GAME OVER: You can no longer extend 2-4-1 vouchers by claiming a Future Travel Voucher

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• DR says:

  2 Mar2 March 09:48

  I understand the 241 use it or lose it, but not to clear on the how this affects issued FTVs. Is it correct
  1) Any current booking that has used an FTV will not be canx by BA because an FTV
  was used
  2 BA will not canx FTVs that have not been used yet by passengers
  Thanks

  • Rob says:

    2 Mar2 March 09:54

    1-Correct
    2-Not correct, BA is actively trying to cancel FTVs to reduce the pressure on the call centre – the only issue is that it means handing back your cash, which it doesn’t want to do.

    • James says:

      2 Mar2 March 15:39

      1) That was my interpretation too but having just requested a FTV for a booking that used an FTV as payment, I got the email saying it would be full refunded.

• Lady London says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:07

  It seems to me a bit of intelligent ticket construction using open jaw rules with a careful checking of gcmap.com for distances might help someone preserve the use of an expiring voucher.

  • DZOO says:

    2 Mar2 March 10:16

    Presumably under this construction you’d be locked-in to said destinations LON-X and Y-LON for the duration of the ticket for 1 yr from the date prior to 241 expiry?

    • Lady London says:

      2 Mar2 March 15:47

      If you looked at OJ rules and checked distances carefully a return ticket can have a distance gap. So as I have to fly the outward by the expiry date of my voucher I’d make the outward a short, indeed very short, one and the return a long one which would be the real use of the 241 I’d be salvaging.

      Even more use with the new type of 241 as that can be started outside of the UK. But making the first leg a very short one in one of the most popular places (if it could be flown) removes immediately one of disadvantages one of the most popular starting places has as a first leg.

      I don’t have any 241’s myself so am not viscerally involved but I am sure some careful ticketing will effectively allow at least half a longed-for journey to be salvaged if the 241 expiry date is too soon for you to be able to use it in full.

• dave says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:07

  Is there anyway to utilize the book with confidence through avios?
  We have a booking that was cancelled and rebooked onto a flight we cannot make on the same day, there is currently no avios availability for the same flights at all, avios are saying they will refund without the upgrade vouchers used and that is the only option. Rather than take them to court id be fine with a book with confidence voucher

  • Pablo says:

    2 Mar2 March 10:52

    If the flight was cancelled you have EC261 rights and you can request rebooking on another day/flight which suits you. In the past cancelled avios redemptions could be changed online even if there was no award availability on the selected flight. Avios.com should be able to do the same. Just insist on your rights.

    • Lady London says:

      2 Mar2 March 15:52

      +1 BA is lying. You can have what you want and you most definitely do not have to take a refund. It’s your choice not theirs to choose either travel same time another way any later date convenient to *you* or to take a full cash refund and BA or any other airline subject to EU261 is *not* allowed to restrict you.

      If there’s a seat being sold in your cabin of any type or at any price on the date you choose it’s legally yours for free. This is what BA is lying to deny you.

• Richard T says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:12

  O that’s so annoying, I just booked a 2-4-1 yesterday in order to cancel for a FTV today. Arg.

• Gary says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:16

  Booked and immediately cancelled a 2-4-1 booking yesterday evening. After entering booking ref this morning, MMB says you will receive voucher within 48 hours and “simply call us when you are ready” (& cannot be redeemed online). suspect BA not updated IT system yet. Anyone else seeing this?

  • IanT says:

    2 Mar2 March 10:22

    I’ve tried to make a booking using an eVoucher (as opposed to a FTV) this morning and the system won’t recognise either of the codes I can use. It’s not saying they aren’t valid, it’s simply going round and round when I try to apply it. No rejection, no confirmation.
    Maybe they’ve got system issues. Again.

  • Gary says:

    2 Mar2 March 10:34

    Just received email re cancellation from last night. It’s indeed game over.

    “ We’re sorry you couldn’t travel on your Reward Flight booking reference XxxxX. To offer you maximum flexibility we’ll be cancelling your booking and refunding you in full. If you used a Companion Voucher and/or a Gold Upgrade Voucher on this booking, we will add it back to your Executive Club account with its original expiry date. This will be done automatically by us.“

• Hilda M says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:43

  Do we know yet if the same applies to GGL Space Release Benefits (Jokers) ? I have 3 old ones locked up in FTV’s – I’m guessing they will now no longer be valid ?

• Amber says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:43

  I can confirm that this is NOT working – you cannot cancel an Avios booking online.

  So I just spent 1h45m on hold to BA…to then be cut off.

  Turns out that grovelling email from Sean Doyle a few weeks ago was lip service with zero substance. BA have continued to make it very difficult to use Avios. What’s the point in collecting Avios if the administrative burden of redeeming them is so high? Not to mention that costs.

  • Rob says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:24

    In what sense it is not working? You have tried to claim a voucher for an Avios flight due to depart before 30/9 and, despite seeing the tick box I put in the article, it then says ‘tough’?

  • Anna says:

    2 Mar2 March 12:26

    It depends on when you were scheduled to travel as well. I can’t cancel a December booking online still as it falls outside the BWC period.

• Siamtraveller says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:44

  I’d be interested to know, if the companion voucher is cancelled after having been made part of a future travel voucher , as we agreed, is there not the ability to go back to Amex to request a chargeback for the annual fee that you paid in return for the voucher in the first place as part of your annual billing cycle?

  • Rob says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:23

    No

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