BA Holidays that don’t offer deposit option
Apr 29, 2024, 11:34 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2022
Posts: 11
BA Holidays that don’t offer deposit option
Hello everyone,
Are there specific conditions that mean a holiday booking does not offer a deposit option?
I have been looking at a Mexico holiday for a week Christmas break (2 people, 2 rooms, business class, mixed BA / AA all on BA codeshare numbers).
Called BA holidays who were not able to offer a deposit option and couldn’t shed any light on the logic behind it?
Is the collective wisdom here able to shed that light on what might be causing this so I can tweak what I’m trying to go after booking?
Many thank, as always, for the help!
Are there specific conditions that mean a holiday booking does not offer a deposit option?
I have been looking at a Mexico holiday for a week Christmas break (2 people, 2 rooms, business class, mixed BA / AA all on BA codeshare numbers).
Called BA holidays who were not able to offer a deposit option and couldn’t shed any light on the logic behind it?
Is the collective wisdom here able to shed that light on what might be causing this so I can tweak what I’m trying to go after booking?
Many thank, as always, for the help!
Last edited by BASon; Apr 29, 2024 at 11:43 am Reason: Incorrect title
Apr 29, 2024, 1:22 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,318
This shouldn’t be an issue, if used BAH for CUN and paid deposits, but not flown to MEX, Can you perhaps give more dates / flight info? Perhaps a screenshot? Have you tried “create custom trip” on BA.com?
Apr 29, 2024, 1:33 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,394
I don’t know the answer but I have certainly seen what the OP describes- no option to just pay a deposit but for no obvious reason. I seem to remember I got short shrift here when I queried it here so very interested in the replies.
Apr 29, 2024, 1:45 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2022
Posts: 11
Apr 29, 2024, 1:52 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 83
Seeing this quite a bit at the moment on flights & car enquiries online. I’ve been trying multiple US routings to make use of the current sale. Straightforward routes and cabin usage will bring up the car rental as part of a BAH and a deposit is offered. If the itinerary becomes a little more complex; e.g. LHR->DFW->PHX in First, car rental for 2 weeks, return flights direct PHX->LHR in Club, then the car rental is offered as an extra to the flight only cost and not transferred to a BAH package (and therefore a deposit option isn’t offered).
Apr 29, 2024, 2:40 pm
#6
Moderator: Qatar Airways
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: LHR/NCE/MIA
Programs: BAEC GfL & GGL, SQ Gold, Amex Centurion, Mucci des Chevaliers des Bons Mots et Qui Savent Moucher
Posts: 9,003
For the most part, this is caused by one of the holiday aspects being non-refundable. The website can't get past that, and so makes the entire trip payable.
Call in and they'll likely book the trip manually for you, meaning it's still a BAH booking, but also with a deposit (albeit non-refundable).
M
Call in and they'll likely book the trip manually for you, meaning it's still a BAH booking, but also with a deposit (albeit non-refundable).
M
Apr 29, 2024, 2:45 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: BA
Posts: 57
I had a similar issue recently, I could book my flights and hotels to and from Tokyo whilst paying a deposit but when I tried to fly into Hiroshima via Tokyo and back out of Tokyo, I couldn’t find a way to book with a deposit. I called BA holidays and they told me it’s because the flight between Hiroshima and Tokyo was operated by JAL, maybe this is a similar situation?
Apr 29, 2024, 3:23 pm
#8
Join Date: Jun 2021
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 563
Had exactly the same issue when booking a holiday in which the car hire began one day after the outbound flight (i.e., overnighting at a hotel close to the arrival airport rather than picking it up straight away, although the hotel itself was not part of the combined booking).
The system had a fit; first crashing completely and then eventually producing the payment page without a deposit option.
Rang the Gold Line, where a really superb representative sorted the whole thing out.
Just call, is the moral of the story. It shouldn’t be this difficult, but we’ll all have to make do while we wait for the results of the IT transformation…
The system had a fit; first crashing completely and then eventually producing the payment page without a deposit option.
Rang the Gold Line, where a really superb representative sorted the whole thing out.
Just call, is the moral of the story. It shouldn’t be this difficult, but we’ll all have to make do while we wait for the results of the IT transformation…
Apr 29, 2024, 10:12 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,819
Maybe they'll get a different response if they call again, but important to acknowledge that they've already tried that...
Apr 30, 2024, 12:59 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: London
Programs: Sir Ratechaser Seigneur de la Patience d'un Saint (Mucci), BA Silver, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 2,615
For the most part, this is caused by one of the holiday aspects being non-refundable. The website can't get past that, and so makes the entire trip payable.
Call in and they'll likely book the trip manually for you, meaning it's still a BAH booking, but also with a deposit (albeit non-refundable).
M
Call in and they'll likely book the trip manually for you, meaning it's still a BAH booking, but also with a deposit (albeit non-refundable).
M
invariably get a compartmentalised flight plus hotel quote with no option to pay a deposit.
...whereas you can generally get the same combination to work on a custom trip booking with a deposit. Never works for split class bookings with partial date hotel though.
Apr 30, 2024, 2:54 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,353
I too had this when adding car hire which wasn't for the entire length of the trip - unfortunately I didn't think to call up and ask them to sort it so that we could book with just the deposit, thankfully I now know for next time.