QANTAS Charging Fee to Use Flight Credit Obtained Due to COVID Border Closures

jwsc on 10/05/2022 - 20:01

Hi,

So I was meant to fly to Brisbane for Christmas break in 2020.
We brought the tickets when borders were open, naively optimistic they would stay open.
Then on December 19, QLD Government closed the borders on us.
The messaging from QANTAS at the time was that tickets could be exchanged for flight credits at no charge and we have until the end of 2022 to use them.
We are trying to use them now, only to be told that they have now implemented a $99 'change fee' to use the credits.
Has anyone else faced this issue? Any work arounds?

It seems very dodgy, especially when it wasn't our choice to cancel our trip. What were we meant to do? Sneak past the cops at the airport and hope we don't get caught and fined?!

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Comments

  • thatonethere on 10/05/2022 - 20:02
    +2

    Best thing I did was convert it out to cash. Despite the apparent requirement to wait 6 months…

  • jwsc on 10/05/2022 - 20:07
    +1

    Ours were done through Amex travel credits, so not an option for us I don't think..

    • stirlo on 10/05/2022 - 20:37

      So you should have asked Amex travel for the credit.
      Are you sure this is a Qantas fee and not the Amex change fee?

      • jwsc on 10/05/2022 - 21:45

        the amount is set by amex, but amex is saying it's qanta's policy and they need their permission to waive it

        • Seraphin7 on 11/05/2022 - 09:53

          they need their permission to waive it

          That's baloney.

          Qantas is levying the charge on Amex.

          Amex are passing on that charge to you.

          Amex could waive that charge to you, but still need to pay Qantas.

          They won't do that because it costs them/couldn't be @rsed dealing with Qantas.

    • bobokingdom on 10/05/2022 - 21:12

      Is your current credit, Qantas Credit or Amex travel credits?

      • jwsc on 10/05/2022 - 21:45

        we booked the initial flights with amex travel credits and were given qantas flight credit when we cancelled the flights …

        • bargainator9 on 12/05/2022 - 11:54

          I am in exactly the same situation as you. Eg Used amex travel credit to book qantas flights that got covid cancelled. Have you had any luck getting them to waive the $99 per passenger change fee to use the credit?

          • jwsc on 12/05/2022 - 12:58

            @bargainator9: looool we just kept complaining until they agreed to ask Qantas if we could get a waiver
            which they eventually did but took a while
            i've been trying to book since monday, still not confirmed ugh

    • MrThing on 11/05/2022 - 09:52

      Amex travel vouchers are an absolute PITA to use, cancel or refund.

      Avoid at all costs

    • sjj89 on 10/05/2022 - 22:06
      +1

      All 4 of them

  • jwsc on 10/05/2022 - 20:19
    +3

    also pretty sure it was illegal for people to leave the house if they were 'close contacts' which half of Sydney was the time,
    So QANTAS is retrospectively fining its customers for not breaking the law instead of the NSW gov for breaking it?

    • salmon123 on 10/05/2022 - 20:34
      +4

      It's only one of the many ways qantas is screwing anyone that holds a voucher. If you spend 30 seconds on google, you'll see cases of qantas charging fees and taxes again, when using a voucher. There another case of them forfeiting the balance, when the new booking is for a lower amount. Another is when people have gotten married/divorced and qantas asking for a name change fee. I'm sure there's others too.

      All I can say is $99 isn't so bad. I know people that are up for a lot more is losses.

      Any goodwill they built with customers is slowly being eroded away by these sh*ty vouchers. Just pray that karma will bite qantas one day.

  • death24 on 10/05/2022 - 21:48

    Hmmmm…. I'm wondering how many other people will be stung by this issue and only realise it now that the borders have opened. It seems like since May 1 they've stopped the special waiver and are now starting to charge people.

  • Peter Enis on 10/05/2022 - 21:58

    Interesting, just booked a flight tonight for my wife using credit I had in my "Qantas Pass", totally expecting to be slugged with extra fees/charges. Didn't get charged anything extra.

    This was for flights that Qantas canceled and I opted for a credit rather than accept the alternate flights they offered which didn't suit me.

  • kanad on 10/05/2022 - 22:50

    Did you get an email from Qantas that they have converted the credit into Qantas pass. I got the email in Nov 2021. The pass comes with a card number, expiry date and a password. You can use it just like a pre-paid voucher. The balance can be checked here.
    https://www.qantas.com/quisportal/

    Details here https://www.qantas.com/au/en/book-a-trip/flights/payment-opt…

    • jwsc on 11/05/2022 - 08:49

      I don't think we were given that option due to us buying through amex credits initially

      • stirlo on 11/05/2022 - 08:56
        +2

        You’re dealing with Amex not Qantas and your whole post is wrong. When you book through a travel agent like Amex you have to comply with their terms (which include an extra fee). This has nothing to do with Qantas

        If you’d made a direct booking on the qantas website you’d have a credit you could spend with no fees. You didn’t so you need to pay the Amex fee. Stop blaming Qantas when it’s an Amex fee.

        • jwsc on 11/05/2022 - 09:22
          -1

          its Qantas's policy Amex is upholding. It's also on Qantas's website that they will start charging a fee as of May 1!
          and that only certain flight credits are eligible for a Qantas's pass.

          I don't know if it's because we booked through Amex credits or if its due to our fare being a certain tier. But my post is not wrong.

          • stirlo on 11/05/2022 - 11:05

            @jwsc: https://www.qantas.com/au/en/manage-booking/credit-vouchers.…

            There are no fees associated with obtaining your Flight Credit. However, any fees that applied to your original booking will apply at time of redeeming your Flight Credit, unless they have been waived. For example, if you purchased a Red e-Deal or sale fare, the change fee will be charged when you redeem your Flight Credit. Make sure you check the fare conditions of your original booking to find out what fees will apply when you redeem your Flight Credit. If you're unable to use your Flight Credit online and you redeem your Flight Credit through your local Qantas Office, the change booking fee usually charged for assisted bookings will be waived.

            You are right that this is a recent (and customer hostile) change. Looks like you unfortunately should have rebooked before 1st May when the fee was waived. :( I'd certainly put a complaint through Qantas website and potentially ACCC

            • jwsc on 11/05/2022 - 11:32

              @stirlo: if we had of been informed of this change before hand, trust me we would have!

              • s183 on 08/06/2022 - 16:17

                @jwsc: I'm in the same boat! Just tried to book flights and had no idea about the $99 change fee per booking. I can't see any work around but will let you know if I find one. Apparently if I booked by 1st May I wouldn't have had to pay the $99 - if I was aware of this I definitely would have booked. Very frustrating to lose a chunk of the credit when using the credit!

  • jwsc on 18/05/2022 - 09:16

    So after 8 days they finally got back to me with a fare, but apparently if I pay with my flight credits it will cost me $900 for a flight that is listed as $470 on both amex and qantas' websites, "due to the applicability of the flight credit" has anyone ever had an issue like this?

    • s183 on 08/06/2022 - 16:18

      Amex told me I could just pay for the fare I wanted to book and I had until Dec 2023 to use the credit but would still have to pay the $99 per person when I went to use it. Is that $900 including all the charges? How many of you are there?

  • jwsc on 09/06/2022 - 07:47

    nah, it was from they trying to push a higher fare class on me I think.
    finally got it booked on the saver fare class because the sale fare was all sold out by the time the finally got around to fixing the issue.

    • s183 on 09/06/2022 - 16:23

      Did you have to pay the $99 change fee?

      • jwsc on 10/06/2022 - 08:02

        they gave us an waiver if we book before the end of June, but no idea where to book to at this point :/

        • s183 on 11/06/2022 - 19:58

          Hope you sort out somewhere! Did Amex check with Qantas and was the waiver from them or were Amex just able to authorise it? I was online chatting to someone from Amex one day and they said I had no option but to pay the $99 per person. I was chatting to someone the next day who said they could check with Qantas but it can take up to 48 hours to hear back if they will give a waiver and the sale fares I was booking finished the next day (and the difference would have been more than the $198) so I just got them booked but wonder if I can get the $99 per person back from Qantas - not holding my breath!

          • jwsc on 12/06/2022 - 18:50

            @s183: Nah They had to get back us after talking to qantas

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