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
Aug 25, 2021, 2:58 pm
#2266
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,425
I just tried to do a test booking LHR-ATH for July 22 return July 27 of next year and no problems. You must be doing something wrong.
Aug 25, 2021, 4:18 pm
#2267
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: LAX, SNA, LGB
Posts: 452
For a rebooking when i want to "Choose alternative flights", whether I select "I do not wish to change these flights" or choose any later date, I keep getting errors.
Aug 26, 2021, 7:08 am
#2269
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: BAEC Gold, Miles & More Silver, Privilege Club Silver
Posts: 544
Just had an email with a change of plane for BA057 to JNB in late January gone from A380 to B777. First gone from 14 seats to 8. Unable to pick seats in MMB all greyed out, tried You First but they couldn’t help and as a Silver no access to all the seats at this time. Seats available the day before but since it’s booked as part of a holiday could not change anything. As usual can’t get through to Holidays.
YouFirst say I’m/we are fine we will be in First but how do you schedule a plane with possibly less seats than people booked?
Expertflyer saying only 1A available.
YouFirst say I’m/we are fine we will be in First but how do you schedule a plane with possibly less seats than people booked?
Expertflyer saying only 1A available.
Last edited by BESTEDIFLYER; Aug 26, 2021 at 7:14 am
Aug 26, 2021, 11:06 am
#2270
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL (for now) and Lifetime Gold, Marriott fan thanks to Bonvoy Moments
Posts: 5,115
I’m expecting my Maldives flights in a couple of weeks to be cancelled given they’re still on the red list in the latest update. Flights 2 weeks earlier were cancelled after the last travel list update…
I am contemplating going anyway and rerouting LHR-DOH-MLE / MLE-DOH-DUB - hang out in Dublin for 2 weeks and head back to London when I’m no longer subject to mandatory hotel quarantine, or just do DUB-LHR if the list changes in my favour
Would the change to DUB (280 miles) on return fall under the rebooking policy or am I at the mercy of Avios availability?
thx
I am contemplating going anyway and rerouting LHR-DOH-MLE / MLE-DOH-DUB - hang out in Dublin for 2 weeks and head back to London when I’m no longer subject to mandatory hotel quarantine, or just do DUB-LHR if the list changes in my favour
Would the change to DUB (280 miles) on return fall under the rebooking policy or am I at the mercy of Avios availability?
thx
Aug 26, 2021, 11:07 am
#2271
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: It's raining...
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 34
Variable it seems - I assume this was cancelled on the phone? If you have had the avios back something must have been actioned but surprisingly innocuous parts of the booking can make it a longer manual refund, some of which seem to get stuck somewhere along the line.
If you don't see any signs of it soon you could try a message to BARefundhelper - who has helped me several times.
If you don't see any signs of it soon you could try a message to BARefundhelper - who has helped me several times.
My flight was cancelled 6 August and I was advised (phone) it could take up to 14-days... "but certainly no longer". Seats promptly reimbursed that day, but still waiting on the tix nearly 21 days later. 3 rev seats in J. Was hoping it would credit before the CC came due, but noooo.
Aug 26, 2021, 11:31 am
#2272
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,968
I’m expecting my Maldives flights in a couple of weeks to be cancelled given they’re still on the red list in the latest update. Flights 2 weeks earlier were cancelled after the last travel list update…
I am contemplating going anyway and rerouting LHR-DOH-MLE / MLE-DOH-DUB - hang out in Dublin for 2 weeks and head back to London when I’m no longer subject to mandatory hotel quarantine, or just do DUB-LHR if the list changes in my favour
Would the change to DUB (280 miles) on return fall under the rebooking policy or am I at the mercy of Avios availability?
thx
I am contemplating going anyway and rerouting LHR-DOH-MLE / MLE-DOH-DUB - hang out in Dublin for 2 weeks and head back to London when I’m no longer subject to mandatory hotel quarantine, or just do DUB-LHR if the list changes in my favour
Would the change to DUB (280 miles) on return fall under the rebooking policy or am I at the mercy of Avios availability?
thx
Aug 26, 2021, 11:59 am
#2273
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: BAEC Gold, Miles & More Silver, Privilege Club Silver
Posts: 544
Just had an email with a change of plane for BA057 to JNB in late January gone from A380 to B777. First gone from 14 seats to 8. Unable to pick seats in MMB all greyed out, tried You First but they couldn’t help and as a Silver no access to all the seats at this time. Seats available the day before but since it’s booked as part of a holiday could not change anything. As usual can’t get through to Holidays.
YouFirst say I’m/we are fine we will be in First but how do you schedule a plane with possibly less seats than people booked?
Expertflyer saying only 1A available.
YouFirst say I’m/we are fine we will be in First but how do you schedule a plane with possibly less seats than people booked?
Expertflyer saying only 1A available.
Outcome going 2days earlier but with £1300 saving in my wallet. 👍👍😉
Aug 26, 2021, 5:32 pm
#2274
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: BA Executive Club, AS Airlines Mileage Plan
Posts: 981
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.
. . . . .
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:
2) FTVs will get an email entitled "Your British Airways Future Travel Voucher"
The relevant line then shows:
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.
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.
. . . . .
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 /
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
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.
I have a return trip SEA-LHR and LHR-SFO for next March that I booked with Avios and a 2-4-1, in Club world. I want to cancel it. If I do this online through MMB, I will get a voucher, but apparently I will not know whether I get an eVoucher or a FTV until I have actually hit the “cancel” button. It is a simple Avios and 2-4-1 booking, but I did change it once (to add the return flight, since I booked the outbound flight at T-355 days and then waited for the return flights to be released 3 weeks later, booked that and then called to combine them). So I have to assume it will be an FTV rather than eVoucher.
I really do not want to get an FTV as I understand that I will have to call to use it to book, and then I will likely miss the just-released flights I need. It is so much better for me to book online that I am willing to give up the extension of the 2-4-1 that I would gain with the FTV.
So am I correct in assuming that I can still call to cancel the booking, and instead of a voucher of either type, get a refund of $$ (less cancellation fee) and re-deposit of my Avios just as I did in the pre-covid days?
Aug 26, 2021, 6:13 pm
#2275
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,968
You will definitely get an offline FTV. You can’t get online evouchers FTVs from reward bookings. Everything will be on the FTV, so avios, voucher, and cash. When you come to rebook you can check availability online but will have to call to book. There are no cancellation or booking fees with a FTV.
Yes you can still cancel if more than 24 hours before the flight and get everything refunded minus a £35/$55 per person cancellation fee.
Yes you can still cancel if more than 24 hours before the flight and get everything refunded minus a £35/$55 per person cancellation fee.
Aug 26, 2021, 7:37 pm
#2276
Join Date: Aug 2021
Programs: BA, AA, UA, VS, DL, EI, Hilton, Marriot
Posts: 67
When you've cancelled and 241 returned to your account book a short haul no/low tax oneway and immediately cancel to FTV. 241 preserved to Sept '23, only a few Avios and a few ££s tied up. Of course your companion must stay the same so choose them wisely.
Aug 27, 2021, 2:21 am
#2277
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Azure
Posts: 116
I'm trying to cancel an Avios flight that I'd booked as a backup for next week in case there were changes to the red/amber/green lists. I've tried to cancel this online but get taken to a future travel voucher page. Is this the way I should proceed to get my avios back or do I need to get on the phone? Thanks
Aug 27, 2021, 2:24 am
#2278
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,968
I'm trying to cancel an Avios flight that I'd booked as a backup for next week in case there were changes to the red/amber/green lists. I've tried to cancel this online but get taken to a future travel voucher page. Is this the way I should proceed to get my avios back or do I need to get on the phone? Thanks
Aug 27, 2021, 3:46 am
#2280
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci. And BA Gold – previous awards - Gold 11, Silver 7, Bronze 4.
Posts: 4,235
Just had some Avios flights LGW to ALC cancelled for late November. Rebooking shows no availability at all post end of October.
Is this a temporary glitch while they re-schedule flights to the winter season? Or have they canned ALC flights completely? Seems bizarre to me given that it is normally a multi-flights per week route even in winter.
BA or bust
PS I think I will wait and check every day, but after a while I may have to go to the dreaded orange planes, which are currently showing cheap flights which add up to very expensive indeed after you add seats and baggage.
Is this a temporary glitch while they re-schedule flights to the winter season? Or have they canned ALC flights completely? Seems bizarre to me given that it is normally a multi-flights per week route even in winter.
BA or bust
PS I think I will wait and check every day, but after a while I may have to go to the dreaded orange planes, which are currently showing cheap flights which add up to very expensive indeed after you add seats and baggage.