Using Red Select Voucher - any advice?

Hi

I've just come off the phone from customer services trying to redeem 3 select vouchers we got after being voluntarily bumped off a flight from MCO to LGW in June.

I want to fly to Miami around the end of May 2011, returning up to 3 weeks later. After reading all the info on this site I assumed that the tickets would come from X class allocation, which appeared to have lots of availability. However the man I spoke to told me that the select vouchers can only be used for O class tickets, of which there were none released in these date ranges, and that he could give me no indication of when they might be released.

Does this mean that Virgin have changed their policy since the ticket fare code info was posted on this site, or was I being given the wrong information on the phone?

I thought I was doing the right thing in booking so far in advance but now I'm not sure!!

Anyone else had experience of trying to use one of these vouchers?

Many thanks.

[Neil]

The O fare code is one that Virgin have only recently started using, so it is quite possible that they now use this for the select vouchers.

Richard Mannion was our resident expert on the use of these vouchers, so hopefully he or someone else with knowledge of them will be along to offer some advice.

Neil

Hey all

As I work in the contact centre, I'll more than happily answer any questions you care to throw at me with regards to the above, or indeed, anything else.

I can confirm that all select vouchers are booked into O class, not X as you suspected.

Thanks iGuyHD

What would you recommend is the best way to go about getting the flights we want using the vouchers? We are reasonably flexible around the flight dates as long as they span a 2/3 week period over the half term (w/c 30 May). Should we be checking by phone daily or leave it a while?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

Janine

[Neil]

I guess part of the problem could be that the flights for your dates have only just become available, and the lowest fare codes aren't always released straight away. I would suggest you keep checking over the next few days/weeks and hopefully some of the O fare codes are released.

I tend to agree with the above; not all fares are released en-masse for all routes as soon as they become availible.

If I were you, I would leave it a while; a few weeks should be enough, then ring us back and check.

I actually had a look earlier at how those flights were selling, and hardly any O class fares appear to have been sold; which either suggests they havnt been released, or are being done so at a slow rate.

Just as an aside, you might be better off jacking in your red select vouchers for airmiles (40,000 each) with customer relations - would get you close to the 50,000 needed for a reward seat to Miami (as T class fares tend to appear more frequently than O that far in advance.

Thanks iGuyHD

I'll try again in a few weeks.

With regard to your suggestion to trade for virgin miles, surely I'd then have to pay for taxes if I used miles, whereas the select vouchers includes these?

J

[Neil]

Yes you would have to pay taxes if you changes to miles and then spent them. One benefit of having the miles is that you could then use them to upgrade to PE/UC if you wanted, where as with the vouchers it is Y, so it depends what you want really.

Very much echoing the above, but yes, with any reward seat you can't escape taxes and charges unfortunatly.

If I were you, purely becuase O class fares seem to be rarer than hens teeth these days (half the reason is that O class, along with N and X, are sold to travelagents in bulk), would be to transfer them into miles - gives you more flexibility in the long run.

You could always have the vouchers extended by a year, just write in to customer relations.

Hi there

I'm not trying to hijack the post here, but I have a few queries relating to the above also.

We got VO on SFO to LHR in June, and were given five red select vouchers, one for each of us, including kids.

Firstly, the staff member dealing with us said that we have 18 months to use the voucher to book travel, but the travel itself can take place after this. On the back of the voucher, however, in the T&C, it says that all travel MUST take place within 18 months, and that (in capital letters) no extensions to this will be permitted. So we do have to travel with the next 18 months presumably?

Secondly, is there a hope of us getting five seats on a flight? Why are they now O class, and normally sold in bulk to travel agents..how are we supposed to use them?

Thirdly (and lastly I hope!) - I read that they only allow four select vouchers on any flight. If we are a family of five, are they going to allow five select vouchers on a flight, or what will happen?

ETA - Is it possible to redeem these vouchers against Virgin Holidays I wonder? Or what is the most efficent way of using them - we are extremely flexible!

Thanks in advance!

I have 2 red select vouchers and I want to use them this July to Ghana and return in first week of september.i have been call and there is nothing @ the moment can someone advice me if something will come up.