The new HFP chat thread – Saturday 20th June

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• Rob says:

  20 Jun20 June 07:02

  Morning kids,

  If you hit the reduced 55,000 point target to gain IHG Spire Elite status, does one still get the 25k bonus points you would have got when the target was 75k points?

  • EwanG says:

    20 Jun20 June 07:42

    Your choice benefit becomes active at 55k points

    • Rob says:

      20 Jun20 June 08:35

      And 25k points is still one of those choices Ewan?

      • Grant says:

        20 Jun20 June 08:39

        Yes

  • Rob says:

    20 Jun20 June 09:28

    Yes

    • Rob says:

      20 Jun20 June 14:33

      Thanks folks, perfecto.

  • Pat the Postie says:

    20 Jun20 June 13:59

    Yes although IHG have said that you’ll get the benefit if you were previously spire anyway

    • BrianW says:

      20 Jun20 June 14:11

      That’s the way the website and travel policy reads, however, they are back tracking saying they mean the ability to ‘redeem’ your previous years status is being ‘extended’ along with your Elite status until Jan 2022.

      Nonsense if you ask me.

      • BrianW says:

        20 Jun20 June 14:16

        Sorry meant ability to redeem previous years ‘Choice Benefit’ is being extended with your Elite status.

        • Pat the Postie says:

          20 Jun20 June 14:53

          Yeah well thats a load of rubbish then!

    • Sandra says:

      20 Jun20 June 15:51

      Checked my account earlier this week (Spire Ambassador) which has been extended and although not made the 55K yet the choice option was already there so I selected the 25K points which credited straight away. Does this mean when I reach the 55K threshold, hopefully in a couple of months with credit card spend, a further 25K points will be offered for attaining the target?

      • Brian W says:

        20 Jun20 June 17:17

        Did you use your choice benefit last year? It’s likely that the one showing is from the previous year which you can now still redeem as it’s been extended. Mine was in this case which IHG Service confirmed.

        You could check your history to see if you have redeemed the previous 2019 one as it will show up as a 25k credit.

        If you redeemed already in 2019 and have another you maybe got lucky!

        • Sandra says:

          20 Jun20 June 18:00

          Thanks I will check, I think so but can’t remember!

• Chris Heyes says:

  20 Jun20 June 07:59

  Is this doable We have both down-graded from platinum, after referring family mainly Gold Amex.
  I’m BA Premium Amex, Partner Gold Amex
  Partner added me as supl to get her 3,000 points, i added her It worked
  My thought is can “EACH” of my Family (who have just received gold) ADD ME as a supl
  Giving each of them 3.000 points
  (i would have 5/6 suptl Gold Amex i wouldn’t use) would Amex block it
  Thoughts please

  • TGLoyalty says:

    20 Jun20 June 08:11

    Cant see why they would block it.

    they can even add themselves as a supp, use your own name and select relationship as other and your card will arrive with A.C. On it (additional card) and they will get the 3k points aswell.

• Marcw says:

  20 Jun20 June 09:04

  BA has cancelled all future 747 training. This surely only means one thing…

  • Andrew says:

    20 Jun20 June 09:25

    Sad times. And I just had a flight cancelled booked in 1A, so I guess that unique pleasure will be left to the history books now.

  • ChrisC says:

    20 Jun20 June 10:14

    Well it has been rumoured that the 747 withdrawal from the fleet would be brought forward from the original plans.

    BA not the only airline withdrawing their 747s

    • Doc says:

      20 Jun20 June 10:23

      With the retirement of the A380 brought forward by Lufthansa, they are one of the few that are still flying the Queen although in the 747-8i version. Their 1A is still available in the nose.
      Our flight has been changed from A380 to the 747 for our trip in December with them.
      Probably will be last time I get to sit in 1A!!!

  • Fred (Your comment is awaiting moderation) says:

    20 Jun20 June 11:05

    Any idea how this will affect BA’s current 747s? I mean, how quickly might BA cease flying these graceful old birds?

    (I’m actually scheduled to fly in one in October….but for various reasons I can’t see it happening)

    • Rob says:

      20 Jun20 June 13:09

      Won’t happen in October without pilot training resuming because they will be outside their legal flying time.

• AndyW says:

  20 Jun20 June 09:25

  Question on the virgin premium upgrade Cerritos card voucher. I’m guessing this is a no, but if I use this, could I then use more miles to love to upper? Can’t seem to find this info anywhere.

  • AndyW says:

    20 Jun20 June 09:26

    No idea where Cerritos came from… credit card voucher

  • Travel Strong says:

    20 Jun20 June 09:44

    According to the fare rules – yes. The premium upgrade etix are P class fares, which are not excluded from being able to upgrade with miles.

    In practice – I have not tried… but I will do if upper availability comes up for the ones I have booked!

• Benilyn says:

  20 Jun20 June 09:28

  IHG free night from premium CC, is it possible to get the voucher extended?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    20 Jun20 June 09:42

    They automatically extended mine to Dec 31st from August, but think everyone just got Dec 31st regardless if I remember the emails correctly.

    • EwanG says:

      20 Jun20 June 10:36

      The other thing to bear in mind is the expiry is when the booking needs to be made by. Your stay can be after the expiry.

      If you cancel your booking before the expiry you will get it back. Cancel afterwards and the voucher is forfeited.

• marcw says:

  20 Jun20 June 09:30

  In other news, American Airlines moving to T5B from 7th July https://twitter.com/Planenews_777/status/1274258026095169536?s=20

  • Andrew says:

    20 Jun20 June 09:44

    Hopefully not permanent. I will miss the T3 lounges, even the AA First lounge is better than BA’s – Moet, small bottles of Evian to take for the flight, even a pic’n’mix station on your way out. It’s a shame BA lounges are the worst quality of all at LHR.

    • Definitas says:

      20 Jun20 June 10:32

      BA has a monopoly at T5 so doesn’t have to try. I always think that the Galleries are reminiscent of a motorway service station. Sadly this means that the best of the bunch T5B lounge will probably change nowhere

      • Andrew says:

        20 Jun20 June 10:46

        Unless AA open their own lounges there – they do tend to like having their own lounges and LHR has been promised a AA Flagship lounge for some time. Perhaps the T5B lounge will be refitted and expanded to be an AA lounge – we can but hope. I love the AA arrivals lounge at T3 too, so much classier than those white plastic pods in the BA arrivals lounges. If AA leave T3 I wonder if Qantas or Cathay will take over operating the arrivals lounge, would be a shame if they closed the facility.

        • Jonathan says:

          20 Jun20 June 13:00

          This is only a temporary state of affairs while BA’s flights are down & American only running 4 flights/day so there definitely won’t be any lounge changes.

          Long term there is an ambition to co locate with BA but that was being looked at as part of terminal changes with 3rd runway. If that gets further deferred then they may look at expanding T5C but this will be 5 years+ away.

• Clarence says:

  20 Jun20 June 11:05

  Last month I received the cash refund from a cancelled booking using the chrome workaround but the avios part of the booking haven’t been refunded yet. Has anyone else had the same issue ?

  • ChrisC says:

    20 Jun20 June 18:18

    Have you checked back in your history as they often credit back to the date you spent them not the date you cancelled the flights.

• Zoe says:

  20 Jun20 June 11:45

  Now that it seems likely that travel corridors will be working after 4th July can I run my plan past you please? Book BA flights to Spain for maybe a week later, if the Foreign Office Advice doesn’t change or we are ill then just cancel for a voucher? I know that my Nationwide policy won’t cover us for Covid but could buy a Staysure (or similar) that covers medical expenses for it or rely on EHIC. Travelling to own property so issues there if needing to cancel. Book car hire from Holiday Autos so can cancel up to 24 hours before.
  Welcome any comments, thinking if we book ahead of actual announcement flight prices will be lower.

  • Reeferman says:

    20 Jun20 June 12:03

    Hi Zoe
    I have done exactly that – in almost identical circumstances (own property in Spain etc). Only difference is my flight is made using AVIOS (albeit the minimum possible).
    I agree, once the travel corridors are announced, people are going to book immediately (rightly or wrongly) and prices highly likely to increase rapidly.

    • Zoe says:

      20 Jun20 June 12:12

      Thanks I’m even considering doing a fall back booking about 10 days later. Is there much advantage in the Avios route? Does it now have the all the money back if you cancel it? Sorry for the stupid questions I haven’t been paying attention to this website over the last few weeks.

      • Reeferman says:

        20 Jun20 June 13:53

        it really does depend on the non-AVIOS price of the flight.
        Under the BA booking rules for flights up to 31 August, you can chose to cancel yourself (even if the flight is still going) and receive a voucher with the AVIOS and money locked-in – which can be used up to April 2022. Alternatively, if the AVIOS are important to have-back immediately, you could chose to go for a refund and incurring a cancellation cost (Not sure if this cost is £35pp or £1 per person r.t)

  • Lady London says:

    20 Jun20 June 12:39

    Someone posted Trailfinders insurance is covering covid medical and cancellation. Staysure appears to be covering medical only for covid. Both currently offering 15 months covee for payment of 12 months.

    @Rob any chance of yoy offering clickable links for thia kind if thing? We’re all going to be checking insurance to see if covud is covered, lots of us h e pilicies we’ve let lapse but will renew whwn we staet to travel again..?

    I wilk be buying a new annual policy August-September and would hold off starting research if I kndw you coukd be doing a ‘here’s policies tgat to dome extent cover Covid” article with links

    • E says:

      20 Jun20 June 17:06

      I looked up Trailfinders travel insurance after that post. Their front page said they would cover for Covid-19 but when I clicked on the ‘buy now’ it took me to a page which said Covid-19 was excluded – https://www.trailfinders.com/insurance#/step1

      The policy document seemed a bit unclear either way.

    • Michael C says:

      20 Jun20 June 17:17

      My initial research for a new family policy always came back to Staysure, LL.

      • Sukes says:

        20 Jun20 June 17:27

        Vs your existing policy how does a Covid included one compare on price?

        • Michael C says:

          21 Jun21 June 06:18

          A little more but not crazy – something like GBP 250 for a family of 3 inc USA? (and a prior recovered-from medical condition)

  • ChrisC says:

    20 Jun20 June 18:27

    Remember with EHIC you are ony covered for the same level of free care that a resident in that country would get so if that means paying towards the cost of prescriptions (that could be a % of the full cost not just a fixed fee like the UK) , x-ray and blood tests or a contribution to hospital fees then you would need to pay for those.

    Check the EHIC website as there are detailed pages on what is and isn’t covered.

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