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Hello all,
Hoping someone might kindly be able to help me. I have a slightly unique situation where I need absolute flexibility on the return leg of my travel whilst making use of the Barclays cabin upgrade voucher.
I’m trying to understand the following:
1) Whether it’s possible to book an outbound leg from the UK with the upgrade voucher, not book the return, fly the outbound, and then add the return after the outbound has been flown (i.e. giving the ability to use the remainder of the voucher on a separate inbound flight to the UK)
2) Whether it’s possible to book the outbound leg and return leg on two separate PNR’s with the voucher (i.e. providing the complete ability to extend the return leg indefinitely and independently of the outbound), similarly to how you can book with the Amex 241 voucher
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Is it just for you? If you were using the voucher for 2 of you on the outbound leg, this would be easy peasy, but it’s going to take more creativity if it’s just you and you want to use the voucher both ways.
Have you looked at the Barclays voucher threads where people have posted about adding the inbound later? I can’t remember whether this results in 1 or 2 PNRs.
They wouldn’t let me add an inbound after booking the outbound and use a second voucher to upgrade both seats. Not sure if that is by the rules or I just needed to HUACA
Sorry I should have clarified – yes it is just for myself! I have looked at the threads and seen it’s possible (depending on the agent) to book an open jaw, but no clarification on whether it’s one PNR or two. Assume it’s two, but keen to see if anyone has actual experience of it first!
You won’t be able to book the inbound after you’ve flown the outbound, and BA will also probably refuse to add a return leg if it was available to book at the time you booked the outbound.
You might get away with booking the outbound with the voucher, then booking the inbound separately and then calling BA and asking them to apply the second half of the voucher to upgrade you to the next cabin. They may or may not agree to this, though, so call within the 24 hour free cancellation period.
@PaulAllen – I may be wrong, but reading your two posts, I think there may be confusion between the terms ‘open jaw’ and an ‘open’ ticket and it appears to be the latter that you want, but you can’t have an open ticket with an upgrade voucher or 241. A single ‘open jaw’ – eg LHR-HKG//SIN-LHR is allowed with either voucher.
Your option 1) isn’t possible. Once you have flown the outbound, and in the absence of any other booking linked to the upgrade voucher it is ‘used’. The same would apply to a 241. BA doesn’t deal in ½ vouchers as Virgin does. In order to achieve what you want, you would need to book the return flight before flying the outbound and you can then change the return flight, subject of course to the availability of seats and the ticket validity. If you leave it too late to book the return, you run the risk of hitting ticket validity issues with most BA agents.
Your option 2) also isn’t possible because the second PNR requires you to make a booking starting outside the UK which isn’t allowed with the upgrade voucher. The agent needs to be able to add the voucher to a booking originating in the UK.
Reopening this thread as title “fits” my query although different question. I have been searching the various threads on thia but can’t locate specifics so please forgive posting if already covered in duplicate or more !!
I called BA to book an open jaw LHR-LAS and return SAN-LHR for 2 people(Me and OH) as one return booking. There is no availability other than Economy outbound and I was attempting to use one BUV for 2x PE on the return leg only. The agent said the system would not allow this – when she went to confirm booking (seats already held) – and checked with “head office” who said can only use if upgrade voucher is used from UK. I know that for a standard return LHR-XXX XXX-LHR that is incorrect but for open jaw?
Also, if what I want to do is permitted (I couldn’t find anything to state it wasn’t) any advice please on how to proceed?Will HUACA work if “head office” won’t allow?
If relevant the voucher expires after outbound flight but before SAN-LHR leg – is this the issue??
Thank you for any advice.Definitely HUACA, and maybe point out that your journey will be all on one booking, and starts in the UK. There are plenty of examples of readers doing this in the dedicated threads, although they’ve got so long it’s very difficult to locate specific posts! I don’t know of any reason why an open jaw booking would be a problem, it might just be confusion over the “UK” element.
The Barclays voucher allows 2 journeys only, either a return for one pax or 2 ex uk singles for 2 pax. If you have two vouchers then you should be able to make two return bookings one voucher for each.
Thank you so much Northern Lass. HUACA plus reinforcing that I was doing a return journey starting in UK worked. Relieved. This time agent very helpful – said he knew work arounds etc.
DP – However, to get it to work on system, agent had to add in both vouchers (I have another one expiring 2026) and then once booked he added the 2026 voucher back into my account. This has worked and the newer voucher is back in my account. I have the booking (with ticket numbers) – good to go.Thank you also @HampshireHog for your reply. Really appreciate the help from this forum and HfP.
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