Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Thursday 29th April

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Comments (299)

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  • lumma says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:14

    Has anyone had a refund to an old cancelled Curve card which would also go back to a cancelled credit card (NewDay)?

    I had a ticket for a Euro 2020 game in Bilbao which has finally been cancelled and refunded by UEFA and was wondering what might happen in this instance.

    I still have the same Curve account and the credit card account is still open.

    • Anna says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:33

      There have been some reports of Curve refunds going back to Curve cash which may or may not suit you!

    • Andy says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:43

      I closed my Curve card last week and was told any refunds would go back directly to the original card. I had this issue (although my Curve card was still open) with a JAL booking last year and it made it through to the underlying card without issue, although I had also closed that one. Virgin reopened the card account to process the refund and then closed it again

    • Doug M says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:08

      @Lumma. The details I received from UEFA ticketing said that if original payment card was closed, they’d contact you for bank details. I paid for mine on the old Tandem card, now cancelled sometime ago. Awaiting further contact from UEFA.

  • Zoe says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:20

    I have a question about referrals. How do you go about having the conversations? I have chatted with friends about Avios but nobody seems that bothered and I end up feeling like a salesperson. Just doesn’t look like a route that I can explore.

    • Polly says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:26

      It’s really really tricky. I have actually given up, even when they know we travel F 241. Comments like “but it’s only 13 hrs of your holidays” etc, eyes glaze over. It’s up to them now to ask me about it, so yes referrals way down. Just between our family members now, with supps. Shame really. They really are missing out, but don’t know it!
      ;But hsbc card w curve helps top up avios nos now.
      We will soon be doing the Bonvoy card route now for 2 yrs for OH, so plenty on the horizon, if rules don’t change yet again!

      • Zoe says:
        29 Apr29 April 11:51

        Completely agree Polly! I have a few friends who are moving house now and I see the opportunity for offers with new insurance, furniture etc and see Avios everywhere and try to tell them but no-one listens.
        Do you mind if I ask what is the HSBC card with Curve – how does it top up Avios! I don’t travel for work or have business spend or huge monthly expenditure so am looking for every avenue I can. It has taken me 16 months to get to 193k which is probably slow for some!

        • Polly says:
          29 Apr29 April 16:01

          We too are moving, hopefully. Have already sorted an upgrade back to the hsbc elite, so at least we can earn better points.
          Have told the agent that l will be paying their fees by card. Bemused but said ok!
          Also intend to pay the stamp duty by curve, but need to clarify how to do that with minimal cost.
          Solicitor by card, done, surveyor, valuation fees etc all by bellhop, as a plat bonus to get in the family…so meticulous planning required. Solicitor kept saying, but BACS is so easy, so had to tell them why a card was necessary. Might even be a convert when all this is over.
          No one ever said it was easy! Even reading hfp is hard work, so many tips etc….

    • Aston100 says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:29

      Same.
      It doesn’t help that nobody in my circle of influence is interested in anything other than c@shyb@ck. Miles & points are not given any consideration and deemed to be too complicated compared to the perceived simplicity of getting money back.
      On the rare occurance that someone shows some mild interest, they are immediately put off when shown the fees & taxes for avios bookings, or the vast number of points needed for a week away in a decent hotel.
      These are people who are not interested in churning or looking for opportunities to maximise their points earnings.
      I suspect the majority of people are probably like this.

      • Zoe says:
        29 Apr29 April 11:57

        I feel like I stumbled into a great secret and everyone is mad for missing out. But I guess it could be considered a lot of effort.

      • Lady London says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:03

        I think Zoe has done amazingly well as a normal person to pick up those avios in that time.

        Like @Aston100 no doubt my best friend set my teeth on edge when she insisted on using her Tesco points for shopping. Tesco? Shopping? Really?

        • Zoe says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:08

          Ha @ladylondon. I have a tail of woe for this one. I moved to a new town the same time I started collecting Avios and my new local supermarket was Tesco which I thought was brilliant as it would all mean more Avios. I had 25k Nectar points and I burned the whole lot on new pans and a garmin watch. I genuinely teared up when the relationship with Tesco ended and moved to Nectar.

    • Anna says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:38

      Zoe – avios and points are a really niche thing! A lot of us can’t even get our partners interested, let alone friends and extended family. My OH goes along with having a new credit card every so often and will even now ask to pay by Amex as the first option but he wouldn’t bother if it was just him (having said all that, he does enjoy the J and F experiences!). Like Polly says, a lot of people just don’t get it. My in-laws travel all over the world in Y because although they are well off they just don’t consider premium travel as on option and have very old fashioned ideas about credit cards being bad in some way.
      As Aston100 says, they also get put off by card fees and “taxes” on redemptions.
      We generate enough avios and points for 3 of us to travel in style 2/3 times per year so I leave it at that.

      • Zoe says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:01

        Yes I think my partner will enjoy the flight experience but he doesn’t have a clue how it all works!

      • Polly says:
        29 Apr29 April 15:53

        Anna, that also made me laugh.
        My OH phones me from whatever shop he might be in, in full earshot of other customers to ask me “what card am l using today? “ sooooo embarrassing esp when a friend overheard him… hilarious. Comment then was, collecting air miles are we???

    • QFFlyer says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:52

      It’s definitely a niche, but this is actually a good thing – if everyone got on board, the rest of us would have far more competition. Think ‘enhancements’, reduced availability, etc., etc..

      I still have people who assume it’s some sort of fraud or scam I’m involved in…OH is on board, as long as I do all the work (which is fine by me – she’s limited to the phone interactions with CC/Airline companies, etc.).

      • Zoe says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:00

        Yes my partner is not in work so it is just me and my credit card! But agree on the competition. I want to book flights to Japan for next year and wonder how on earth I will manage it if there are only 2 reward seats per flight! I have been collecting for a while now but not tried to redeem and my first 241 voucher expires July 2022. (I am still hoping for another extension on this).

        • Lady London says:
          29 Apr29 April 18:47

          If you get stuck with the voucher expiring or think you will then book something now like Lon-Man whatever’s short and cheap with the 241. Give it a week (only for appearance) then canc the flights and unusually take an FTV(and this is the only reason you would).

          Voila FTV with 241 voucher wrapped in it and the whole thing including 241 extended to April 2023. Then you add more money or avios, whichever or both to fly further later than you were going to.

          BA might pull ability to take FTV’s as soon as they sense confidence in the safety of travel though. So watch carefully and maybe roll it over soonish.

      • Optimus Prime says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:01

        Exactly, more availability for us…

        • Anna says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:30

          Took the words right out of my mouth!
          Zoe – as I posted earlier, flexibility is the key. Having a few options will mean you’re far more likely to get the number of avios seats you need; we generally travel as a 3 so when I’ve needed all those to be avios seats I’ve looked at what’s available rather than starting with a specific destination in mind. So when visiting the Caribbean where you rarely see more than 2 CW seats released, we would fly to NYC or MIA in CW or F to enjoy the experience, have a short city break then a short flight onwards for some beach time. It feels like 2 holidays in 1.

          • Polly says:
            29 Apr29 April 15:32

            Was actually thinking that too Anna, but didn’t dare say it.. but yes, in my mind that’s exactly what am thinking…

            @Zoe, didn’t mean to ignore your q re the hsbc thingy. We have had the MasterCard elite 1st in our branch, caused mayhem!.. linked it to our new curve card, so for every 2 hsbc points you earn, it gets you 1 avios. There can be an odd conversion bonus been a couple, with a 25% uplift, when you convert to various FFP, avios for us.

            Or the hsbc premier, which we dropped down to, earns 0.5 avios/£. Useful ongoing for any non Amex acceptors. We couldn’t believe how many organisations etc didn’t take Amex, or indeed some don’t even accept credit cards, like our council, dark ages in Elmbridge. So, the avios really do add up using curve. Problem is the hsbc requirement is tough, but they will accept Isa etc.
            Many on here link them to hotel cards, but we haven’t done that yet. It’s not that easy a hobby, needs dedication!

          • Lady London says:
            29 Apr29 April 18:49

            If you say so Anna! this looks more to me like a disguised plan to get a shopping trip in NYC or Sawgrass

          • Anna says:
            29 Apr29 April 22:50

            Well of course LL, that would be an essential element of a city break in the US!

    • YC says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:58

      I have given up too. But honestly, its a decent amount of work to get value out of miles/points but for most of us here, we enjoy the hobby. Think about how many hours we read articles, comments, stay up late nights, adjust our holiday dates just to get ‘value’ out of this. It’s definitely not free and like most things, if you don’t grind it out, you are not going to make a success of it. So for people with little interest, they may bite and get a card but those points end up going into low value redemptions and its all wasted. So rationally better off with CB

      • Zoe says:
        29 Apr29 April 13:24

        I know right! Head for Points is now the first think I look at when I wake up – even before my partner. It is a vast improvement on the social media I used to look at!

        • Anuj says:
          29 Apr29 April 13:36

          For most people who travel in economy the taxes in avios make it very off putting. I prefer to move to bonvoy instead which has far less tax and the majority of the holiday is in the hotel afterall. I have some avios too for business redemptions in EU. Those are the two best scenarios I advertise to any friends or family and even then it has barely any success.

          • YC says:
            29 Apr29 April 14:02

            Agree on hotels, personally not sure about J to Europe. Redeemed 1m Marriott pts in the last 4 years and I’m not a big spender. But it took lots of card churning and topping up balances when sensible. Just can’t see many of my friends willing to invest in this way

        • Pete M says:
          29 Apr29 April 13:39

          A colleague asked me the other day, having overheard me going through BA security as my husband, if he has any idea of what’s happening and, jokingly concerned, if he even has access to his accounts. I had to assure him he has exactly 0 interest in any of this, but will happily enjoy the perks! 🙂

          • Hotelier says:
            29 Apr29 April 15:16

            My OH has no interest or access to his accounts (BA/Iberia…) and I always call Brighton pretending to be him (same gender). Funnily enough he is listed as the head of the household in BA …

          • Anna says:
            29 Apr29 April 16:09

            It is annoying that the only giveaway (if you have all the security details), would be the voice! I need one of those computer voice-changing gadgets used by villains in films.
            That said, as long as your OH has set up a password, BA will let you do pretty much anything with their account so it’s only really an issue if I need to call Amex!

      • Reney says:
        29 Apr29 April 14:46

        Agree with many people here. Getting value out of points takes work, usually one sign up bonus is not enough for much, most people don’t need one hotel
        night but several. If you read the way moneysavingexperts sells it. They tell people they can convert amex points to gift cards (i can hear all your hearts breaking) but it is much more tangible and guaranteed value. Also amex sign up bonus rules are now very complicated, the other day someone’s friend took out the wrong card and won’t be able to get a bonus. I just don’t want to have to make sure I know their full card history and micro manage their applications, or anyone getting upset with me if things don’t work out, especially if there is an upfront fee etc etc.

        • Anna says:
          29 Apr29 April 16:13

          That made me laugh about the hearts breaking! My in-laws once used tens of thousands of avios they’d collected over about 2 years to get something like £300 off their economy flights to Bermuda. That’s when I gave up trying to persuade them to get a BAPP. You have to know when it’s time to give up, and that was it 🤣

        • Polly says:
          29 Apr29 April 16:14

          @ Anna,

          Can’t reply to you further down.. But, do you and OH not do the 3rd party authorisation form from Amex, so you can discuss his card. Works for us every time. Tho we use chat to cancel if no offers forthcoming.

          • Aston100 says:
            29 Apr29 April 17:03

            Polly, I just tell them “gender is a social construct”.
            There’s an awkward silence for a few seconds, and then usually all is well.

            My wife has filled in the authorisation form, so I can talk on her behalf, which is also an option, albeit less amusing.

          • Anna says:
            29 Apr29 April 18:17

            I didn’t even know about that, thanks! Will make asking for a Platinum retention bonus a lot easier …

          • Anna says:
            29 Apr29 April 18:18

            Aston100, I am theoretically open to this argument, however as with all points earning strategies, I prefer to keep a low profile and not be remembered!

          • Polly says:
            29 Apr29 April 18:59

            @ Aston100,
            Just love that social construct argument….. awkward silence l bet! Hilarious.

    • DT says:
      29 Apr29 April 14:24

      I’m in a very large facebook group filled with Aussie and Kiwi temporary visa holders who move to the UK for a few years, mostly to travel. Prior to covid it was very easy to max out 90k MR and 90k Avios bonus.

      Either people would be asking for credit cards that they could apply for that wouldnt require 3 years of residency (Amex seems to approve you for UK cards if you’ve held their cards in other countries).

      Or I would post when I’m at an airport and if anyone also happens to be there and would like to be guested access into a lounge.

      These usually lead to plenty of comments and replies asking for details, no hard sell and I eventually get asked for a refer link.

      I never posted with a brag about travelling in F, just offered people the opportunity to visit a lounge and taught them a little about the value of points, seems to work well.

      As an extra aside, I’ve also managed to get a few thousand pounds in HelloFresh, UberEats & Deliveroo credit. Also got a lot of cash for Monzo refers when they were doing that.

      All of this has died down of course, with most of them either having returned or are looking to return. But I think if you can find a large group on Facebook that matches your interests, it’s a good place to organically get refers.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      29 Apr29 April 15:44

      I too have also given up. Even with the bonus points on Amex gold and the fact its worth £250 in sainsbury and is free no one listens. Unlucky on them really

      Many people at work pre covid where interested as they generally travel a lot, but that fizzled out when covid hit

      • Roger W says:
        29 Apr29 April 19:26

        Managed a couple of referral to colleagues but generally no interested r awkward. Some people seem to borrow on their cards!!

        I seem to build up the spend on expensive holidays and cruises then using the avios for the flights in Business. That may come back to bite me yet. Currently have about £25K I could use on future hols but reluctant to spend anymore on that at present.

        Had an Army short service commission back in the 80s. I have probably saved more on my Defence Discounts card than I earnt in the Army. 10% off on BA and some cruise lines!

        Need to learn about this Bendy. Resent spending a fortune at the likes of Esso or Sainsburys for a few nectar when the same stuff so much cheaper elsewhere.

        Just received a nice 10K nectar bonus from MailonLine for an Equity release quote. Good use of 10 minutes.

        • Eugene says:
          29 Apr29 April 20:33

          Hi Roger
          I had an SSC with RTR in the 80s mostly in BAOR. Can you still use a Discount card from a 25 yr old service.? Could I ask where u get it?

        • Zoe says:
          29 Apr29 April 21:07

          What is a bendy? I just googled bendy card and got a lot of cardboard information!!! I am so green!!!

  • Aston100 says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:36

    I no longer have a car.

    I’m looking to do a long time hire from Thrifty, thanks to whomever recommended this a couple of months ago.
    Thrifty expect you to provide your own insurance if doing a long term hire.
    My car insurance with Aviva is currently suspended.
    Aviva felt that their cover wouldn’t extend to a hire car, and besides I actually need my own car for the cover to be unsuspended.

    I had a quick look at the Amex Plat benefits and can see car rental cover.
    Is this on its own sufficient to cover car hire, or are you expected to still have comprehensive cover of your own in the background?
    The Thrifty people were unsure and I may have to wait for someone from another department to respond next week, so hoping someone here can advise in the meanwhile.

    Thanks.

    • Anna says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:40

      I may be wrong but I think the Platinum cover is for car hire when you’re on holiday (and possibly doesn’t cover the UK), so you need to check the Ts and Cs very carefully.

      • C says:
        29 Apr29 April 11:55

        Also 30 day maximum. Sixt Plus include basic insurance for long term hires, and the Europcar equivalent can for an added fee.

        • Aston100 says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:06

          Thanks but there is a price difference between Thrifty and the rest.
          Thrifty do a well spec’d st line x Fiesta for £295+VAT per month (2k miles).

          SixT cheapest car (a Citroen c3) is £499 (500 miles)
          Europcar are something similar.

          Are we certain the Amex Plat car rental cover excludes the UK? I couldn’t see that in the brief glance I gave it.

          • C says:
            29 Apr29 April 12:12

            On the ICC products, it requires a pre-booked overnight stay (to qualify as a “Trip”), and has a 30 day maximum, whether in the UK or abroad. I’m also not sure whether that would work when the car has no insurance whatsoever, as compared to statutory minimum coverage (as is customary on a rental car).

          • QFFlyer says:
            29 Apr29 April 12:18

            The UK plat specifically includes the UK (well, it specifically includes your Country of Residence, which is excluded for all other insurances).

          • QFFlyer says:
            29 Apr29 April 12:19

            Definition of “Trip” – Trip is extended to include any journey within Your Country of Residence for Car Rental Benefits (Section 1.5) only.

        • Lady London says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:10

          @C wondering do you know if Sixt or Europcar would allow taking a car abroad if on 3-4 month or longterm hire? I’m anticipating a gap before the car I want is available but if I am back at work by then I will need to be prepared to travel to client sites abroad if required.

          o you know if the

      • QFFlyer says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:16

        Plat car rental benefits do cover trips within your Country of Residence, but not other insurances, this is specifically mentioned in the T&Cs (Country of Residence whether UK or otherwise – the UK plat insurances will all be valid in the UK if you live somewhere else). Limit is 90 days though, I believe.

    • Andrew says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:29

      Will the Amex Policy cover you for a long-term domestic car lease?

      Thrifty recommended a couple of brokers for Comprehenive Insurance for their long term hire. I went with one of them, Riviera Insurance, as a broker. It was seemless, they were responsive, and arranged a policy via LV. I paid for the full year up-front. At the end of the lease, just over 3 months, the pro-rata refund was re-credited on the same day I ended the policy. There are brokers fees, but they were made clear from the outset.

      Was really pleased with Thrifty overall. The car was a really good spec, and barely over delivery mileage when I got it. I returned the car by giving them 24 hours notice, the guys were ready to assess the car when I arrived and I had the confirmation email of “no damage” ping through as I left their office.

      Pro-rata refund of the remaining month was showing as pending by the time I got home, and the deposit refunded exactly 2 weeks after the car returned.

      I’d definitely use them again.

      • Aston100 says:
        29 Apr29 April 16:39

        Thanks Andrew.
        Riviera have a £75 cancellation fee.
        As I only need the car for a month or two, I would need to cancel well before the year is up. They’ll arrange a pro rata refund of the annual insurance, but will apply the £75 cancellation fee.

        I’ve sent Thrifty the Plat Insurance certificate and the document, pointing out section 1.5 on page 12. Hope they’ll accept this in lieu of comprehensive insurance.

    • Guernsey Globetrotter says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:52

      To add to the very helpful comments above, specific personal platinum blurb as follows:
      Up to £50,000 for theft or damage to vehicle (including any applicable excess) and up to £500,000 (US$1 million in USA) for damage to another person or their property.
      Exclusions
      Commercial vehicles, motor homes, caravans and trailers
      Cover applies only when rental agency allows refusal of their insurance
      An insured person must be named on the rental agreement

    • Memesweeper says:
      29 Apr29 April 16:02

      Onto (on.to) include insurance. It’s rolling monthly, EVs only. Free charging too if there’s a suitable network point nearby. I have a referral code if you’d like it. memesweeper at ProtonMail dot com. I’m an extremely satisfied customer.

  • Travel Strong says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:46

    So from the thread this morning, is calling BA at 1am to nab your return flights suddenly no longer an option? If not, how do you handle a 241 where you’ve already ‘used’ the voucher on the outbound?

    I’m on the verge of booking my outbound, but only if I stand a good chance of getting the return I want. Else i’ll go with virgin.
    It seems like an awful system this BA redemption thing. The virgin way is so much easier!

    • Travel Strong says:
      29 Apr29 April 11:49

      Seems like the avios booking site is down too! Useless.

    • MattB says:
      29 Apr29 April 13:08

      No its just you are trying to book on one of the most popular periods of the year where demand is high from both those in the UK and also the US don’t forget.

      As the OH of a teacher Easter and Half term are often tricky, whereas I never have any trouble across the longer summer holidays (and have managed F for the last few years to my prefered destinations).

    • Travel Strong says:
      29 Apr29 April 14:39

      It sounded like the call centres were closed this morning though – not just out of availability? Advice back to the OP was to wait til 8am? By which time I imagine online bookings would have nabbed popular tix?

      • MattB says:
        29 Apr29 April 15:05

        Nope just called at the wrong time or they were busy. You have to time it right.

        • Travel Strong says:
          29 Apr29 April 15:18

          I did not call. I am referring to the OP’s experience on page 1 of these comments.

          • MattB says:
            29 Apr29 April 16:25

            So am I

            One call centre closes at 1am when flights are released, another opens at that time. Its all about timing it right and probably a bit of luck with who answers the call at BA.

            Nothing has changed.

  • williamd says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:47

    Anyone else having issues with BA website today? They cancelled one of my flight yesterday (LAS early June), was looking at alts and it just stopped working.

  • ash says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:51

    Question on rights and sorry if its the same policy as Ba flights just a little confused on what I can do.
    Flights booked with Qatar cash booking to Maldives 30th May via Doha. They have changed flights a few times with new flight numbers, the last flight back from Doha to London has not been rebooked probably because its a red list country. I’m certain I can get a refund but could I ask them to rebook me on the direct BA flight on the 8th June to get me home? If the Maldives is Amber I don’t want to go anyway so would I be in my rights to move the flights to a day of my choosing with nothing further to pay?
    It’s difficult as I know it’s not their fault but just keen to see what my rights are if push comes to shove.
    Thanks for your time.

    • Joe says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:04

      I think you have rerouting rights as usual – in theory they should route you on an equivalent flight to get home (which might include the direct BA flight).

      If you choose not to fly, as the flights have been cancelled, you can opt to have a later date instead. I’m not sure how Qatar apply the policy, but your rights stand in the same way as they would with BA.

    • ChrisC says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:21

      So these are flights on QR and booked on QR?

      In which case what the BA policy is is just not relevant.

      Yes you can ask QR if they will book you on to an alternative carrier from DOH to London but you have no right (EU261 does not apply to QR on fllights to the UK) to insist on it.

      • Sam G says:
        29 Apr29 April 13:02

        Qatar are booking on BA for the return, but only up to 18th May currently. https://www.qatarairways.com/en/travel-alerts.html – details here. As ChrisC says, you do not have EU rights on a leg into the UK . If you’re happy to be patient then they may extend their BA policy soon.

        Another option is to reroute to another EU port on the inbound and connect to BA – Frankfurt is one good option for this or maybe Amsterdam – you’d have to play around with flight times as BA schedules are limited. QR will in my experience check your bags to BA even on a separate itinerary

        • Sam G says:
          29 Apr29 April 13:07

          Munich looks like a reasonable option or maybe Madrid

          • Sam G says:
            29 Apr29 April 13:08

            Oh wait I’m being dumb here – you wouldn’t want to transit Doha at all as it’ll almost certainly be at least amber! Ignore me 🙂

      • ash says:
        29 Apr29 April 14:14

        Yes booked direct with Qatar.

        • ash says:
          29 Apr29 April 14:15

          And would want to aviod doha if Amber or above.

          • Joe says:
            29 Apr29 April 16:06

            Surely transiting outbound via Doha is also problematic? Within 14 days of your return to the U.K. you have been in Qatar (amber/red)?

  • Linda says:
    29 Apr29 April 11:58

    Any help available, I recently posted on not getting my Companion reward voucher back into account.

    I have rung up twice agents not able to help, got the Indian call centre who was very helpful and said he would notify them, that was over two weeks ago.

    I also emailed them on the form they provide for any queries, providing all the information requested, the reply I got back this morning was frustrating to say the least.

    Quote, thank you for providing all the information , I am unable to access the information and suggest you ring our contact number, sorry we could not be of any help.Duh!
    What number am I supposed to ring that I haven’t already tried.
    Any suggestion extremely welcome 🙏.
    ,

    • Anna says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:37

      Hi Linda, I’ve never known this happen before – the only thing I can think of is, was your cancelled flight a re-booking from a previous cancellation, and if so could your voucher have expired in the meantime? Companion vouchers should show in your BAEC account and will show expiry dates plus a booking reference if redeemed.

      • Linda says:
        29 Apr29 April 13:18

        Hi Anna.

        Yes it was the original voucher expired in Dec 2020 and has been extended to Dec 2021.

        Maybe the computer says no, I may not need to use this voucher before it expires but would like the option. have rebooked the second cancellation on this booking for next Easter to Vegas. We have a Lloyds booking rebooked from last year to Colorado in September not holding my breadth on that one, so we may lose that voucher as well.

        We cannot be doing with all the Covid testing required and the additional costs it will incur, we have both had our second doses and have been self isolating for nearly 9 months, so enough is enough.

        We dearly want to get away but do not do humidity or excessive heat so any Carribean is out and Florida having been and it nearly killed us.

        • Anna says:
          29 Apr29 April 16:22

          I sympathise on the humidity! We’ve had to travel in summer while our son is at school but I have to do every at about 25% of my normal pace.
          Ok, so is the 241 showing in the “my e-vouchers” section of your account, but not in the main area where you would use it for a booking, or has it just disappeared altogether? If it’s still showing in the former then in theory BA should be able to do whatever IT tinkering it needs to get it to show as usable once more.
          I think you need to call the UK call centre (I generally seem to get through to someone working from home in the North West these days when I call around 8 am) and ask them to look into the cancellation. I did this when some taxes weren’t refunded and they could see the refund process on their computer so they may well also be able to see what happened to your voucher.
          I always keep them on the line now until I’ve logged out and back in and can see the refunded voucher and avios. I’ve had to chase up a couple of cash refunds which didn’t appear though!

          • Linda says:
            29 Apr29 April 19:39

            Hi Anna,
            The cancelled flight and voucher are still showing. So why the e mail answer was so vague beats me.

            I shall get the will,power to phone up again soon. I keep checking each day to hopefully see it magically reappear.

    • HBommie says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:44

      Shaming BA on Twitter may help?

  • Steven says:
    29 Apr29 April 12:09

    BA Companion voucher VS Upgrade voucher

    Had used few upgrade voucher before, and I always assumed the same policy between Companion and upgrade voucher. I just found out that outbound flight date has to be before Companion voucher expired, however, it’s 355 days after upgrade voucher expired.

    I currently have a Companion voucher to be expired Oct this year and plan to book the flight next year, which is totally wrong, as it seems I have to book the outbound flight before Oct this year. No place I could go before Oct this year…

    Also BA call center told me that I have to use Amex BA credit card to pay for the tax, but I had already cancelled my Amex BA CC.

    Very frustrated now. Any suggestions what to do please? Appreciated.

    • Matt says:
      29 Apr29 April 12:26

      The booking/travel date restrictions are correct for the companion voucher. You could book short haul flights with the voucher then cancel it for a voucher – the voucher will be valid until April 2023. That would lock in the name of your companion though, and the new booking would need to be made over the phone.

      Any Amex will do – doesn’t even have to be in your name.

      • Matt says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:27

        I mean cancel it for a future travel voucher, just to be clear.

      • Steven says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:38

        Much appreicated Mutt. Assume that I could book a return trip to Paris in the off-peak September by using the companion voucher, then pay a small fee to cancel it for a FTV. Question is when it’s best time to cancel it with what excuse? My worry is that BA simply will give back the companion voucher with the same expired date.

        Thanks for the Amex card question, yes I have other Amex card available.

        • AJA says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:53

          Yes booking a return trip to Paris in off-peak would work. I believe BA has waived cancellation fees if you are cancelling a booking in exchange for a FTV. You don’t even have to phone BA – you can do it online in MMB – no excuse needed.

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