BA refunds – how long are they taking?

[NHS_Slave]

I cancelled a 2-4-1 booking on the 8th December and am yet to receive the cash/avios/voucher back.

If things are taking longer than normal I am prepared to wait a bit as I don’t relish the thought of sitting on hold for hours on end, but if others are coming back sooner I might have to try and get in contact with them.

• This topic was modified 54 years, 3 months ago by .

[tiriavpo]

Did you cancel it over the phone or did you fill in a form online?

[NHS_Slave]

A form online. One of the sectors was cancelled so had the option to select a full refund as opposed to a voucher.

I gather this generates a ‘request’ which requires a human to do something?

[tiriavpo]

AH – like this? https://www.britishairways.com/travel/webforms/public/en_gb?eId=120001&wfpId=covidn

The online form requests a voucher – it is a bit (a lot) misleading as it says you are eligible for a refund but directly links you to a form for a voucher. Unfortunately, the only way to actually cancel, and get a refund, is to call. As there was a cancellation, you would have been eligible for a full refund, without the £35pp cancellation fee. But all is not necessarily lost.

The so called Future Travel Voucher (FTV) is just credit – all the avios, cash and the 241 voucher, are kept as credit for you to use at any time in the future. The benefit of this is that the 241 voucher is kept ‘alive’ within the FTV – if you had cancelled, everything would have been refunded, including the 241 voucher with its original expiry date – so if that was soon, the FTV keeps it all alive until 30 Sep 23. You can still get a refund from the FTV, but you would expect to then pay the cancellation fee – you could try explaining that you mistakenly took a voucher but I fear that may fall on deaf ears. If you don’t need the cash or avios back right now, I would sit on the FTV.

Do keep a record of the original booking reference (PNR), and the e-ticket which should details exactly what you have ‘paid’. You should get an email confirming the FTV which will give the PNR but no other details of expenditure.

[arnold]

Hi – there is now an actual refund form online (not the voucher one linked above), which BA must have added recently for cancelled flights.

I also completed this and I have also been waiting for 10+ days to get the refund, which is annoying as on the phone it used to be immediate.

I’m guessing this is because there is human intervention needed and on the phone the agent just did it, whereas now we’re sat in an enormous queue which prioritises changes over refunds.

I assume I’ll get my money eventually (and it was only £100) but I doubt it will be before the New Year. Ringing at the moment seems pointless anyway as the wait times are insane.

[Wingflaps]

I’m wondering if your refund has come through. I cancelled a 2 4 1 club world to BOS a week or so before Christmas having been given the option to after the daytime return flight was cancelled. Am now looking to rebook for April and would like to see the 2 4 1 and Avios back to do so. No sign yet just a statement that the refund is being processed.

[Karl]

Still awaiting a refund from a cancelled flight, requested 27 Dec. Likely they have a lack of staff to process such admin due to being run on a shoestring.

[Lady London]

NHS_Slave wrote:

A form online. One of the sectors was cancelled so had the option to select a full refund as opposed to a voucher.

I gather this generates a ‘request’ which requires a human to do something?

Legally if airline cancels and you elect to refund they are supposed to refund you within 7 days.

I’d give them 30 in these times but no more. Start calling. Things submitted to BA on website forms unfortunately seem to land in interminable queues that never seem to get processed particularly if an offshore team queue is where it’s landed.

[NHS_Slave]

Apologies I lost track of this thread.

I waited until some point between Christmas and New Year. Managed to get through on the phone and the chap had said the process had ‘got stuck’ half way through so whilst everything had been cancelled, nothing had been refunded.

He refunded the avios/ticket immediately, the cash came through in a day or two.

Standard BA: Rubbish IT, but very helpful when you (eventually) get through on the phone.

[NorthernLass]

I requested a refund for a cancelled flight about 10 days ago – the avios reappeared instantly but I need to contact Amex as the cash element was paid on a now closed card which of course I removed from the account!