When flights were cancelled during the pandemic, British Airways customers were issued with Future Travel Vouchers or eVouchers. These should be easy enough to use but unfortunately this is not the case for many customers and the complaints just keep on coming. What are these vouchers, how can they be redeemed and how can you get in touch with British Airways?

UPDATE 22nd March 2022: After months of customer wrangling you can now request a refund if you opted for an eVoucher following a flight cancellation. In order to be able to claim it has to be a minimum of 24 months from date of issue of the eVoucher. Once you receive an email from BA notifying you of the refund you will be able to claim it via this website link. Refunds could take up to 30 days to process.

Passengers who received an eVoucher for a cancelled flight between 9 March and 19 November 2020 can request a refund online.

NB Refunds only apply to flights booked directly with BA so if you booked via a travel agent you will need to approach them for the refund. If you have several vouchers then you will need to claim a separate refund for each one.

FTV vouchers have also now been cancelled due to issues regarding their use.

Update April 2023: All BA vouchers have now been extended to September 2024 so there’s still time to claim and redeem. If you were due to travel between 9th November 2020 and 19th November 2020 you may be able to swap your voucher for the cash refund you were entitled to in the first place.

What is the difference between British Airways Future Travel Vouchers and eVouchers?

The main difference between these voucher types is the way they are applied. Your BA voucher email will state whether you have an eVoucher or a Future Travel Voucher. It’s probably easiest to look at each one in terms of being locked or unlocked.

eVouchers (unlocked) You can use an eVoucher on ba.com and the app just by typing in the code at the payment page after reviewing booking. BA state that their eVouchers (redeemable online) offer a quick and simple way of paying for flights on ba.com.

If you were due to travel with BA between 9 March and 19 November 2020 on a flight that was then cancelled and you are eligible, you can now get a refund online for the voucher you hold.

Future travel vouchers (locked) You need to call BA to use a future travel voucher or FTV. BA effectively unlocks or activates it when you ring so you can then make your booking.

The FTV allows you to make a future booking in the name of the person on the original ticket. If you had multiple bookings each person will receive their own voucher to use. The voucher is non-transferable but BA say that they recognise that some of the original customers may no longer be able to travel and therefore ask that the new booking contains at least one of the travellers from the original.

Currently, BA are only able to issue eVouchers for certain booking types. (For example, if your booking has multiple passengers or you’ve purchased extra baggage, they’ll send you a future travel voucher and not an e voucher)

Flights booked using vouchers will be subject to the new booking’s regular Terms and Conditions.

You can use either the full value of an eVoucher or some of it to pay for a less expensive booking. If you don’t use all of it, they simply send another eVoucher covering the difference.

If you have more than one person on your booking you can request a single eVoucher equal to the value of your entire booking. This means you can book quickly and easily on ba.com instead of receiving multiple future travel vouchers for each person on your booking.

Here’s one example of a customer complaint:

Are Future Travel Vouchers and eVouchers easy to redeem?

No they are not and herein lies the problem!

British Airways is reportedly still working through the backlog of Future Travel Vouchers for all simple bookings (with no ancillaries) and converting them to eVouchers.  If you receive an eVoucher by email to replace your Future Travel Voucher, you can use it online without having to call BA on to rebook. T’s & C’s for eVouchers are on the website but there’s just a list of FAQs for FTVs.

Why are customers finding it difficult to redeem vouchers?

The website is a nightmare to navigate, stressful and confusing. There is no specific option for managing Future Travel Vouchers. In addition, refund options given refer to the same phone number, which people have spent hours in the queue waiting to get through to, incurred phone charges and/or have been cut off. EVouchers can be redeemed online but you have to call British Airways to use FTVs.

How to contact British Airways?

Contact numbers are listed on the website.

For most enquiries it’s 0344 493 0787 calls are charged at local rate and lines are open from 8am to 8pm.

However you can avoid charges by contacting British Airways by telephone on 0800 727 800. Be aware you could still have a long wait and may be cut off.  Choose your times carefully and avoid peak call periods. Making smart calls at optimum times can reduce your waiting time to get through to a real person.

Your best bet is to call early. According to Talkdesk, customer service wait times are shorter before noon, but 7 am is the best time to call. Talkdesk also reveals that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to call, and Mondays are the worst.

Customers can also contact British Airways via social media and Twitter in particular always seems to prompt a quicker response. However you still need to ring British Airways to use a FTV.

Write to British Airways at the following address:

British Airways
Customer Relations (S506)
PO Box 1126
Uxbridge
UB8 9XS
United Kingdom

Don’t forget to quote your reference number if applicable

Customers with disabilities can contact British Airways on 0800 408 1100 and lines are open from 9am to 5pm.

British Airways can be contacted by email via this online form.

If all else fails, email the CEO Sean Doyle seanl.doyle@ba.com or contact Head Office to escalate your complaint and expedite a response.

UPDATE! Please note that the following number has been identified as an alternate way to get through to BA  0207 949 3086

Likewise the following emails may help expedite a response:

duty.office@holidays.ba.com

baholidays.contactcentre@ba.com

basupport@email.ba.com

Customer.Relations@holidays.britishairways.com

Chris.walton@ba.com (Customer Service Manager)

Kelly.childs@ba.com (Customer Service Manager)

Shahid.tufail@ba.com (Customer Experience Manager)

Jane.phillips@ba.com (Customer Experience Manager)

abigail.douglas@ba.com (works alongside CEO)

Tom.stevens@ba.com (Brand Management)

What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?

If your flight has been cancelled you have the right to claim a refund and this should be actioned within 7 days. Recently the Competition and Market Authority closed their investigation into British Airways and Ryanair due to a lack of legal clarity.

However the CMA’s view remains that a consumer will “generally be entitled to a refund when they have paid money in advance for services or goods that cannot be provided because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

During the pandemic Refund Credit Notes were issued for cancelled package holidays. Flight only bookings not protected in the same way, as tour operators have to contribute £2.50 for every package holiday to the Air Travel Trust Fund – a scheme guaranteed but the government.

If you are entitled to a refund, which is not forthcoming, consider how you paid for the product or service. If payment was made (even if only in part) by Credit Card then you are covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and can claim accordingly. If you paid by Debit Card then you may be able to claim using Chargeback. Contact your bank.

Check any applicable insurance policy Terms and Conditions to see if any would support a claim.

Use the Resolver online issue resolution service for help in making your complaint and getting your refund.

Opt for Alternative Dispute Resolution to mitigate your complaint and try to resolve it. Notable benefits of ADR is that it is quicker, it’s free and the decision is not binding so if the you do not like the decision you can still take your claim to the small claims court.

For aviation disputes in the UK there are two approved ADR schemes in the aviation sector i) AviationADR and ii) CEDR. You can find out which airlines are a member of ADR here: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/how-the-caa-can-help/alternative-dispute-resolution/ For British Airways raise a case with CEDR.

Take your case to the Small Claims Court. A final letter before action will be required before you can do so as you will need to demonstrate that you have given the company ample opportunities to address the problem before escalating it in this way. Use letter templates for complaints from Money Saving Expert, Which? and Citizens Advice.

For any escalation of a complaint, evidence is vital so the creation of a clear time frame stating dates, times, actions, who you spoke to and when, along with waiting times on hold will support any case you make and show you have made every attempt to contact and try to resolve the issue with the company.

In any complaint, be clear and concise, summarise issue, give clear time frames for responses and also state how you wish the issue to be resolved.

Do not be fobbed off, persistence is key!