Cancelling booked EuroBonus ticket (exipired points)
May 2, 2021, 8:26 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Europe
Programs: Flying Blue: Platinum for Life Elite Plus - EuroBonus: Gold
Posts: 933
Cancelling booked EuroBonus ticket (exipired points)
Hi,
I have booked an EuroBonus ticket with points that have expired. SAS has cancelled my flight. I request that my points should be refunded, how long ''extended'' life does my new ''expired'' points have?
Sincerely,
SB
I have booked an EuroBonus ticket with points that have expired. SAS has cancelled my flight. I request that my points should be refunded, how long ''extended'' life does my new ''expired'' points have?
Sincerely,
SB
May 2, 2021, 9:26 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Seat 1L these days :)
Programs: AF Platinum/AY LUMO/SK EBG/baEC S/HYATT Globalist/MR LTP/A3 *G/HH Dia/IHG plat
Posts: 7,957
I wish they would do away with points expiry such a last season thing
May 3, 2021, 2:50 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denmark
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 11,837
Yes, EB will refund but the deadline for doing a new booking is relatively short; a couple of weeks as I recall it.
In 2020 my CPH-HKG EB award had significant schedule changes. I called EB, cancelled and was refunded the non-expired points and told to state the PNR/ticket No. when doing a new booking. When I made a new EB booking (by phone) a few days later the expired points were manually deducted from the EB points that I had to pay for the new award ticket. The new ticket was also to HKG so it was the same amount of EB points required (I'm not sure if that made a difference, but it was definitely a new ticket as the PNR No. changed for the new EB award).
In 2020 my CPH-HKG EB award had significant schedule changes. I called EB, cancelled and was refunded the non-expired points and told to state the PNR/ticket No. when doing a new booking. When I made a new EB booking (by phone) a few days later the expired points were manually deducted from the EB points that I had to pay for the new award ticket. The new ticket was also to HKG so it was the same amount of EB points required (I'm not sure if that made a difference, but it was definitely a new ticket as the PNR No. changed for the new EB award).
May 3, 2021, 5:24 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,156
The rule is that expired points are not returned when cancelling, but as described above there are exceptions during the pandemic.
May 4, 2021, 8:42 am
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: United States (mostly), New Zealand (sometimes), Sweden (now and then)
Posts: 868
... and when the airline is effectively cancelling the booking by cancelling one or more flights and not offering any alternatives, they should return the points, even if they had expired. Anything else would be unfair to the traveler.
May 4, 2021, 11:02 am
#6
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,016
Article 8
Right to reimbursement or re-routing
1. Where reference is made to this Article, passengers shall be offered the choice between:
(a) - reimbursement within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan, together with, when relevant,
- a return flight to the first point of departure, at the earliest opportunity;
(b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity; or
(c) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at a later date at the passenger's convenience, subject to availability of seats.
Right to reimbursement or re-routing
1. Where reference is made to this Article, passengers shall be offered the choice between:
(a) - reimbursement within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan, together with, when relevant,
- a return flight to the first point of departure, at the earliest opportunity;
(b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity; or
(c) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at a later date at the passenger's convenience, subject to availability of seats.
The compensation referred to in paragraph 1 shall be paid in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques or, with the signed agreement of the passenger, in travel vouchers and/or other services.
May 6, 2021, 6:59 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denmark
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 11,837
EU Reg. 261/04 was never drafted with award tickets/non-monetary payments in mind. Subsequently, the regulation is construed to cover also award tickets but the wording itself doesn't really embrace it.
The regulation doesn't require the airline to convert miles/points to money for refund purposes.
The regulation doesn't require the airline to convert miles/points to money for refund purposes.