Long wait for refund for cancelled reward flights Qantas - a common experience?

[MPP2768]

Hi All,

Just reviewing out travel plans to Europe booked for May , I have booked my Europe tickets using Qantas points all booked under classic reward flights . There are 3 different booking reference nos. as i booked them as the classic award tickets became available as below
Leg 1 Mel-Sin- Mel
Leg 2 Singapore-Doha- Vienna
Leg 3 Paris-Dubai-Singapore
I understand cancellation charges are 6000 points per passenger , does this mean i will be charged 6000X3 points per passenger or juts 6000 points per passenger for all 3 cancellations.
Can we pay cash instead of points for the cancellations? does anyone know how much do 6000 points translate to in terms of AUD

Thanks

 

[Stevo.1702]

I had an interesting experience trying to follow up on a refund on Friday. Reward booking for travel in March but was canceled in early Feb. QF points came through straight away but no taxes. I called in March and was told it would be approx 6 weeks away. Waited the 6 weeks plus 4 and when I called back I was told that my booking had become 'Inactive' preventing the refund to be issued. They explained that they transfer the booking to a new booking reference and can then refund from that reference.

It seems like some weird back end working but as it was now over 60days (another new number) they were able to process the refund immediately. I'll believe it when I see it on my card.

Has anyone heard for refunds not being processed because the booking became 'Inactive'?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Has anyone heard for refunds not being processed because the booking became 'Inactive'?

That was my question, I think. My point-to-point reference has now disappeared. There's no record at all of the booking anywhere on the QFFF site. The only thing I have is the original email from them.

i might need to follow this up!

 

[ramamba]

I have a J award booking BNE-SFO in August - the flight is not currently available for revenue bookings, but has not yet been cancelled. I tried to cancel my booking today but the agent would still have charged the 6000 point cancellation fee (OK - policy is free cancellations up till 31/7 at the moment).

that's for cash tickets though, not for classic awards?

The awards were free to cancel until 30/4, since then it's 6000 points unless cancelled by the airline. I'm also waiting on QF August cancellations and EK July.

 

[Stevo.1702]

That was my question, I think. My point-to-point reference has now disappeared. There's no record at all of the booking anywhere on the QFFF site. The only thing I have is the original email from them.

i might need to follow this up!

I'd like to think eventually they would have found it and got it refunded. 3 months is pretty lengthy and the rep I spoke to on the phone was apologetic and left me feeling confident it will be resolved.

If you have the time I'd recommend calling them rather waiting for them to do something.

 

[Hvr]

Did you cancel earlier or did they just call you of of the blue?

The flight was shown as cancelled about a month ago and then QF called me out of the blue yesterday.

 

[flapper]

My OWA was cancelled by Qantas. I had the points refunded in 1 day and taxes took 2 weeks. The cancellation was done over the phone.

 

[BriarFlyer]

That was my question, I think. My point-to-point reference has now disappeared. There's no record at all of the booking anywhere on the QFFF site. The only thing I have is the original email from them.

This happened with my classic award booking, cancelled on-line. Points were refunded about 2 weeks later but no sign of cash/taxes yet.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Qantas appears to have introduced some flexibility into their classic rewards bookings now. I will check how it goes with my own reward bookings.

"Fees will be automatically waived on changes or cancellations to any Classic Flight Reward booking, until 31 October 2020. To be eligible for the fee waiver, all flights in your booking must be Classic Flight Rewards. If you combine Classic Flight Rewards with non-Classic Flight Reward fares ("Commercial Fares"), the fee waiver will not apply"

 

[SeatBackForward]

Managed to cancel two reward bookings for travel in August and November, both had the 6,000pts cancellation fee waived.

This is a sensible decision by Qantas it seemed odd that cash fares could be retained as full credit, but reward bookings were previously being charged with the 6k penalty - QF points are effectively vouchers anyhow.

 

[Craig O'Brien]

Well I think it has almost been 10 weeks. I think I cancelled on the Weekend of March 21st-22nd. I got my points on the 25th March (Wed) and no fees refunded.
I have emailed the [email protected] 3 times, and have not had a response.

I think I might have to do the unthinkable and call up qantas on the phone. Better make sure I have a battery pack for my phone

 

[WLGFlyer]

Well I think it has almost been 10 weeks. I think I cancelled on the Weekend of March 21st-22nd. I got my points on the 25th March (Wed) and no fees refunded.
I have emailed the [email protected] 3 times, and have not had a response.

I think I might have to do the unthinkable and call up qantas on the phone. Better make sure I have a battery pack for my phone

How did you go? I am waiting for points and cash for a few bookings cancelled around the same time.

 

[serfty]

Cash component 8-10 weeks

Did you cancel earlier or did they just call you out of the blue?

Yesterday, the points showed up but no $+++ as yet.

As per the advice earlier this week, I will call back in a couple of weeks if no $+++ back in account.

now told to wait 60 days and call back after two months (from April 5).

I was planning on calling Tuesday, even thinking of calling today but on checking my account the $+++ have been refunded dated yesterday - exactly two calendar months after I originally cancelled.

That just leaves my August (revenue - so one for another thread) booking.

 

[Craig O'Brien]

How did you go? I am waiting for points and cash for a few bookings cancelled around the same time.

I called up on Wednesday. Left a message for a call back which took about 2.5-3 hours

Once in the callback queue. I got send to the premiun support, even though I am just a bronze member

The lady looked at my booking, did a quick check and said that yes, you should get the refund and that she has put it though, should take 5 days.. So far no money, so will wait until at least 5 business days to see if it appears...
Releatively painless, the lady was onshore and was very helpful...

 

[BriarFlyer]

The cash/taxes component of my international award cancellation finally landed in my credit card account 9 weeks after cancellation and 2 weeks in arrears of the points. I cancelled on-line and haven't received email notifications of the refund at any point. FWIW I received the exact same sum paid.

 

[kpc]

I cancelled my flights Syd-Hkg-Lhr-Kef; Kef-Lhr-Sin-Syd online last Sunday (5th April) and slowly all the legs have disappeared from manage my booking....but no sign of points or taxes back as yet.

Managed to get through to Qf just then (17 April) via Plat phone line with only 5 minute wait! Agent can see my online cancellation has been registered and has joined a Q for points and taxes to be processed and refunded....apparently now can take up to 45 days!! She also confirmed the 6000 point penalty will be waived.

Magically, maybe coincidentally, the day after the phone call, the Qf points (with no 6K cancellation fee) are back in my account today. No sign of the $$ component yet...

...and finally got the taxes / surcharges back overnight including the $7 credit card fee. This was after I made a phone call about 2.5 weeks ago and they advised me to wait til June 4th, and to ring back if the $$ were still outstanding. I rang back on Friday (3 days ago, 5th June), and they put me on hold for nearly 10 minutes, then came back to tell me they processed the refund manually....so all up, took 2 months and 3 phone calls to Qf. FYI

 

[BriarFlyer]

@kpc, my cancellation was also made April 5. I made no phone calls or follow ups and received the taxes/surcharges the same date as you, although your points were refunded more quickly (in response to your 17 April call.)

 

[serfty]

so all up, took 2 months and 3 phone calls to Qf. FYI

@kpc, my cancellation was also made April 5. I made no phone calls or follow ups and received the taxes/surcharges the same date as you, although your points were refunded more quickly (in response to your 17 April call.)

Yes, as detailed upthread I cancelled two award bookings for this weekend on Apr 5 - this was almost strait after they advertised waived award cancel fees for travel booked for after May.

Once was points and ¥+++ from HND to MEL, the other was points and $+++ for MEL-SIN,SIN-HND. The First was refunded both points and ¥+++ within 48 hours.

For the second I had made two calls - once after 4 weeks where I was told to wait 6 weeks and the second time after 7 weeks where I was told to call again after two months (5th June). The points came back about a week after that and 'magically' the $+++ dated June 5th.

 

[sambo]

I just received a notification that some August Qantas flights I had booked were cancelled by Qantas, which I was kind of expecting to happen.

So I've just called up Qantas to organise a refund, and the recorded message says "if you are calling about the status of your refund, current processing time is approx 8-10 weeks."

Does anyone else find this a little hard to believe that this is genuinely how long this process takes, and they are not artificially delaying customer refunds in order to stem the cash bleed?

I understand and accept that this is an unprecedented black swan event, but does this 8-10 weeks strike anyone else as an improbably long timeframe?

Or is this an unfair assessment?

 

[astrosly]

I just received a notification that some August Qantas flights I had booked were cancelled by Qantas, which I was kind of expecting to happen.

So I've just called up Qantas to organise a refund, and the recorded message says "if you are calling about the status of your refund, current processing time is approx 8-10 weeks."

Does anyone else find this a little hard to believe that this is genuinely how long this process takes, and they are not artificially delaying customer refunds in order to stem the cash bleed?

I understand and accept that this is an unprecedented black swan event, but does this 8-10 weeks strike anyone else as an improbably long timeframe?

Or is this an unfair assessment?

No, I believe this is a fair assessment based on my experience. All refunds from airlines, hotels/accommodation and activities I booked for travel between April and July and cancelled in March and early April have been received between 2 days and 6 weeks, with most received in the first 10 days of request. The only refunds I haven't received are from Qantas with the first requests for refunds made on 25 March, i.e. 11 weeks ago and still waiting. Even Jetstar refunded in around 15 business days.

 

[bPeteb]

I followed up, again, on Monday. I'd been told to wait until 08/06 the last time I called. Three refunds still outstanding but I was confused about why I'd received the points back, but not the credit card refund, for one of them. When the CSR looked at it something was obviously not right. I was told that I should have received the refund first, then the points. On Wednesday I received the email telling me that the refund had been processed and would be in my account 'in some time'. I should expect the points in 10 days (I got them back two weeks ago!). We'll see how long it takes to land on the Amex.