Will US Customs mind if you hav one way tickets?

[antietam]

Hi

Due to British Airways rubbish rules for vouchers where you have to complete any travel before the original ticket outward flight i am considering buying one way tickets to and from USA.

My original date was 27 July which is on a few days after school breaks up and i really don't want to go until summer 2021.
Due to voucher rules i would have to have completed travel by 26 July which i can not do.

I was thinking of getting a one way flight to either Miami, Orlando, Tampa or Atlanta then purchasing a separate one way ticket home from New York
We are doing Florida and then NYC

As i would fly one way with BA using voucher just before 27 July 2021 to abide by the voucher, i think that is ok.
Would US Customs have any issue with the fact i had 2 one way tickets rather that a return ticket


Thanks

[tspill]

It doesn't matter at all.

[Guest]

So long as if asked to show you have a ticket to be able to leave the US you can show proof it won't matter at all.

The airline might also ask at check-in for proof you have a ticket to leave the USA as well

[stanleycamel]

Bear in mind that one-way tickets are usually flexible fares which can be mich more expensive compared to restricted returns. Try doing a one way fare from New York for a date that is available at the moment in 2021 to get an idea of what the cost might be. Whether there will be any change to using the vouchers in the future I don't know butit could be worth while keeping an eye on websites such as Head for Points just in case there is any change.

[becky2203]

Couldn't you put your voucher towards the cost of the booking? So book a "multi-city" flight where you fly in to florida and back from NYC, then part pay with the voucher and the rest with cash. This gets around the expense of buying one-way flights.

We ended up getting a full cash refund for our cancelled trip, but "topping up" the voucher when booking in future had been our back up plan.

[antietam]

The voucher has to be used within one year of the original departure date.

I am unable to go at any other time so i wont be allowed to put the voucher towards any booking that either departs or arrive back after 27 July 2021

[chmurf]

Originally Posted by antietam

The voucher has to be used within one year of the original departure date.

I am unable to go at any other time so i wont be allowed to put the voucher towards any booking that either departs or arrive back after 27 July 2021

See more...

as others have said, a one way ticket will most of the time be more expensive than a return ticket

so, using your voucher for the flight to the US, and booking a one way, might be more expensive altogether than ditching that voucher, and straight up buying a return flight for a later date.

you need to price things up.

don't forget the voucher you have, you have already "paid" for ... since it's the value of your original flight

I understand all the considerations you need to face, as far as dates go.
But that voucher may very well cost you a lot all things considered.

[Softy]

As above. A one way ticket with BA/Virgin will be thousands. It’s not a viable option.

[antietam]

BA are offering a voucher system that is seriously restricted.
They are firstly avoiding paying out refunds.
The voucher is only valid for one year and must be used and travel completed by the original ticketed departure date.
So someone who say was cancelled in 15 April for Florida and took a voucher has to complete their trip by that date if using voucher.
Therefore it is unlikely they will be going anywhere for a few months due to all borders closed to international visitors so that reduces voucher time straight away.
They will have to travel probably between Sept and March to use the voucher.
If they cant go during this time for some reason , Hard Luck, Its BAs rules and they wont help you at all on voucher expiry times.

There are reasons why travellers can only go on particular dates and to not allow them to swap to the same route and dates in 2021 is just mean and not in the spirit of things.
The whole voucher scheme should have been a minimum of 13 months.

When i queried with BA they told me rules cant be changed.

They already changed the rules to allow changes rather than cancelling everyone and having to refund everyone.
They have changed the ticket rules to absolutely suit themselves to avoid paying out refunds and to allocate only1 year on voucher which will be less cause you cant go anywhere yet

Lots of other airlines vouchers are valid for a lot longer
AA for example are offering vouchers valid until Dec 2021

The voucher is unpopular to start with let alone restrict the length of validity as well


The customers have never come into , its all about BAs needs

[chmurf]

Originally Posted by antietam

BA are offering a voucher system that is seriously restricted.

See more...

true, and sad
I, myself, am in the same boat with Lufthansa ... have a flight booked for August 8th, not cancelled yet, but we can apply for a voucher we need to use ... by mid april '21 ...

no way it's going to happen, so we wait

now, we don't argue about unfair policies

it's just that, holding that voucher may not help at all

if a return flight from London to , say, orlando for the summer of '21 costs £1000
and if a one way flight from orlando back to london costs £3000
it would mean that, using that voucher to go to orlando, then taking the one way back, would cost £3k
compared to not using the voucher, and getting a return for £1k

that's the hard part here.

many here will have vouchers they can't use. The real issue is to know if using that voucher, and forcing oneself to find solutions, may cost more than just forgetting about that voucher

now, what I'm currently waiting for, is an answer as to what happens if I let that voucher lapse.

I live inside EU, so we're covered by regulations, and it seems that, some vouchers (for some airlines) would need to be refunded if not used by their expiration date. I don't know how much water this holds, and I don't know what with the UK after Brexit, will Brits still qualifies in that case ...

don't know, but as far as I'm concerned, I won't be using that voucher under the current conditions, simply because, as advised above, it might cost more using that voucher than not using it at all

as sad and infuriatiing as it is.