The new HFP chat thread – Tuesday 14th April

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• Matt says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:00

  Does anyone know how long it should take for the free night earned for spending £10k on the IHG premium/black credit card to show up in my IHG account? My account anniversary was about 3 weeks ago (and I had spent £10k), and I’ve also now received the first statement since the anniversary date – but the free night hasn’t appeared (though the monthly earned points have transferred as usual).

  (NB I was also careful not to spend on the card during the 3 weeks between my anniversary date (which is when they stop counting the cumulative spend) and the date of the first statement after the anniversary date (which is when they reset the cumulative spend to £0 and start counting again) – as I’ve previously had it confirmed by Creation customer services that any spend between those dates don’t count towards the £10k spend target in either “year”…)

  • Roy says:

    14 Apr14 April 10:52

    My free night credited within a day or two of the points crediting.

  • Alan says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:43

    It usually credits very quickly, although I’ve noticed that they are currently taking a very long time to offer the “Exclusive Choice Benefit” for reaching Spire status so maybe they are having issues at the moment.

    • Ming the Merciless says:

      14 Apr14 April 13:27

      I’ve had to request my “Exclusive Choice Benefit” for reaching Spire status two years in a row .worth a quick email.

• Richard says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:09

  Anyone got a good number to contact BA on? As can’t get the workaround to work. And even with a cancelled flight I get directed to a voucher on line!

  • Carol says:

    14 Apr14 April 16:01

    0800 727 800. I rang about 0800 and was on hold for only about 5 minutes.

• Ianmac says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:11

  Rant 4 – BARCLAYCARD REFUND CREDIT DELAY
  Our family ski trip to Lech Austria was cancelled – Tyrol state authority closed all ski resorts.
  Hotel confirmed booking cancellation and refund of deposit.
  27 March hotel processed transaction to refund €800 booking deposit.
  Still nothing back in my HH Visa Barclaycard account.
  The times that I have managed to get through (~2hr call wait) I have been told that it should have been back in my account within 7 days. They suggested that I get the credit transaction slip from the hotel which I got by e-mail photo from the hotel.
  Since then I have been unable to get through on the phone to Barclaycard.
  Anybody got experience of similar issue of credit card refund and the duration to see credit on their account.
  (Conspiracy theory – CC companies holding refunds to mitigate ‘monthly payment holidays’ ??
  Thanks

  • Stuart says:

    14 Apr14 April 10:51

    I requested a refund for a prepaid Accor stay yesterday via email. Email this morning to confirm cancellation and refund processed immediately to my HH Barclaycard. Showing as a negative charge.

    • Ianmac says:

      14 Apr14 April 11:53

      Thanks Stuart
      Took 1hr 45mins to get through on phone to Barclaycard – now waiting again as have been transferred to Disputes to either trace refund or raise disputed transaction.

  • Michael says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:25

    Hi Ianmac

    I cancelled three airbnb bookings in Italy three weeks ago, and got credit card refunds within the week – Halifax Clarity card and Natwest MasterCard, so can’t reinforce your conspiracy theory, but then neither can I deny it! And nothing would surprise me.

• Aston100 says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:19

  I wonder if countries with less than sterling human rights records will be the first to create a working vaccine?
  Can imagine prisoners being forcibly ‘volunteered’ to test.

  • Alan says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:48

    I noticed some French doctor got a bit of a stick (to say the last) when he suggested that any vaccine should be tested in Africa first. Not that I am suggesting that any African countries have any issues with human rights, necessarily.

• PJ says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:26

  Has anyone here had success with Amex Plat retention considering the travel benefits are worthless? My annual fee was taken on March 14th, and I’ve read elsewhere that people are getting offers to keep the card open. When I called, the agent was insistent that the only options were 2,000 points or a refund of the fee and cancellation.

  • MinR says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:17

    I’m also considering cancelling my Amex Platinum too, but I don’t yet have an alternative card to move the points to.

    Amex have been extremely generous in the US. My brother’s wife has held an Amex Platinum for less than 2 years, and when she called to cancel, they offered her a $500 credit right away (That’s 90% of the Annual Fee give or take). Other cardholders in the US have also reported this. Hopefully they do the same here in the UK.

  • Bentoni says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:18

    Getting 2000 points? I don’t think any of us on here got offered that.

    Most people on here either cancelled the card, downgraded the card to Gold or green.

  • Oh! Matron! says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:20

    I downgraded from Plat to Gold, and was offered a free year of Gold, which was quite nice. Will do me fine until things pick up again.

    • MinR says:

      14 Apr14 April 14:58

      I was just offered the same when I called to cancel my Platinum card.

      I haven’t taken up the offer just yet as I’m dreading the ‘inconvenience’ as a result of a replacement card. And then eventually having to set up all the Platinum benefits again (linking accounts) if I decide to upgrade again once the travel restrictions are lifted.

      Surely, it makes more sense for Amex to offer some sort of annual fee reduction as an incentive instead. A few bloggers have highlighted this recently, and I’m hoping Amex UK implement it over the next couple of weeks. Failing that, I’ll be downgrading too 🙁

  • Lady London says:

    14 Apr14 April 19:52

    Reports here vary. No one’s getting much. Amex is playing hard ball on this. The more people downgrade to Green (anecdotally better offers) or the ARCC as per Robs article as s place to stash MR points, perhaps Amex will think again.

    Green can later be upgraded to.Plat when things improve and apparently that’s an earner too?

• Michael says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:38

  Originally posted on another HFP thread:
  Thanks to HFP and all those posting comments and sharing experiences. I booked two separate BA flights to and from Italy in May with cash and Avios – both now cancelled by BA. ‘Manage my booking’ buttons go to voucher application; the javascript work-around didn’t work last time I tried it; as of 14.04.20 the recorded message on both BA numbers only mentions vouchers, and anyway, whether I press the buttons or not, I get cut off after a short patronising message. I get referred to BA website which only mentions voucher option for cancellations made by BA. It also has a cringeworthy message from Senor Cruz, but I will let others judge that for themselves.
  I have better things to do, even in lockdown, than to hang on the phone to BA, so I am minded to write a signed-for delivery letter to the CEO requiring my refund and take it from there. I don’t expect a rapid answer and I hate litigation, but I would see BA in the small claims court if necessary, so strongly do I feel about this.
  I am lucky in that the sums involved are not that large, but on principle I won’t give up.
  Has anyone else decided to cease wasting time with BA phones and websites and put the complaint in writing?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    14 Apr14 April 10:44

    Have you tried the phone and not selected any options? It should put you through to someone to talk to to.

    • Michael says:

      14 Apr14 April 11:31

      Thanks for the suggestion, but I tried no options twice and still got cut off. Anyway, I can type a letter in less time than in takes hanging on the phone, and it is rather more therapeutic and less anger-inducing! Letters to senior people have worked in the past with BT and with the managing agents for a flat, although these are very different times and it is BA.

• BSI1978 says:

  14 Apr14 April 10:57

  Any updated/new tips or suggestions for contacting BA re Avios & cash bookings they have cancelled? Been trying for the last week on the 727 800 number both first thing in the AM, and later in the day, employing a raft of techniques as to which point I select option 1, 2 or stay silent! None seem to work and the call simply drops after a while.

  I’d love to assume that simply ignoring the previous cancellation advice will seem them ultimately refund my Avios & cash (2 separate bookings) however I imagine BA will take my silence as implied acceptance of the voucher instead.

  • David says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:17

    I have a similar problem. On 10 Mar BA cancelled my 12 Mar BA 705 VIE LHR (cash) booking and offered an earlier flight which I rejected as a curtailed trip would have been pointless. Their (unanswerable) e-mailed confirmation of the cancelled round trip booking stated the (impliedly full) refund would be calculated and credited to the original (BAAmEx) card. Five weeks later nothing has appeared and BA is impossible to reach. Even if I wanted a voucher (I don’t), I wouldn’t be able to claim one as the cancellation and promise of a refund have already been acknowledged.

    • Doug M says:

      14 Apr14 April 11:26

      If either of you have a FlyerTalk account or want to set one up, then contacting BA Refund Helper is a great option. Send a PM and it’ll be moved along very quickly. If you worry about personal info you can see that many posters have dealt with this account and recommend it. I sent no more than the PNR (the 6 character reference) and my BAEC number, done over weekend and Avios back today as promised, and confident cash will follow to Amex within a day or so.
      Only problem may be that new accounts have limited posting rights, so not sure you can PM, but you have little to lose if you want to move the refund along.

      • Harry T says:

        14 Apr14 April 13:18

        x2. Worked for me.

      • Jody says:

        14 Apr14 April 13:19

        I did the same, contacted on Saturday, only gave my PNR and no other identifying details. Avios all back in my account today, having cancelled using the workaround on 19th march. Hopefully cash will be back in next few days/

        • David says:

          16 Apr16 April 15:06

          It worked for me too; full refund posted within 36 hours (5 weeks after BA promised it within 14 days). Many thanks for steering me to FT and BA Refund Helper.

  • U old git says:

    14 Apr14 April 11:32

    At Graham’s suggestion I rang 0203 3250 0145 early on Sunday and got through just about immediately. Mine was an Avios booking which BA had cancelled. The woman in the call centre refunded the Avios straight into my account.whilst I was still on the phone. They said the cash element could take up to 3 weeks though.

    • U old git says:

      14 Apr14 April 11:34

      Sorry one 3 too many in the number, it should be 020 3250 0145. It is an age thing!

      • Ianmac says:

        14 Apr14 April 12:00

        I got the same answer – Avios refunded same day but was told Amex cc refund for fees & taxes etc could take 3-4 weeks. (Offshore refund centre closed and only 5 BA UK staff processing a mountain of refunds)

      • Lee says:

        14 Apr14 April 13:57

        I’ve tried that number and the 0800 number a hundred times and the calls always gets dropped. I have no idea how to book a holiday or flight with the voucher I’ve received as it’s impossible to speak with anyone. The calls are cut off 100% of the time

• Anna says:

  14 Apr14 April 11:18

  Query – I’ve booked 3 x F outbound to NYC for Easter 2021. Would You First add on the return seats when they’re released, or will they only deal with post-booking enquiries?

  • AJA says:

    14 Apr14 April 15:14

    HI Anna
    The YouFirst web page says the following
    We’ll be happy to help you with:
    – Travel queries
    – Journey disruption
    – Mishandled bags

    I have no idea if they are able to actually book reward flights but it sounds like you could phone them and ask as that sounds like a genuine travel query to me. If you do phone please report back if they are able to book as that sounds like an excellent way of adding the return flights to a 2-4-1, sorry Companion Voucher.

    • Anna says:

      14 Apr14 April 16:50

      I will, though it’s a couple of weeks before my return flights will be released. They were brilliant at helping me cancel my F flights recently (though even they haven’t been able to get my cash back yet 😢). I get the impression they know how to apply a modicum of discretion and common sense, unlike other call centres!

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