled service then you can have a refund back to the FTV's original booking.
Online forms: manual process which may take many weeks
link to webform to claim a refund (UK) or link to webform to claim a refund (US)
Paid Seating Refund:
link to webform to claim a refund (UK)
02 - If your flight is not cancelled but you no longer wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until 31 August 2022 (this has been extended several times). Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee. Travel must be fully completed by this date.
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 30 April 2022, 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: https://ba.com/confidence
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
A full refund of Avios and money paid plus 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
03 - How to find out the status of your voucher and the amount it contains
Use the Qantas website and look back to your original PNR. Step by step guide by corporate-wage-slave
04 - Future Travel Vouchers versus eVouchers
FTVs cannot be used online (and are not really vouchers), whereas eVouchers, issued for simple bookings, can be used online.
BA are now issuing eVouchers directly in simple cases, and also proactively replacing existing FTVs with new eVouchers. These are usable online. Complex cases still get FTVs, which require a phone call to book. In both cases, you need to apply online through the Cancellation Options in MMB, and both will generate an email typically within a few minutes. This is how to tell the difference
1) eVouchers will get an email entitled "Your British Airways eVoucher"
This will then have a line like this and the online ability is mentioned in the email text:
Your eVoucher details
125-1234567890 / GBP48.87 / WAGE-SLAVE /
2) FTVs will get an email entitled "Your British Airways Future Travel Voucher"
The relevant line then shows:
Voucher code(s)
125-1234567890
It doesn't take much, by FT standards, to turn a booking too complicated for the automated eVoucher. POUGs, flight changes, TCP, seat payment, pay payment with Avios, UuA. 48 and 72 hour Hold bookings all stop it. But if you made a simple single or return booking, point to point, on BA.com and didn't change it, then you should get an eVoucher.
If you obtain an FTV, deploy it on a new booking which BA then cancels, then you can get a refund of the cash from the first booking that led to the FTV. Or an Avios refund without redeposit fees if it was a redemption.
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 2023 (now extended from April 2022 including existing FTVs), 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. If you us,ed an FTV to pay for this now cancelled service then you can have a refund back to the FTV's original booking.
Online forms: manual process which may take many weeks
link to webform to claim a refund (UK) or link to webform to claim a refund (US)
Paid Seating Refund:
link to webform to claim a refund (UK)
02 - If your flight is not cancelled but you no longer wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until 31 August 2022 (this has been extended several times). Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee. Travel must be fully completed by this date.
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 30 April 2022, 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: https://ba.com/confidence
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
A full refund of Avios and money paid plus 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.
03 - How to find out the status of your voucher and the amount it contains
Use the Qantas website and look back to your original PNR. Step by step guide by corporate-wage-slave
04 - Future Travel Vouchers versus eVouchers
FTVs cannot be used online (and are not really vouchers), whereas eVouchers, issued for simple bookings, can be used online.
BA are now issuing eVouchers directly in simple cases, and also proactively replacing existing FTVs with new eVouchers. These are usable online. Complex cases still get FTVs, which require a phone call to book. In both cases, you need to apply online through the Cancellation Options in MMB, and both will generate an email typically within a few minutes. This is how to tell the difference
1) eVouchers will get an email entitled "Your British Airways eVoucher"
This will then have a line like this and the online ability is mentioned in the email text:
Your eVoucher details
125-1234567890 / GBP48.87 / WAGE-SLAVE /
2) FTVs will get an email entitled "Your British Airways Future Travel Voucher"
The relevant line then shows:
Voucher code(s)
125-1234567890
It doesn't take much, by FT standards, to turn a booking too complicated for the automated eVoucher. POUGs, flight changes, TCP, seat payment, pay payment with Avios, UuA. 48 and 72 hour Hold bookings all stop it. But if you made a simple single or return booking, point to point, on BA.com and didn't change it, then you should get an eVoucher.
If you obtain an FTV, deploy it on a new booking which BA then cancels, then you can get a refund of the cash from the first booking that led to the FTV. Or an Avios refund without redeposit fees if it was a redemption.
BA Covid-19 Flight cancellations, rebooking, and refunds | Help and advice thread
Jan 10, 2021, 10:15 am
#181
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold(twice), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 679
Club LHR-BLR Avios + 241 for Jan 2021 cancelled by BA in Aug. Foolishly I re-booked new dates in Jan hoping the world might be different by now. I realise I lost "re-book even if no availability" rights by re-booking, and have been hoping for BA to cancel again before departure 16th Jan, which now looks unlikely 6 days out. I normally book the outbound at midnight 355 days in advance to get 2 Club seats, then 'phone to add the return. If I take the FTV to protect the 241 etc how diificult will it be to make a new Avios booking for Jan 2022? Apparently FTV's are only bookable by 'phone (correct atm?) which makes pouncing at midnight more difficult but not impossible. But can I then add the return when they open up 30 days later? Any advice on best methodology much appreciated.
Jan 10, 2021, 10:25 am
#182
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: 63,803
[Your other opportunity here, incidentally, if getting something booked is important, is to consider booking WTP, even as a revenue ticket, then UuA if the opportunity arises. Only do this if WTP is a realistic option for you].
Jan 10, 2021, 10:33 am
#183
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold(twice), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 679
BLR is not a difficult route for CW redemptions. There isn't anything showing for January 2022, but there is for pretty much every day in December 2021. Sometime during the weeks and months ahead I'd be fairly confident you would get redemption availability online for BLR in January 2021, provided you are not completely fixed to particular dates. But yes, FTVs are only bookable by telephone. I think a cancellation now is unlikely, but don't apply for the FTV until nearer departure. Alternatively, more than 24 hours before departure, ring up to see what extension can be given on the companion voucher so that with the £35 redeposit fee you have the flexibility to do everything online again. And yes, when you get a cancellation notification from BA, regard that as a slow burn opportunity rather than an order to move quickly!
[Your other opportunity here, incidentally, if getting something booked is important, is to consider booking WTP, even as a revenue ticket, then UuA if the opportunity arises. Only do this if WTP is a realistic option for you].
[Your other opportunity here, incidentally, if getting something booked is important, is to consider booking WTP, even as a revenue ticket, then UuA if the opportunity arises. Only do this if WTP is a realistic option for you].
Usually I am pretty fixed on dates as we meet up with 12 friends from France (from when Brits had friends in France!), so if I book the outbound by 'phone, do you think the balance of the FTV can be held until the return opens up, and then can be booked by 'phone? Or would out & back have to be booked when the Feb 2022 opens?
Jan 10, 2021, 10:44 am
#184
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: 63,803
Thanks CWS, as ever.
Usually I am pretty fixed on dates as we meet up with 12 friends from France (from when Brits had friends in France!), so if I book the outbound by 'phone, do you think the balance of the FTV can be held until the return opens up, and then can be booked by 'phone? Or would out & back have to be booked when the Feb 2022 opens?
Usually I am pretty fixed on dates as we meet up with 12 friends from France (from when Brits had friends in France!), so if I book the outbound by 'phone, do you think the balance of the FTV can be held until the return opens up, and then can be booked by 'phone? Or would out & back have to be booked when the Feb 2022 opens?
Jan 10, 2021, 1:52 pm
#185
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: VIE/PRG
Programs: FB Platinum, Marriott Platinum Elite
Posts: 1,592
You're right about something; it never hurts to ask something, the worst thing that would happen is that you would get a polite "No" from the customer service department.
I assume that the EC261/2004 ( duty of care ) department would thoroughly investigate all changes made on the ticket and decide that your friend originally booked that ticket from VIE.
I also assume that your friend did personally asked to travel from PRG and it was not BA who asked him to travel from PRG.
By the way, there are buses ( including Flixbus ) and trains that currently operate between Prague and Vienna so a private transfer is not the only legitimate way to travel from VIE to PRG; if your friend booked a non-refundable private transfer for his own convenience and peace of mind far in advance, unfortunately, that would be his own problem.
I assume that the EC261/2004 ( duty of care ) department would thoroughly investigate all changes made on the ticket and decide that your friend originally booked that ticket from VIE.
I also assume that your friend did personally asked to travel from PRG and it was not BA who asked him to travel from PRG.
By the way, there are buses ( including Flixbus ) and trains that currently operate between Prague and Vienna so a private transfer is not the only legitimate way to travel from VIE to PRG; if your friend booked a non-refundable private transfer for his own convenience and peace of mind far in advance, unfortunately, that would be his own problem.
We know about the trains but it has always been painful to get to VIE for morning flight even pre-covid.
Jan 11, 2021, 3:25 am
#186
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Glossop
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 344
My JNB - MAN flight Jan 12th has been cancelled.
I paid £254 cash and 85000 Avios for it, one way flight.
I'm not sure when I want to go home but not for a few weeks so I want a voucher that will get me home in F on a day in the future.
I just rang BA and was offered an eVoucher for a cash amount (unspecified but likely to be close to £254), I assume that the Avios would be refunded as well.
I have no certainty that redemption fares will continue to be available if I accept the voucher (though currently there are lots of dates in Feb and March).
I can't seem to find out exactly what a FTV is - would this be an open F ticket that would get me home in F?
Another option is to move my flight to a random date in Feb where there is currently avios availability according to the availability checker. However when I try to change the date on BA.com I'm told that there is no availability.
I just want to get home in F without any extra charges.
I paid £254 cash and 85000 Avios for it, one way flight.
I'm not sure when I want to go home but not for a few weeks so I want a voucher that will get me home in F on a day in the future.
I just rang BA and was offered an eVoucher for a cash amount (unspecified but likely to be close to £254), I assume that the Avios would be refunded as well.
I have no certainty that redemption fares will continue to be available if I accept the voucher (though currently there are lots of dates in Feb and March).
I can't seem to find out exactly what a FTV is - would this be an open F ticket that would get me home in F?
Another option is to move my flight to a random date in Feb where there is currently avios availability according to the availability checker. However when I try to change the date on BA.com I'm told that there is no availability.
I just want to get home in F without any extra charges.
Jan 11, 2021, 3:40 am
#187
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: 63,803
You may want to have a read through the wiki to get the basics here. But the very short version is that if a flight is cancelled you can be rebooked within 1 year of when you bought the ticket in the same class of cabin, without needing availability. FTV is just a voucher for what you paid, an eVoucher is an online version of the same thing. If it's a cancellation you get back what you paid (excluding any historical change fees). MMB is inaccurate for rebooking, hence this is why BA.com says not to use it but to call up. So in essence you merely need to find a date with space in the cabin, assuming your original flight was in First, which isn't clear and I am also assuming this was a normal redemption, not a part pay with Avios, which is a commercial ticket. However you are only allowed one rebooking per irrop and so if there isn't a need to rush, don't rush, due to the risks of "maybe" bookings - see countless examples of this upthread and in last year's thread.
Jan 11, 2021, 4:02 am
#188
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Glossop
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 344
Thx for the quick reply. Yes my flight is a First reward flight, one way from JNB - MAN. I got here with Emirates.
You say don't rush but I'm worried that if I go past the date that I'm due to fly I won't then be able to change.
If I do nothing until say mid Feb are you saying that I can then phone up and ask for a first seat on a flight that has a spare seat?
You say don't rush but I'm worried that if I go past the date that I'm due to fly I won't then be able to change.
If I do nothing until say mid Feb are you saying that I can then phone up and ask for a first seat on a flight that has a spare seat?
Jan 11, 2021, 4:11 am
#189
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: 63,803
Some people have found that agents still look for redemption space to rebook, but that isn't what the Guideline says and other people have had no problem being rebooked within the 1 year from the time of original booking. By the sounds of it you are slightly uncomfortable about just leaving it, so the halfway house would be to book something pretty much at the last acceptable date to your personal circumstances, so that you have something to fall back on. Better still, don't actually book it, just leave it cancelled and in limbo. Then you could book an earlier but plausible date as your "maybe" booking, as a second booking, but do this with Avios as a redemption (not part pay with Avios). This booking could be cancelled by you at 24 hours or more notice, with a redeposit fee of £35, so that is your insurance fee if you like. If BA cancels that earlier flight you get a full refund with no redeposit fee. And the limbo flight you call a refund if things go to plan.
If you don't have enough Avios then in a sense it's just the £35 at stake so you could book to a nearer date now and be prepared to pay the £35 for any further changes you choose to make.
Jan 11, 2021, 5:03 am
#190
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Glossop
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 344
Thank you so much for that clarity.
I'll leave my cancelled flight for now in the hope that I can use it later, I was uncomfortable because I thought that the rule only applied to the return bit of a flight where the out had already been flown and mine is just a one way.
Its at times like these that I really wish the BA website worked properly.
I can book online an avios flight in F JNB - LON for 10th Feb or I can book an avios flight in club JNB - MAN. First to MAN is not available, presumably because there is no domestic F. I don't want to ring to do this because I know the phone ops are busy.
I'll leave my cancelled flight for now in the hope that I can use it later, I was uncomfortable because I thought that the rule only applied to the return bit of a flight where the out had already been flown and mine is just a one way.
Its at times like these that I really wish the BA website worked properly.
I can book online an avios flight in F JNB - LON for 10th Feb or I can book an avios flight in club JNB - MAN. First to MAN is not available, presumably because there is no domestic F. I don't want to ring to do this because I know the phone ops are busy.
Jan 11, 2021, 6:45 am
#191
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,257
Help from those crystal ball gazers.... I've got too many FTVs and want to get some cash and Avios back... if you were a betting person - what would you book in Feb which will most likely get cancelled by BA to enable a cash refund ? CPT ? KUL ? Any top tips ?
Jan 11, 2021, 6:50 am
#192
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: BA, M&M
Posts: 24
Sydney Reward booking... I book last April using GUF2 and companion voucher into business class. Given that there won't be operating any flights within 1 year of booking date is there any flex on moving it to when flights start running or what are my options?
Jan 11, 2021, 6:59 am
#193
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,257
No, not beyond 365 days. Your options are FTV or cash refund
Jan 11, 2021, 8:47 am
#195
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: UK
Programs: BA Silver (temp demotion), *A Silver, HH Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 490
mikeyfly Perhaps pick SIN as there are two flights per day currently slated for late March and only four a week running at the moment (every day after March 28). So if you pick one flight from each pairing (BA11/12 and 15/16) that would maximise you chances of one leg being cancelled.
I am tempted to do something similar ... cancel our LHR SIN April Avois 2-4-1 in March/April (paying the £35 each). As these were booked a year ago, there is nothing that the 1 year ticket validity achieves. I would then take an FTV to retain the 2-4-1 and then re-book for the same dates (+/- a day or two each way as there are plenty of options currently). I would then wait for the cancellation and when it arrives asked to be rebooked into revenue seats for November 2021, when there is no Avois availability).
I can hear CWS' plea not to do speculative bookings already
but there may be another flaw of course.
I am tempted to do something similar ... cancel our LHR SIN April Avois 2-4-1 in March/April (paying the £35 each). As these were booked a year ago, there is nothing that the 1 year ticket validity achieves. I would then take an FTV to retain the 2-4-1 and then re-book for the same dates (+/- a day or two each way as there are plenty of options currently). I would then wait for the cancellation and when it arrives asked to be rebooked into revenue seats for November 2021, when there is no Avois availability).
I can hear CWS' plea not to do speculative bookings already
but there may be another flaw of course.