HELP!!! Please!!! No more first class, used miles to book and want a refund!
Sep 18, 2019, 6:14 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 6
HELP!!! Please!!! No more first class, used miles to book and want a refund!
Hi, I’m new to this so apologies in advance.
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
Sep 18, 2019, 6:47 am
#2
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Yorkshire & Bangsaen
Programs: HH Diamond, EY Gold, AY Silver, MR Plat
Posts: 526
Hi, I’m new to this so apologies in advance.
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
Sep 18, 2019, 6:53 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,539
Hi, I’m new to this so apologies in advance.
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
Sep 19, 2019, 7:14 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP (OWE), VA PLAT, EY GLD, SPG PLAT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton DIA, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,527
Hi, I’m new to this so apologies in advance.
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
long story short, to top up my miles. I purchased about £1100 worth of miles and then claimed a first class rewards seat LHR-AUH next February.
etihad no longer have first class for the flight I wanted.
I now want a full refund (£1100 in airmiles bought + £550 in taxes)
is this possible or what advice would you guys have? I don’t want to fly with them anymore as it’s already been a headache.
this sort of thing happened last year - first class got removed when I was due to fly to Tokyo and it took 6 MONTHS! Worth of emails and calls to get some miles back!
help please!!! Thanks!!!
Both options should be on the table.
They definitely won't refund you cash for miles purchased.
Sep 20, 2019, 9:34 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 6
thanks! I couldn’t find the TCs regarding to a refund of payment from miles if they couldn’t do the flight. It’s not the greatest website for that lol
Sep 20, 2019, 9:37 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 6
also that particular route was Abu Dhabi to Tokyo which was affected. Didn’t think london to auh would be downgraded!
And I didn’t want to fly with them ever again now, but with 90,000 miles I wasn’t going to let them go to waste.
Sep 20, 2019, 9:39 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 6
i couldn’t take a refund of miles - it took 6 months of endless chasing to try to get my miles back when they downgraded my flight AUH-NRT last year which is why I wanted the refund.
I know it must be in the TCs that a refund isn’t possible but is it so unreasonable to think that if I buy a load of miles for a specific flight and that flight is no longer available, I should get be able to get a refund??
thanks so much! Let’s hope it stays that way and Etihad stays in business!
Sep 20, 2019, 9:40 am
#8
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
If you have the option of cancelling the ticket without penalty, the miles will be returned to your account, but you shouldn't expect a refund (in money) for the purchase of the miles. Normally the purchase of miles is nonrefundable, just like the transfer of credit card or hotel points to miles is irreversible. Taxes should be refunded to the original means of payment (credit card for example), and the same for any tax difference if you accept business class or some other route.
Sep 20, 2019, 10:10 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 6
If you have the option of cancelling the ticket without penalty, the miles will be returned to your account, but you shouldn't expect a refund (in money) for the purchase of the miles. Normally the purchase of miles is nonrefundable, just like the transfer of credit card or hotel points to miles is irreversible. Taxes should be refunded to the original means of payment (credit card for example), and the same for any tax difference if you accept business class or some other route.
ah well, thanks for that! I’ve rescheduled the flight.
Sep 20, 2019, 10:54 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,539
You can never count 100% that an award is going to be available when you buy or transfer miles. That’s the nature of the beast.
Sep 20, 2019, 12:34 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: MHT/BOS <--> World
Programs: AA Plat 2.8MM
Posts: 4,629
When you pay with miles, that is what you are supposed to get back if cancelled.
Sep 27, 2019, 6:03 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Executive Club - Silver (OWS)
Posts: 768
1. You bought £1,100 worth of miles. Purchase of miles is non-refundable. You now have x number of miles.
2. You spent x number of miles to buy a First Class ticket. This is refundable - ie: if you cancel, they will give you x number of miles back. This doesn't make transaction number 1 refundable for cash.
Sep 27, 2019, 10:33 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA ExPl, DL PM, UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, probably some others
Posts: 4,099
I’ve now settled with changing the flight to another time with first class- this was smooth thank the lord!
i couldn’t take a refund of miles - it took 6 months of endless chasing to try to get my miles back when they downgraded my flight AUH-NRT last year which is why I wanted the refund.
I know it must be in the TCs that a refund isn’t possible but is it so unreasonable to think that if I buy a load of miles for a specific flight and that flight is no longer available, I should get be able to get a refund??
thanks so much! Let’s hope it stays that way and Etihad stays in business!
i couldn’t take a refund of miles - it took 6 months of endless chasing to try to get my miles back when they downgraded my flight AUH-NRT last year which is why I wanted the refund.
I know it must be in the TCs that a refund isn’t possible but is it so unreasonable to think that if I buy a load of miles for a specific flight and that flight is no longer available, I should get be able to get a refund??
thanks so much! Let’s hope it stays that way and Etihad stays in business!
Sep 28, 2019, 9:11 pm
#14
Join Date: May 2018
Location: AUH
Programs: TK Elite (*G), ITA Executive, WY Silver, Accor Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 291
My take on the issue is that EY must refund your miles or re-accommodate you on another flight with F, OR refund the mileage to your account along with the fees.
They will not, as per the T&C's refund the miles you bought.
They will not, as per the T&C's refund the miles you bought.