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Planning to do MAN-LHR-HKG and then HKG-LHR…could I use my companion voucher for this??
Yes but would require a phone call to do this I believe. You might get extra availability from starting at MAN too
Just answered this on chat.
To minimise cost it should be done online not by phone. The only purpose to call is to have the avios refunded after booking online. Do nit call go add tge HKG-LHR rtn sector, it will cost more.
Just answered this on chat.
To minimise cost it should be done online not by phone. The only purpose to call is to have the avios refunded after booking online. Do nit call go add tge HKG-LHR rtn sector, it will cost more.
Apologies BJ is right, totally forgot it was HKG here where YQ is regulated, yes do the return as a one way online and phone back for half the avios back
Thanks for your help guys.
One problem is I don’t have enough avios to pay for both tickets as separate transactions….
Can I buy the outstanding avios and when I get refunded for using the 241 just refund the avios that I bought??(can cancel within 14 days of purchase)Purchased avios are nonrefundable. You did not say if you are flying solo or with +1. If +1 and you have enough avios to book for one (effectively 2 with voucher) then you can call to book the open jaw out plus return at same time but will not benefit from cost saving. It appears you understand that you can minimise cost by booking return for you (+1 if applicable) and then call for refund. To do this you will have to buy the extra avios required or get them in some otger way) or you will need to return in WTP if you have enough avios for that.
@Little Nick, no apologies to anybody required. None of us get it right all the time.
From the buy avios terms and conditions
“You have the right to cancel contracts for the purchase of Avios within 14 days of purchase provided the Avios have not been used. To exercise the right to cancel the purchase of the Avios, you must select the refund option contained in your Buy Avios email confirmation. If you cancel, we will reimburse the entire payment up to 14 days after the day on which we were informed about your decision to cancel this contract.”I read that to mean I could cancel and they’d take back the avios and I’d get refunded the money?
From the buy avios terms and conditions
“You have the right to cancel contracts for the purchase of Avios within 14 days of purchase provided the Avios have not been used…”Pretty sure they would have no obligation to refund the avios purchase as those avios from the purchase have been used for your return journey even if those avios are then refunded to you by an agent for using the 2-4-1.
It seems you either suck up the extra RFS Cost by doing the booking as a return or you buy/earn the extra avios required to do the return as a one-way and live with it. Can you transfer any Amex MR points over or do the Avios balance boost instead of buying them at 1.6p or whatever it is?Hmmm difficult as don’t have any mr points.
Another q
So obviously using an amex 241 voucher opens up extra award availability for CW.
If I book the outbound using the voucher only and then book return separately without the voucher (before calling yo to get avios refund), the issue is the return availability disappears as I wouldn’t be using the voucher…does that make sense??
Any way around this?
Could I just call ba and ask them to book me both the outbound and return using the 241? Will they then price HKG with lowers taxes accordingly??From the buy avios terms and conditions
“You have the right to cancel contracts for the purchase of Avios within 14 days of purchase provided the Avios have not been used. To exercise the right to cancel the purchase of the Avios, you must select the refund option contained in your Buy Avios email confirmation. If you cancel, we will reimburse the entire payment up to 14 days after the day on which we were informed about your decision to cancel this contract.”I read that to mean I could cancel and they’d take back the avios and I’d get refunded the money?
Your question is answered by your own quote.
If you book a flight then those avios have clearly been used and so aren’t refundable. That you may have used them for only a short time is neither here nor there.
So obviously using an amex 241 voucher opens up extra award availability for CW.
If I book the outbound using the voucher only and then book return separately without the voucher (before calling yo to get avios refund), the issue is the return availability disappears as I wouldn’t be using the voucher…does that make sense??
Any way around this?Yes makes sense, if you booked the outbound online with the voucher, and then phone up to do the return they can see the extra availability the voucher would provide. You could see if they will then price up the return journey as a one-way from HKG but half the avios. They may or may not agree to that depending on the agent.
Could I just call ba and ask them to book me both the outbound and return using the 241? Will they then price HKG with lowers taxes accordingly??
They can certainly book it all together in one go but they will (almost certainly) not price HKG with lower surcharges as it will be a return journey from the UK, I doubt the agent would be prepared to book it as two one ways to achieve the lower surcharges.
I’ve tried this and got an agent who was happy to proceed but her supervisor refused to ok it. On trying again a further two times both agents refused to entertain it.
How many avios do you have available to book the return leg? Despite what you may have read here on HfP comments it is not necessary to book the return leg at the same price point as the outward leg, you can use different avios/cash points for each.
You may be barking up the wrong tree, check the cost of one way miles-earning revenue fares versus cost of buying avios to book this. For example, yesterday I foubd HKT-EDI ow J for under £600 (23h, 2 stops TK+BA) 🙂
Hong Kong has had no restrictions on passenger fuel surcharges since 1st November 2018. I’m not entirely sure why BA still keeps its ex-HKG YR low – on revenue flights all airlines must advertise the full price to be paid anyway
I’ve tried this and got an agent who was happy to proceed but her supervisor refused to ok it. On trying again a further two times both agents refused to entertain it.
Supervisor refused to book it as two one-ways?
How many avios do you have available to book the return leg? Despite what you may have read here on HfP comments it is not necessary to book the return leg at the same price point as the outward leg, you can use different avios/cash points for each.
But if they do this, then I’m pretty sure they won’t refund the 50%?
Hong Kong has had no restrictions on passenger fuel surcharges since 1st November 2018. I’m not entirely sure why BA still keeps its ex-HKG YR low
Some sort of legacy pricing thing perhaps but don’t knock it 🙂
So obviously using an amex 241 voucher opens up extra award availability for CW.
If I book the outbound using the voucher only and then book return separately without the voucher (before calling yo to get avios refund), the issue is the return availability disappears as I wouldn’t be using the voucher…does that make sense??
Any way around this?Yes makes sense, if you booked the outbound online with the voucher, and then phone up to do the return they can see the extra availability the voucher would provide. You could see if they will then price up the return journey as a one-way from HKG but half the avios. They may or may not agree to that depending on the agent.
Could I just call ba and ask them to book me both the outbound and return using the 241? Will they then price HKG with lowers taxes accordingly??
They can certainly book it all together in one go but they will (almost certainly) not price HKG with lower surcharges as it will be a return journey from the UK, I doubt the agent would be prepared to book it as two one ways to achieve the lower surcharges.
If you use the new 241 to open up the extra I class availability then, once it’s part of a booking the call centre staff CANNOT see the extra availability. The voucher must be ‘open’ to pull in the extra availability from the revenue buckets to be used in a booking.
Related question (apologies, I’m sure it’s been asked before but couldn’t find the answer): I’m looking to travel to Tokyo mid-late May, but return availability is sparse. Could I use the voucher for LHR-HND-LHR-EDI if I phone BA? There is available when looking for these journeys one-way, presumably given the extra seats when not travelling to London. Unfortunately I don’t have enough avios on my account to book both separately.
Related question (apologies, I’m sure it’s been asked before but couldn’t find the answer): I’m looking to travel to Tokyo mid-late May, but return availability is sparse. Could I use the voucher for LHR-HND-LHR-EDI if I phone BA? There is available when looking for these journeys one-way, presumably given the extra seats when not travelling to London. Unfortunately I don’t have enough avios on my account to book both separately.
That shouldn’t be a problem. I think BA fly from London City to Edinburgh as well though
Related question (apologies, I’m sure it’s been asked before but couldn’t find the answer): I’m looking to travel to Tokyo mid-late May, but return availability is sparse. Could I use the voucher for LHR-HND-LHR-EDI if I phone BA? There is available when looking for these journeys one-way, presumably given the extra seats when not travelling to London. Unfortunately I don’t have enough avios on my account to book both separately.
That shouldn’t be a problem. I think BA fly from London City to Edinburgh as well though
Thanks – good point! We tend to travel light / with hand luggage only anyway, but great to have the option on the way home.
UPDATE:
I booked HKG-LHR online using companion voucher.
I then called BA to book MAN-LHR-HKG and add it to my companion voucher but they don’t seem to get it..the call handlers seem to not quite understand what I mean and I ended up hanging up 3 times (idk if language barrier as they all appear to be south asian)
What exactly should I say to them to make them understand?? They say once the voucher is used then nothing can be added onto it…First, you need to be patient and listen to all call options before pressing buttons on the phone. You want change an existing booking, used abios, used a companion voucher. That will get you through to a more experienced CS team who will understand perfectly. Pressing the buttons too early can muck up the call routing.
Second, be aware that this strategy is not going to reduce your tax/fees, they will recalculate them and you will pay normal rates for open jaw return from UK.
First, you need to be patient and listen to all call options before pressing buttons on the phone. You want change an existing booking, used abios, used a companion voucher. That will get you through to a more experienced CS team who will understand perfectly. Pressing the buttons too early can muck up the call routing.
Second, be aware that this strategy is not going to reduce your tax/fees, they will recalculate them and you will pay normal rates for open jaw return from
Thanks for the advice!
So the last person I spoke to told me that taxes change on a daily basis and so the price she quoted was stupidly high (like £700 +57000 to add the MAN-HKG sector) I have no idea where she got that from..
So there is no way for me to use companion voucher for a return booking AND take advantage of low taxes on flights from HKG??
I booked HKG-LHR for 50000 avios and £36 taxes with companion voucher..the outbound MAN-LHR-HKG is 50000 avios and £275 with taxes.. ut there’s no okay to add them together??
If I book as a normal open jaw return then then I don’t benefit from HKG low taxesShould have added. You state that you would like to apply the amex voucher that you have used on PNR XYZABC to the new booking. In your case they will likely just ask why you didn’t callvto do it all at once.
The taxes/fees become higher because your fare is being recalculated as an open-jaw return from the UK as I explained earlier. The only way to avoid this is to book both as one ways online and then call to have avios refunded following application of voucher to both one way legs.
What I am not clear on is where the 57k avios for the outbound leg came from. This looks line you have been charged avios for the MAN-LHR sector but you should not have been because domestic connections are free (in terms of avios but not fees).
So that’s my point about booking 2 x one way and getting g the voucher added…spoke to 3 agents and all refused to do it…
Isit because I used the companion voucher on my Inbound flight (HKG-LHR) and no on my outbound??
not gonna lie all the cs agents just tell me something different each time (one told me that the taxes I paid from HKG-LHR is an error and should be £275..Do you mean book MAN-HKG and HKG-LHR as separate one way online without the 241 voucher on either ie. full avios (200k) and then call BA and they can apply the voucher to both one way bookings?
What people normally fo to reduce fees for travel from HKG (and some other places):
1. Book UK-HKG (or elsewhere) ONLINE using voucher and get PNR1 ABCDEF
2. Book HKG-UK ONLINE and get PNR2 UVWXYZ
3. Call BA and request they apply voucher used on booking ABCDEF to booking UVWXYZ, link the two bookings and refund the appropriate avios for UVWXYZ.
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