Amex 2-4-1 Question – Rebooking?

[tommybongo]

Hello – newbie here looking for some guidance from the more experienced.

I used an Amex 2-4-1 voucher which was due to expire at the end of February 2024 for two business class flights to the US in early Feb with a friend. He’s now had to cancel but I’ve now found another friend to take his place.

I don’t seem able to change the name on the booking so it seems I need to cancel the booking and then immediately try to rebook it grabbing the two seats I freed up.

Does anyone now if this is possible / likely? In particular how long will it take for the Amex voucher and Avios to reappear in my account – will it be instantaneous or do I have to wait for BA / Avios /Amex to process something? Would it help if I called BA or should I just do it on-line?

If I can’t rebook it I suspect I’ll end up losing the voucher as I need to use it within a few weeks – are there any ways of extending it to save it?

Many thanks for any help anyone can provide.

[NorthernLass]

There’s no way of extending the voucher. Where are you flying to, and have you checked general availability, e.g. on SeatSpy? I would have thought you would find some other seats to many US destinations even if yours don’t come back into the inventory (which they may well not do at this late stage).

Most of the time your avios and voucher will come back within a few minutes. Cash element (minus £35 pp fee) can take anything from a couple of days to a few weeks.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

You should call BAEC and see what they can do.

They won’t just change the name on your existing booking it will be a cancel and rebook situation but they maybe able to put a hold on the seats.

I’d start by just doing a dummy booking for your dates (and surrounding ones) and see if there are any rewards available for the same day even if it’s not for the exact same flights,

The US is more likely to still have rewards available even this close in. If it was SYD or Tokyo that would be a different matter,

[NorthernLass]

There’s even plenty of F to some cities! Be aware this can cause difficulties with surcharges if you mix cabins, so come back here if you decide to really treat yourself and friend.