Qantas Revenue booking cancellations (under covid19)

[Jean Prouvaire]

What magic time did you call to get a answer that quick.

4 in the morning.

 

[Cardinal]

Over a day later, still no confirmation email, so 90 minutes ago I rang the call centre and got the booking cancelled over the phone. Was told an email confirmation would arrive within 5-10 minutes, but no sign yet. And the booking still appears on MMB.

This replicates my situation. It's unsettling, because it's nice to have the written confirmation. But exactly the same thing happened to me in October pre-Coronovirus. Worked out eventually but ohh the phone calls

 

[AndyGoodyear]

Don't want to be pedantic but change does not equal cancel. Change also means Qantas keeps the money.

this may be the case - but on the Qantas website where it says tickets can be cancelled without fees and a voucher will be issued - it doesn’t specify that this does not apply to reward bookings.

 

[craiglm]

Cheers for this info... thought this may be the case. Pretty average form by QF given this on their latest newsroom release...

"Qantas Frequent Flyers who have booked classic redemption flights on Qantas, Jetstar and all partner airlines, and no longer wish to travel, will have change fees waived."

Not ideal to have to chase them over the phone...

Looks like their newsroom release was written with very little thought. If you no longer wish to travel then of course you want to cancel not change. Ambiguous and confusing!!

 

[jules2502]

Looks like their newsroom release was written with very little thought. If you no longer wish to travel then of course you want to cancel not change. Ambiguous and confusing!!

Very confusing... So in my case we have been shunted from a MEL-SFO flight to a SYD-SFO flight and under 'My Bookings' they are yet to include the domestic MEL-SYD leg ? Is this reasonable grounds to request a full refund of points without a penalty.

 

[serfty]

Very confusing... So in my case we have been shunted from a MEL-SFO flight to a SYD-SFO flight and under 'My Bookings' they are yet to include the domestic MEL-SYD leg ? Is this reasonable grounds to request a full refund of points without a penalty.

Yes - even if they had included a new connecting segment in a revised booking, the addition of a transit is considered a "significant change" and gives you rights to cancellation with full refund. (You might not get any CC fee back though.)

 

[Mattg]

If you currently have an international booking that you'd like to cancel for a refund (rather than getting a credit voucher), I do have to wonder if you wouldn't be better off waiting for the flight to just be cancelled? With this morning's announcement of a 90% cut in international capacity, it's inevitable. That is, unless Qantas decides it won't refund your money if your flight gets cancelled (like Austrian Airlines has done with one of my bookings)...

 

[Cossie]

Iberia is offering a voucher for us, but zero if we cancel (not sure about taxes), so I'm waiting as we are unlikely to be flying with them in the next 12 months or so, so I would prefer them to cancel and hope we get a full refund.

Our Qantas flights to South Africa in July, I'm hoping, probably in vain that we will still be going. If not, I'll take a voucher for that, not sure if the dsc offer will stick though.
Kenya Air up to Nairobi? No idea, will have to read the fine print.

 

[leaving on a jet plane]

I'm by no means someone who has inside knowledge on QF or a TA - but reading the page, my understanding, at least in your situation is that you will be expected to use the ticket before 30/08/2020.

However, you might call QF, at a later date but before 30/08/2020 and ask for the validity of the voucher to be extended by a certain amount of time, citing the virus & travel restriction situation.

I want to say that "I'm sure" someone from QF would understand, but I'm saying "it's worth a try"

Thanks for the reply. I think I will wait it out until QANTAS try to change my flights as you suggested

 

[Guvner]

If you currently have an international booking that you'd like to cancel for a refund (rather than getting a credit voucher), I do have to wonder if you wouldn't be better off waiting for the flight to just be cancelled? With this morning's announcement of a 90% cut in international capacity, it's inevitable. That is, unless Qantas decides it won't refund your money if your flight gets cancelled (like Austrian Airlines has done with one of my bookings)...

That's exactly my strategy. Wait until QF cancels my flight and then get a refund instead of a voucher.

The voucher is valid for 12 months from the original ticket date, so if your travel is in the next few months and was ticketed 8 or 9 months ago, its basically useless.

 

[Cossie]

That's exactly my strategy. Wait until QF cancels my flight and then get a refund instead of a voucher.

The voucher is valid for 12 months from the original ticket date, so if your travel is in the next few months and was ticketed 8 or 9 months ago, its basically useless.

Hopefully they will make some allowances for this!

 

[opusman]

They really need to rethink the 12 month expiry thing if they want people to take them up on this. I don't know why they're being so stingy.

 

[Cat Lady]

3 diferent people claimed on the Qantas FB page that when they spoke to the help desk (miracles obviously still do occur) they stated you have until the anniversary of the ticket issue date to make your new appointment which can be 12 months from then. ie if you bought ticket on 1 July 2019 you have to make a new reservation before 1 July 2020. Advice was then conflicted: one said new flights have to be take within 12 months from 1 July 2020 for new flight; 2 said 31 December 2020. So even the help desk are confused.

 

[burmans]

Well not totally surprising, they would not have had much training before being thrown in to man the phones I’d suggest!

 

[Maggs]

I have received three credit vouchers. I’d really like to use multiple vouchers to a book a flight In the future Does anyone know if this doable? Thanks

 

[Guvner]

The way I read it (from various Qantas emails and notifications, along with anecdotal evidence):

For paid Qantas, Qantas Group and Qantas Partner tickets booked via Qantas prior to March 10, 2020:

Bookings cancelled "up to" March 31 2020 (I'm assuming it means March 31 2020 23:59:59) for existing travel bookings up to May 31, 2020 (which may be confusing if your actual fight departure time is June 1 2020 1:00 am for example):

Option 1: Cancel and request equivalent value credit voucher. Voucher valid for use 12 months from date of original ticket*. When voucher is used, change fees are waived. (i.e "Free Change")

"For use" is ambiguous but my understanding is in this case it means booked and travel commenced.
There's a lot of people confused with this particular "clause", as the Qantas help desk and call center have been giving differing advice. Some pax have been told 12 months to re-book, others are told travel must commence with 12 months from the original ticket date.

Option 2: Cancel and request refund. Refund is minus any applicable charges as per fare conditions of original ticket. (Not a "Free Cancellation" unless your original fare allows)


Bookings cancelled after March 31, 2020
Option 1: Cancel and request equivalent value credit voucher. Voucher valid for 12 months from date of original ticket*. When voucher is used, change fees are applied. (Not a "Free Cancellation")
Option 2: Cancel and request refund. Refund is minus any applicable charges as per fare conditions of original ticket.(Not a "Free Cancellation" unless your original fare allows)


For points tickets:

Bookings cancelled up to March 31 2020 for existing travel up to May 31, 2020.
Option 1: Cancel and pay the points cancellation fee. Taxes, charges etc are refunded. (Not a "Free Cancellation") EDIT: There are reports of manual points cancellation fees refunds, which apparently take 1-2 weeks to appear.
Option 2: Change the date of travel and the change fees are waived. (i.e "Free Change")

Bookings cancelled after March 31, 2020
Option 1: Cancel and pay the points cancellation fee. Taxes, charges etc are refunded. (Not a "Free Cancellation")
Option 2: Change the date of travel and pay the change fee. (Not a "Free Change")

*Vouchers from cancelled Jetstar flights must instead be spent within six months of the cancellation being actioned – not six months from the date of original purchase – and can be used for travel within 12 months of the new booking date



Now, I have also read that if you make a booking after March 10 and before March 31 for travel up to May 31, 2020 on Qantas or Jetstar, all cancellation fees are waived for bookings cancelled up to May 31, 2020 and your voucher has the same restrictions as above. ("Free Change")

So, in summary:
If you booked before March 10 for travel up to May 31, you have until March 31 to action the "free change" and
If you booked after March 10 for travel up to May 31, you have until the date of travel to action the "free change".

In reality, there is no free cancellation (unless your original fare conditions allow this or you get the points cancellation fee manually refunded), there is only a "free change" under certain conditions.

 

[33kft]

I think Qantas greatly contributed to this confusion by wording the release in such a way that it sounded like cancellations would be handled the same way that changes are, but without intending to offer this. If cancellation was never covered they should have never mentioned it, since the cancellation policy has not changed as a result of this event.

 

[AndyGoodyear]

The way I read it (from various Qantas emails and notifications, along with anecdotal evidence):

For paid Qantas, Qantas Group and Qantas Partner tickets booked via Qantas prior to March 10, 2020:

Bookings cancelled "up to" March 31 2020 (I'm assuming it means March 31 2020 23:59:59) for existing travel bookings up to May 31, 2020 (which may be confusing if your actual fight departure time is June 1 2020 1:00 am for example):

Option 1: Cancel and request equivalent value credit voucher. Voucher valid for use 12 months from date of original ticket*. When voucher is used, change fees are waived. (i.e "Free Change")

"For use" is ambiguous but my understanding is in this case it means booked and travel commenced.
There's a lot of people confused with this particular "clause", as the Qantas help desk and call center have been giving differing advice. Some pax have been told 12 months to re-book, others are told travel must commence with 12 months from the original ticket date.

Option 2: Cancel and request refund. Refund is minus any applicable charges as per fare conditions of original ticket. (Not a "Free Cancellation" unless your original fare allows)


Bookings cancelled after March 31, 2020
Option 1: Cancel and request equivalent value credit voucher. Voucher valid for 12 months from date of original ticket*. When voucher is used, change fees are applied. (Not a "Free Cancellation")
Option 2: Cancel and request refund. Refund is minus any applicable charges as per fare conditions of original ticket.(Not a "Free Cancellation" unless your original fare allows)


For points tickets:

Bookings cancelled up to March 31 2020 for existing travel up to May 31, 2020.
Option 1: Cancel and pay the points cancellation fee. Taxes, charges etc are refunded. (Not a "Free Cancellation")
Option 2: Change the date of travel and the change fees are waived. (i.e "Free Change")

Bookings cancelled after March 31, 2020
Option 1: Cancel and pay the points cancellation fee. Taxes, charges etc are refunded. (Not a "Free Cancellation")
Option 2: Change the date of travel and pay the change fee. (Not a "Free Change")

*Vouchers from cancelled Jetstar flights must instead be spent within six months of the cancellation being actioned – not six months from the date of original purchase – and can be used for travel within 12 months of the new booking date



Now, I have also read that if you make a booking after March 10 and before March 31 for travel up to May 31, 2020 on Qantas or Jetstar, all cancellation fees are waived for bookings cancelled up to May 31, 2020 and your voucher has the same restrictions as above. ("Free Change")

So, in summary:
If you booked before March 10 for travel up to May 31, you have until March 31 to action the "free change" and
If you booked after March 10 for travel up to May 31, you have until the date of travel to action the "free change".

In reality, there is no free cancellation (unless your original fare conditions allow this), there is only a "free change" under certain conditions.

this is good info. However on their website, they do not differentiate between paid and points bookings. They simply say to select cancel and then voucher.

The voucher option isn’t there for points bookings and it goes straight on to cancel the ticket. This caught me by surprise as I’m sure it will others.

I spoke to qantas an hour ago and they said they will be refunding the 6000 points.

 

[Guvner]

this is good info. However on their website, they do not differentiate between paid and points bookings. They simply say to select cancel and then voucher.

The voucher option isn’t there for points bookings and it goes straight on to cancel the ticket. This caught me by surprise as I’m sure it will others.

I spoke to qantas an hour ago and they said they will be refunding the 6000 points.

Thanks, I didn't actually say there was a voucher option for points tix. sorry for any confusion.

 

[jules2502]

this is good info. However on their website, they do not differentiate between paid and points bookings. They simply say to select cancel and then voucher.

The voucher option isn’t there for points bookings and it goes straight on to cancel the ticket. This caught me by surprise as I’m sure it will others.

I spoke to qantas an hour ago and they said they will be refunding the 6000 points.

Thanks for updating us on your booking / cancellation AG... much appreciated

Glad to hear (for you & me) they will be refunding the 6k pts...