The new HFP chat thread – Friday 27th March

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• Mike says:

  27 Mar27 March 05:04

  Unlikely, their running costs will reduce with not flying as much and the government will underwrite 80% of wages. Whilst still loss making, it should extend the use of their cash pile

  Even then, unlikely that the government will allow BA to go into administration…he says crossing fingers

  • Lady London says:

    27 Mar27 March 10:03

    I agree about Ryanair and easyJet @James Dean. Flying as an experience has really deteriorated since they allowed cheap ordinary people to fly.

    • BJ says:

      27 Mar27 March 10:13

      I’m more concerned about Y pax with status spoiling my lounge experience! And presented with the opportunity to solve the problem BA go and reduce TP requirements 🙁

  • Lady London says:

    27 Mar27 March 10:07

    PS and we can use the Green thing as another thing to grab more taxes for government. Alongside huge prices and the new requirement that any flight over 5 hours has only flat beds this should stop the majority of people that don’t actually work for the government flying.

• Stephen says:

  27 Mar27 March 06:00

  Revolut MCC changed back again on mastercard, attracting 5% cash top up fees once again with Virgin

  • KBuffett says:

    27 Mar27 March 06:18

    Is Hilton Revolution still working?

    • MarkH says:

      27 Mar27 March 07:27

      Yes Hilton Barclaycard (visa) topups still working w/o cash advance fees

      • Stephen says:

        27 Mar27 March 07:39

        Hey, when did you try last? I’ve noticed a change in the last day

        • Don says:

          27 Mar27 March 19:35

          Change how? Visa is back to 4829 (cash advance) or 6012?

          I didn’t realise that MasterCard was ever reverted back to 6012.

  • Youllnever says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:39

    Is the MCC is back to 6012?

    • Stephen says:

      28 Mar28 March 00:31

      Mastercard is back to 4829 cash advance, it was working for a week or so again

  • Mikee says:

    28 Mar28 March 15:32

    Santander just announced “From 30 March until 6 July, we will also remove fees for late payments and cash advances on our credit cards. Both measures will be applied automatically so you don’t need to do anything”.

    Not sure if MCCs will change as a result?

• Shoestring says:

  27 Mar27 March 06:54

  you could get some delivered to your 80YO pa/ ma self-isolating

  • Yuff says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:08

    Currently unavailable

• BJ says:

  27 Mar27 March 07:21

  Email from Tesco this morning, baskets now restricted to 80 items.

  • Spursdebs says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:33

    Not sure that’s going to help, people will just book more slots. For those trying to help rest of family or neighbours with shopping that certainly won’t help.
    We all live within 2 miles and have organised it so if anyone has a delivery slot and someone needs something they will put it on their shopping.

    • BJ says:

      27 Mar27 March 07:42

      A lot of dumb half-baked stuff going on Debs, they really need to think it through more rigorously. It was a good idea to set time aside for elderly and disabled shoppers but then they go and make it 8-9 or 9-10 which brings those reliant on public transport into contact with the ‘masses’ going to work.

    • Spursdebs says:

      27 Mar27 March 07:54

      I know BJ I just shook my head at that email this morning. I’ve had home delivery shopping since it first started being disabled it’s a lifeline for us. I would of liked to have seen priority slots for the disabled and elderly I’d be happy to provide proof copy of blue badge or carers entitlement etc
      No scheme will please everyone but it’s so badly thought out, and these people are paid quite well to come up with half baked schemes.
      But I’m in a better position than most family work for Tesco if I’m really stuck they will get stuff for me. Trying to avoid asking them as they are so busy at work. But my Son won’t see his own Mum go without.

    • BJ says:

      27 Mar27 March 08:04

      Good you have lots of family around, takes the pressure off a bit. Sainsbury fo priofity slots for elderly and disabled, and somehow picked my 80+ parents up which was good.

    • Spursdebs says:

      27 Mar27 March 08:34

      Oh BJ if only they were helping me I’m the one organising them! 😂

• Roger says:

  27 Mar27 March 07:26

  I have purchased a Flight+Hotel package a while back from BA Holidays to Portugal in the beginning of May.
  I have paid a £300 deposit to secure that.
  I have now 2 options :
  1) Pay the remainder by tomorrow
  2) Don’t Pay and lose the deposit.
  I probably don’t want to fly unless there is a significant improvement in the situation.
  What would you advise to do?
  Thanks

  • BS says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:36

    3) Claim off travel insurance because FCO now advises against travel

  • TGLoyalty says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:55

    I thought BA were giving deposits back as vouchers for all holidays booked to the end of May?

  • Lady London says:

    27 Mar27 March 10:15

    Wait till they cancel something in the package you bought or reschedule the flight or put you on a different flight. Pretty likely this will happen.

    If you do anything now you will lose on the basis of whatever is in the small print conditions when you bought.

    If it’s a question of paying a deposit I think I might call them now and talk it over.

    • Lady London says:

      27 Mar27 March 10:18

      *voucher or travel insurance as posters have suggested might be best. Seems a pity since at least 80% you would end up with the whole lot back anyway due to a change on the providing side.

• James says:

  27 Mar27 March 07:27

  Hi all

  We currently have two BA return flights (paid for with credit card) booked for the end of April, together with a car rental booking and a hotel booked with Avios points.

  What would people recommend we do? I am minded to cancel the Avios bookings to obtain Avios refunds (I know there is a £35 admin fee for both bookings). What about the flights?

  We have no intention of going on the trip as one of our party is in a “high risk” group.

  Welcome thoughts.
  Thank you

  • Gavin says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:59

    Wait until closer to the time, hopefully the flights will be cancelled so you can get a refund on them. The Avios bookings you could cancel if possible and perhaps claim the fees back on travel insurance if it’s worth it.

    • James says:

      27 Mar27 March 10:55

      Thanks Gavin

• BJ says:

  27 Mar27 March 07:35

  If others, like me, were wondering why toilet rolls, I found this on Sky last night.
  https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-why-are-people-panic-buying-and-why-toilet-paper-11952397
  If it gets any worse we may see HFP readers booking mattress runs to triple dip points, toilet tissue and hotel toiletries.

  • Shoestring says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:42

    interesting – for me it was getting my wife off my back – we had plenty of toilet rolls as I always stock up on offers and toilet rolls is a HUKD favourite – but one of her main objections to acting as my passport to get me into the country of our place in the sun was not enough toilet rolls, what was she going to do?

    as it happens, next day on her way back from London she went shoppingf and bought a load for herself, but the topic still comes up in conversation, to to quieten her down/ keep her happy I have bought her a load more

    obvs the toilet roll shortage (that never was) will have completely disappeared in a couple of weeks and it’ll be fresh fruit & veg from Spain etc that’s missing from the shelves – and you can’t stockpile that

    • BJ says:

      27 Mar27 March 07:57

      So, it’ll be canned/frozen fruit and vegs next if they haven’t gone out the door with toilet ‘trolls’ already.

  • Spursdebs says:

    27 Mar27 March 07:44

    I thought it was because people thought loo rolls came from China, all you got to do is google where factories are and where it’s made, andrex is made in Northfleet.

    • jack says:

      27 Mar27 March 07:49

      Get a bidet/bum gun/Japanese style toilet – much cleaner anyway 🙂

      • Spursdebs says:

        27 Mar27 March 07:56

        Funny you say that Jack, when I moved into current house and renovated it I did indeed put a bidet in. Everyone laughed at me but they aren’t laughing now lol

        • Shoestring says:

          27 Mar27 March 08:00

          yep I was thinking that @Jack – got one here used mainly for washing tennis shoes 🙂

          must get it ready for emergency use lol

        • jack says:

          27 Mar27 March 08:01

          Exactly, good for you! They do make a lot more sense.

      • Gavin says:

        27 Mar27 March 08:04

        Installed an electronic bidet toilet seat after a trip to Japan a few years ago – strongly recommend!!

        • Spursdebs says:

          27 Mar27 March 08:38

          Think I’m more disappointed that I won’t be able to try the toilets in Japan out than I am to miss the sakura on my cancelled trip.

        • Lady London says:

          27 Mar27 March 10:26

          I’m not that impressed with the Japan water jet thing having been “surprised” first in my hotel room in Japan, then in a bathroom in a shopping centre in Austria, of all places.

          Bidet is much more flexible and for babies/kids and, as Shoestring says, tennis shoes

        • Genghis says:

          27 Mar27 March 13:11

          For a straight guy the pulsating jet of water is surprisingly “kimochii”!

        • BJ says:

          27 Mar27 March 15:41

          Lol @Genghis.

• _sean_pm_ says:

  27 Mar27 March 07:52

  Does anybody think we’ll be seeing the Nutmeg ISA promotion this year? (1 Avios for every £1 invested for new customers). I’ve been waiting patiently to no avail 😢

  • Shoestring says:

    27 Mar27 March 08:02

    we know the answer to that *was* yes as HFP already told us

    I can’t see why coronavirus changes anything unless Nutmeg thinks they don’t have the staff to process lots of new stuff – they were incredibly slow to open new pension a/cs for us last month, took over 4 weeks – useless if it had been closer to 5th April

    maybe ISA opening is a quicker process?

    • Rob says:

      27 Mar27 March 11:36

      They pulled it. Was due to launch last week. Another few £k we won’t be getting ….

  • Ken says:

    27 Mar27 March 14:48

    Sean,

    Last time I looked 9 out of their 10 portfolios are performing worse against their relevant comparators over 5 years.
    This despite the comparators being hand picked expensive options from a charging perspective and the chosen comparison only has 4 risk profiles. Everything is stacked in Nutmegs favour for at least some portfolios to outperform.
    It’s utterly lamentable.

    Would be better off just buying the Avios.

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