SYDNEY – The Qantas Group has announced that it will remove the expiry date on COVID-19 travel credits that were originally scheduled to run out at the end of this year.
The decision has relieved the flyers who don’t need to rush to claim a refund by December 31, with the airline confirming it would scrap the controversial year-end expiry date of travel credits.
The carrier has confirmed that the refunds will now be available “indefinitely” for all Qantas and Jetstar passengers whose flights were canceled by the airlines due to Covid lockdowns.
Qantas will also put in efforts to contact customers eligible for a refund, including notifying flyers by SMS in the coming weeks.
Interestingly, flyers will still be able to choose between claiming a refund or converting the cost of their untaken flights into travel credit which can be used when booking a future flight.
Moreover, canceled Qantas bookings that have already been converted into travel credit can be turned into a cash refund indefinitely, in what appears to be a big relief for the consumers.
“If you have a Qantas Covid credit, you can request a cash refund at any point in the future,” promises Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.
“And if you have a Jetstar Covid voucher, you can use it for travel indefinitely. These credits and vouchers will never expire,” he said.
The airline also addressed the concerns of other flyers and said it is “also working with travel agents to coordinate refunds for travel not booked directly through the airlines.”
Another offer by the carrier is that from September 4, Qantas is offering double the standard number of Frequent Flyer Points for any flights booked with a Qantas COVID credit before 31 December 2023.
The carrier has said that due to system limitations, Qantas COVID credit can’t be converted into a travel booking after this date, but can be taken as a refund at any time.
