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 7, 2021, 4:33 am
#91
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: 63,699
I am planning to buy a cash ticket JFK - LHR - BOM (May-Jun 2021). I will be using the AARP and Chase BA10 discounts for this trip due to which the price of my ticket goes down by approx .. $476 (2765 - 476 = $2290)
If I have to cancel the flight for any reason, then the FTV I get for this flight would be $2290
When booking the new flight, will I be able to use the AARP and Chase discounts again? OR Do I lose those discounts?
If I have to cancel the flight for any reason, then the FTV I get for this flight would be $2290
When booking the new flight, will I be able to use the AARP and Chase discounts again? OR Do I lose those discounts?
Jan 7, 2021, 4:40 am
#92
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: 63,699
There is provision in EC261 to cover the extra travel cost, and BA interprets that to be public transport based, so the taxi element would be capped at Ł50. You may be effectively able to stretch that to Ł100 if you make separate claims. However I'm sure you are aware that DB's rail service is a safer and comfortable way to travel on this sort of trip. BA will only pay this after the event, and will claim - incorrectly - that by accept this arrangement you are not entitled to claim the train fare. In reality BA would pay up either via a Customer Relation claim after travel, or in extremis via CEDR. More information in the EC261 thread in this forum. But suffice to say I would be confident that BA will pay the train fare eventually, and a bit less confident they would pick up anything other than a low taxi fare.
Jan 7, 2021, 4:42 am
#93
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: 63,699
I assume as the original flights are cancelled we could ask for a cash refund on the holiday deposit paid at this stage?
If we accept new flights I assume we will no longer have a refund option and will receive a FTV if we decided not to travel?
Is the best option just to sit tight at this stage?
If we accept new flights I assume we will no longer have a refund option and will receive a FTV if we decided not to travel?
Is the best option just to sit tight at this stage?
Jan 7, 2021, 4:45 am
#94
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 486
I applied for an eVoucher as a booked end of February holiday looks unlikely. Below is the email I received:
1. The website instructions for eVoucher still describe inputting voucher numbers
2. This implies the voucher can't be used for paying a deposit for a future holiday
Has anyone else had the same email?
Please accept this email as confirmation that you have Ł 350.00 to use towards a future holiday; no attachments or codes are required. When you’re ready to make your new booking please visit ba.com. Once you have completed payment, you can reply to this email quoting your original and new booking references. Whilst this is a no-reply email account, your information will be automatically directed to a team dedicated to redeeming vouchers. This email address is not monitored, so if you have any further queries our customer service team can be contacted here.
Alternatively, should you wish to make your new booking over the telephone, our travel advisors would be delighted to assist you; their contact details are here.
If you pay a deposit on your new booking, the outstanding balance will be reduced by your voucher amount. Alternatively, if you pay for your new booking in full, a refund for your voucher amount will be processed.
Alternatively, should you wish to make your new booking over the telephone, our travel advisors would be delighted to assist you; their contact details are here.
If you pay a deposit on your new booking, the outstanding balance will be reduced by your voucher amount. Alternatively, if you pay for your new booking in full, a refund for your voucher amount will be processed.
2. This implies the voucher can't be used for paying a deposit for a future holiday
Has anyone else had the same email?
Jan 7, 2021, 4:52 am
#95
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: 63,699
This is covered a bit in last year's thread, but in essence you don't have an eVoucher, so forget that, and no you can't use your FTV for a deposit, but in essence you can pay the deposit then BA remit the Ł350 off the balance outstanding. If you don't like the sound of that, they could book a simple flight only booking, not BAH, and then they would refund the Ł350 separately. Alternatively book a hotel only and use the FTV against that, this would require a call to BAH. You cannot use this FTV on redemptions, however.
Jan 7, 2021, 5:03 am
#96
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador
Posts: 42
Its a slightly different question as its not clear if BA will just refund the return leg before the outward leg is flown.
Anyway, I got through to BA after a 30 min wait and the rep confirmed that it was possible, but the refund amount is only 1/3 of the ticket price so its not enough to cover a 1-way ticket on Egyptair.
Anyway, I got through to BA after a 30 min wait and the rep confirmed that it was possible, but the refund amount is only 1/3 of the ticket price so its not enough to cover a 1-way ticket on Egyptair.
Jan 7, 2021, 5:59 am
#97
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 486
This is covered a bit in last year's thread, but in essence you don't have an eVoucher, so forget that, and no you can't use your FTV for a deposit, but in essence you can pay the deposit then BA remit the Ł350 off the balance outstanding. If you don't like the sound of that, they could book a simple flight only booking, not BAH, and then they would refund the Ł350 separately. Alternatively book a hotel only and use the FTV against that, this would require a call to BAH. You cannot use this FTV on redemptions, however.
Jan 7, 2021, 6:10 am
#98
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HH Gold, AA Lifetime Gold, United Silver, BA Gold
Posts: 864
I would very much advise against "maybe" bookings, particularly this far out. As I understand it, those discounts are online only so I would not assume you would be able to invoke them on replacement flights since you have to do it over the telephone. It's possible but not guaranteed that you would get a eVoucher rather than FTV, which would then allow an online booking and stacking the discounts. If BA cancels any sector on that routing - at the moment a near certainty I would suggest - then as things currently stand you can simply rebook to new dates for free. If you actually will travel for sure around this time, then it's less of a risk since BA has a longstanding -3 days to +14 days rebook policy. Note you are only allow one free rebook per irrop.
How do I ensure that BA provides me an eVoucher vs. FTV? I can see on the BA Page that I have the ability to redeem an eVoucher and so I am hoping I would be able to apply the same.
I can definitely wait until a couple more months to book my ticket. The prices are low right now and I do want to travel sometime during May/June.
Jan 7, 2021, 6:24 am
#99
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,275
We have flights booked to Thailand in April - BA holiday flying Qatar in business.
The outbound and inbound flights have been cancelled and BA have booked on us alternate flights that have an 8 hour layover in Doha on the way out. There is a more convenient flight with Qatar - so we could ask to be transferred to this flight. My initial thought was to push for this to secure qsuite quad.
I assume as the original flights are cancelled we could ask for a cash refund on the holiday deposit paid at this stage?
If we accept new flights I assume we will no longer have a refund option and will receive a FTV if we decided not to travel?
Is the best option just to sit tight at this stage?
The outbound and inbound flights have been cancelled and BA have booked on us alternate flights that have an 8 hour layover in Doha on the way out. There is a more convenient flight with Qatar - so we could ask to be transferred to this flight. My initial thought was to push for this to secure qsuite quad.
I assume as the original flights are cancelled we could ask for a cash refund on the holiday deposit paid at this stage?
If we accept new flights I assume we will no longer have a refund option and will receive a FTV if we decided not to travel?
Is the best option just to sit tight at this stage?
Jan 7, 2021, 6:39 am
#100
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Salisbury Plain
Programs: BA: Silver,
Posts: 1,197
I see that the situation remains: "..,. though flights more than 355 days away are not currently bookable - flights are enabled at 355 days before departure"
This gives me a bit of a snag - I was booked on a flight 23 Jan 21. This has just been cancelled. No problem - I'll shift it to same time(ish) next year... erm NO! as pointed out, those flights can't be booked yet (nor until a week or so AFTER this cancelled flight was scheduled to fly).
Is anyone out there able to suggest the best way to achieve my goal of using the booked and paid for (with money) flights to switch to next year?
If it matters, the flights are LHR-SZG-LHR in CE.
Oh and Happy New Year, everyone!
This gives me a bit of a snag - I was booked on a flight 23 Jan 21. This has just been cancelled. No problem - I'll shift it to same time(ish) next year... erm NO! as pointed out, those flights can't be booked yet (nor until a week or so AFTER this cancelled flight was scheduled to fly).
Is anyone out there able to suggest the best way to achieve my goal of using the booked and paid for (with money) flights to switch to next year?
If it matters, the flights are LHR-SZG-LHR in CE.
Oh and Happy New Year, everyone!
Jan 7, 2021, 6:42 am
#101
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,871
I see that the situation remains: "..,. though flights more than 355 days away are not currently bookable - flights are enabled at 355 days before departure"
This gives me a bit of a snag - I was booked on a flight 23 Jan 21. This has just been cancelled. No problem - I'll shift it to same time(ish) next year... erm NO! as pointed out, those flights can't be booked yet (nor until a week or so AFTER this cancelled flight was scheduled to fly).
Is anyone out there able to suggest the best way to achieve my goal of using the booked and paid for (with money) flights to switch to next year?
If it matters, the flights are LHR-SZG-LHR in CE.
Oh and Happy New Year, everyone!
This gives me a bit of a snag - I was booked on a flight 23 Jan 21. This has just been cancelled. No problem - I'll shift it to same time(ish) next year... erm NO! as pointed out, those flights can't be booked yet (nor until a week or so AFTER this cancelled flight was scheduled to fly).
Is anyone out there able to suggest the best way to achieve my goal of using the booked and paid for (with money) flights to switch to next year?
If it matters, the flights are LHR-SZG-LHR in CE.
Oh and Happy New Year, everyone!
you wouldn’t be able to move the booking that far ahead. The rebooking allowance for cancelled flights only allow rebooking up to a year from when you made the booking originally. I think the only two options would be take a full refund and rebook when you want, or take a FTV and use the value towards a new booking.
Jan 7, 2021, 6:47 am
#102
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Salisbury Plain
Programs: BA: Silver,
Posts: 1,197
Many thanks. It's an answer (not what I was hoping for) but, yes, an answer. I happened to get the CE tickets at a good price and am fearful that a cash refund won't be as much as a rebooked (next year) ticket would be. ho hum... I will have to scour the sales - I am sure that there'll be another one on its way!
Cheers
Cheers
Jan 7, 2021, 7:16 am
#103
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Salisbury Plain
Programs: BA: Silver,
Posts: 1,197
Is there any benefit to obtaining a voucher rather than cash back for a cancelled flight? Do vouchers have any greater sway with re-booking? depending on those answers, begs the question: "why have vouchers?"
Jan 7, 2021, 7:18 am
#104
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,871
In terns of making a new booking, there is no advantage at all.
Jan 7, 2021, 7:41 am
#105
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: 63,699
Thanks for the advice!
How do I ensure that BA provides me an eVoucher vs. FTV? I can see on the BA Page that I have the ability to redeem an eVoucher and so I am hoping I would be able to apply the same.
I can definitely wait until a couple more months to book my ticket. The prices are low right now and I do want to travel sometime during May/June.
How do I ensure that BA provides me an eVoucher vs. FTV? I can see on the BA Page that I have the ability to redeem an eVoucher and so I am hoping I would be able to apply the same.
I can definitely wait until a couple more months to book my ticket. The prices are low right now and I do want to travel sometime during May/June.
