pete_lay77

Hi - I need some advice! I was due to fly to Mauritius with my wife next week, having booked reward flight Club World seats using Avios and an Amex Companion Voucher. Unfortunately we need to cancel!

I understand i'll likely end up with a Future Travel Voucher for the full value of the booking (ie including the cash, Avios, Companion element). Question is how i then use this?

1) Presumably i can only use this vs a new reward flight? (ie i can't just select a non-reward seat and use the FTV against it?)

2) Given you can only use the FTV by calling the call centre, it seems like it'll be pretty hard to get in-demand seats like Mauritius for which i think the reward seats tend to go very very quickly after release online. (and the call centre isn't open when the seats are released around midnight) Is this right? Any tips to ways around this? Might I be able to book the reward flight online using more Avios and another Companion Voucher, and then call the call centre to then swap it over to use the FTV instead?

Any advice appreciated! TIA

vintagepilot

Its up to you - if you want to cancel and get the avios, voucher and fees back (minus £35pp), you can - but you need to call. The 241 voucher will be returned with its original expiry date, and you can then re-book online as before.

A so-called FTV is really just a credit note - they hang on to everything and you then use that credit for a new booking - it has to be another reward booking and for the same people. If the 241 voucher is soon to expire, the credit route keeps it 'alive' until Sep 23. You don't pay the £35 fee but you do need to call to re-book, using the credit.

Lots more info in the dedicated threads: BA American Express companion voucher | master thread
and BA Covid-19 Flight cancellations, rebooking, and refunds | Help and advice thread

Globaliser

Welcome to FT, pete_lay77!You'll see this mentioned on the other threads, but this means 30 September 2023 - the new booking must be for travel completed by that date.