The new HFP chat thread – Wednesday 1st April

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We have decided to run this new daily chat thread on Head for Points.

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the defacto repository for random comments and questions. It is unlikely that the news flow will be so big over the next few weeks that we will need many ‘Bits’ articles, however.

The comments under this article are where you should post questions about travel and, indeed, anything else on your mind. At this tricky time, and given that many of you are stuck at home self-isolating, we want the HFP community to have a place to chat.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article. This has long-term benefits as its keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

By default, HFP shows the last page of comments under the article. If you want to see the first page of comments and read them all from beginning to end in order, click here: https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/04/01/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-wednesday-1st-april/comment-page-1 The page will refresh with this article but the comments will now show the first page and not the last page.

We will continue to monitor how this is working:

we could potentially split it into a daily travel and non-travel chat thread

we may install some basic forum software

we may start suggesting potential topics for daily discussion

Let’s see how it goes.

We will do a separate article in a day or so about how we plan to run the site over the next few weeks. Take care!

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Mike says:

1 Apr1 April 08:45

Is Harry OK i haven’t seen a comment from him for a while ?
- Secret Squirrel says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 08:51
  
  Too many bears and pasta! 😊
  - LB says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 09:46
    
    Bears or beers?
    - Concerto says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 11:20
      
      Beans!
- Harry T says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 10:56
  
  x2. Hope he’s okay. Lots of rude comments on here towards him recently, despite all the help he’s given the community over the years. I understand certain philosophical and political differences may have arisen but I don’t think this is the forum for debating lifestyle choices…
  - Lady London says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 12:03
    
    I’ve had the impression since the weekend that h plus those awful trollers that were making a big thing of everything he said- and were misquoting – seem to be gone/banned too.
    
    @Rhys can you confirm?
    - Rhys says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 12:05
      
      Yes, we have been removing rude comments/commenters as and when they appear.
      - Aston100 says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 12:12
        
        So does that mean the main troll (Shoestring) who has been responsible for the nasty downturn in the comments on this site (based on his trolling and belittling of people at risk of dying from his so called pussycat virus) in recent times is now gone too?
        Lets hope so for consistency and fairness sake.
      - Unsavage gerbil says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 12:27
        
        Controversy =clickbait, there’s no such thing as bad publicity Allegedly!
    - Pangolin says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 12:30
      
      Funny how you defend him and refer to all those who tried to combat his deluded misinformation as “awful trolls”.
      
      He frequently claimed that for 99% of people who have CV19, it was only mild/moderate (Note: he was referring to actual cases, not the entire population, and did so several times).
      He also frequently used offensive language, including calling someone ‘ugly’ under his recent pseudonym (“Prancing in the lovely sun in my swimmers”)
      
      I never used name-calling or offensive language in any of my posts, but because I have background knowledge in Molecular Biology I attempted to call him out on his lack of scientific expertise by referring to reputable sources and asking him to tell us what the methodological flaws in their findings was (no response).
      
      All of my posts were subsequently deleted (the excuse being that orphaned comments get removed also).
      
      Personally, I hope that when he comes back he will stick to what he knows best, rather than drunk trolling here with more nonsense about matters he is entirely ignorant about.
      - Pangolin says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 12:40
        
        And if we’re talking about “philosophical differences” and “lifestyle choices” then let’s remember that COVID-19 has so far infected 100x more people than SARS and killed 50x more.
      - Harry T says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 13:21
        
        @Pangolin
        Completely agree RE your comments about coronavirus. I certainly don’t think your replies are an issue – I think we all value informed opinion.
        
        I have seen some people being nasty (not you). I just think that it’s often best to ignore people if they seem to be trolling, to be honest. Trolls feed on attention and never change their mind/position.
  - Pangolin says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 13:33
    
    @Harry T: I actually agree that SS has been a very helpful poster, over the years, and I’ve even saved some of his comments relating to obtaining comp from BA etc. (I rarely fly BA but it can still be useful info). If he returns in that guise then I have no issues.
    
    My issue was solely related to his numerous posts on Covid-19.
    My job involves editing scientific papers for journal publication – right now that’s my main source of income. I’ve also worked as a scientific research coordinator on Horizon 2020 projects. So I couldn’t stay silent in response to things I regard as downright misinformation, especially when it involves something as serious as Covid-19.
    - Aston100 says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 14:09
      
      Wasn’t just the misguided comments about the impact of covid19. He also (on at least two posts that I read) commented that old people will die of something anyway, and in other posts he posted similar sentiment belittling those who are at risk as if their lives do not matter.
      We are talking about people’s families / loved ones here. No one should be making comments like that here on a miles & points forum.
      What annoys me beyond that though is the group of (apparently long term) posters here who seem to defend the guy’s actions to the point of accusing everyone else of being trolls when they argued back against the horrid vile sentiments expressed by Shoestring.
      
      If as it seems he is currently banned, then good, hopefully he can better reflect on the impact of his nasty attitude towards the effects of the killer virus on the vulnerable members of society.
      Maybe he might return thereafter and stick to what he does best – i.e. finding deals, loopholes and whatnot that are of benefit to others.
      - James says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 14:26
        
        Well said, +100
      - Jake says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 22:09
        
        “What annoys me beyond that though is the group of (apparently long term) posters here who seem to defend the guy’s actions to the point of accusing everyone else of being trolls when they argued back against the horrid vile sentiments expressed by Shoestring”
        
        Absolutely this! He made a joke about a poster slitting their wrists, yet should anyone dare to respond with criticism, they are accused of bullying / trolling by the holier that thou ‘incrowd’. Talk about pot and kettle..
    - Harry T says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 14:27
      
      @Pangolin
      Fair enough, I agree with you taking exception to misinformation about COVID-19. Interested to hear more about COVID-19 from you.
      - Pangolin says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 21:56
        
        A good place to start is the Coronavirus section of The Lancet. It’s free to access currently.
        
        Some of it is articles for publication, which can be quite heavy going if you’re not used to reading scientific papers, but much of it is well-informed commentary and relatively easy to read without specialist knowledge.
  - callum says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 14:43
    
    He’s constantly making incredibly rude comments – it’s just deemed fine because he’s part of the in-group and it’s “just Harry being Harry”… In fact, he’d be very happy to read that he and his little fan club were personally responsible for me stopping posting here for half a year when he flipped out because I dared to challenge his incorrect assertions!
    
    Given his incredible stubbornness, I’m not sure he would learn anything from a temporary ban (if that’s what happened), but likewise I’d welcome him back if he genuinely did change.
    - Novice says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 15:42
      
      He also said something triggering for vulnerable young ppl when I apologised in case my comments were not deemed right due to the fact that I had been noticing that a lot of my comments were deleted by HFP.
      
      I understand I have never been a regular commenter but to keep deleting when I gave my two cents was not appreciated at all.
      
      Makes me never want to bother again.
      
      I have better things to do in my young life. But I agree some ppl seem to have a pass for offensive language here.
      - Rob says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 16:03
        
        The main reason stuff is deleted is because it was a reply to something else that got deleted (or a reply to a reply). Other reasons would include bad language or personal attacks on other people.
      - Novice says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 16:19
        
        I have never intentionally been rude or tried to comment anything but I’m young so sometimes I have a different perspective on things.
        
        Also I accept that I may have commented on something that then got deleted but a few times it seemed just my comment got deleted from an entire conversation.
        
        But I guess you know what you do so I will not argue about it. It’s your site so it’s what you want on it. I do appreciate you trying to explain though.
    - Pangolin says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 22:04
      
      There’s nothing good about any of the stuff he posted with regard to coronavirus but my personal take is that everyone should be given a second chance – provided that they realise the error of their ways and change their behaviour accordingly. He certainly needs a cooling off period though. I think he has a lot of issues to process, like many of us during this nightmare time.
      
      At the end of the day it’s Raffles’ call, but I’d like to go back to seeing quality posts rather than trolling.
      - Cat says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 22:30
        
        Emphatically + 1 for the no more trolling!
        I’ve been checking HfP less and less because of it.
        For my part in being one of Harry’s apologists – I never saw him telling anyone to slit their wrists or personally attack others. I’m not saying that didn’t happen, just that (whether due to the time of day I check the site, or due to random chance) I missed it. I did see several instances of people personally attacking him. Had I seen him on the attack, I would have said something to him. I did see his COVID-19 posts, and repeatedly disagreed with him (politely) about them. I genuinely did my best to present the info I had (I’ve been reading the Lancet too for a while now Pangolin) to him to get him to stop spreading misinformation. Clearly it didn’t work.
      - James says:
        
        3 Apr3 April 03:46
        
        Didn’t SS already get ‘another chance’ before? I’m positive he went offline for a significant period of time, said he had reflected, had reassessed his life and become humble. Anyone confirm this?
    - Anna says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 23:06
      
      He has certainly posted some pretty outrageous stuff recently but I would still argue that freedom of speech is more important than anyone’s sensibilities. We have people on here now who have no involvement with the running of the site who seemingly think they can decide what other people should and shouldn’t be allowed to say, and that’s really quite worrying and incompatible with the principles of democracy. Instead of trying to censor anything they don’t like, people need to learn not to accept anything they read online without checking the facts and develop a level of resilience which is essential to survive in the real world.
      - Novice says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 23:22
        
        Yes I get the whole freedom thing but some people take it too far.
        
        I didn’t post a reply and due to me explicitly saying I’m young he said everyone should tell me I’ve never been offensive in case I s*** my wrists.
        
        This can be triggering to ppl who self-**rm.
        
        Maybe I’m a different generation and have no business being here.
        
        You are welcome to your free speech.
      - Jake says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 23:36
        
        The thing that strikes me as a little odd is comments regarding making multiple accounts in order to lie about having a pet in order to gain clubcard points, which is immoral at best, and apparently illegal, are seemingly encouraged, yet god forbid anyone should use a vaguely offensive word.
      - Polly says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 23:53
        
        Agree with you Anna. But Harry seemed blinded to the truth of the science behind covid 19. On one hand we get the mild flu aspect for millions, and maybe it will be, but there are increasing deaths now defying anything he’s said recently.
        Then on the other hand he’s suggesting listening to prof Ferguson from Imperial, so there’s definite conflict there. He knows we will get antotallly different picture from Imperial College.He seems troubled atm, and has a sen son, which can cause great stress within a family. Seems like he’s out there in Spain with his son alone, so may be finding the split family time difficult.
        Personally like Cat, l didn’t read these nasty comments that Novice is referring to. Have missed the odd article as volunteering, but maybe Harry need some breathing space atm, and perhaps be given some guidelines as to what’s acceptable commentary or the site.
        Always been helpful on a good day, so hope he does return at some point.
      - Novice says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 00:33
        
        I have nothing against the guy. And thought he was funny at times but some comments were just really bad. I get people are finding the lockdowns etc hard but I am an OCD with insane levels of anxiety sometimes and you don’t see me posting stuff that’s triggering or offensive.
        
        Also I get some ppl have a morbid sense of humour which is fine as long as everything said is respectable and not so deplorable.
      - Crafty says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 01:15
        
        That’s more than a little idealistic, Anna. There is a good reason that every long-standing set of forums has a team of moderators working with the administrators, it’s very well accepted and indeed required. This is, obviously, not a forum – but it behaves like one and probably ought to be managed like one.
      - sellotape says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 03:21
        
        I won’t advise you to keep breathing
        
        just in case you decide I meant the opposite
      - Richard Relief says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 03:56
        
        so let’s get this right – Shoestring tells this @Novice not to slit his wrists because that would be silly & I guess he already lived 25 years without slitting his wrists – but @Novice decides that is an invitation to slit his wrists?
        
        because he’s suggestible?
        
        ie you suggest something and @Novice will do the direct opposite?
        
        I got a dog like that, it’s circus trained. Bark like a dog, I say – but it meows like a cat, never did like cats
Damien says:

1 Apr1 April 09:02

BA cancelled my internal UK flight on the 24th of April. I called to rebook it to xmas time. However I was told that they can only rebook up to August…. seems it’s their current policy. But is there legalities as to when they can or cannot rebook. I thought it was based on availability.
- Anna says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 11:02
  
  Lady London has posted about this a few times, I think that if there is availability you are entitled to re-booking regardless of the date.
  - Anna says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 11:03
    
    Also there is no guarantee we will be allowed to go anywhere by August!
    - Lady London says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 12:08
      
      +1. Seems more sensible to look at further out. If flights are going in August I would want to leave them available to those with kiddies.
- Lady London says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 12:06
  
  You do have the right to ask yo be reticketed on another airline if your own says they have no availability or flights.
  
  Perhaps sort this out nearer the time when flights are displaying so they can’t force a refund?
The Streets says:

1 Apr1 April 09:04

Richard Brandson is announcing his giant business including virgin airline going into administration warning people their flying points will not be eligible for any flights from the 18th May.

That was my misses April fool to me today! She got me good
- EwanG says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 15:09
  
  Did it get you in a pickle? 😉
  - The Streets says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 16:10
    
    haha she has a friend who works for the airline in Hong Kong and she knows I been fretting over my 400 odd thousand miles!
Matt says:

1 Apr1 April 09:09

Apologies if covered before but some advice on IHG/Creation free night and Ambassador 2nd night free vouchers, please: I have bookings using these coming up which are no longer possible. Are the vouchers automatically lost / returned when I cancel? Or is there something specific I need to do to get them extended? Thank you for any help. Matt
- Genghis says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 10:11
  
  The Creation voucher is returned when you cancel, assuming it’s still valid. The AMB night needs to be valid for the stay so is returned. IHG have not made any announcement regarding extensions. I’d be interested, however, in hearing if you have any luck in getting them extended.
  - Bentoni says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 10:29
    
    I remember receiving an email from IHG saying that my Ambassador status will be extended by another 3 months. But there was mention about the weekend stay certificates or other vouchers.
    
    In my humble opinion, the three-month extension is nowhere near enough. If they are not doing anything about it, then all my stays will be going to Hilton from next year.
    - Bentoni says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 10:29
      
      No mention of the certificates and vouchers*
    - Rhys says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 10:39
      
      If anyone has received an Ambassador extension could you please forward me the email? rhys [at] headforpoints.co.uk
      - Bentoni says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 11:02
        
        Forwarded 🙂
  - Scallder says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 12:43
    
    My voucher from last year (expired June 2019) is currently sitting on a reservation for 4th May in Vienna. Waiting on BA to cancel the flights/FCO extend guidance into May and will then be cancelling. Hoping IHG will extend by 6 months as would then cover a currently booked trip to the US for a cruise…
  - Matt says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 13:42
    
    Thank you for the reply Genghis… you advised me when I asked about using my first vouchers, and now you’ve helped out when I’m looking to cancel them. Your time and expertise is most appreciated.
    Thank you also to bentoni, scallder and Chris below for their input. Both my vouchers expire before any more travel is likely, so hopefully IHG will step up with an extension.
    - Janet Thomas says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 16:55
      
      My IHG credit card free night which was due to expire on 3rd April has just been extended by 6 months. You have to contact them and request this. I phoned them on 02033499033 and opted for Customer Services (call was answered almost immediately). The other option is to use a live agent, but will probably take much longer. Hope this helps.
      - Leo says:
        
        1 Apr1 April 19:43
        
        Got mine extended to October.
- Chris says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 11:54
  
  I emailed IHG yesterday about the AMB voucher being extended as mine is up next month and obviously reservation now cancelled. I’ll post an update when I receive one.
Steve says:

1 Apr1 April 09:26

Perhaps this has been covered already as its been 2 months since I last applied for an Amex. Applied for another Amex card this morning, declined, got an email almost immediately with the subject heading Not Applicable

“Currently, we only accept applications from customers who have less than four credit products with American Express. Our records show that you do not meet this criteria and we are therefore unable to continue with your most recent application.”

They are not wrong, I’ve got 7, not including supps but including companion cards.

They have a simplified application form too. Need to do a clear out of both mine and other half’s cards as we start on her round of 90k referral points this year.
- Youllnever says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 11:16
  
  Interesting. I wonder if my charge card counts as a credit product.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 12:22
  
  I don’t understand why you think the email is wrong
  
  They won’t accept applications from people with more than 4 credit products *at this time* and you have more than 4 so they rejected you – There’s nothing wrong with the email.
  
  You obviously got to 7 at a time when they were allowing you to have more than 4
  - Daniel says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 14:24
    
    Figure of speech I think.
    
    Good to know as I tend to get lazy with card cancellations so I’ll get started on tidying them up before my next round of applications.
- Liam says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 17:51
  
  Do at they at least decline you in those circumstances before doing a hard check on your credit file?
  - Genghis says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 20:29
    
    Yes. Credit file check comes after Amex’s own internal check.
Chabuddy geezy says:

1 Apr1 April 09:38

Singapore airlines are auto renewing everyone with gold status and above for another year.
- Pangolin says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 12:43
  
  Yes. Here is the extract of the letter from the CEO: “I would also like to share that we will automatically renew all KrisFlyer Elite and PPS Club membership statuses for another 12 months at the end of your respective membership year. This applies to all memberships expiring from March 2020 through to February 2021. The validity of any expiring PPS and Elite Gold Rewards will also be extended until 31 March 2021. You can find out more here.”
Colin MacKinnon says:

1 Apr1 April 09:45

American Airlines are offering a 100% buy miles bonus. They are also seeking billions from US government.

Is this a good time to buy miles then?

If they get the bailout, miles are safe.

If they don’t and go under, then s75?
- mr_jetlag says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 09:51
  
  No, because you received the miles you paid cash for – the fact they may be worth nothing is explicitly covered in the mileage programme T&Cs.
  
  s75 applies where goods and services paid for are not delivered.
- Secret Squirrel says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 09:52
  
  I bought a minimal amount of AA miles yesterday to top up for future Flights planned.
  IMO & AA is one of the major U.S airlines, cant see them going under.
  - Nick_C says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 10:11
    
    I’m sure people felt the same way about PanAm and TWA
A270 says:

1 Apr1 April 09:48

Got an email from Swiss Air that all my flights were cancelled. Two questions:
1. Am I correct that I can ask for a full refund?
2. I cancelled the card I paid with (Amex) but do have another Amex. Will they refund it back to my original card? If yes, will Amex contact me although I cancelled the card 3 months ago.
- Genghis says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 10:13
  
  1. Yes
  2. Yes. Yes.
- Pangolin says:
  
  1 Apr1 April 12:48
  
  You can ask for a refund from Swiss but you won’t get anything. LX are refusing all refunds at the moment. Some people have been told to wait 9 months before any chance of getting cash – your only option currently is to accept a voucher.
  
  LH Group airlines are among the worst when it comes to the refund policies they have instituted.
  - Pangolin says:
    
    1 Apr1 April 12:49
    
    Of course you also have the option of chargeback and/or S75 if you don’t accept the above.
    - Lady London says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 15:33
      
      If you get stuck waiting then in the UK 8%pa pro rata can be claimed on any overdue amounts. Obviously s75 or chargeback is better. But if you paid in the UK then you are entitled to this.
      
      Why should an airline be entitled to unilaterally decide it’s using your money as a free loan? Many travellers’ circumstances have suddenly changed giving much for uncertainty and danger to the individual and their family. Whatever an airline might suffer they will find it easier to get cash than many individuals.
    - A270 says:
      
      1 Apr1 April 23:07
      
      How does the charge back work? Sorry, not done it before. As I said, the card I paid with has already been cancelled.. I have other credit cards though.