BA Holidays surprise evoucher refund

[cats_are_best]

Just received an email from BAH to say they were part refunding an unused evoucher to my BAPP, and also that there was still some not refunded as it was left over after I’d part paid with a flight-only voucher, but that I still can use it or have it refunded to a bank account. Total c. 280 GBP.

Initially suspicious, but checking email headers and the info supplied it seemed genuine, confirmed when I used the info to search old emails that related to the trips.

Clearly I lost track of some vouchers after the umpteen cancellations/reschedules in the last2-3 years.

I’d used the BA site to check if I had any evouchers several times and have never had a response…
https://www.britishairways.com/travel/ba-remind-me/public/en_gb/remind-me

I guess it’s not working for evouchers that have been ‘touched’ by BAH, if it weren’t for the email this morning I’d have completely missed these.

[Paul B]

Any other data points re. this? I was going to use eVouchers towards a BAH booking, however I don’t want them to be refunded upon handing them over to BAH as they were purchasing rather cheaply some time ago via the generous Double Avios + Cash promo

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

How old are these vouchers?

As I wrote on this thread they have been refunding old vouchers for quite some time

https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/vouchers-expiring-sept-2023/

[cabal of rabid baboons]

Paul B wrote:

Any other data points re. this? I was going to use eVouchers towards a BAH booking, however I don’t want them to be refunded upon handing them over to BAH as they were purchasing rather cheaply some time ago via the generous Double Avios + Cash promo

Don’t try and use them for a holiday unless you can’t possibly book a flight only.
You’ll lose all your value

[Lady London]

So how to avoid them trying to refund the original avios? who does one call to ask if they can be refunded? Funnily enough there’s a good chance I would end up putting any cash refund into a BAH sometime anyway

Having dumped most of my avios into Nectar before the conversion rate devalued I definitely don’t want any avios back!

[t0m]

When I spoke with BAH they were adamant that the full cash value would be refunded to my card – that they would keep the avios I used to part pay. I don’t believe them based on the reports here, but that’s what they told me very clearly. I checked my understanding 3 times.

I’m now waiting..

[cats_are_best]

Mine were from flight-only cash bookings, no Avios involved, but last year I’d used a couple of 125- evouchers to part-pay BAH trips (to take advantage of the double TP offer), which unknown to me turned the left over value into BAH-only credit that was effectively hidden – it was no longer visible as 125- evouchers, so I just lost track.

It was a bit frustrating to find out BAH were doing this, as I’ve subsequently made three BAH bookings paying cash whilst the voucher value sat there unused, including a booking less than a week before the surprise refund.

But not a huge amount, and at least they finally told me it was there.

[alantj]

cabal of rabid baboons wrote:

Paul B wrote:

Any other data points re. this? I was going to use eVouchers towards a BAH booking, however I don’t want them to be refunded upon handing them over to BAH as they were purchasing rather cheaply some time ago via the generous Double Avios + Cash promo

Don’t try and use them for a holiday unless you can’t possibly book a flight only.
You’ll lose all your value

I have a bunch of evouchers that expire at the end of september. I was planning on spend them on a BAH but now worried by your post. Can you explain what you meant by “you’ll lose all your value.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

He’s referring to a specific voucher that related to an avios offer.

If your vouchers are cash only then you have nothing to worry about.

[cabal of rabid baboons]

If your original source of a £700 voucher was 30K Avios & £100 tax then that’s what you’ll get back.

[nectar collector]

t0m wrote:

When I spoke with BAH they were adamant that the full cash value would be refunded to my card – that they would keep the avios I used to part pay. I don’t believe them based on the reports here, but that’s what they told me very clearly. I checked my understanding 3 times.

I’m now waiting..

If you originally booked something during the 2p per Avios bonus value promotion (August 2021) and then deliberately cancelled for an evoucher under the Covid cancellation / book with confidence process, you will have got an evoucher with a cash value that was calculated based on the 2p per Avios plus any additional cash taxes/fees you paid. The evoucher became purely cash, locking in the double Avios value……..

The original HFP article highlighting the ‘opportunity’ was this

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/08/21/2p-per-avios-discount-booking-cash-flights/

[tiriavpo]

There is a mix of references here to e-vouchers and Future Travel Vouchers (FTV). The link in the first post is just for e-vouchers – which are the ones you can use online. They start 125-4xxxxx

FTVs are the original trip, held in limbo, until you call up to re-instate it – I’m not sure there is any way to check what unused FTVs you might still have, even if you call up. FTVs start with 125-2xxxx

FTVs were being refunded but only for simple bookings. If there s anything else ’embedded’ within the FTV, like a 241 voucher, or GUF etc, they will probably not have been refunded. What’s happens in September to any unused FTVs or e-vouchers is unknown.

[rams]

My FTV had a 2 for 1 voucher embedded. It was returned along with refund for taxes/charges last year.

[TedL]

t0m wrote:

When I spoke with BAH they were adamant that the full cash value would be refunded to my card – that they would keep the avios I used to part pay. I don’t believe them based on the reports here, but that’s what they told me very clearly. I checked my understanding 3 times.

I’m now waiting..

I had two evouchers gained using the 2p Avios offer then subsequently cancelled which I tried to use to part pay a BAH hotel booking. I was advised the evouchers would be refunded to the original form of payment. The Avios have been returned to my BAEC account and I assume the cash has been refunded to the card used, I havnt checked this yet.

@t0m, will be interested to hear what happens to yours.

[TedL]

nectar collector wrote:

t0m wrote:

When I spoke with BAH they were adamant that the full cash value would be refunded to my card – that they would keep the avios I used to part pay. I don’t believe them based on the reports here, but that’s what they told me very clearly. I checked my understanding 3 times.

I’m now waiting..

If you originally booked something during the 2p per Avios bonus value promotion (August 2021) and then deliberately cancelled for an evoucher under the Covid cancellation / book with confidence process, you will have got an evoucher with a cash value that was calculated based on the 2p per Avios plus any additional cash taxes/fees you paid. The evoucher became purely cash, locking in the double Avios value……..

The original HFP article highlighting the ‘opportunity’ was this

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/08/21/2p-per-avios-discount-booking-cash-flights/

I had two evouchers from the 2p Avios offer which I tried to use to part pay a BAH hotel booking. A few days after requesting this I was advised that the evouchers were to be returned to original form of payment. Since then I have received the Avios into my BAEC account and assume the cash has been refunded to the card. I havnt been able to check if the cash has been refunded yet but will check in next day or so.

@t0m will be interested to hear what you get back.

[Paul B]

So mixed reports re. redeeming eVouchers towards a BAH booking now. It sounds like the safer bet, if these vouchers were purchased cheaply via the ‘2p Avios Promo’ is to simply use online towards flights only? Unless there is a workaround or sure fire way to ensure they are deducted against a BAH booking or at least ensure they aren’t refunded, as it sounds like they can still accept them, they just don’t always want to now?

[Lady London]

That’s annoying and surely challengeable? As I am certain that at the time of booking the conditions included that it would never be possible to get the avios back once the booking was made, not refundable to avios once booked. It was quite a serious conmitment because at that time avios were worth more.
Since then BA has imposed the Nectar devaluation asymmetrcally to benefit its own a$$ as well.

And that rule was imposed during covid. So no new worse things came along to make it acceptable to change the conditions imposed by BA themselves at the time.

Surely this is BA changing conditions they laid down as unchangeable at the time of booking, reversing it to suit themselves? Are people actually going to lie down and take this?

[Lady London]

Lady London wrote:

That’s annoying and surely challengeable? As I am certain that at the time of booking the conditions included that it would never be possible to get the avios back once the booking was made, not refundable to avios once booked. It was quite a serious conmitment because at that time avios were worth more.

Since then BA has imposed the Nectar devaluation asymmetrcally to benefit its own a$$ as well.

And that rule was imposed during covid. So no new worse things came along to make it acceptable to change the conditions imposed by BA themselves at the time.

Surely this is BA changing conditions they laid down as unchangeable at the time of booking, reversing it to suit themselves? Are people actually going to lie down and take this?

[memesweeper]

Swings and roundabouts @LL … I’m fairly sure BA offered the vouchers against flights, not holidays. It would be hard for BA to rebase the vouchers against the former.

If they did, I’d swiftly challenge it, never mind anyone else!