[cathgates]

You probably already know this, but, Air New Zealand offer a return ticket called a flexible fare ticket, which has to be booked over the phone - pleasantly an 0800 number!!! It costs more than a standard return, but once you have a work visa etc, you can take that to their nearest office, and they will refund your return portion, which, with the example we ran through today, works out cheaper than buying a one way ticket!!! :
Outbound flight 14/05/2008
Return flight 14/10/2008
Cost £1060.20 :exit
Refund of return flight £567:D
He did say to make sure I let whoever booked it know I wanted a flexible fare ticket, and also to use a credit card that would be valid at the time of refund, otherwise it can take a long time to sort the refund out.
Incidentally, I chose the dates for the example not him so it wasn't as if it was a freaky special offer He had found.

May help some people.

Cath X

[JoanneG]

Thanks Cath, we are planning to come out this way so this information is great.

:cheers

[lockstock]

Be careful about the return dates they give you. It must be within 6 months. We were given a date about 11 months later. We got to the check-in desk at Heathrow and were told it wasn't valid. It was easy to change though fortunately but a scare we could havbe done without.

Thanks for reminding me that now we have the visas I can clain the money back! On the 'to do' list for next week.

[cathgates]

Hi Lockstock, glad your visa is sorted, let me know how easy it was to claim the money back.
Cath X

[vixxann]

I didn't know this - thank you :D :clap

[lockstock]

I just phoned ANZ for our refund and they are ok, there's no problem getting a refund because we now have the right visa but they do have to see a photocopy of the visa in the passport. We've got to send it to an address in Auckland and they'll refund the original credit card. Sorted.

[cathgates]

Hi Lockstock, what did they consider the right visa?

Cath X

[lockstock]

PR - but I think anything over 12 months will do

[cathgates]

Thanks - we will be getting a work visa, but we want to apply for one over 12 months
Cath X

[Croft]

Just to re-iterate what the ANZ policy is...

Entering New Zealand on a One-way Ticket

People travelling to New Zealand on a one-way ticket must be either:

* a New Zealand passport holder
* an Australian passport holder
* a permanent resident of Australia holding a valid Australian Resident Return Visa allowing an indefinite stay
* other foreign national holding a valid New Zealand Returning Resident's Visa

All other visitors to New Zealand must possess a return or onward ticket to a country to which you have right of entry.

If you are a visitor to New Zealand making an international side trip (returning back to New Zealand before continuing your journey), please remember to take your onward ticket with you on the side trip. You will need to present this when checking in for your return flight to New Zealand.

http://www.airnewzealand.co.uk/travelinfo/planning_your_trip/entering_nz.htm

This would imply that you'd need an RRV to get the refund, but I may of course be wrong.

[IanW99]

Just to re-iterate what the ANZ policy is...



http://www.airnewzealand.co.uk/travelinfo/planning_your_trip/entering_nz.htm

This would imply that you'd need an RRV to get the refund, but I may of course be wrong.

This get's quoted a lot on this forum and I really wish that Air NZ would actually correct it.

It is simply not right, you do not need an RRV, you simply need a visa which states 'outward passage waived' which you can get on Work visas and WTR visas etc.

Ian

[Croft]

This get's quoted a lot on this forum and I really wish that Air NZ would actually correct it.

It is simply not right, you do not need an RRV, you simply need a visa which states 'outward passage waived' which you can get on Work visas and WTR visas etc.

Ian

Thanks for clearing that up Ian - I seem to recall that being said now. I see they still haven't updated their site with the latest UK cabin baggage rules.

[jpd]

We spent an unnerving 15 minutes yesterday discussing with a travel agent who said he had never heard about and was sure there was no such thing as a flexible fare return ticket with which you can get a refund for the return portion after using the first part - just the thing so many people here have written they've bought.
He called Air NZ Germany, and they fully supported him - well, maybe policy's different there then with Air NZ GB...

So, in the end we asked about one way tickets to NZ and one way tickets back, and that seemed reasonable to them.
We now have a booking (yet to be confirmed by us) for a good (i.e. few stops) one-way flight there and a cheap, refundable one-way flight back to Europe. (Entering visa-free, flight back < 3 months after flight there)

From all I've read here this should be ok? Or does anyone know anything different, or think it would seem suspicious? Anyone done it this way?

Thanks,
Jan