The new HFP chat thread – Sunday 12th April

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• Craig says:

  12 Apr12 April 08:35

  Any data on Hilton cancellations, non-refundable cancelled a month ago but still waiting for the agreed refund?

  • Spursdebs says:

    12 Apr12 April 08:41

    Email the hotel directly. You will get money back but might have to nudge them along. My refund took 48 hrs but that was at the start of this.

  • Anna says:

    12 Apr12 April 08:48

    I used online chat with them last week and the money was back within 3 days. They have definitely retained my business.

  • Peter K says:

    12 Apr12 April 09:10

    I cancelled by phone on 21st March, money back 2 days ago.

  • Brian W says:

    12 Apr12 April 18:33

    I called the hotel direct using the number in the app and they refunded mine straight away. I had already waited the 21 days the initial cancellation email said it would take.

• avidsaver says:

  12 Apr12 April 08:40

  Sorry if this is a dumb question. I have an avios 2-4-1 booking for early May from Gatwick to Orlando. Although BA have suspended their operation at Gatwick this flight has still not been cancelled and they are currently taking bookings for it. If they move it to fly from Heathrow will this still count as a cancellation? Many thanks.

  • Tony says:

    12 Apr12 April 08:49

    Historically BA has been very generous with what counts as grounds for a cancellation. A change of flight number (departure time remained the same) was sufficient to allow me a free rebooking on both the outward and return legs.

    Under normal circumstances I can’t see why a change of airport wouldn’t count as grounds for cancellation. I’d think that the bigger problem is likely that the FCO won’t have lifted their outbound travel advisories by then, invalidating your insurance. “Tourist Florida” also seems closed until June.

  • Anna says:

    12 Apr12 April 08:51

    It won’t count as a cancellation unless there’s a minimum time change (London airports all count as the same city), but as pointed out it’s very unlikely that you’ll be making this trip.

    • avidsaver says:

      12 Apr12 April 09:03

      Many thanks. I’m just sitting it out as I’d like to avoid the £35 pp cancellation fee if poss and hope to be able to get the seat reservation fees back. I’ve no intention of taking the trip.

  • Charlieface says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:07

    Technically under EC261 even a change of flight number or airport would allow a refund or reroute, BA may put up a fight though.

  • Doug M says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:24

    I’d be amazed if it ran from LHR with the same flight number, or indeed if it ran at all. The cancellation seems inevitable, I wonder if BA are delaying cancellations to buy time on the refunds, given the 14 day rule suspension. Agree with previous poster LHR/LGW/LCY same departure point as far as BA are concerned, assume they lump STN into that too.

• Dips says:

  12 Apr12 April 08:45

  I have an open jaw 2-4-1 CW booked in May: LHR-PHL-IAD-LHR. I have already been informed about taking a voucher from BA, obviously I would insist on the refund.

  However, I have found alternative usage for the 2-4-1 at a later date but since it’s in the US too for August maybe I should still avoid that.

  If I call up BA should they process the refund without the cancellation fee?
  Or should I bite the bullet and pay the fee online with the Safari workaround if it works?

  • Anna says:

    12 Apr12 April 08:54

    If BA haven’t cancelled the flight they will still charge you the cancellation fee and you may be waiting a long time to get your money back (the only money I’ve got back so far was from using the HFP method). I am not making any US bookings at the moment as things are very unclear.

    • Dips says:

      12 Apr12 April 09:24

      Thanks I just cancelled using the Safari method and it worked fine. From your knowledge when can I expect the voucher in my account, the Avois in the account and the ‘taxes’ back onto the Amex?

      Thanks

      • Anna says:

        12 Apr12 April 13:00

        When I used this method it was all back within 24 hours. Unlike the cancellations I’ve done by phone!

• Michael C says:

  12 Apr12 April 08:58

  Re.: BA Confidence/Voucher: “2. Applies for customers booked to travel up to 31 December 2020”

  So if my flight is Dec. 22 – Jan 5, I could still cancel the whole thing in exchange for a voucher based on outbound date, right?

  • AJA says:

    12 Apr12 April 09:35

    Yes that’s correct

    • Michael C says:

      12 Apr12 April 09:46

      Cheers, AJA!

• Zara says:

  12 Apr12 April 09:00

  Hi- I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. Has anyone tried to change a flight with easyJet after the date of the flight has passed? They have not refunded me or sent me a voucher(I had not decided what I wanted to do as the original flight cost me very little), but I can’t seem to do anything to the booking now that the travel dates have passed. (Return flight was 4th April, so their flight tracker does not go back far enough). Many thanks.

  • Dave says:

    12 Apr12 April 09:36

    Zara, you have 12 months to claim a refund so wouldn’t worry too much just now. I posted earlier that you can now change to any flight, any destination till March 21 free. No matter how much your original flight was.

    • Zara says:

      12 Apr12 April 09:44

      Thanks Dave for your reply. I actually don’t want a refund and want to change the flight but I can’t log in to see any of the information so I wondered if a change is no longer possible as the flight dates had passed.

• David S says:

  12 Apr12 April 09:18

  How long are BA vouchers taking from cancelling online to receiving the voucher?

  • Sarah Adamson says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:18

    I have received 2. They both look around 2 weeks and 4 days to be confirmed in an email by BA.

  • AJ says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:21

    Requested a voucher on 18th March and still waiting to receive it!

  • Anna says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:34

    BA texted me to cancel my car hire booking and emailed me the “voucher” the same day!! It’s not actually a voucher though, you have to make a new booking then email them back and they will refund your credit card with the relevant amount, which is a bit of a faff.

  • David S says:

    12 Apr12 April 11:12

    Thank you all. I had an email within 2 days confirming my request and it has been a week or so and nothing so far. My booking has disappeared from my MMB. Will await further response from BA. So far has been a bit of a shambles but let’s wait and see.

• David says:

  12 Apr12 April 09:23

  What is with Accor and their terrible refund Covid-19 policy? For Italy, France and Spain it’s a voucher rather than cash refund; and that voucher has to be used in the same hotel.

  It seems very out of balance with what Hilton, Marriott, IHG etc are doing.

  We have a booking in a Bergamo hotel in a couple of weeks, which obviously we can’t use, and I doubt we’ll now be going back there. Any HfP wisdom on how to get an actual refund on the booking? Could I go via my credit card even if the company are offering a voucher?

  Thanks!

  • TGLoyalty says:

    12 Apr12 April 09:43

    If the hotel is closed I’d demand a refund if they won’t then start a chargeback / s75 claim as they cant fulfil your booking.

    If it isn’t closed then it gets more tricky and a voucher may be the only way out of it.

  • r* says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:39

    I certainly wouldnt include ihg in the good list, the hie i have booked is closed and they will not give a refund and ihg just say its controled on local laws (its in the eu which just makes it more amusing plus hilton had no issues refunding in the same country). Only airline or hotel ive had any problem with so had to start a chargeback.

    • Doug M says:

      12 Apr12 April 11:14

      I don’t think hotels in France have been told to close. Seems a sneaky get out to enable them to keep the cash of people that have no meaningful way to get there if they wanted to.

  • Harry T says:

    12 Apr12 April 11:18

    I emailed the Sofitel Munich Bayerpost (an Accor Hotel) directly you politely explain that, to my great regret, my girlfriend and I wouldn’t be able to visit their hotel at Easter due to the FCO restrictions on travel. They emailed me back within two hours and refunded me without hassle. I was very impressed and will book there again.

    • Harry T says:

      12 Apr12 April 11:18

      To*

    • Anna says:

      12 Apr12 April 12:53

      We stayed there a few years ago, the breakfast was fabulous and the “underground” swimming pool rather beguiling!

      • Harry T says:

        12 Apr12 April 13:05

        @Anna I should be there right now! You’re not helping haha.

        • Anna says:

          12 Apr12 April 13:16

          Harry, I should be in the Caribbean on my retirement trip right now! Overcast Lancashire not really doing it for me 😢

        • Harry T says:

          12 Apr12 April 14:48

          @Anna
          Really sorry to hear that! Hope you’re planning something amazing for when we are finally released.

        • Cat says:

          12 Apr12 April 16:03

          Hugs Anna!
          I should be in the Seychelles right now, and much as I love my C London flat, and its view, I would give my left arm for a garden, or at least a balcony right now!

  • PJJ says:

    12 Apr12 April 12:10

    Seems that Hilton have won hands down over CV19 and their customer services.
    No doubt their booking’s will multiple from HfP readers
    So Hilton, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring out a UK credit card !

    • Andy says:

      12 Apr12 April 12:17

      YES PLEASE!

      • The Savage Squirrel says:

        12 Apr12 April 19:59

        To be fair they do, for now. It’s the Virgin Atlantic credit card – unfortunately when you factor in the conversion rate from Virgin->Hilton both the paid and free cards fall from being pretty decent offerings to being fairly rubbish.

    • Anna says:

      12 Apr12 April 12:54

      +1 for Hilton. They cancelled a non-refundable booking for me last week, told me it would be up to 4 weeks for the refund but it actually took 3 days. Kind of the exact opposite of BA!

  • Rufusrea says:

    12 Apr12 April 12:44

    I hada booking in Heathrow Terminal 5 hotel for this week contacted them last week when they had updated their cancellation.policyMoney is back in my account yesterday . Either contact hotel direct or look for a number on their site.

• Michael Severn says:

  12 Apr12 April 09:35

  Morning everyone. I think I know the answer for this but it’s more for clarification

  My wife has the Premium BA Amex card, I am supplementary card holder.
  There are currently 2 companion vouchers on the account.
  We are in a household account

  Can I use one of companion tickets to travel with a friend?

  The newsletter this morning says “The BA Amex cardholder MUST be one of the two travellers. There is no way to avoid this. If you are in a Household Account, the second passenger must be in the household account or on your ‘Family and Friends’ list.” – but as I’m a supplementary card holder I’m not 100% sure if this counts.

  • Genghis says:

    12 Apr12 April 09:47

    The main cardholder who earns the 241 must travel. You being a supp is irrelevant.

    • Michael says:

      12 Apr12 April 09:49

      ok, thats what i thought. Thanks for clarifying.

  • ChrisC says:

    12 Apr12 April 09:57

    ‘Household Account’ refers to BA exec club not Amex.

  • Anna says:

    12 Apr12 April 10:36

    You could get your wife to refer you for your own BAPP. Or you could use the 2 vouchers to book a trip for your wife, you and 2 other people if you added them to your BAEC Household Account.

    • Joseph says:

      12 Apr12 April 10:50

      Certainly better than telling your wife you are going on holiday with your girlfriend on her voucher. My wife would most certainly be upset with me if I used her companion voucher.

  • Rob says:

    12 Apr12 April 11:24

    No

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