Avios cancellation and refund

[DAFC]

I had a return booking London/Faro in December ’24. BA cancelled return flight and booked us on later flight same day.
I agreed to the alteration. On the day before departure home I was injured and managed to book a flight a day earlier, again by avios.
I cancelled the amended flight with more than 24 hours notice.
BA tell me that as I’d travelled part of the journey, points and cash lost for return journey. Schoolboy error?

[JDB]

DAFC wrote:

I had a return booking London/Faro in December ’24. BA cancelled return flight and booked us on later flight same day.
I agreed to the alteration. On the day before departure home I was injured and managed to book a flight a day earlier, again by avios.
I cancelled the amended flight with more than 24 hours notice.
BA tell me that as I’d travelled part of the journey, points and cash lost for return journey. Schoolboy error?

BA is correct on this. If you book return Avios flights on the same PNR, the whole journey becomes non refundable inside 24 hours before the outbound flight. You can change the return flight, subject to Avios availability and within the ticket validity but you can’t cancel for a refund. In theory, you might be eligible for some refund of taxes, but in reality for the return they are likely outweighed by any cancellation fee that would then be imposed. This is why people sometimes book two one ways although that has its own issues as well.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

It’s a bit late now for you but for future reference for others who might see this I would have tried to do a date change via the app – date changes are permitted once the poutbound has been flown – or by contacting BAEC before doing a new booking.

I’m assuming that you just cancelled online and didn’t speak to anyone and the rejection is an automated email?

I’d give them a call and just ask what they can do to help you after admitting you acted in haste. They may be helpful.