Qantas flight credit

[henleybeach]

Hi guys

I needed to cancel a flight to Perth a few months ago and subsequently received a flight credit of $279.
I wanted to use the credit to come home from Sydney in June, however if I use the credit, the flight is $309, but if I pay cash it’s $199.

Are there any tips around this or does Qantas have me by the short and curlys
I have tried ringing Q m, however after 80 min on hold, I gave up.

 

[RichardMEL]

This is a known "feature" of the flight credits (per the T&C of equal/higher value) however there's still a waiver on IIRC and you should be able to get the lower price flights with it but unfortunately yes, you will have to endure calling to get this.

Or wait for it to be converted into a Travel Pass which is far more flexible to use, but it would be better to call if flights you wish to use it for now.

 

[TheInsider]

It's not a feature, it's most likely being due to the T&C's of that voucher that they received.
How did you get that voucher and when was it issued?

 

[RichardMEL]

It's not a feature, it's most likely being due to the T&C's of that voucher that they received.
How did you get that voucher and when was it issued?

I was somewhat joking re "feature" but yes absolutely. it is very common to require equal or higher value (and/or fare class in some cases).

point being that this is normal behavour for flight credits and is per the T&C... but as I noted my understanding is there is a waiver of sorts in place at the moment (which probably will end at some point of course).

 

[TheInsider]

I was somewhat joking re "feature" but yes absolutely

Sorry, went way over my head. Long day.

 

[henleybeach]

Thanks Guys
Works differently to Virgin travel credit then

 

[tdimdad]

Works differently to Virgin travel credit then

...which work like a charm. Or have been for me: cancelled a Jan 2021 trip with three people on the same ticket, and I've been gradually using the credit for individual flights (including booking for someone else). This is how it ought to work...

 

[RichardMEL]

What is quite frustrating is that QF have transitioned, in theory, to the TravelPass, which really is a great thing - very flexible and just like cash (in the specific currency) and none of the legacy issues of the Flight Credits. They have even been converting old fC's to TP's over time. What I find frustrating or odd is that having decided on this change - which is a really great one - is that the system still generates new FC's in the old style and they've not changed them to automatically create TP's which would be ideal. I am sure there are programming and process issues involved of course, but it jut seems the obvious no brainer move to make which would be SO MUCH BETTER for customers...

... which is probably why they are not rushing to do it (cynical view) because well, you get one of these legacy FC's with all that they entail (per this thread, and many others) and the winner is QF - if pax just accept and pay up, and are limited in other ways... so there's no huge incentive to change this.. but then why go through a process to converting existing ones to TP's? And why does that take so long anyway?

So there seems to be a conflict between intent and execution.. otherwise known as "Consistently Inconsistent"(tm)

 

[dylarr]

My experience is that a Qantas Pass is only generated where a refund would otherwise be due i.e where a sector has been cancelled/schedule change or was a flex booking. If you cancel under Fly Flexible you’ll be stuck with a flight credit that has the same or greater value rule attached.

 

[RichardMEL]

My experience is that a Qantas Pass is only generated where a refund would otherwise be due i.e where a sector has been cancelled/schedule change or was a flex booking. If you cancel under Fly Flexible you’ll be stuck with a flight credit that has the same or greater value rule attached.

yes, that is true and that's how I got my bunch. Those were due to QF doing a cancel and calling to get a refund OR when they had the promo to accept a TP with bonus points/SCs etc (no longer offered)

This page on the QF site seems to say only "eligible" FC's are being converted by QF and those deemed eligible are "certain Flight Credits that were generated due to the impact of COVID-19 to Qantas Pass. This is to allow for greater flexibility and more options for redemption." - which kind of says maybe for FC's generated due to a QF cancel, but one could argue FC's created by voluntary flight cancels due to covid issues (eg: border closures or even being positive and not allowed to travel when tests were required etc) should also be converted.

This does imply this is not going to be an ongoing thing though which is disappointing.

more here: https://help.qantas.com/support/s/article/flight-credit-converted-to-a-qantas-pass

 

[Mattg]

If your original booking was made on/after October 2021, this is unfortunately how it is "supposed" to work now as Qantas changed the rules around vouchers then. If your original booking is from before then, it's not supposed to work like this.

See:

Sneaky Change to Qantas Flight Credits

Qantas has come under fire after customers discovered they were being charged significantly more when booking with a flight credit. Over recent weeks,

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[henleybeach]

I’ll have to suck eggs by the looks of it!
Another sneaky Qantas enhancement.
I usually fly Virgin and have used their travel credit/bank many times which is clearly a lot more generous.

 

[VPS]

You could try filling this out ​

Qantas consultation - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - Citizen Space would like to hear your experience with trying to use Qantas flight credits in a short 5-minute survey.

In particular, we’re interested if the available fare prices for flights are higher when you try to book using your flight credit than when you try to book using other forms of payment (such as cash or credit card) on Qantas’ website.

Any information provided will be kept confidential in accordance with the ACCC’s Information Policy.

Please do not use this survey for any other issues relating to Qantas. To make an enquiry about any other issue, please use this general enquiry form.

 

[AIRwin]

https://consultation.accc.gov.au/accc/qantas-consultation/We would like to hear your experience with trying to use Qantas flight credits in a short 5-minute survey.

Closes tomorrow:
https://consultation.accc.gov.au/accc/qantas-consultation/ (this link should work)

 

[NM]

Perhaps Qantas could make their Qantas Flight Credit or Qantas Pass more useful and allow them to be used to purchase non-flight products such as toasters from the FF store or, of likely higher interest to AFF members, to purchase valuable products from Qantas Wine