BA re-book or take vouchers

BajanDreamer

My flight was cancelled yesterday and I'm looking to re-book my flight for August.

The flight was about £700. I can re-book the flight online I guess, but the new flight is £230 cheaper. Will I get a refund/voucher for the difference?

If I take the vouchers I can use the £700+ towards the new flight, I know I will then get a new voucher for the balance according to their website.

I already have two vouchers to use anyway as I cancelled my holiday to Ghana and Nigeria in August after hearing about the 812 Nigerian health workers that tested positive.

Life__Goes__On

If you have a vouchers already,  is there a reason you don't want a cash refund?

AlexMac

For what it's worth I'd suggest you just sit and wait til at least 2-3 weeks before the planned travel date.  As I said in a recent post at ;
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6149626/waiting-on-mid-july-ba-flight-cancellations-to-usa/p2

My successful experience with BA may not be wholly relevant, as my booking (out 8th June, returning 4 days later) was to a European destination, but I was very happy with BA's and their timescales.  They sent us an automated email just over six weeks before travel,  advising cancellation (bizarrely they sent this not to me as lead passenger, but to my spouse who was on the same booking) "...We will be in contact with you to discuss your options. If you'd like to contact us in the meantime, please call GB +44 (0) 344 493 0787..."

I did nothing. Then, a few weeks later, and three and a half weeks prior to the original planned flight date they sent another email, to me this time.  This said " We are currently receiving exceptionally high call volumes and are very sorry if you have been unable to reach us by phone to discuss your options. To prevent the need for you to contact us, we will be cancelling your British Airways Holidays itinerary and processing a full refund. This will be returned to your original payment card within the next 7 - 10 days". The refund hit my credit card the very next day. 

I know the email referred to "holiday" but we'd booked flights only- so not a bonded "package", paying only a £150 deposit.  The irony was, as a further £250-odd payment was due before flying, I'd tried online for a voucher (which I'd have been happy with) a few weeks prior, at a time when they were reportedly making it difficult to claim cash refunds by forcing passengers to ring in to swamped call centres.  Their software later bounced my request back as "unrecognised"?   So it was win-win for me (although a trip to Spain would have been nice, and we will go again post-COVID!)

So if it was me, I'd do nothing, wait a few more weeks in the hope that they will cancel, and see what they say.  Meanwhile I'd keep an eye on FCO advice to travellers

Life__Goes__On

AlexMac said:

So if it was me, I'd do nothing, wait a few more weeks in the hope that they will cancel, and see what they say.  Meanwhile I'd keep an eye on FCO advice to travellers

The OP stated it was cancelled in their first sentence.

BajanDreamer

Life__Goes__On said:

If you have a vouchers already,  is there a reason you don't want a cash refund?

To be honest I'm not even sure how to get a refund. I can't seem to get through on the phone at all. The vouchers I have would just about pay for the new flight I want to book anyway.

Life__Goes__On

Some have reported once they get though on the phone a cash refund does come quick, but if you going to use the voucher, might not be any point.
As new flight is cheaper, certainly not worth a swap.
Hopefully someone that has used a BA voucher will comment if "change" is given.

AlexMac

Life__Goes__On said:

AlexMac said:

So if it was me, I'd do nothing, wait a few more weeks in the hope that they will cancel, and see what they say.  Meanwhile I'd keep an eye on FCO advice to travellers

The OP stated it was cancelled in their first sentence.

Thank you for pointing out my error Lifey
Op- please ignore my last sentence - or to keep lifer happy, amend it from "hope that they will cancel" to "hope that they will refund- 
...which is what I meant in my opening sentence. 
"For what it's worth I'd suggest you just sit and wait til at least 2-3 weeks before the planned travel date.,,,"

So for the benefit of other eagle-eyed readers- do as I say in line one- not as I say in my final suggestion...!

Life__Goes__On

AlexMac said:

Thank you for pointing out my error Lifey

Very easy to do.
My common one is not reading the title of the thread correctly, so ask something that was stated in the title.

BajanDreamer

Well I just went for the voucher and then re-booked. Found it strange that you can't just book online and enter the voucher number; you can only do it by calling.
They confirmed that if I just re-booked I wouldn't get any refund, just an increase in the 'value' of my ticket by increasing the flexibility of my ticket where before there was none. So at least I still have a £180 voucher to use. I'm not even sure what the other two vouchers are worth.