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British Airways will refund ALL flights to 31st May for a voucher – but should you say no?

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Finally ….. British Airways has seen the light and is now allowing you to cancel ALL flights up to 31st May, in return for a travel voucher.

However …. I am not convinced you should accept.

Let me explain.

Here is the British Airways ‘Book With Confidence’ website.

British Airways BA 777X 777 9X

These are the new rules:

If you are travelling between 14th March and 31st May, you can refund your flight for a British Airways e-voucher irrespective of when you booked.  No refunds are on offer for flights beyond 31st May.

If you are travelling between 1st June and 31st December 2020, you can refund your flight for a British Airways e-voucher if you booked between 3rd March and 31st May

The voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of your original flight

The voucher can be used on any route, not necessarily the one you originally booked

This applies to both British Airways marketed flights and BA Holidays bookings, although Comair and SUN-AIR are exempt

You cannot claim if you have already started your journey

Flight cancellations can be made until the close of check-in, whilst BA Holidays bookings must be cancelled within 48 hours of departure

Anyone who has already cancelled their booking and lost money cannot retrospectively request a voucher

You can also change your flight dates without any change fees, although you have to pay the fare difference.

The small print on how the voucher works is on the ‘Book With Confidence’ website.

British Airways Book With Confidence

But … but … but … perhaps you should wait?

I know this sounds contrarian.  Many of you have been on tenterhooks waiting for a decision like this to allow you to cancel your trip.

And yet ….

The EU has agreed the terms of a deal to allow airlines to cancel flights without losing their slots.

Next week, British Airways is likely cut anything from 25% to 100% of its scheduled flights – probably around 50% given what Lufthansa is doing.   If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund IN CASH.  No messing around with e-vouchers.

By taking the refund now, you are also giving up your right to potential EC261 compensation if you were due to travel within 14 days of the cancellation being made.

Unless you are travelling in the next 4-5 days, you might want to think about waiting in case you end up missing out on a full cash refund.

Of course, there is also a risk that British Airways withdraws this offer and you can no longer refund your ticket at all.

It’s up to you.

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British Airways and Avios

Comments (869)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Neil Macdonald says:
    20 Mar20 March 10:38

    I was due to fly to Miami on a 2-4-1. The voucher was set to expire at the end of March had it not been used. I managed to move my flights to the end of March, but have now decided to cancel and get a voucher. BA assured me that if I took this option, it would honour the 2-4-1. So in my case, it makes sense to take the voucher. If I cancelled completely, I would lose the voucher (though I did hear the voucher were being extended for 6 months).

    I requested the voucher on Saturday, I received an email on Wednesday acknowledging the request and promising the voucher within 7 days.

    Can you offer any clarity to this process Rob?

    • Neil Macdonald says:
      20 Mar20 March 10:40

      If I cancelled completely, I would lose the 2-4-1 (though I did hear the 2-4-1’s were being extended for 6 months).

      Just to clear up any confusion

  • Miro says:
    20 Mar20 March 13:33

    I’ve just called them as my flight is cancelled.
    As I’m the one who did the booking and not travelling, they are saying one of the passenger must ring them to discuss it. Wtf?

    • Genghis says:
      20 Mar20 March 13:40

      Just do it online following all of the advice posted here. I got a refund yesterday for a cash booking for my MIL that I had booked.

  • Stephen says:
    20 Mar20 March 14:39

    The danger in waiting is obviously that the cost of rebooking might spiral in the meantime – for example I have just got a return leg of a multi-city from MIA to LON in early December for £600 – can’t imagine that lasting around long

  • Barbs says:
    20 Mar20 March 15:43

    We were supposed to fly to Spain tomorrow, booked BA with flight and car, and did the voucher request on Wednesday evening. Didn’t receive any kind of confirmation email, but am still getting updates about our flights tomorrow. Is this normal?

  • maria says:
    20 Mar20 March 16:16

    Does anyone know if this apply to Iberia as well? My British Airways flight for next Monday got cancelled but I booked it on Iberia, and now they offer me a voucher, but I’d rather have a refund instead.
    I have tried to call Iberia but there is no way to talk to someone unless you want to buy a ticket or claim a voucher.

    • Rob says:
      20 Mar20 March 16:23

      No. I’ve not heard of anyone who managed to get a refund off Iberia for cash.

    • Iestyn Huw Duggan says:
      20 Mar20 March 17:15

      Hi Maria, I’m about to embark on getting a cash refund for a flight booked with Iberia operated by BA. As the flight is cancelled by them then we are entitled to FULL cash refund as per CAA rules. Trouble is the booking reference I had no longer works on ‘Manage my booking’ (on either BA or Iberia site – it worked on both previously) so i am forced now to try and speak to somebody at their call centre. Don’t go for the voucher as you will give up your rights to a refund. Just call them and demand your refund as per CAA rules (and yes, even though Brexit is happening the EU law still applies to us until 2021) Good luck!

  • Barbara Wakely says:
    20 Mar20 March 17:26

    We had a British Airways Holiday booked mid March to Barcelona. Flight and hotel. BA allowed us to cancel flight in exchange for a voucher but they say that the hotel is non-refundable. So that money is lost. More than half the cost. I called the hotel (Hotel Arts Barcelona) who assured me that BA would not be charged for that portion of the trip—so why are BA refusing to refund me?? Is that fair or legal?

    • Shoestring says:
      20 Mar20 March 17:38

      go to MCOL?

    • Lady London says:
      20 Mar20 March 19:39

      Booking as a BA Holiday means if any element is cancelled by them you can demand a full ash refund. ATOL regulation applies and pretty sure it’s in their TS and C’s anyway.

      For a BA holiday your contract is with BA for everything. Then they contract with hotels etc for whatever else is included. If they do a deal with hotel you don’t get to share. Your contract is with BA and they don’t have to pass on any benefit later they gain from car hireco, hotel etc.

      So it looks like your refund is covered above as there is an element BA is no longer providing or not what you booked so request the lot back

      • Lady London says:
        20 Mar20 March 19:56

        PS you should not have taken a voucher and BA should have dealt with your holiday as one item and compensated all elements as one in which case you have the right to cash refund for the whole holiday.

        Read the tS and cs on your purchase and ATOL regs if necessary however IIRC it’s all in the ts and C’s. The only way I can see BA getting away with this is if you I fact did not purchase as a BA Holiday and purchased hotel and flight separately.

        I’d call them and say as it’s a holiday you do not feel this was handled correctly by them only offering you a voucher for the flight as whole holiday should have been dealt with at the time and whilst being asked only about the flights you were only offered a voucher not told about your right to a complete refund of the whole holiday (of course you will have to surrender voucher which they will cancel at their end) end. You would like this corrected and want a refund of the whole holiday and you will not accept any voucher according to your rights you want it back to your credit card

      • Lady London says:
        20 Mar20 March 20:01

        However if you cancelled while the holiday was still available as booked, so flights and/or hotel were not being changed on you by them then the terms of your cancelling your BA Holiday apply and these are much worse.

        • Lady London says:
          20 Mar20 March 20:05

          So if you cancelled before BA told you that flight wasn’t running even though it might have been clear it wasn’t going to, then that would be a holiday cancellation by you and your terms of purchase could say you are not entitled to anything as the cancellation came from you not them.

    • Rob says:
      20 Mar20 March 21:32

      Yes, it’s lost. You made a mistake – if you’d waited for BA to cancel the flight first, you would have got a full refund of everything. By voluntarily cancelling the flight whilst it was still operating you forfeit the hotel.

      • Barbara Wakely says:
        21 Mar21 March 06:35

        Hi Rob
        BA never did cancel the Barcelona flight. It went ahead. I called and they told me that, because the flight was still operating, I could cancel but taking a voucher for the flight portion was my only option. And that I lose the hotel (even though the hotel says they are not charging BA).
        Thanks for your opinion.
        Barbara

  • Rupert says:
    20 Mar20 March 18:02

    Hi any help gratefully received. 3 adults 2 children (under 5) due to fly back from Orlando with Virgin today but flight got cancelled earlier in the week so was re-booked on Delta indirect. Just turned up at the airport to be told there are no flights anymore. Delta are saying no duty of care and have re-booked a flight tomorrow. Can someone assist with what if anything can be claimed i.e hotels, car hire etc?

    • Shoestring says:
      20 Mar20 March 18:08

      I think the previous operating airline is responsible for duty of care, ie Virgin – so even though it’s a flight departing from USA, Virgin (being an EU airline) is responsible for both outward and return legs

      so that means duty of care applies, claim later to Virgin

      obvs keep receipts, just do what is reasonable as you may actually need to fight for duty of care here

      Delta are honest in telling you they are not liable – no duty of care under EC261 for US airlines flying ex USA to Europe

      • Shoestring says:
        20 Mar20 March 18:16

        tbh I think you have a less than 50% chance of winning any duty of care fight with Virgin as when the 1st operating airline re-tickets you with a 2nd operating airline, responsibility shifts to the 2nd operating airline

        ie Virgin bought you another ticket on Delta

        • Rupert says:
          20 Mar20 March 18:20

          Thanks Shoestring, will see what happens.

        • Lady London says:
          20 Mar20 March 20:20

          Wow. Does this mean airlines will play ‘pass the parcel’ on eu261 obligations?

          I could see, for example, British Airways or Lufthansa, when they cancel flights, offering you either their own flight quickly as they do now and escape much eu261 duty of care expense, otherwise just pass you to a non-EU airline ? That way you lose all duty of care, no compo. You could end up in a bad situation unable to get home just because Virgin welshef on you and passed you to Delta.

          I could see airlines like British Airways refining this approach along with their JV partners in the good times…miraculously any disruption returning to Europe from the US meaning passengers were only offered rebooks on AA operated flights not AY or BA. Easy for them to do, and would certainly increase profits from the joint venture

          • Shoestring says:
            20 Mar20 March 21:06

            operating airline pays

            sorry I forgot this principle with OP

          • Shoestring says:
            20 Mar20 March 21:08

            but you have a point

            they’re not doing it yet

          • Lady London says:
            21 Mar21 March 03:09

            Won’t take the the airlines long to catch up though @Shoestring. @Simon Robinson just got caught by same. Stuck in Peru. Iberia rerouted him but first reroute flight was TAM got cancelled. So they gave him reroute he can’t use. Iberia refused to supply a reroute with flights he could actually take and said it’s Tams problem now you talk to them.

            So as TAM is not European airline he’s even worse off as no duty of care and flights shutti g down.

            Told him call credit card s.75 Iberia Breach of contract see if they will agree to fund a flight as finding one is now urgent….he can do while seeing if TAM is going to help or not… Quite possibly not

    • Rob says:
      20 Mar20 March 21:31

      Tricky. Delta is correct – as a non-EU airline they do not have any duty of care to you when flying TO the EU. However, since Virgin rebooked you on Delta, I would assume they still retain liability. Keep all your receipts and go after Virgin later.

  • Michael Gallen says:
    20 Mar20 March 20:14

    I had flight booked for 12/04 from Billund via LHR to Edinburgh. Just had confirmation that Billund/LHR leg cancelled but not LHR/EDI. Option to cancel & refund does not work. Does anyone have suggestions how I should proceed?

    • Lady London says:
      20 Mar20 March 20:27

      Call them. While you are on the phone waiting take a quick look at comments on the top few articles on here. The most recent comments on all the articles will give you all the info you need.

      But call them as they are not updating their systems fully on cancellations promptly so probably as your booking cancellation – which it is – sounds only half done by them you’d have to call anyway to get your money back and dodge them trying to give you a voucher instead

    • Mac says:
      21 Mar21 March 10:39

      I had the same yesterday: LHR-OSL leg cancelled over Easter weekend. Manage My Booking gave the option to rebook or cancel, but cancel option kept going to the page to apply for a voucher rather than a refund to my original payment card.

      I tried the JavaScript trick from the Avios article a few days ago and it worked, even using Safari browser on a Mac, got the email confirming a cash refund and didn’t have to call anyone.

      On the rebook or cancel page in MMB, click Safari>Preferences>Security and deselect the enable JavaScript box. Click cancel booking, then Continue on the next page. The page showing the cash refund amounts will now load. IMPORTANT: go back to settings and re-enable JavaScript at this stage. Then confirm the cancellation and wait a few seconds for the confirmation.

      • Yoki says:
        22 Mar22 March 13:20

        I am very grateful to the gentleman who advised to switch JavaScript on and off at certain stages to by-pass the system that forces to accept the vouchers and to get into the refunds route. Saying that, BA might have reacted to this loophole already because i tried Safari and Explorer browsers of many versions, and only managed to succeed with the recent Chrome version. I printed out the request for refund confirmation, other legs of my flight to Singapore, Sydney and back were cancelled on My Bookings, and I received an email confirmation that the refund is in the process already. Hope they will not send a voucher to my address.
        I had to try because of many comments about the rude behaviour and refusals to refund money when people managed to get through to the customer service for a refund.
        I wish good luck to everyone. The BA is fighting for survival, but in this rude way it will lose the loyalty of millions of customers and is risking its own future.

    • Dee says:
      22 Mar22 March 11:48

      Hi

      This has also happened to me. Booked LHR to Edinburgh 5/4 – Not Cancelled

      EDI to LHR 8/4. – Cancelled

      I want to cancel the whole trip as this was booked as a BA Holiday

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