The new HFP chat thread – Sunday 9th August

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• Grimz says:

  9 Aug9 August 10:32

  BA have just cancelled my flights to LA in November on a 241. My voucher runs out in May 2021 and ideally I would like to go in November 2021. I know I can get a voucher but is it unreasonable to ask for flights in November 2021 without having to look for reward availability?

  • AJA says:

    9 Aug9 August 10:35

    I think BA will say no. Especially as you run into ticket validity issues too. Nov 2021 is more than 1 year ahead too so not even in the schedules remembering seats are only released 355 days out.

    • meta says:

      9 Aug9 August 11:12

      People tend to forget that you don’t have to call BA straight away. You have until a day before your flight to call and request a reroute, refund, etc. No issues then with ticket validity, though if it is beginning of Nov 21 you wanted to go, you might have to settle for end of October. I’d wait a few days before the original flight unless you need Avios/surcharges back.

      • Rob says:

        9 Aug9 August 12:15

        Yup. I am sitting on some August Bank Holiday flights we won’t use because I have now booked an alternative, but I have not cancelled over the last couple of months because there is still a chance BA pulls the flight and I can save the fee.

      • AJA says:

        9 Aug9 August 15:30

        That’s interesting but in the case of the OP they will also have the problem that the 2-4-1 expires in May2021 so they’re not going to get BA to re-route on flights in Nov2021 given that outbound travel has to commence before expiry of the voucher. I can’t see BA allowing them to re-route at their convenience outside of 2-4-1 validity as well as ignoring reward seat availability. I know BA relaxed their rules on seat availability but I can’t see them extending that to Oct 2021 let alone Nov 2021. Their normal rule for rerouting on a reward ticket is to ignore reward seat availability in a date range of -3 to +14 days of original flight.

        • meta says:

          9 Aug9 August 16:43

          Doesn’t matter, you have still have more options closer to the time. Also things are changing rapidly BA might extend vouchers again.

          If you have a ticket for Nov 21, it’s perfectly reasonable to request the same time next year. Some people have set holiday time every year.
          I know it’s not BA, but I had the same issue with Singapore Airlines. They wanted to give me a ticket only up to 31 March for a cancelled flight whilst my ticket was for 14 April 2020. I argued and won the case without much hassle which allowed me to rebook any date until 14 April 2021. The only thing they said is that they will have to reticket me once I decide the date. Fine by me. In that way you get another 355 days.

          You can’t simply make an informed decision until closer to the time.

      • WaynedP says:

        9 Aug9 August 15:38

        When BA cancelled my September long-haul flights last month, I also mistakenly thought I had time to play with, and did nothing, but within 72 hours of receiving the cancellation email, BA sent me a follow-up email threatening to queue me for a full refund, which I didn’t want. So my hand was forced and I had to phone them up to rebook instead.

        Mine was a BA holidays WTP cash flight with upgrade to CW using Avios, so maybe not “typical”, but point is that the luxury of time to make alternative arrangements isn’t available in all cases.

        • AJA says:

          9 Aug9 August 15:57

          That was because you had a BA Holidays booking. They are obliged to refund in full within 7 days if a holiday is cancelled.

• Shanghaiguizi says:

  9 Aug9 August 11:24

  I’ve got Avios CW 241 tickets booked to bkk on 18/9. Flight is still showing as flying and they’re still selling tickets. I see there are no flights for sale on the Friday to bkk for the next 4 weeks, but after that It looks like tickets are available.

  Are BA cancelling a month and a day out? What’s the likelihood the flight will be cancelled? I’m waiting on BA cancelling rather than paying the £35 pp to cancel.

  241 has been extended to July 22 so can’t really see the value in a voucher. I’ve got 4 vouchers already and currently can’t see any use for them. Anybody got any strong arguments for going for a voucher? Flight was booked in January so prior to the book with confidence commitment, but I think I read it was extended and now my flight is covered by the scheme as the return is before 30/9.

• Steve O'Hara says:

  9 Aug9 August 11:51

  Am I correct in this: our 241 is due to expire November 2021 (had already been extended to this date). In the likely event we won’t be able to use it for anything worthwhile by then, I can book any flight now using the 241, and then cancel it as by doing so will trigger a FTV that I can use until April 2022? If i booked a short haul redemption now just to minimise cost, could I use the FTV for a long haul trip before April 2022 and still avail of the fact there is a 241 contained within the FTV?

  • Rob says:

    9 Aug9 August 12:12

    Yes, I believe you can, and I will be doing the same with a 241 my wife has, expriring in January.

    • Secret Squirrel says:

      9 Aug9 August 14:38

      I have a 241 expiring one month before I need to use it.
      So just to be sure, I book a trip using 241 & fees, cancel but ask for a voucher instead of a refund. The voucher nests my 241, avios & fees paid, but how does it extend the 241 expiry?

      • Polly says:

        10 Aug10 August 07:22

        Apparently stays valid until you use the FTV, great plan, we will be doing this also.

• GS says:

  9 Aug9 August 11:57

  Are “upgrade with Avios flights” cancellable for £35 or just Avios tickets?

  • Rob says:

    9 Aug9 August 12:12

    Just Avios tickets. Not sure how easy it is to remove the upgrade if you ended up sacrificing the cash ticket.

• The Original Nick says:

  9 Aug9 August 13:04

  Can someone help out please. I currently hold the Amex Rewards CC and the Amex Blue BA card. I cancelled my Amex Platinum card in May. Can I get a sign up bonus on the BAPP then self refer myself for the Platinum card? I want to get the Platinum card back for travel insurance etc but not sure if the best route to take. Thanks.

  • Jay H says:

    9 Aug9 August 13:19

    As you hold the free BA card you wouldn’t be eligible for a sign up bonus on the BA premium

  • mark2 says:

    9 Aug9 August 13:24

    Apply for the green card then get 20,000 MR for upgrading to Platinum

    • The Original Nick says:

      9 Aug9 August 13:41

      Thanks

    • The Original Nick says:

      9 Aug9 August 13:50

      Is the £60 annual fee for the Green card refundable pro rata?

      • Connor says:

        9 Aug9 August 16:13

        Yes, all Amex fees are.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        9 Aug9 August 16:16

        Yes all Amex card fees are.

• Roger* says:

  9 Aug9 August 13:16

  Thanks to Anna upthread, Rhys previously and no doubt others, I’m reasonably clued up about our 2-4-1 CW LHR-JNB//CPT-LGW (both flights now cancelled). I can’t remember the expiry date of the 2-4-1 voucher – BA said yesterday when I phoned that they didn’t have it and the non-Brighton AmEx person gave me information today which I don’t think is correct. It’s probably during 2021.

  LHR-JNB cancelled today, AFTER I had the following info. Same day rebooking on 2nd flight offered. I have not pursued alternatives.
  CPT-LGW cancelled yesterday. Rebooking to LHR offered up to July 2021. Alternatives:
  – voucher;
  – full refund

  Yesterday, BA gave me the following useful info:
  – if I take a voucher, I can substitute CPT for JNB as the outbound destination;
  – seats would be from available seats rather than just redemption seats;
  – I could use the voucher for flights until 30 April 2022.

  Does that look right? In view of SA’s sad situation, my gut feeling was to go for a full refund straight away. However, if I can still fly until 2022 and get seats from available stock rather than just redemption seats, that seems to be more than OK. What happens after April 2022 if unused? Presumably a refund.

  Thanks for advice.

  • Roger* says:

    9 Aug9 August 13:23

    Fortuitously, after several unsuccessful calls to BA yesterday and the day before, my call was picked up by BA South Africa! Mindful of calls pressure, I had a brief conversation with the BA person, who was informed and effective.

    She cancelled our September cash+Avios tickets to Zurich, warning me that the cash may take a while. The Avios are already back in the account.

    Domestic SA flights may return in some form from April 2021.

  • Anna says:

    9 Aug9 August 13:34

    That’s interesting as others seem to have been told that there does need to be Avios availability to redeem the voucher in future.
    I suspect after April 2022, though, if your 241 voucher has expired in the meantime, you would just lose it.

    • Lady London says:

      9 Aug9 August 14:02

      +1 on both these points.

      The second one would be having your cake and eating it too and I am sure that won’t happen.

      • Roger* says:

        9 Aug9 August 16:43

        Thanks, LL. Again, that sounds right.

    • Roger* says:

      9 Aug9 August 16:42

      Thanks, Anna. That sounds realistic. But at least I’d get the Avios and cash back, I guess.

    • Yorkieflyer says:

      9 Aug9 August 18:52

      And one hopes you wouldn’t lose the Avios and cash paid if you hadn’t used the voucher thingy by April 22??

      • Rob says:

        9 Aug9 August 19:01

        You will lose it, yes, as the terms currently stand.

  • Rahaney says:

    9 Aug9 August 17:04

    Hi Roger,
    This sounds very similar to my situation. When we’re your flights? Mine are end of sept and middle of October and still show as going.
    Thanks

• Sam S says:

  9 Aug9 August 16:05

  Is it possible to book a mixed cabin BA Holiday? Want to fly out first to Vancouver and back from NYC in Prem Econ and after a frustrating hour on the BA website I had no luck. I can get mixed cabin Club/Prem Econ but when I add a car it wants full payment and doesn’t convert to a holiday booking.

  • Louise K says:

    9 Aug9 August 17:27

    best to call them to do this.

• MadeUpName says:

  9 Aug9 August 16:19

  Who’s the club Europe catering now for a 3.5 hour flight? Should I expect sandwich in a bag or crisps in a bag?

  • Andrew says:

    9 Aug9 August 18:53

    Yes

    • Rob says:

      9 Aug9 August 19:01

      Crisps is Economy (plus a bottle of water and a micro bag of pretzels)

      • Lady London says:

        10 Aug10 August 01:38

        Why are they bothering?

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