Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The new HFP chat thread – Tuesday 23rd June

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

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/2020/06/23/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-tuesday-23rd-june/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

Comments (254)

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

  • Chris Heyes says:
    23 Jun23 June 04:11

    Rob@(Intrigued to see how you claim that you have “benefited” from spending 3 months of – and don’t take this personally! – the not huge number of months you have left on this planet stuck in your house, even if you’re a few quid better off.)
    Hi,Rob from your comment above yday didn’t at all take it personally lol
    Just to let you know “Shielded” i never said stuck in house
    We have a “Garden” and play Boules
    Plus Marine Park around 100yds off us very quiet, beach next to us again quiet end beach huts
    opposite end from Butlins
    But your right no idea how many months left lol

    • Gavin says:
      23 Jun23 June 08:19

      I’m one of those who has slipped through the cracks as per Rob’s comment yesterday (not been able to get a new contract since March and now suffering ill health and a few months away from being able to work) and it’s not much fun. I suppose this is why I had the bright idea of having savings.

      Started to liquidate some of my points balances (Nectar / Clubcard etc) as these can be used in lieu of cash. Not sure what the Avios are good for bar wine! Not looking for sympathy but as Rob said there are winners and losers with totally polarised experiences

      • Vit says:
        23 Jun23 June 09:18

        Gavin, hope things will get better for you there. Talking about sympathy, it is even less for people like me working in O&G industry. I have been fortunate enough to escape the downturn 5 years ago by moving to London office and support global projects and not just the North Sea. Again, been doing okay this time since back in Scotland with different employer. Though many of my colleagues are not this lucky and the previous employer I was with back in London a year ago going to cut down 40%+ (staffs + contractors). But in general, as we are working in an industry that damages the environment and our own lungs, we don’t get much covered or sympathy as other industry but hey ho, such as life! If I do get this time in the upcoming month, I am ready for it anyway. 🙂

        • Nick_C says:
          23 Jun23 June 13:42

          I think O&G will be booming in six to 9 months because of lockdown.

    • Nick_C says:
      23 Jun23 June 08:21

      Social distancing is now non existent.

      Kids need to get back to school and grown ups need to get back to work. High risk groups can vary on isolating.

      We are all going to be paying for this extended holiday for as very long time.

      • Cat says:
        23 Jun23 June 09:27

        You may think so, but the vast majority of kids *won’t* be back in school until September – and that’s not guaranteed.

        • Lady London says:
          23 Jun23 June 11:32

          Yes I hope education is being geared up to go digital. I can’t see this not being needed in the future sadly.

          It”s dusadvantaged children and those in difficult home situations that we have to think up more sikutions for. A poster yesterday thought that as part if their public service mandate the BBC should be stepping up with a comprehensive schools support iffering – so many opportunities lost by the BBC and yet we’re all still paying the licence fee.

          • Rhys says:
            23 Jun23 June 11:36

            The BBC already offers a lot of school support – BBC Bitesize etc. Frequently used by teachers during my schooling.

        • Cat says:
          23 Jun23 June 11:53

          They have been beefing up bitesize, to be fair.

          The biggest problems, by far, are experienced by the families with poor Internet, no computer, or one computer shared between a parent who’s WFH and 6 school aged kids…

          … which all goes back to those widening the gap comments yesterday.

        • ChrisC says:
          23 Jun23 June 13:05

          Lady London that’s unfair on the BBC. They are doing a heck of a lot to support education.

          It’s just not everything is branded as being for schools / education. But teachers are well aware so point their pupils to it yet they are also suitable for the general audience,

          I watched Macbeth on Sunday night. And Romeo and Juliette before that. Both shown in support of the English Literature curriculum but open to anyone to watch. The Anthony Hopkins King Lear was phenomenal and I’d not seen that before but again shown as part of the Literature curriculum support package.

          Ditto many of the science and history documentaries they are showing, I’d not seen the Michael Wood ‘Story of England’ before yet there I was watching it and been educated without knowing! Damn BBC forcing it down my throat and making me learn stuff!

          https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/coronavirus-education

      • EwanG says:
        23 Jun23 June 10:32

        In my experience, people will socially distance where they are forced to (e.g. by the greeter outside a shop, if they still have one) or they have their own reasons to do so (attitude to risk, mitigant (e.g. using a face covering), preference for distancing against other people so they can be very close to another family member who does not live with them). Some just don’t care about distancing any more!
        In short, everyone has different thoughts on what they want to do!

      • Jeff 99 says:
        23 Jun23 June 10:43

        “In short, everyone has different thoughts on what they want to do!”

        I agree completely, but pubs and restaurants are going to have restricted capacity, people still can’t go to football matches, theaters etc so I don’t see how social distancing is non-existent like another poster said. I know people want to think things are back to normal, but none of these restrictions are “normal”

      • Optimus Prime says:
        23 Jun23 June 10:43

        There’s social distancing on the queue. Once you get in the supermarket/shop everyone is within 1m most times.

        Once this afternoon they make official the new 1m rule people will start breathing on each others’ neck again.

    • Andrew says:
      23 Jun23 June 09:03

      I’m back at my desk full time, and thankfully the canteen selection has returned to near normality too (although they aren’t doing hot puddings yet).

      On weekdays, lockdown isn’t too different from Garden Leave. I had 9 months of it in 2010 from March to December. Remain at home during working hours and expect spot-checks from my employer.

  • Steve R says:
    23 Jun23 June 08:28

    Morning All,

    We have an RFS to Turkey in August outbound & inbound booked separately 355 days out.

    Just received an email from BA saying we can exchange the outbound for a voucher, no doubt in 10 days we will get another for the inbound

    Having read t he T & C’s on BA it states to redeem the voucher you must phone them, it does not mention anything about re-crediting your BAEC account with the Avios nor does it mention anything about the two lots of £52.50.

    I know Rob, you in a much earlier post said that there were unlimited Avios seats except for those that booked 355 days out – I think the technical term was stuffed. Or has anything changed?

    Given that RFS flights usually go within minutes ff being made available for the summer holidays, phoning or even trying to phone BA is a pointless exercise

    Any ideas

    • Rhys says:
      23 Jun23 June 08:53

      Since this is a reward booking you could cancel the flights (you have to call BA at the moment) and get your Avios and taxes and fees refunded, minus the £35 charge. You would take a hit but the Avios and cash you get refunded will be more flexible than the voucher.

    • pauldb says:
      23 Jun23 June 09:01

      Do you want to travel this summer or not? You can apply for the voucher now for any August flight – you don’t have to wait for the email.

      If the voucher would be too restrictive, wait and see. If BA cancel the flight you’ll get a full free refund. (With respect to the voucher, the avios and cash element get held within it until reused.)

    • Lady London says:
      23 Jun23 June 10:46

      @pauldb is right. best to wait and see if BA cancels any flight on your ticket. As soon as they do that you have a right to a full refund without deductions. You also have the option (required to be given to you under EU261) to choose later dates to travel on your route atno extra charge and due to BA’s cancellation, there does *not* have to be an avios seat available for you on your chosen flight just any seat in same class of travel.

      Funnily enough an awful lot of posters here have reported receiving an email from BA offering a voucher and the flight was later cancelled …ahem. Sometimes their flight was not even still bookable when they received this email, and occasionally it had even disappeared off the timetable for their date.

      The only reason i can see for taking a ‘voucher’ from BA is if your booking includes a 2for1 or upgrade voucher in which case it would be extended.

      I’d do what pauldb says and sit tight if I were you.

      • babyg says:
        23 Jun23 June 11:59

        If BA provides you with more than 14 days notice EU261 compensation rights do not apply, that said BA is currently going above and beyond allowing you to rebook cancelled AVIOS flights regardless of AVIOS availability for almost any date in the future (there just needs to be seats in the same cabin) – ive had some cash bookings end up in better fare buckets and have gained miles and TPSs, ive had off peak AVIOS rebooked into peak :-), so yes agreed with LL, wait for BA to cancel.

        • pauldb says:
          23 Jun23 June 12:04

          You don’t get compensation rights, because of COVID, not just because of the 14 days. But the right to rebook is not compensation and not something the airline can swerve in any circumstances.

          As you’ve said though, offering a rebook well into the future is more generous than just offering the next flights.

        • Lady London says:
          23 Jun23 June 12:11

          No one’s qualifying for any compensation under compi provisions of EU261 in these times. This us because covid lets any cancellation successfully be ciunted as exceptional circumstances currently wvenbif cancelled at less than 14 days notice.

          Duty of care (incl rerouting or refund rights and you choise which the airline doesn’t) still apply.

          • Lady London says:
            23 Jun23 June 12:14

            EU261 gives you the right to choose to do your flights on a future date convenient to you – that does not come from the generosity of the airline and some will still try to deny or erroneously insist that reward seats in your class have to be available for you to rebook onto – they don’t.

          • Charlieface says:
            23 Jun23 June 14:19

            Just by the way, I’ve not been convinced that a cancellation less than 14 days in advance is exceptional. In other words, the law seems to indicate (I agree it’s not clear-cut) that they expect the airline to cancel more than 14 days in advance, which even given the current situation is still possible. There is no reason for an airline to leave you in the lurch last minute, and that seems to be why compo is mandated.

  • Louise K says:
    23 Jun23 June 08:36

    We Private Bank with Lloyd’s and have a travel insurance policy with the account.

    Does anyone know if insurance that comes with these accounts still cover Covid?

    We want to book a special holiday for next spring but reluctant because of Covid.

    Trailfinders launched a travel insurance policy yesterday that covers up to £5k for cancellation (can get a higher limited if you ask them). It’s £255 for the 2 of us but not sure if we need it.

    • Darren says:
      23 Jun23 June 08:47

      Has the t&c’s been updated? I have the same policy but don’t recall a change.

    • Darren says:
      23 Jun23 June 08:50

      The following is from Lloyd’s site –

      As the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) is felt across the UK, customers have been contacting AXA and Lloyds Bank to understand how their travel insurance is impacted. Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the coronavirus outbreak is a pandemic, this is now a ‘known event’. This means that if you book any travel or holiday after 18 March 2020, your policy will not cover cancellation and early returns related to coronavirus.

      • Darren says:
        23 Jun23 June 08:52

        missed this bit –

        AXA will continue to cover medical costs if you become ill in a country or region the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) hasn’t advised against visiting.

    • pauldb says:
      23 Jun23 June 08:57

      This is from the regular banking site not private, but may be equivalent. https://www.lloydsbank.com/assets/media/pdfs/current-accounts/pba-coronavirus-update.pdf

      To my eye, you would not be covered if you cancel because of COVID. You would be covered for medical if you travel, unless the FCO “all but essential” advice is still in place (presuming a holiday is not essential).

  • Yuff says:
    23 Jun23 June 08:59

    Anyone know if the credit for the Amex platinum is available for the business card and is it applicable to new applications.
    Probably have to fly to Mallorca next week so might be handy to get the card back for the benefits…..
    .

  • Andrew says:
    23 Jun23 June 09:09

    Wirecard.

    Any thoughts on how the probable collapse of Wirecard will affect the travel industry? I believe they are the MSP for some pretty big names.

    Will Visa, Mastercard or Amex jump in and temporarily run the business as an operator of the last resort?

  • Diydegsy says:
    23 Jun23 June 09:46

    Has anyone had any success in using Amex supplementary cards to get the £100 spend back offer if you spend £100 at M&S etc. I had the offer on a gold and green supplementary cards and it is still showing as saved but wonder if anyone else has tried it?

    • roberto says:
      23 Jun23 June 10:14

      Used it on main & sup plat and got 2 x £100 back. I bought 2 x £100 M&S gift card.

      • Sukes says:
        23 Jun23 June 10:50

        I’ve got the credit from M&S within about 3days on online purchases on the main and supplementaries. Credit has not however posted for eligible instore purchases at my local M&S food hall so will have to initiate chat with them to get this fixed. Online purchases made on Apple have credited very quickly.

    • Rob says:
      23 Jun23 June 11:03

      Works fine. Done it, got the cash.

  • Spursdebs says:
    23 Jun23 June 09:52

    Data point … Son was meant to travel to Portugal for now cancelled honeymoon on July 5th with EasyJet. He had email yesterday saying although his flight is still going he can take a voucher valid for 12 months if he wanted to. He’s taken voucher and looking on it as a positive move.

    • Tom H says:
      23 Jun23 June 10:09

      I got a similar email for a flight to jersey on July 14, flight cancelled and now put on one 2.5 hours later, which doesn’t work for me. Do I have to ale the voucher or am I entitled to a full refund?

    • Lady London says:
      23 Jun23 June 11:06

      Probably good in this case but I am a little wary of Easyjet vouchers for a couple of reasons.

      IIRC the phone number Easyjet used to give you to use a voucher was a surcharged one and you could be kept on hold for a long time. I calculated that below a certain voucher value Easyjet could actually be making a profit on the voucher. Surcharged numbers share the surcharge with the company whose number it is (and not a low share). Queuing time means the meter on the surcharge is running.

      The second reason is that Easyjet applies a different, generally considerably higher, pricelist thar agwnts myst use for customers that phone in. This is baked into the price for the flight being bought – or changed to. Easyjet may say they’re not applying a change fee or a booking fee. But it’s hidden in the ‘phone in” price for everyone – yes even you, @Tim M – that has to ohine in to make or change a booking. The phone in price list is not available to you and it’s completely different to the price you see on the internet and they csn change it all the time. IME it was mostly at least £20 more – could be much more – and very, very occasionally be less.

      What worries me is how much money will Easyjet need to recoup frim anyone whi has to phone in to use a voucher, or book or change flights in the future?

      • Darren says:
        23 Jun23 June 11:37

        Thanks for the info LL, I have a booking at the end of July and was waiting for it to cancel (it may not now) but I’ll change the flights to 2021 as the change fees are waived at present.

      • Charlieface says:
        23 Jun23 June 14:22

        I have redeemed an Easyjet voucher in the past (not corona related) on the regular phone number and succesfully argued for the online price (it did take time)

  • youngtraveller says:
    23 Jun23 June 10:02

    I just noticed Melia has disappeared from Amex travel partners website, when did this happen?

    • youngtraveller says:
      23 Jun23 June 10:05

      Oh nevermind I think I was mixing between plat benefits and travel partners where you can transfer points.

    • Rob says:
      23 Jun23 June 11:03

      You mean for a status or vouchers for free rooms for points?

      It dropped out of Membership Rewards a year or so ago.

      If you’re saying you can’t get status any longer then that is odd as technically Amex has to inform me in advance about changes to the benefits packages on the cards.

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Learn more on our About page.

VAA

Latest comments

Latest Forum Posts

Get 30,000 points bonus with American Express Platinum

Amex Gold

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.3 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

Get 20,000 bonus points and your first year free with American Express Gold

Amex Gold