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
#2356
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 66
When my flight was cancelled they rebooked me on to another flight earlier in the day which I couldn't make. So I chose not to accept the change and requested the refund (online). I assumed they would refund the cash portion as cash and the voucher as a new voucher. I would like to speak with customer services to see what has happened with the voucher, but they're really busy right now. Guessing late in the evening might be a good time to call, or first thing on a morning?
#2357
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: near Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL (OWE), SA LifePlat (*G), BD Gold to the end, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,920
Having made the mistake of rolling cancelled maybe bookings, Ive cashed out a few FTVs generated when Ive needed to cancel a flight by using the new FTV on flights that were fairly certain to be cancelled. The flights were cancelled and I was fully refunded to the original payment type.
It did take three weeks to get the refund in one case but it did come through.
It did take three weeks to get the refund in one case but it did come through.
#2359
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,297
Having made the mistake of rolling cancelled maybe bookings, Ive cashed out a few FTVs generated when Ive needed to cancel a flight by using the new FTV on flights that were fairly certain to be cancelled. The flights were cancelled and I was fully refunded to the original payment type.
It did take three weeks to get the refund in one case but it did come through.
It did take three weeks to get the refund in one case but it did come through.
#2360
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,190
rb211.
#2361
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 219
Apologies if this a) is the wrong place and b) been answered already.
Was booked to LAS with BA for late Sep. Now been cancelled. This was a holiday booking and has already been cancelled around 3 times, each time I pushed the dates out. Rather than re-arrange again, or take an FTV I was wondering if it is possible to get the destination changed. Was originally LHR/LAS/LHR. As Canada is opening up I was looking at possibly doing LHR/YVR then LAX/LHR on the return (I'd be in Canada for at least 15 days so assume I'd be OK to fly to US at that point). Is this totally out the window? Don't want to pay any additional cost if possible, especially as original flights were "cheap" (for CW).
Thanks for any advice.
Was booked to LAS with BA for late Sep. Now been cancelled. This was a holiday booking and has already been cancelled around 3 times, each time I pushed the dates out. Rather than re-arrange again, or take an FTV I was wondering if it is possible to get the destination changed. Was originally LHR/LAS/LHR. As Canada is opening up I was looking at possibly doing LHR/YVR then LAX/LHR on the return (I'd be in Canada for at least 15 days so assume I'd be OK to fly to US at that point). Is this totally out the window? Don't want to pay any additional cost if possible, especially as original flights were "cheap" (for CW).
Thanks for any advice.
#2362
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,112
Yes, well outside I am afraid. With a cancellation you can change the flight to a destination within 300/350 miles, but Canada is well beyond that unfortunately.
#2363
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 219
Thanks for that. Yes I was aware there was some sort of distance based rule, though wasn't sure how far, and was hoping there may be some flexibility due to the situation, and the 3 previous cancellations. Though I had my doubts.
#2364
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 22
My GOA-LGW booking in October was cancelled last week as part of the LGW SH cull.. Is it possible for me to call BA and change this to NCE-LHR and not have to pay any fare difference? Or is the only option to cancel, accept refund and rebook? Thanks!
#2365
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 115
NCE-GOA is just 96 miles so comes easily within the 300 mile rule and there should be no fee for rebooking.
The -3/+14 day rule, strictly speaking, should still apply, but given BA have completely terminated the route, I would argue for greater flexibility on dates.
The -3/+14 day rule, strictly speaking, should still apply, but given BA have completely terminated the route, I would argue for greater flexibility on dates.
#2366
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 22
Thank you! Will report back after I call them 👍
#2368
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BER
Programs: BA GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,843
sometimes its very nice to be german. besides that awful two weeks mid march 2020 where you couldnt reach any airline, i never waited for more than 30 minutes. usually its less than 10 minutes, mostly less than 5 minutes on the goldline until you hear a nice "willkommen bei British Airways". i never had any issues contacting Bremen.
but i suffer with you on ba.com and the chat function....
but i suffer with you on ba.com and the chat function....
#2369
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 211
Even if some of the underlying evouchers used Avios as part pay? Would they refund the total value of the cancelled flight as cash, or would they go back and work out the Avios used and refund those plus the cash?