How long is it taking to get flight compensation payments from British Airways?

There has been some grumbling in our forum recently about the time taken for British Airways to process compensation payments for cancelled, delayed or downgraded flights.

For anyone in the same boat, I thought I’d share a recent example of my own which has just been resolved.

On 5th August, my daughter was travelling alone from Geneva to Heathrow. Her flight was cancelled at short notice and she was rebooked, whilst also being downgraded in the process from Club Europe to Euro Traveller.

(I could have a rant at this point about why a 15-year old with a British Airways Executive Club Silver card, travelling alone in Business, was not put on the next flight, or the flight after that, but only on the third available flight for rebooking, leading to a six hour delay, but I won’t …..)

I submitted two compensation claims on her behalf on 8th August:

• one for €250 compensation for the initial cancellation

• one for a partial rebate on the Avios used for the downgraded flight

These are the standard compensation amounts due under the EC261 / UK261 legislation.

The first claim was settled last week for £220. The second claim for Avios was settled on 23rd November, ie after 15 weeks.

It’s worth noting that British Airways has not emailed me to say that the claims had been settled. If I hadn’t spotted the money in my bank account and the Avios in my BA account I wouldn’t have known.

So …. if you’re waiting for compensation from British Airways, be prepared to stick it out.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2024)

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

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 26th September 2024, sign up for FREE Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and you will receive a sign-up bonus of 10,000 Avios. This is double the usual bonus! You only need to spend £1,000 within 90 days. Our full review is here. Click here to apply.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

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

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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