Options With BA when Balance Is Due Discussion?

antietam · 23 Mar 20, 12:59 PM

Hi

Our Balance is due on 20 June.

If the situation remains as is at this time i am wondering what the options are.

I assume the voucher will if i choose that option will be to the value of the holiday booked and will take into account the deposit paid so far and the seat booking payments made.

I am happy to re book for 2021 but i really hope BA don't act like idiots and jack the prices up so we all end up having to pay more than the voucher.

If i take voucher i am guessing i wont be able to see flight prices for the date we travel ( 27 July ) until 27 August which would be 11 months out.
So i take a voucher and then go to book 27 July 2021 when it comes up for booking and find the flights are way more expensive.

What is there in place to stop this happening, does anyone think flights will be cheaper?

Assuming BA have included our dates of travel as being able to cancel would i be better asking for a refund of the deposit and seat bookings?

I am not overly keen to pay another Ł3000 to BA and wait for flight to be cancelled.

Obviously this all depends on what the situation is in June.
I would be interested to know what people who have been able to modify or change up until the 31 May Date BA are currently using.

Has anyone had the voucher and tried to rebook? How was it?

There is probably not enough cash to pay everyone a refund which is why Voucher system will help them.

Just don't let it be a way to try and rip people off by deliberately making flights more expensive

What are other peoples views and experiences so far.

Like i said i am happy to move holiday to next year if it comes to it , i just don't want to be taken advantage of by BA

sprocket · 23 Mar 20, 02:50 PM

If you are offered a voucher and dont take it, a lot of insurance companies wont pay out.

Problems I can see with vouchers (no experience of the BA one though) are some companies require you to phone up to use them, some companies exclude special offers or discounts, some are for rack rate only prices.

The other issue I can see happening is that airlines/hotels etc will be wanting to recoup their losses somewhere, and people with vouchers are the ideal target.

If you take a voucher, be prepared for a price hike. Its like Deal or No Deal. Whats in the box?

Remember, take a voucher and then the airline goes bust, you loose everything. Vary vague as to weather credit cards or insurance would have to cover that.
Credit cards would cover for loss of original booking, but effectively your getting a refund voucher so credit card companies may be getting legal advice on that one.

antietam · 23 Mar 20, 05:09 PM

So
If BA are offering a refund its best to take it if they include my flight dates at some point.

Will the voucher just be for whatever we have paid so far (deposit and Seat bookings) and that would be like a credit towards the re book.

I am thinking that if i find another airline at some point that offers fares that would save me more money than my voucher i could book elsewhere

We have Nationwide Flex Plus worldwide insurance.

I am just not sure i want to give BA another Ł2500 unless i am sure i will get my money back if they cancel the flight.

One final point is i live in hope that we will still be able to go.

**lam** · 23 Mar 20, 06:14 PM

If i take voucher i am guessing i wont be able to see flight prices for the date we travel ( 27 July ) until 27 August which would be 11 months out.
So i take a voucher and then go to book 27 July 2021 when it comes up for booking and find the flights are way more expensive

Thats the bit I don't like!

I am due to go mid july and am resigned to the fact I may have to postpone to next year. I will pay my balance for hotel (WDTC) knowing I can 'move' the holiday forward a year if needs be and have decided NOT to bank my DVC points as IF WD is closed again or theres some other reason I cannot go, they will give back my points and I can always put them into RCI

I'd prefer to go this year though.

Its the flights i'm worried about.
Most people from Uk and Ireland travel july/august and there's going to be a tsunami of cancellations if restrictions persist. If AL cancel, I get a voucher or cash for next year.
If they manage to 'avoid' cancelling (somehow) and its still not really safe for us to travel, thats a nightmare scenarion meaning I''d need to cancel and get the taxes only back or stand to lose the €2k for the flights.

Apart from emaiing IAG Group and BA ( or emailing flight/aviation/airline regulator)and ask what guarantees they are putting in place that prices won't be hiked next year!

Good Luck on this

LLamb · 23 Mar 20, 06:33 PM

I am in this situation too although we can request a voucher now as our departure date is 19th May.
I would just like them to cancel our flight so we can get the deposit back. We are due to pay the balance of our flights on 14th April. I’m very reluctant to pay the balance, but if they haven’t cancelled our flight by then (which they may not do) we will have no choice to take the voucher or pay the balance.

Then they could subsequently cancel the flight and I would then get a refund. Or they don’t and we have to fly with potentially no parks open. Or they fly but we can’t get into the country.

We already have a villa booked for next year and dearly hope things are back to normal for everybody concerned. But what if it’s not or BA aren’t around or the flights are so expensive.

I need control and all this uncertainty is driving me crazy.
Sorry don’t think I’ve been much help!

nth09 · 24 Mar 20, 12:13 PM

With all the vouchers having to be given out just watch the prices for the big holiday times next year go through the roof. Really don't like the idea of voucher as you end up being tied to one airline. Every time I've been its been with a different airline as price is king.

inky1 · 24 Mar 20, 01:52 PM

My balance was due on 19th April not for Florida but New York in 24th May
I waited for the flight status to change to cancel ,phoned today and obtained a full refund of the deposit and other payments made .No questions asked .
It took 15 minutes from the moment I picked up the phone

antietam · 25 Mar 20, 03:22 PM

I Want a refund as i do not want to be trying to chase money if BA go bust.

The price hike situation is annoying as you know they will do it and then blame demand.

I may as well get a voucher as we have only paid Deposit of 300 plus 250 seat bookings.

If flights get ridiculously expensive i will just lose the 550.

The other option if they are not cancelling or giving a voucher on Deposit day is to pay balance and either go or they will cancel the flight and refund, they will eventually run out of money to refund

I have heard they are allowing

This a message i got from BA

Hey Paul, were currently allowing extensions to BA holiday bookings so that customers dont have to pay the final balance until 3 weeks before they are due to travel.

I bet it wont say that in manage my booking so i will contact them at the time and ask

bighal · 25 Mar 20, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by antietam

I Want a refund as i do not want to be trying to chase money if BA go bust.

The price hike situation is annoying as you know they will do it and then blame demand.

I may as well get a voucher as we have only paid Deposit of 300 plus 250 seat bookings.

If flights get ridiculously expensive i will just lose the 550.

The other option if they are not cancelling or giving a voucher on Deposit day is to pay balance and either go or they will cancel the flight and refund, they will eventually run out of money to refund

I have heard they are allowing

This a message i got from BA

Hey Paul, were currently allowing extensions to BA holiday bookings so that customers dont have to pay the final balance until 3 weeks before they are due to travel.

I bet it wont say that in manage my booking so i will contact them at the time and ask

I doubt BA would go bust... It was profitable before and will be afterwards. Its not as if it is a basket case like Norwegian...