Companion ticket return flights probkem

[louisemmmin]

I followed advice on this site to use my companion voucher on the popular LHR-BGI route.

I booked outbound on the day the tickets came on sale. I wasn’t able to get to the phone when my return date came up so booked the return leg as a one way using Avios.

When I called the BA Exec club to transfer the return flights onto my companion voucher booking they told me I couldn’t use my voucher to convert an existing booking to a 2-4-1.I understand that that is a rule, but have I misunderstood your advice on how to get around the 355 day booking timescale for the return leg? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Peter K]

So, did you use your voucher when booking the outbound flight? You need to have done that to add the return as a 2-4-1.

It could be a hang up and call again (HUACA) moment to find another agent.

[BJ]

Provided you used your voucher on the outbound flight as Peter asked then you can do this. I susoect you got one of the newer CSA who have not been trained up on the detail of vouchers. Call agsin and listen carefully to ALL the option. After you are asked if you used avios wait until you get the option ‘if you use a voucher’. You go for this one to get the more experienced CSA. Don’t tell them you want to convert a booking, tell them you bookeepd your outbound flight XXXXXX and now wish to apply your voucher to the return YYYYYY. They should do that and refund avios accordingly. You will retain the two PNR XXXXXX and YYYYYY
which is good in that it provides maximum flexibility but it does leave you exposed to double the number of £35 penalties.

[NorthernLass]

You can also request the 50% avios back via chat or Twitter, though again with the CS agents you sometimes need a couple of attempts. Say that you booked PNR XXXXX with your companion voucher, then booked the inbound PNR XXXXX separately due to it not being available when you booked the outbound, and please can they refund half the avios you spent on the inbound. They will ask for security details like last 4 digits of card used, passenger names etc.

Make sure that you have used the same card to pay the surcharges on both legs, and used the same avios/cash option or you may run into further problems when you do this.

[BJ]

Anna, I’ve used different cards for changes to bookings and never had an issue but agree keeping it the same if possible is sensible. When I’ve done this, I’ve noticed the card on the booking agents seem to see is the last one used as opposed to that originally used. I cannot recall with any certainty though if this impacts cash refunds. I think those go back to the original card but I’m not sure.

[yonasl]

So basically:
– you booked the outbound using the 241 voucher
– you booked the return as normal avios booking

When you call you need to simply ask for the return avios price to be halved (taxes&fees in gbp stay the same).

One thing to notice is that you must have selected the same level of avios and cash in both.

For instance, when you bought the first ticket you had:

1) 1,000 avios and £200
2) 800 avios and £400
3) 600 avios and £600
…

If you selected 3) when you book the return you have to select 3) again (the third option given basically)

[louisemmmin]

Thank you all, this is really helpful. So it sounds like I may need a couple of tries, but at least it seems I had understood the advice in the first place !

[BJ]

@yonasl, where did you learn that avios/cash proportion for return must equate to outbound? First I’ve heard of that and it has implications for my forward planning so I need to get it right.

[AJA]

@yonasl that’s the first time I’ve heard of that too. @BJ I think it makes sense though especially now that you can use RFS on longhaul and that BA offers varying option.

[NorthernLass]

Having to use the same avios/cash option has been discussed extensively here and people have posted that agents have refused to refund avios if both legs don’t match. I’ve also been told this by an agent – the last time I called he said it was a good thing I’d picked the same option on both legs or he wouldn’t be able to refund the 50% avios. IIRC the discussion will be in one of the “241” threads.

I’ve also had an agent refuse to refund the avios because my laptop had auto-filled the “wrong” Amex details on the inbound – fortunately I was able to cancel and rebook but some of them are clearly trained to spot these discrepancies. Other HPF readers have also posted about being caught out using a card other than the technically permitted one to make a 241 booking as well.

[yonasl]

BJ wrote:

@yonasl, where did you learn that avios/cash proportion for return must equate to outbound? First I’ve heard of that and it has implications for my forward planning so I need to get it right.

Some people had issues when trying to do the avios refund of separate tickets. Basically being told it was not posible which caused some to say one cannot book outbound and inbound separate anymore.

Eventually it was found that if you select different pricing points the system cannot mix both fares.

I had that confirmed by a BA CS over the phone.

Happy to be proved wrong as it would open more options but o don’t think it is the case.

[BJ]

@yonasl, @AJA, @NorthernLass: I don’t doubt that readers are properly reporting back their experiences, however, this makes no sense and I suggest it’s another case of CSAs making up the rules as they go along so would recommend HUACA. The reason it makes no sense is because 1. You might combine peak with off-peak, or 2. Do an open-jaw with ootbound and returns to/from different zones. Such bookings would be impossible in the case of said rule becsuse cash avios ratios would be different. I don’t believe it is and will be testing it in a few months when I add a return from HKG to my outbound SIN flight. I suppose it’s feasible that the rule applies to outbound and return flights to/from the same destination within the same season but nkt to the scenarios I described but that seems totally ludicrous if true.

[NorthernLass]

@BJ, I was actually told this by 2 BA CS agents – one via Chat and one based in Manchester on the Silver line (these latter ones generally know their stuff). It doesn’t matter if the booking is open jaw or involves different zones or peak/off peak – the issue is which option number you chose, i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc.

I can only guess that it may be because if you booked a return flight, you would have to pay the same option on both legs.

[NorthernLass]

By way of example, my last booking using an (expiring, old-style) 241 was outbound to GIB, inbound to AGP, both using the “old” standard RFS pricing (so avios plus £17.50/£35 cash each way). I called the Silver line to request the 50% avios back on the return from AGP, and he checked the bookings very carefully as he spotted that I hadn’t picked the new max avios, min cash option and told me he needed to make sure they were the same.

I don’t know if it’s technologically impossible for them to refund the avios on different options but they have definitely got this policy from somewhere!

[BJ]

Thanks Anna, it did cross my mind that they might be referring to optional levels versus absolute pricing. Still seems ludicrous and unnecessary though, simply being used to render vouchers redundant at worst or reduce their liability at best. It means I’m stuck as I’ll have insufficient avios to book two flights at 100k each online so I’ll need to go via the calling route where I’ll likely fall foul if the ‘cannot do that after voucher has expired’ rule which is definitely nonsense.

Thanks again @louise, @yonasl for raising this issue/discussion today, no doubt saved me and hopefully some others from messing up.

[yonasl]

You have to use the voucher on the first booking.
For instance if each person pays 50k avios:

– you book the outbound with the 241 voucher. The 100k cost becomes 50k

– you then:

1) book the inbound online (100k) and then ask for a refund so get 50k avios back

Or

2) you call and ask to book an inbound to your outbound so the voucher is applied to both, you pay 50k more

In total you paid 100k avios for the trip for 2. In scenario 1) however you need to have 150k avios in total.