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
Oct 7, 2021, 11:24 am
#2566
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,197
Apart from calling you can also fill up a claim form for FTV, providing you do it before BAH deadline.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...refunds#cancel
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...refunds#cancel
I ask as I have an upcoming holiday that I almost certainly wont be able to go on (USA) that I was leaving as late as possible in the hope they cancelled / changed something from their end.
Edit - I've just read the three weeks things. FFS... so given I have no information one way or the other on the USA right now I guess I'm just going to have to cancel anyway. Amazing.
Oct 7, 2021, 11:57 am
#2567
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 222
What's a BA Holidays deadline? Is there a point where they need to be cancelled by or something?
I ask as I have an upcoming holiday that I almost certainly wont be able to go on (USA) that I was leaving as late as possible in the hope they cancelled / changed something from their end.
Edit - I've just read the three weeks things. FFS... so given I have no information one way or the other on the USA right now I guess I'm just going to have to cancel anyway. Amazing.
I ask as I have an upcoming holiday that I almost certainly wont be able to go on (USA) that I was leaving as late as possible in the hope they cancelled / changed something from their end.
Edit - I've just read the three weeks things. FFS... so given I have no information one way or the other on the USA right now I guess I'm just going to have to cancel anyway. Amazing.
Oct 8, 2021, 12:05 am
#2568
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: BA Exec Club Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 214
Brazil moved off the UK red-list and at the same time Brazil removed restrictions for passengers who had been in the UK in the past 14 days - so travel is now open between both countries.
BA's services to GRU and GIG are not scheduled to resume until December.
Do you think they may resume earlier given these recent changes ?
BA's services to GRU and GIG are not scheduled to resume until December.
Do you think they may resume earlier given these recent changes ?
Oct 9, 2021, 5:43 pm
#2569
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
I cancelled an Avios booking online and requested a voucher, got an FTV within minutes.
1. Are the Avios refunded within the FTV, meaning you have to call to use them? (God, please make this not to be true...)
2. If the Avios are simply refunded back to the account, how long does this take?
The fees were minimal, just US domestic taxes, so I am really hoping I can use the Avios soon for a rebooking....
1. Are the Avios refunded within the FTV, meaning you have to call to use them? (God, please make this not to be true...)
2. If the Avios are simply refunded back to the account, how long does this take?
The fees were minimal, just US domestic taxes, so I am really hoping I can use the Avios soon for a rebooking....
Oct 9, 2021, 11:22 pm
#2570
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 211
I cancelled an Avios booking online and requested a voucher, got an FTV within minutes.
1. Are the Avios refunded within the FTV, meaning you have to call to use them? (God, please make this not to be true...)
2. If the Avios are simply refunded back to the account, how long does this take?
The fees were minimal, just US domestic taxes, so I am really hoping I can use the Avios soon for a rebooking....
1. Are the Avios refunded within the FTV, meaning you have to call to use them? (God, please make this not to be true...)
2. If the Avios are simply refunded back to the account, how long does this take?
The fees were minimal, just US domestic taxes, so I am really hoping I can use the Avios soon for a rebooking....
2. they’re not. They’re in the FTV.
it’s always been this way.
Oct 10, 2021, 3:50 am
#2571
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 85
HI All, I have a return flight to Mykonos booked with avios. The inbound leg (to LCY) has been cancelled and automatically rebooked to LHR, the day before, pending my acceptation.
Is there a chance that the return flight would earn TPs and avios, given it was automatically rebooked? In a couple of cancellation experiences this year, I never had TPs/Avios earned on the rebooked flight, but I had called BA for the rebooking each time, and the agent may have done something specific to keep the rebooked flight marked as a 'reward' flight. In this case, it is something done automatically apparently, could this be different? Thanks All
Is there a chance that the return flight would earn TPs and avios, given it was automatically rebooked? In a couple of cancellation experiences this year, I never had TPs/Avios earned on the rebooked flight, but I had called BA for the rebooking each time, and the agent may have done something specific to keep the rebooked flight marked as a 'reward' flight. In this case, it is something done automatically apparently, could this be different? Thanks All
Oct 10, 2021, 5:08 am
#2572
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: BHX / LHR
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Gold, Accor LeClub - Platinum, Hilton Hhonors - Diamond
Posts: 81
Hi All,
So I am trying to rebook a cancelled flight, with a sector UUA to Club to later in the year, but hitting a wall of their being no avios space available on the dates that I want to move the booking to and that as the rebooking is outside of the -3/+14 window, it can't be done.
I thought that as long as there was any seat available in the cabin that it could be rebooked as long as the origin & destination were the same (and this is what is mentioned in the WIKI). Has the policy / guidelines changed recently, or is it a case of the agent being wrong and I need to try HUCA?
If I was to cancel the UUA and revert to the WTP cabin, would that then mean that any seat in the cabin could be rebooked and I just sit out and wait to see if another business seat is made available vai UUA?
TIA
So I am trying to rebook a cancelled flight, with a sector UUA to Club to later in the year, but hitting a wall of their being no avios space available on the dates that I want to move the booking to and that as the rebooking is outside of the -3/+14 window, it can't be done.
I thought that as long as there was any seat available in the cabin that it could be rebooked as long as the origin & destination were the same (and this is what is mentioned in the WIKI). Has the policy / guidelines changed recently, or is it a case of the agent being wrong and I need to try HUCA?
If I was to cancel the UUA and revert to the WTP cabin, would that then mean that any seat in the cabin could be rebooked and I just sit out and wait to see if another business seat is made available vai UUA?
TIA
Oct 10, 2021, 5:13 am
#2573
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,973
Hi All,
So I am trying to rebook a cancelled flight, with a sector UUA to Club to later in the year, but hitting a wall of their being no avios space available on the dates that I want to move the booking to and that as the rebooking is outside of the -3/+14 window, it can't be done.
I thought that as long as there was any seat available in the cabin that it could be rebooked as long as the origin & destination were the same (and this is what is mentioned in the WIKI). Has the policy / guidelines changed recently, or is it a case of the agent being wrong and I need to try HUCA?
If I was to cancel the UUA and revert to the WTP cabin, would that then mean that any seat in the cabin could be rebooked and I just sit out and wait to see if another business seat is made available vai UUA?
TIA
So I am trying to rebook a cancelled flight, with a sector UUA to Club to later in the year, but hitting a wall of their being no avios space available on the dates that I want to move the booking to and that as the rebooking is outside of the -3/+14 window, it can't be done.
I thought that as long as there was any seat available in the cabin that it could be rebooked as long as the origin & destination were the same (and this is what is mentioned in the WIKI). Has the policy / guidelines changed recently, or is it a case of the agent being wrong and I need to try HUCA?
If I was to cancel the UUA and revert to the WTP cabin, would that then mean that any seat in the cabin could be rebooked and I just sit out and wait to see if another business seat is made available vai UUA?
TIA
Oct 10, 2021, 5:25 am
#2574
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: BHX / LHR
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Gold, Accor LeClub - Platinum, Hilton Hhonors - Diamond
Posts: 81
Hi KARFA,
Thanks for this. Is is it the COVID guidelines or the standard customer guidelines I need to direct an agent to, if I come up against the same issue again?
On a slightly different note, if the same exact same routing is no longer available (LAS-LAX no longer has any connection options on the dates after the LHR-LAS gets in), would they be able to offer either a direct LHR-LAX or an alternative connection point?
Thanks
Thanks for this. Is is it the COVID guidelines or the standard customer guidelines I need to direct an agent to, if I come up against the same issue again?
On a slightly different note, if the same exact same routing is no longer available (LAS-LAX no longer has any connection options on the dates after the LHR-LAS gets in), would they be able to offer either a direct LHR-LAX or an alternative connection point?
Thanks
Oct 10, 2021, 6:28 pm
#2575
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
HI All, I have a return flight to Mykonos booked with avios. The inbound leg (to LCY) has been cancelled and automatically rebooked to LHR, the day before, pending my acceptation.
Is there a chance that the return flight would earn TPs and avios, given it was automatically rebooked? In a couple of cancellation experiences this year, I never had TPs/Avios earned on the rebooked flight, but I had called BA for the rebooking each time, and the agent may have done something specific to keep the rebooked flight marked as a 'reward' flight. In this case, it is something done automatically apparently, could this be different? Thanks All
Is there a chance that the return flight would earn TPs and avios, given it was automatically rebooked? In a couple of cancellation experiences this year, I never had TPs/Avios earned on the rebooked flight, but I had called BA for the rebooking each time, and the agent may have done something specific to keep the rebooked flight marked as a 'reward' flight. In this case, it is something done automatically apparently, could this be different? Thanks All
Oct 11, 2021, 9:33 am
#2577
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,293
If you part-pay-with-Avios, you can get a voucher up to an hour before the scheduled departure time, which would be an evoucher for the cash value of the flight before you reduced it with Avios.
Oct 11, 2021, 10:25 am
#2578
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,197
If you book a reward seat, you can get a refund (minus a £35 refund fee, or all the taxes, whichever is less) until 24 hours before the flight. Or you can get an FTV up to an hour before the scheduled departure time, which will hold both Avios and taxes.
If you part-pay-with-Avios, you can get a voucher up to an hour before the scheduled departure time, which would be an evoucher for the cash value of the flight before you reduced it with Avios.
If you part-pay-with-Avios, you can get a voucher up to an hour before the scheduled departure time, which would be an evoucher for the cash value of the flight before you reduced it with Avios.
Oct 11, 2021, 10:37 am
#2579
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,293
Oct 11, 2021, 3:42 pm
#2580
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Silver, AA, WN, DL
Posts: 4,091
I seem to be conflicting information between the BA cancelation email and what I read on the Wiki.
I had 2 one way BA Avios bookings for Iberia. They canceled my flight and rebooked me on ones that I cannot take. I have the option to cancel, but when I select it, the only option I can see is to be given an eVoucher.
As the flight was canceled by the airline, I presumed they would refund me the Avios points and the taxes/fees back onto my method of payment. I'm not interested in eVouchers. Any suggestions?
I've been on hold 3 times, each for an hour, and the line mysteriously disconnects each time. Incredibly maddening trying to sort this out.
Thanks in advance.
I had 2 one way BA Avios bookings for Iberia. They canceled my flight and rebooked me on ones that I cannot take. I have the option to cancel, but when I select it, the only option I can see is to be given an eVoucher.
As the flight was canceled by the airline, I presumed they would refund me the Avios points and the taxes/fees back onto my method of payment. I'm not interested in eVouchers. Any suggestions?
I've been on hold 3 times, each for an hour, and the line mysteriously disconnects each time. Incredibly maddening trying to sort this out.
Thanks in advance.