Booking return online and phoning afterwards to request refund

[Greygoose]

I have 2 x Barclays Cabin Upgrade vouchers and want to book outbound flights to Funchal, for next year, when they are released shortly. I am away travelling when the return flights will be released and will find it difficult to phone up at 1am to secure them.

I am familiar with the Amex 241 booking process and have recent experience of booking return flights online, at full avios price – and then phoning to add it to existing outbound and requesting refund of half avios – but wondered if anyone had experience of this method being allowed for the Barclays Voucher.

I have scoured various threads, and in particular the “Booking flights with Barclays upgrade voucher” where the question was asked more than once, but cannot see a definitive answer for this.

[patrickjrobinson]

I need to know this too!

[Gary]

It’s possible. General consensus is best to select max avios/min cash to align with your outbound booking containing the Barclays vouchers. There were a few reports alignment is not strictly necessary as still received Avios refund.

Chat function is also useful for these requests.

[NorthernLass]

The dedicated thread shows mixed results with this, as with many things BA, it can depend on how good the agent is. I would definitely use the max avios, min cash option to head off a potential refusal for not doing this.

Also – are you planning to make 2 separate bookings, or use 1 voucher for the outbound and 1 for the inbound? If the latter, again experiences vary in having success with this.

[Greygoose]

Thanks for responses – although I’m not sure they actually help!(Smiley face)

The price for outbound is fixed at 13750 avios + 50p with no options for varying amounts (unlike amex 241) so I can only choose this when booking.

@NL, I would be using each voucher to make a separate booking to ensure both voucher journeys originate in UK – although, since posting, I now realise we will be in Sth Africa when outbound and inbound are released and our current thinking is that we may just hold on to the vouchers, for a US trip later next year, and pay cash for the Funchal trip when we are back in the UK.

Thanks for your consideration anyway!

[NorthernLass]

The advice re selecting avios/cash options related to the inbound booking, i.e. probably better to keep this the same avios/cash ratio as the outbound, which you won’t have any control over. Obviously when booking the inbound without a voucher, you’ll be given all the various options.

[Greygoose]

Apologies NL, yes I see that now!