Could you save money by rebooking your Summer holiday flights?

Do you have a flight or hotel booked for the next couple of months which you booked and pre-paid before coronavirus struck?

If so, you probably overpaid.  Our comments section and my emails have had a few stories recently from readers who realised that they could get back this overpayment.

Let’s imagine that you are flying to Palma on Saturday 15th August.  If you had booked this flight back in February, pre covid, you probably paid at least £200 one-way on British Airways.

At the moment, BA has seats on the afternoon flight from Heathrow for £76 one-way.

You might think you have to suck this up – but you don’t.

Remember that British Airways is running its ‘Book with Confidence’ guarantee – see ba.com here.  For flights up to 30th September (this has been extended from 30th August – full details tomorrow) booked before 3rd March, you can cancel for a British Airways voucher, valid until April 2022.  If you booked on or after 3rd March, you can get a voucher for flights up to 30th April 2021.

You can then rebook your flight.  You could use the voucher, but BA says that it may take seven days to arrive.  For safety I would book your replacement flight first for cash – in case they disappear – and plan to use the voucher for a future trip.  This could save you hundreds of pounds if you’re lucky.

Other airlines are running similar voucher schemes, as are many hotel groups.  Just because you still intend to travel this Summer, it doesn’t mean that you have to accept the high price you locked in many months ago.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)