Qantas improves conditions on vouchers

[Seat0B]

I just got an email, that said amongst other things:

"Following customer feedback, our team has been working hard to improve the conditions on our flight credits. Due to coronavirus, many of our customers now hold a flight credit. If your original booking was made prior to 30 April 2020, and you were due to travel on a Qantas flight between 31 January 2020 - 30 September 2020, your flight credit can be used across multiple future bookings. This will be updated in our system from June 2020. We have also extended the expiry date, with any existing unused credits issued after 1 January 2019, now valid until 31 December 2021, giving our customers more time, flexibility and choice.

This also seems to imply that the new flight(s) won't have to be of equal of higher value - in other words, you could make 2 or more bookings to use up the value of the the voucher. Have I got that right?

The power of customer feedback! This looks quite positive for the many customers, including me, with vouchers...

 

[Woodie]

We have a booking for September to London, I haven't received any email & I can't find anything on the Qantas site to this effect.

Coronavirus travel update | Qantas

Find information on booking changes and refunds, keeping you healthy while you're flying, changes to our International flights to meet demand and government travel restrictions and alerts on coronavirus travel updates.

www.qantas.com

Edit : Found it on the site.

Booking changes and other options | Qantas

View information on what option you have for changing and cancelling your Qantas flight booking.

www.qantas.com

Think I might hold out for a refund, would rather Qantas offer a voucher for the same class of travel instead of same/or higher value.

 

[ap_member]

It seems like they’re no longer waiving change fees:

When you’re ready to rebook, you’ll need to cover any change fee and any fare increase in your new booking.

We were supposed to fly in March 2020 but had to cancel. We accepted the flight credit by text after initially asking for cash refund. We switched to the credit since they said they would waive change fees. I hope they still honour this without a long and difficult fight.

 

[Mattg]

I believe Qantas is waiving change fees for vouchers issued until 30 April 2020 (as they advertised at the time).

 

[mrsterryn]

Just hoping I get a chance to use my vouchers
Bit concerned that their end date is 30th Sept. Husband has a trip to UK (Denmark ) which he is really really hoping will go ahead . Don't want another voucher I have to say

 

[wandering_fred]

Now if Jetstar would follow.....

But I'm (intentionally) wandering
Fred

 

[Woodie]

Just hoping I get a chance to use my vouchers
Bit concerned that their end date is 30th Sept. Husband has a trip to UK (Denmark ) which he is really really hoping will go ahead . Don't want another voucher I have to say

The voucher end date is 31 Dec 2021. The 30th Sep was if you had a ticket to fly before 30th Sep you can opt for a voucher.

 

[Seat0B]

Just hoping I get a chance to use my vouchers
Bit concerned that their end date is 30th Sept. Husband has a trip to UK (Denmark ) which he is really really hoping will go ahead . Don't want another voucher I have to say

Yes the end date seems surprisingly close to me too. But they seem to have been pushing out other dates for various cut-offs for quite a while, so I guess that might happen here too?
I also hope to have a chance to use my current vouchers, and not to have to generate more as I have a trip to Europe departing 5 October.....Really don't want another voucher so I am waiting and hoping they cancel one of the many flights involved so I can get a refund.

 

[Flashback]

The only reason I could see a voucher being useful is if it has DSC attached to it. If not, why wouldn't you go for a cash refund?

From what I've read the voucher won't let you book the same flight on different dates, it's just a credit towards and if the new fare is higher then you have to pay. Can't say I see that as being a good option personally!

 

[Seat0B]

The only reason I could see a voucher being useful is if it has DSC attached to it. If not, why wouldn't you go for a cash refund?

From what I've read the voucher won't let you book the same flight on different dates, it's just a credit towards and if the new fare is higher then you have to pay. Can't say I see that as being a good option personally!

So yep, mine have DSC, for what that’s worth. Also I made 2 rookie errors. I was flying CBR-MEL bus class and MEL-CBR red-e deal all on the same booking. When I went for a refund, they refused and said that the most onerous refund conditions applied to the whole thing. They would not even consider just refunding the business class leg because by now I could not care less about DSCs! Kind of makes a mockery of a refundable business class fare, but I guess that’s my fault for not knowing. They certainly didn’t make that very clear when I booked though. Next time I will make 2 bookings. Second rookie error was I panicked and cancelled my flight (for mid-March) when things were all going to custard. I should have just waited until they cancelled it - which of course they did, but by then it was too late for me!

I’m keeping my nerve in a very expensive Finnair Business ticket for 5 October and hoping that one of the many flights involved is cancelled by one of the airlines so I can get a refund on that one. Don’t really want another voucher! I have more than enough.

 

[OZDUCK]

So yep, mine have DSC, for what that’s worth. Also I made 2 rookie errors. I was flying CBR-MEL bus class and MEL-CBR red-e deal all on the same booking. When I went for a refund, they refused and said that the most onerous refund conditions applied to the whole thing. They would not even consider just refunding the business class leg because by now I could not care less about DSCs! Kind of makes a mockery of a refundable business class fare, but I guess that’s my fault for not knowing. They certainly didn’t make that very clear when I booked though. Next time I will make 2 bookings. Second rookie error was I panicked and cancelled my flight (for mid-March) when things were all going to custard. I should have just waited until they cancelled it - which of course they did, but by then it was too late for me!

I’m keeping my nerve in a very expensive Finnair Business ticket for 5 October and hoping that one of the many flights involved is cancelled by one of the airlines so I can get a refund on that one. Don’t really want another voucher! I have more than enough.

I too am waiting for Finnair to cancel flights so I can get refunds for 2 Business tickets. However, there is a move by European Governments to remove the obligation to give refunds and instead let them just offer vouchers.

'Most EU states' back no more obligatory refunds for cancelled flights

A dozen EU states will today call on Brussels to temporarily suspend a European law granting refunds for cancelled flights, Euronews understands.

www.euronews.com

 

[Bundy Bear]

I am sure the voucher conditions will change over time.
I put one flight into credit for a mid May trip,
The other one the flight was changed then cancelled, I want the refund on that one.

Surprised I got a refund from Jetstar, but I should have got a refund from Virgin but oh well, I do the American Express charge back if that goes to custard.

 

[Seat0B]

I too am waiting for Finnair to cancel flights so I can get refunds for 2 Business tickets. However, there is a move by European Governments to remove the obligation to give refunds and instead let them just offer vouchers.

'Most EU states' back no more obligatory refunds for cancelled flights

A dozen EU states will today call on Brussels to temporarily suspend a European law granting refunds for cancelled flights, Euronews understands.

www.euronews.com

I wonder how that will play out when several of my flights are with Qantas. The reason for my trip was a special birthday, and that won’t be happening now so I don’t really want a voucher. I can always cancel and just pay the cancellation fee I guess, but of course I’d rather not!

 

[OZDUCK]

I wonder how that will play out when several of my flights are with Qantas. The reason for my trip was a special birthday, and that won’t be happening now so I don’t really want a voucher. I can always cancel and just pay the cancellation fee I guess, but of course I’d rather not!

Our first flight, from Per - Sin, is also with Qantas. At the moment we hope to be in Berlin in late August 2021 for a family reunion - that will be probably delayed from the same time this year. So the voucher may be useful but everything is still up in the air.

 

[wandering_fred]

Our first flight, from Per - Sin, is also with Qantas. At the moment we hope to be in Berlin in late August 2021 for a family reunion - that will be probably delayed from the same time this year. So the voucher may be useful
but everything is still up in the air.

Except passenger airplanes?

Far too much (or is that too little) wandering
Fred

 

[The Astronomer]

The only reason I could see a voucher being useful is if it has DSC attached to it. If not, why wouldn't you go for a cash refund?

From what I've read the voucher won't let you book the same flight on different dates, it's just a credit towards and if the new fare is higher then you have to pay. Can't say I see that as being a good option personally!

Regarding thre DSC offer, yes I agree. It would seem to me that keeping the booking as a credit could be useful when rebooking, as Qantas allows changes provided that the original booking reference number is retained. However, unless I have missed something, they have not yet commented on which of the bookings in the multiple set of bookings will retain that number. Perhaps it will be the first of the multiple bookings to be made?

 

[dandandan]

So international flights are being cancelled to the end of July, Trans-Tasman June, so not sure how not waiving the change fees from 1 May is going stop people just waiting for refunds for flights during this period. Pretty stupid decision if they were trying to retain cash and get as many people as possible to take flight credit vouchers. You think this will change for flights that are going to be cancelled during this period.

 

[BrentH]

The only reason I could see a voucher being useful is if it has DSC attached to it. If not, why wouldn't you go for a cash refund?

Has anyone got any confirmation on how they're handling DSCs / ORCs on itineraries where one or more sectors are cancelled?

(I have 800 SC earn scheduled for August. I can't see international borders reopening before then, and my sectors haven't run since March. Just preparing for what seems to be the inevitable.)

 

[suki]

I have a voucher and I need to know if Qantas will treat it as cash. For example, if they have double status credit promotion and I use my voucher, will it be honoured for this?

 

[The Astronomer]

Good question. My understanding, but BEFORE Qantas decided to allow the voucher to be redeemed for multiple bookings, is that a booking that is changed but still has the same reference number as the original booking would still qualify for double status credits, provided that the new flight would take place within the advertised promotion period for double status credits. I don't now what will happen now, because only one (at most) of the new multiple bookings could possibly have the same reference number. Maybe the strategy is to try to first book the best possible flight (for status credit purposes) using the same reference number, then use the remaining money (if any) for other flights. But I don't know for sure, and I have not yet seen a statement from Qantas about this (unless I have missed it). Perhaps the best strategy is to call and wait for ages on the phone to get an answer. If the answer is highly favourable, ask for this answer to be put in their notes for your booking!