The new HFP chat thread – Monday 18th May

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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/2020/05/18/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-monday-18th-may/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. Let’s see how it goes. Take care!

Category

General

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

@mkcol says:

18 May18 May 10:41

Any idea if using a Virgin backed Curve metal card to fund Nutmeg ISA attracts a charge from Virgin?
- Connor says:
  
  18 May18 May 22:03
  
  Doesn’t for an Ernie ISA so I’d assume not. Try a small amount first and see if it does. Fee would normally post the next day after transaction is processed.
Ed says:

18 May18 May 10:45

Virgin Atlantic COVID rebooking.

Has anyone had any experience rebooking a VS miles award – does the new ticket need to have miles availability? Thanks.
- Travel Strong says:
  
  18 May18 May 12:33
  
  I rebooked successfully, but there was miles availability.
  
  For a moment they ‘couldn’t see the availability’ and it was looking like a problem – so its certainly seemed like there needs to be availability.
  - Ed says:
    
    18 May18 May 12:41
    
    Thanks for sharing your experience.
    
    It’s a shame that they’re requiring miles availability as it adds risk that you won’t be able to make use of a redemption.
    - Lady London says:
      
      18 May18 May 14:26
      
      if the airline has cancelled and not you then EC261/2004 says a seat in the same class of travel must be provided which means the airlinw cannot insist on award seats beig available, any seat in same class will do.
Sambe says:

18 May18 May 10:51

BA Cash booking, already moved once on 18th Feb for a cash fee and slight tax increase, now cancelled by BA. When getting a cash refund, does “Your refund should include any seat selection fees and other additional payments” include the rebooking fee? Am I right in thinking that there are no longer any workarounds to get this done online?
- AJA says:
  
  18 May18 May 11:37
  
  You will have to call. No way to do it online unless you accept the e-voucher. I would not expect to receive the change fee but you can always ask when you call. You should however get any seat selection fees back in addition to the original fare paid.
  - Sambe says:
    
    18 May18 May 13:03
    
    I think the new amount paid is definitely due back also (the change in fare due to tax increase). Generally the wording is “all fees”, so I’m sort of expecting the fee to be included but want to find a good source for this *before* calling in case they argue the point.
    - AJA says:
      
      18 May18 May 16:23
      
      I was referring to change fees specifically ie a charge to allow you to make a change in your booking eg the £35 you pay when you change a reward booking. That is not normally refunded though BA have been known to waive this rule. Also not sure why the taxes would have changed unless you did an upgrade to a different cabin eg World Traveller to World Traveller Plus? Taxes should not have altered if you just moved the booking but stayed in the same booking class..Fees and other charges may have changed though. In any case just phone and ask the question. Ultimately you should be refunded the full cost of the ticket you purchased.
      - Sambe says:
        
        18 May18 May 20:01
        
        I am not just phoning and asking because I don’t trust BA at all to give the correct answer.
        
        The extra charge I paid is one such example – the online change process charged me about £200 extra without trying to change cabin/class (with a ticket on the new date being cheaper than the original, at time of change). I called and was repeatedly given transparently incorrect explanations for 40 minutes, before they admitted that the online process was forcing me onto a more flexible ticket, even though the same type was available. When they eventually allowed me to book the exact same ticket, they still wanted a (much smaller) extra amount on top of the change fee for “a change in taxes”. I assumed it was possible that the applicable taxes changed between the original booking date and the rebooking. For other reasons not to trust them, you can see their behaviour and communications about the vouchers…
tony says:

18 May18 May 11:19

Does anyone know if disputed credit card transactions impact your credit score? I’ve just had my update from clearscore today and i’ve lost 18 points. The only thing I can see is it shows “disputed” against by Virgin credit card. The balance has been cleared anyway but I’m pursuing Malaysian for a £1400 refund after they cancelled my flight.

Seems a bit harsh if it’s the case…
- guesswho2000 says:
  
  18 May18 May 11:47
  
  I don’t know the answer, but I am 100% certain that those 18 points you lost mean nothing outside of Clearscoreland.
- John says:
  
  18 May18 May 11:47
  
  Credit scores don’t exist in the UK. As clearscore does not sell credit cards or mortgages, their so-called score is meaningless.
  
  Disputed transactions should not affect you negatively with lenders.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    18 May18 May 13:52
    
    I wouldn’t say Meaningless As they are a good indicator of your credit “health” I really wouldn’t bother with it going up or down a few points though.
    - Callum says:
      
      19 May19 May 04:05
      
      I would not say that they are a good indicator of your credit health. I remember when I first started I had a Vanquis credit card with a £150 limit and a credit score of 999…
      
      If you’re interested enough to track your credit score then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be tracking the changes to your report (Clearscore helpfully give you a list each month) – in which case the score is completely irrelevant.
- Harry T says:
  
  18 May18 May 11:59
  
  I don’t see how it would affect your credit rating. These “credit score” calculators can be useful as a general indication of your creditworthiness but I pay no attention to fluctuations in the score unless they indicate fraud or something. Clear score are focused on selling credit products.
- Charlieface says:
  
  18 May18 May 14:39
  
  After the dispute is closed it should be adjusted (should meaning check it to make sure). As others say, it probably makes little difference to other lenders, they may not incorporate that info into their systems or they may give it a low weighting. The number is a red herring
MinR says:

18 May18 May 12:06

Does anyone know how long Heathrow Rewards points take to transfer to BAEC? I took up the offer from a week ago or so, and HR points deducted but I can’t see them on my BAEC account.
- Rum says:
  
  18 May18 May 13:18
  
  Same situation here. Hope they show up soon…
- memesweeper says:
  
  18 May18 May 22:44
  
  I transferred 10k the day before the offer and got no bonus 🙁
Gary Colclough says:

18 May18 May 12:16

I have some refunds coming back top BA Amex for a group holiday

I need to pay the people back but this will not only lose me the Avios but also probably ruin my chance of making my 2-4-1 voucher as time is short , basing this on having the credit balance transferred to my back (if this is possible)

The people are prepared to be flexible and a couple have items I can buy for them, is there a way I can get the money to them via Paypal even if there’s a small cost? was wondering if they could send me a money request or something

Thanks
- bsuije says:
  
  18 May18 May 12:30
  
  You will be debited Avios and progress to 241 voucher when you receive the refund. Whether you then decide to have that balance sit in your Amex account or ask to transfer it to your bank account makes no difference. HTH
  - Gary Colclough says:
    
    18 May18 May 14:27
    
    bsuije
    
    what I was wondering though if I paid them Paypal funded from Amex this will then get me the spend back again
    - Jay H says:
      
      18 May18 May 15:55
      
      Yes, albeit with a surcharge
      - Gary Colclough says:
        
        18 May18 May 16:04
        
        That’s fine, the amounts wont be that much per person
    - bsuije says:
      
      18 May18 May 17:59
      
      I see… I’ve never done, but would be wary. If it was possible, easy and relatively cheap, then everyone would be doing it (e.g. I could send money from PayPal linked to my Amex to my other half – so not actual spend but generating points)… So either I’m completely in the dark on the most lucrative scheme going (absolutely possible!) or it’s not that simple!
      
      I would personally be concerned about 2 things – PayPal itself (will it let you use Amex to send money to friends & family?) and Amex (would the transaction count as a cash withdrawal?). No idea as to the answers, though…
      - Rob says:
        
        18 May18 May 18:14
        
        PayPal will shut you down VERY quickly and probably submit an Anti Money Laundering Report about you, that’s why. They are super aggressive.
      - Gary Colclough says:
        
        18 May18 May 23:07
        
        Thanks
        
        it would be done as goods and services and we would pay costs
        
        if this looks an issue I will bin the idea
  - Gary Colclough says:
    
    18 May18 May 23:05
    
    Thanks
    
    it would be done as goods and services and we would pay costs
    
    if this looks an issue I will bin the idea
- Harry T says:
  
  18 May18 May 12:36
  
  How close are you to obtaining your 241 voucher? Could always buy a fully flexible flight ticket to push you over the threshold, and then cancel the ticket when the 241 voucher lands in your BAEC account.
  
  I cancelled my BAPP when I received multiple refunds because I wouldn’t have gained any Avios for some time due to the negative balance. I already had my voucher though.
  - Gary Colclough says:
    
    18 May18 May 14:29
    
    Quite a way off, I will make it by cut off but not if about £6k gets added
- Lady London says:
  
  18 May18 May 12:43
  
  why not just indo a normal bank transfer online via fastpay or something from your normal bank account.
  
  if its your friends who are not in a position to receive into a Uk bank account then Revolut? to them abroad? or Paypal good idea but dont do it too often as they can block for trivial reasons otherwise Amazon gift card from the Amazon site for the country they would spend it in otherwise any other gift card they might want provided they can spend it electronically.
  - Gary Colclough says:
    
    18 May18 May 14:29
    
    I have many ways to pay, its doing it without impacting my avios or 2-4-1 I am trying to sort
- Michael says:
  
  18 May18 May 13:18
  
  Yes you can PayPal them. No charge if they have U.K accounts and you send them it as friends and family. I did this a couple of weeks to my brother for a cancelled BA flight.
  - Gary Colclough says:
    
    18 May18 May 14:30
    
    What I am trying to find is if this attracts avios and counts to 2-4-1 card
    
    Paypal purchases do
    - Jay H says:
      
      18 May18 May 15:56
      
      Yes
      - Gary Colclough says:
        
        18 May18 May 16:04
        
        Thanks
    - Chrish says:
      
      18 May18 May 18:36
      
      Gary Colclough@ i made a Paypal payment to my Daughter (different surname) amount
      just over £1000
      used business part of Paypal small commission to pay (by Daughter) didn’t want to risk just transfer)
      Worked a treat was to reach 241 earlier. wouldn’t recommend regular basis though they can be tough
Anna says:

18 May18 May 13:28

Does HH visa to Revolut attract any charges/fees? I’m losing track with general spending being down.
- J says:
  
  18 May18 May 15:21
  
  Yes last time I tried it. Barclaycard refunded charges as one off good will though.
  - Anna says:
    
    18 May18 May 15:34
    
    Thanks J. Might be partly feeding the seagulls actual money from a bank account this month then. It hurts just thinking about it 😂
    - rams1981 says:
      
      18 May18 May 15:38
      
      they have not charged me on my last 2 goes in last month. Statement was last week
      - J says:
        
        18 May18 May 18:57
        
        Interesting might be worth risking again.
- The Urbanite says:
  
  18 May18 May 17:23
  
  Nowadays Revolut seem to use different MCCs for different customers. It’s gotten to the point where it’s genuinely impossible to advise accurately as they send some people to their 4829 merchant account for topups and others to their 6012 merchant account!
Richard says:

18 May18 May 13:31

Hi, can I make an Avios booking in 2 different classes? Pretty sure I can’t do it on-line, but not sure if possible by calling?
- Andrew says:
  
  18 May18 May 13:38
  
  You can do it on line but only across 3 different classes not 4 – ie you can fly premium economy and First but not economy and First, but you could fly economy and business. Other option is to book 2 one ways which are the same price (sometimes less in taxes) but of course doesn’t work if you want to use a 2for1 voucher. Otherwise call to book.
  - Richard says:
    
    18 May18 May 13:46
    
    Thanks, but I’ve explained myself very poorly! What I’m actually looking to do is 2 tickets in business and one in economy in the same booking (economy as a placeholder I hope to upgrade if availability opens up).
    - Andrew says:
      
      18 May18 May 13:48
      
      Oh then no, you need to ring.
    - BrightonReader says:
      
      18 May18 May 20:39
      
      You can’t have a mixed class booking like that on the same PNR
    - memesweeper says:
      
      18 May18 May 22:48
      
      If you phone up they will book it for you, but there’s no point , it ends up as two tickets, one for one class and one for another.