Eurostar refund

[Citybreak1]

Refunds from £25 from today now. Anybody know if you can refund existing bookings or only new?

 

[scragend]

Refunds from £25 from today now. Anybody know if you can refund existing bookings or only new?

Only new:

Travelling to or from London - with ticket originally booked on/after 23 April

Standard and Standard Premier (Eurostar Standard and Eurostar Plus if you’re travelling on/after 4 November)

You can get a refund with a £25/€25/$40 fee per leg, per person up to seven days before departure. You can’t change your departure or destination stations.

https://help.eurostar.com/faq/uk-en/question/Can-I-cancel-my-ticket-and-get-a-refund

 

[AlbertBeale]

Looks like the "exchange your ticket for a different time/date with no charge" option, which allowed exchanges up to a week before your booked journey, now allows you to change your time/date (but not your destination) for free up to an hour before departure. If I've understood that right, that's rather good.

Of course that's not the same as refunds.

 

[Ian99]

Would the change up to an hour before apply to booking Interrail reservations maybe?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looks like the "exchange your ticket for a different time/date with no charge" option, which allowed exchanges up to a week before your booked journey, now allows you to change your time/date (but not your destination) for free up to an hour before departure. If I've understood that right, that's rather good.

Of course that's not the same as refunds.

Fare difference still needs to be paid but there's no change fee. This makes a lot of sense as nobody is doing any actual admin when you change online. Are you listening, LNER?

 

[DanBlanchflowe]

That's so unfair for Eurostar to change the refund policy midway through the booking period for the biggest event that Paris has hosted since the direct rail link from London to Paris was opened.
This is the one event in Paris where surely Eurostar will not have the capacity to cope particularly when their loadings have had to be lower since Brexit.

I diligently registered with Paris 2024 in January 2023.
Then in February 2023 at the first booking round we accepted 6 tickets for each of Athletics, Beach Vollyball and Water Polo.
Then in November 2023 Paris 2024 told us that bookings were now open on Eurostar, also saying that Eurostar were the official transport provider for Paris 2024.

So I booked straight away, given the likely demand and the block booking Eurostar would make. I consulted the other 5 members of my family first. I have spent an average of £180 per ticket. I have not uploaded any traveller information .

However family circumstances change, one daughter is pregnant and the other needs to change her work pattern with colleagues. So I need a refund on some tickets booked.

Surely Eurostar don't want these seats left empty. They are prime time August Saturday ones.

Any suggestions on how to approach this before I phone Eurostar next week will be appreciated.

Whatever happens, six of us will still be able to look in wonder as Olympians compete just as they did 3,000 years ago.

 

[AlbertBeale]

That's so unfair for Eurostar to change the refund policy midway through the booking period for the biggest event that Paris has hosted since the direct rail link from London to Paris was opened.
This is the one event in Paris where surely Eurostar will not have the capacity to cope particularly when their loadings have had to be lower since Brexit.

I diligently registered with Paris 2024 in January 2023.
Then in February 2023 at the first booking round we accepted 6 tickets for each of Athletics, Beach Vollyball and Water Polo.
Then in November 2023 Paris 2024 told us that bookings were now open on Eurostar, also saying that Eurostar were the official transport provider for Paris 2024.

So I booked straight away, given the likely demand and the block booking Eurostar would make. I consulted the other 5 members of my family first. I have spent an average of £180 per ticket. I have not uploaded any traveller information .

However family circumstances change, one daughter is pregnant and the other needs to change her work pattern with colleagues. So I need a refund on some tickets booked.

Surely Eurostar don't want these seats left empty. They are prime time August Saturday ones.

Any suggestions on how to approach this before I phone Eurostar next week will be appreciated.

Whatever happens, six of us will still be able to look in wonder as Olympians compete just as they did 3,000 years ago.

Not quite "just as they did 3000 years ago"! In those days they didn't compete in national teams, but all as individuals with enmities/origins overlooked during the games. And this is how the modern Olympics started, in the original spirit, about 130 years back. But nationalism very quickly reared its head and the genuine Olympic spirit was squashed within a few years.

 

[Trainbike46]

That's so unfair for Eurostar to change the refund policy midway through the booking period for the biggest event that Paris has hosted since the direct rail link from London to Paris was opened.

Would you have preferred they stuck with their less flexible policy forever? The changes appear to be in passengers' favour, so I'd say it's a good thing it got changed - though of course it would be nice if they'd done this earlier.

This is the one event in Paris where surely Eurostar will not have the capacity to cope particularly when their loadings have had to be lower since Brexit.

They have resolved this issue (by increasing border capacity) and are no longer limiting the seats sold below train capacity from London

I diligently registered with Paris 2024 in January 2023.
Then in February 2023 at the first booking round we accepted 6 tickets for each of Athletics, Beach Vollyball and Water Polo.
Then in November 2023 Paris 2024 told us that bookings were now open on Eurostar, also saying that Eurostar were the official transport provider for Paris 2024.

So I booked straight away, given the likely demand and the block booking Eurostar would make. I consulted the other 5 members of my family first. I have spent an average of £180 per ticket. I have not uploaded any traveller information .

However family circumstances change, one daughter is pregnant and the other needs to change her work pattern with colleagues. So I need a refund on some tickets booked.

If they are still travelling but on different dates, you can change the travel date without fee online, up to 7 dayse before departure (but better to do earlier as, trains will likely sell out, and you still have to pay the difference in fare).

Surely Eurostar don't want these seats left empty. They are prime time August Saturday ones.

Any suggestions on how to approach this before I phone Eurostar next week will be appreciated.

Whatever happens, six of us will still be able to look in wonder as Olympians compete just as they did 3,000 years ago.

If you haven't provided API yet, you could have someone else use the tickets, if you have someone else you would like to take along.

Alternatively, you can change the date of those tickets without fee (as more than 7 days into the future) to a time your family can make it.

you could also ask their customer service if they will refund you the tickets you don't need anymore - which you appear to be planning anyway. If you explain what is going on and ask nicely they may well decide to refund you as a gesture of good will. Most of the time, Eurostar customer service is helpful in my experience, and in any case, you miss all the shots you don't take.

 

[DanBlanchflowe]

Would you have preferred they stuck with their less flexible policy forever? The changes appear to be in passengers' favour, so I'd say it's a good thing it got changed - though of course it would be nice if they'd done this earlier.

They have resolved this issue (by increasing border capacity) and are no longer limiting the seats sold below train capacity from London

If they are still travelling but on different dates, you can change the travel date without fee online, up to 7 dayse before departure (but better to do earlier as, trains will likely sell out, and you still have to pay the difference in fare).

If you haven't provided API yet, you could have someone else use the tickets, if you have someone else you would like to take along.

Alternatively, you can change the date of those tickets without fee (as more than 7 days into the future) to a time your family can make it.

you could also ask their customer service if they will refund you the tickets you don't need anymore - which you appear to be planning anyway. If you explain what is going on and ask nicely they may well decide to refund you as a gesture of good will. Most of the time, Eurostar customer service is helpful in my experience, and in any case, you miss all the shots you don't take.

Thankyou for your excellent advice.

 

[PupCuff]

On a somewhat related note, I'm sure previously when I've used Eurostar you've been able to make changes to the date, time etc through the website and app after purchasing your tickets. On my upcoming trip though, this option doesn't seem to appear anywhere on either the website or the app.

It's a purely theoretical question as I don't need to change my trains, but am I making it up that the option was ever there or has this recently changed?

 

[HBP]

On a somewhat related note, I'm sure previously when I've used Eurostar you've been able to make changes to the date, time etc through the website and app after purchasing your tickets. On my upcoming trip though, this option doesn't seem to appear anywhere on either the website or the app.

It's a purely theoretical question as I don't need to change my trains, but am I making it up that the option was ever there or has this recently changed?

Still showing on the app for me.

Click on ‘Your next trip’ Manage this booking, Select change journey.

 

[PupCuff]

Still showing on the app for me.

Click on ‘Your next trip’ Manage this booking, Select change journey.

Yeah, that's where I thought it is, but it doesn't seem to be there

I wonder if you need the new API thing done before it allows you to make any changes. Will have to see when I get round to putting it in.

 

[rvdborgt]

Would the change up to an hour before apply to booking Interrail reservations maybe?

Doesn't look like it, policy doesn't seem to have changed (non-refundable, change always costs money).
At the moment, IMO Eurostar does false advertising by implying that exchanges without a fee are always possible.
So please ask them about it. The more questions they get, the more likely they'll think about it. I posted a question below their announcement on Facebook but got no reply.