The new HFP chat thread – Monday 25th May

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• davvero says:

  25 May25 May 04:51

  Air Italy (the Avios partner airline part owned by QR – not Alitalia) went into administration earlier this year, initially the website was replaced with a holding page (like Flybe) but they did charter some flights to keep their operation going for a few weeks. Then the website came back as they were selling tickets once again on their PSO routes from Milan/Rome to Olbia. That only lasted until early April (presumably they had a contract with the government to fulfill.
  So what’s odd is now there’s no PSO flights the Air Italy website is still up and it’s still selling tickets, but only for BA flights LCY/LHR-LIN and Iberia MAD-LIN all sold under an IG code.

  Does anyone know why they’re still doing this?

  • memesweeper says:

    25 May25 May 10:21

    Wild guess: administrators are trying to maintain an air operators licence and/or keep their IATA code?

• Sonic says:

  25 May25 May 05:35

  So. Crystal ball time. Will BA repeat the recent 75% amex bonus. I had other things on and missed it!
  Will they improve the offer?
  Have I missed the boat? Well plane actually?

  • Lady London says:

    25 May25 May 06:06

    Would be quite surprised if there are not some good offers around in the first 6-9 months of things getting moving again.

  • Rob says:

    25 May25 May 08:32

    It did very well BUT you do risk undermining value if you do it a lot. Which is one way of saying … no idea.

  • ChrisA says:

    25 May25 May 09:03

    You could try the ‘buy avios at a good rate via a flight cancellation’ route, as detailed a few days ago. Not a guaranteed way of securing the avios, but worst case scenario is waiting for many weeks for a cash refund.

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:

      25 May25 May 14:26

      Worst case scenario is your flight isn’t cancelled so you have to take a voucher.

• Anna says:

  25 May25 May 06:33

  Revolut weirdness. I’ve had a text message overnight saying my Revolut account is locked and I need to verify my identity. The text was from the same number Revolut has sent messages from previously. When I clicked on the accompanying link it sent me to a page where I was asked to input personal details, including credit card details. I didn’t fill this is as it seemed a bit odd, but instead went to my Revolut account and tried a couple of transactions which went in and out of the account with no issues. So it looks like it could be a phishing scam, but how are they using the Revolut mobile number? I don’t seem to have a email or any other contact from Revolut confirming the request for information.

  • Anna says:

    25 May25 May 06:48

    More weirdness. I changed my passcode in case the account had been hacked, then couldn’t get into the app at all. I deleted it and then installed it again and it seems to have been updated since yesterday, so maybe that’s made the site go a bit funny. But the website I was sent to –
    revolut dot support – uk dot co
    (which sounds wrong) is a real website which immediately asks you for personal details. So who knows what’s going on?

    • Anna says:

      25 May25 May 06:55

      I’ve done a bit of digging and apparently this is a scam which has been carried out previously, so now I’m wondering if the people who’ve posted on here recently that their accounts have been locked have also been targeted. What’s really worrying is that the text came from the number Revolut previously used to contact me when I set up the account, so you could be forgiven for thinking it was genuine.

      • John says:

        25 May25 May 07:18

        https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/problems/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages/phone-spoof-scam

        • Anna says:

          25 May25 May 08:15

          Thanks but this is about reporting spoof callers to Action Fraud? This wasn’t a call and it came from Revolut’s own number! Also Revolut chat facility seems to have disappeared from the app.

      • Ken says:

        25 May25 May 08:37

        Anna,

        Fraudsters have been able to mimic the caller ID of a bank for at least 18 months. So if your bank number is in your contact address book the call or text iwill appear on your smartphone as “NatWest” (or whoever).
        This is part of ‘Spoofing’ fraud.

        Banks should never, ever text you a link to a website.

        • Ken says:

          25 May25 May 08:40

          Actually doesn’t even need to be in your address book. They can make the text appear as if from REVOLUT

        • Anna says:

          25 May25 May 08:52

          I’m aware of this, but the fraudulent text was in the same thread as all the other texts I’ve had from Revolut. I’ve previously had a phishing text from “Lloyds”, for example, but it was a new message, not attached to previous, genuine messages.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          25 May25 May 09:15

          Isn’t that your phone doing that? It doesn’t mean that Revolut has sent the msg the phone is just recognising the number is the same and sticking it In the existing thread?

          In cases like these i would always err on the side of caution and go directly to your bank login / chat / phone them. Better safe than sorry with personal information.

        • Save East Coast Rewards says:

          25 May25 May 14:33

          It’s been possible to spoof the caller ID for many years. First time I discovered how to do it was in 2003. Caller ID should never be used as a security measure. There are legit reasons to do it e.g. businesses that want to show the same number wherever they call from so you can call them back easier. Unfortunately many people believed they provided some security. They do not and should never be trusted.

      • RussellH says:

        25 May25 May 10:53

        Anna, it is a trivial matter for those who know to both make voice calls and send SMS from any phone number they choose, in any country they choose.

        It is also done perfectly legitimately – quite a lot at present. With people working from home and using their own phone and claiming back the cost it is much more useful and professional to be able to present the business’ own phone number rather than have to withhold their own (which is what I have to do on a Wednesday when phoning people who have approached the charity I volunteer for).

    • Doug M says:

      25 May25 May 10:59

      The more reliable format for something real would be support . revolut . co all that really matters is to immediate left of the suffix, the .co part. All you had there was a subdomain owned by support . co.
      The .co was Colombia’s national domain suffix, but because it anglicised nicely for ‘company’ it was a very valuable tld. I think the Colombian gov sold on the admin rights, and eventually they wound up with a big USA player.
      Never click on links sent to you, always use a favourite or type the name in.

  • Jonathan says:

    25 May25 May 08:29

    I had a similar text, but had a genuine freeze just 2 weeks before instigated through the app so I knew this was a phishing attempt. When I double checked the text, it spelt RevoIut with a cap i instead of l

  • Julia R says:

    25 May25 May 08:49

    Same happened to me the other day. I didn’t even click the link.

    • Anna says:

      25 May25 May 08:55

      Was it a completely new message, though, or did it appear at the end of other texts from Revolut?

      • Tariq says:

        25 May25 May 09:49

        As TGLoyalty said, your phone is adding it to the same group of texts because the spammers have forged the sender number to match where the genuine texts came from.

      • Julia R says:

        25 May25 May 10:18

        I think a new number. Came up as 55555

      • rams1981 says:

        25 May25 May 13:25

        Mine came from 111 11 and directed me to Revolut.help.

        I saw there were no issues in the app so assumed was a scam.

  • Michael says:

    25 May25 May 09:09

    It’s a phishing scam Anna. I had the same one a few days ago. I was almost caught out as it looked genuine but contacted Revolut support through the app and they confirmed my account was in good standing and it was a scam.

  • Peter Kemp says:

    25 May25 May 09:55

    Thank for the heads up!

  • Charlieface says:

    25 May25 May 13:34

    Interesting that people think a caller display number must come from the person who owns the number. Phone companies have no way of verifying the number at present, so if you have your own PBX (which you can do on home computer) you can type in literally whatever you want.

    • Anna says:

      25 May25 May 16:13

      Again, it was a text at the end of a whole thread of texts from Revolut! Therefore no caller display and not even any number visible. Revolut is not saved in my contacts, therefore this appears quite sophisticated to me, it wasn’t just identical to Revolut, it appeared under the messages that were already there, genuinely from Revolut. I have never seen this before, phishing texts normally appear on their own and separately from ones sent from the real bank or card company.

      • Baji Nahid says:

        25 May25 May 19:03

        Anna you would think they would appear separately but they actually don’t. Scammers are very clever in being able to con you out of info and make things legitimate. Always go to the website and never click on any links at all.

• Diydegsy says:

  25 May25 May 09:06

  Does anyone know if Amex platinum insurance cover accommodation for time share weeks that were booked and then couldn’t be used through covid 19. Any help appreciated!

• Secret Squirrel says:

  25 May25 May 09:16

  Seen in my BAPP account that overnight I’ve hit the 10k spend needed for the 241.
  How long do you have to wait for an email from BA confirming voucher?
  Got a few refunds processing so keen to see it credited. 😄

  • Anna says:

    25 May25 May 10:44

    I’ve never had a confirmation email (possibly because I don’t sign up to receiving them), but if you keep checking your BAEC account it will show as soon as it’s applied. My last one appeared within 24 hours of hitting the target spend so you may be in luck re the refunds!

    • Polly says:

      26 May26 May 08:20

      Strange, we have had those congrats emails from baec informing us about the voucher. And they do post within a day or so in the baec.

• Michael C says:

  25 May25 May 09:34

  So Spanish govt. has announced no quarantine for July tourists..wonder what the journey back will be like?!

  • Rob says:

    25 May25 May 10:43

    Via Dublin, trouble free. Book Aer Lingus.

    • Anna says:

      25 May25 May 10:49

      Still need FCO to change travel advice though? IF we still have quarantine requirements by then, I am eagerly awaiting all the MPs who are exempt going off on their summer holidays.
      But at present it’s all so up in the air, I’m sticking with my Spain booking for the end of July (mostly paid for via BA holidays now, anyway) and waiting to see how this pans out. At the moment I honestly feel a socially distanced holiday in Spain would be preferable to running a gauntlet of pitchforks in Cornwall or the Lakes. The only deal breaker for me would be having to wear a mask while outdoors, if this is still a requirement in Spain by then I’m just going to give up and stay at home!

      • ChrisBCN says:

        25 May25 May 15:11

        Anna you don’t have to wear a mask outdoors, only in enclosed spaces. So you can sit outside at a bar without one, but if you want to go into a supermarket you need one. Even this may be reduced by the time you are away, depending on where you are and which phase the area is in.

        • Anna says:

          25 May25 May 16:15

          That’s good to know, the press is reporting it as being for anyone over the age of 3, in all public spaces. I’ll happily wear one in a supermarket but I was wondering how on earth it would work if you were eating out!

        • ChrisBCN says:

          25 May25 May 20:07

          Well I don’t know what press you are reading Anna, maybe switch to something more accurate as I have not seen this in the press and it’s simply inaccurate!

        • Anna says:

          25 May25 May 20:36

          From the English edition of El Pais:

          “According to the ministerial order, published Wednesday in the Official State Gazette (BOE), face masks must be worn in the “public street, in open-air spaces and any closed space that is for public use or that is open to the public, where it is not possible to maintain [an interpersonal] distance” of two meters.
          The new rules apply to everyone over the age of six. The use of face masks is also recommended for children between three and five years of age.”

          There are lots of instances where you’re not going to be able to maintain a 2 metre distance, e.g. someone bringing food to your table, even if you are seated outside.

        • ChrisBCN says:

          25 May25 May 22:10

          I see what you mean Anna, and I think it’s due to differing interpretations of ‘where it is not possible to maintain [an interpersonal] distance” of two meters’

          Outdoor tables are set 2 metres apart by the rules so you don’t need to wear masks, but the servers will.

          You’ll be fine, enjoy your trip if it happens!

    • John says:

      25 May25 May 12:03

      Not certain it’ll be trouble free. The current Passenger Location forms handed out at Dublin airport arrivals, are being made mandatory from this Thursday.

      https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0524/1140318-quarantine-regulations/

      According to latest stats, more than a third of passengers are failing to complete them at all, and the info on the other two thirds often hasn’t been accurate when checked.

      There’s a section on the form for passengers in transit, including within Common Travel Area.

      I imagine these details will be passed to UK Border Force, so at – for example – Heathrow or Glasgow, they’ll theoretically be able to make an interception and try and impose UK quarantine.

      Obviously, leaving Dublin airport and taking train or aircoach to Belfast, and then domestic flight or ferry to GB should work (but adds hassle to end of holiday).

      Not sure if you could take ferry/train from Dublin via Holyhead and avoid attention.

    • Optimus Prime says:

      25 May25 May 13:46

      They don’t check your travel history at all upon arrival at UK? I mean, when Trump banned all travel from Europe except UK people were warned not try and travel (for example) AMS-LHR-JFK because they would find out.

      • Save East Coast Rewards says:

        25 May25 May 14:39

        When you land in the UK from Ireland (or other CTA locations such as Jersey) you do not pass through UK immigration. At Heathrow T5 you arrive through a special route which avoids immigration but takes you into the international arrivals hall so you still walk through customs. In smaller UK airports you usually just follow the domestic arrivals path (and if you need customs there’s a phone on the wall).

  • Peggers says:

    25 May25 May 12:04

    Greece imposing 14 day quarantine. From FCO:

    Still current at:
    25 May 2020
    Updated:
    24 May 2020
    Latest update:
    Update to local coronavirus-related measures. British nationals arriving in Greece will be tested for coronavirus on arrival, and required to go into 14 days’ self-isolation. (‘Summary’, ‘Return to the UK’, ‘Staying during coronavirus’ and ‘Entry requirements’ pages).

    • mr_jetlag says:

      25 May25 May 14:42

      er… no. Greece has had quarantine in place for a while now, but is relaxing measures fron June 15 and fully by 1 July.

      https://www.ekathimerini.com/252875/article/ekathimerini/news/greece-says-no-coronavirus-tests-no-quarantine-for-tourists-this-summer

      • Peggers says:

        25 May25 May 23:36

        Er… well that is a direct lift from the FCO website today. So it looks like er…yes.

• tony says:

  25 May25 May 10:12

  Wondering if I can tap the hive mind for a chargeback questions….

  Malaysian have cancelled a flight I was booked on. MH refuse to reroute and refuse to offer a refund, which is against their own conditions of carriage. I initiated a chargeback with Virgin (credit card provider), who are saying they will only consider the chargeback once the booked date has passed and then it could then take 120 days to resolve.

  Is that true? Surely the claim can go in as soon as MH cancelled the flight?

  • Ian M says:

    25 May25 May 10:18

    S.75 probably a better option than a chargeback?

    • tony says:

      25 May25 May 10:37

      To clarify, all I did was dispute the charge with the credit card company. I’m not sure if it’s a CB or S.75.

  • Hugo says:

    25 May25 May 10:32

    Curve refused to do a chargeback as Malaysia sadly has a get out clause in their terms and conditions allowing them to do this. I then complained to the Malaysian aviation commission who said it was up to the airline if they want to refund or not. There does seem to be a real lack of consumer protection in Malaysia. Curve refunded me out of goodwill because it was a small amount.

    • tony says:

      25 May25 May 10:44

      What clause was that? I’ve gone through the CoC and it seems cut & dry that if they cancel and you request it, a refund will be forthcoming. It’s for £1.5k so not an immaterial sum.

      Am wondering if I’m better off going via the small claims court, as at this rate MH will be bankrupt by the time Virgin get anywhere.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        25 May25 May 11:01

        Curve doesn’t have the same s75 protection like you do having used an actual credit card.

        Even if they go bankrupt the credit card company is jointly liable for refunding your money.

    • Lady London says:

      25 May25 May 13:29

      section 75 should be the stronger way to do this.

      have you checked the actual terms your booking was made under? it would be much more helpful if the terms dont cover them to this. In which case, surely no one would ever book with MH?

      if they do have a term that says they can keep your money without providing the contracted service then its more complicated and tedious, though i dont think impossible, to get your money back.

      Wouldnt it be nice if the UK government would mandate that all monies paid for air tickets goes into escrow and is only released to the airlines 7 days after the flight?

      For now, go section 75 not received the the flight that you paid for, via your credit card. If they refuse consider taking them to the FOS. Or claim on your insurance. Insurance will only pick it up if credit card doesnt have to. Do it quickly in case there’s no airline failure clause in your policy as IIRC currently MH technically hasnt failed yet.

      • Tony says:

        25 May25 May 15:20

        Thanks all. But what about the fact virgin won’t initiate the process until the departure date? Is that against best practice?

        • Lady London says:

          25 May25 May 15:58

          complete rubbish. the airline has told you they wont be fulfulling their part of the contract.by cancelling the flight and declining to refund. credit card is equally liable under s75 to fulfil the contract. They are just trying to delay to keep it off their own books as long as possible.

          if airline has said its cancelled and youve made a readonable attempt to get a refund youre entitled to (and you are entitled even on a nonrefundable ticker if its them cancelling) then no reason not to seek your rights now from the other party jointly liable ie credit card.

          as youve now been told its cancelled you need to be in a position to make other plans now ie you need your money back. even if by some miracle they reinstated the flight later you have had to cancel other arrangements and make new plans meanwhile.

• TonyG says:

  25 May25 May 11:47

  How do I move my Avios from iberia to ba account?

  • Rob says:

    25 May25 May 12:01

    See https://headforpoints.com/2019/01/02/how-does-combine-my-avios-work-moving-avios-points-from-iberia-to-british-airways/

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