The new HFP chat thread – Monday 29th June

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• BJ says:

  29 Jun29 June 13:30

  Now the amex MR redemption page seems to be down. So many amex IT issues at the moment.

  • BJ says:

    29 Jun29 June 16:48

    It’s up and running again.

• mutley says:

  29 Jun29 June 13:43

  Anyone know if VAT bills can be paid via BIllhop? or Miles and More card? If not, any other viable alternative?

  • Rob says:

    29 Jun29 June 13:46

    You can, technically, pay it with Miles & More but Diners will send you a nasty letter as it is a personal card. Self assessment is fine.

    If your VAT bill is big enough, paying £15 per month for Curve Metal, which lets you pay HMRC unlimited sums for free and recharge it a Visa or MC, makes sense.

    • Tim Rogers says:

      29 Jun29 June 16:03

      How come Miles & More works on HMRC Self Assessment? I thought they banned personal cards?

      • Genghis says:

        29 Jun29 June 16:30

        It’s not a credit card

    • mutley says:

      29 Jun29 June 17:43

      Nice one thank you. Curve Metal it is.

• eligold says:

  29 Jun29 June 13:44

  Just checked up on my BA booking for August from Tel Aviv to London, booked with my Lloyds upgrade voucher!
  sure enough – it’s cancelled
  who do i approach since it was booked through Avios, and will I get my expired voucher back
  Has anyone had a similar experience with an expired Lloyds voucher?

  • Leigh says:

    29 Jun29 June 14:14

    Call Avios (0344 49 333 49). My expired voucher was returned with extended expiry date (added 6 month) and the refund was processed very quickly (within a week).

• Chris says:

  29 Jun29 June 14:18

  Similar situation to eligold over last weekend, and can confirm you get the (Expired) Lloyds Voucher back, but only with a 3 month extension now.

• Harry T says:

  29 Jun29 June 14:26

  Slightly niche – the international currency version of the Platinum amex is offering an extended spend period to get the sign up bonus. I believe it’s normally 30,000 points for spending 5000 $/€ in three months but it’s currently six months.

  Does anyone know how strictly they enquire about your income? I will meet the income threshold in September when I receive a pay rise but I’d like to use the card for several trips abroad in August.

  • Rob says:

    29 Jun29 June 15:47

    I doubt they bother too much. However remember that you must have been an Amex customer for 6 months already so a) they see what you spend anyway and b) they have your declaration from when you applied for your previous Amex.

• Ralph says:

  29 Jun29 June 14:35

  Just wondering if anyone has any insight on this. We are looking to fly out to Shanghai next April (cancelled this year, rescheduled for Sep but looking rather unlikely I fear) using a 2-4-1 in First, back from Beijing, something we have done a few times. Currently, from October, BA shows Shanghai flights as not operating with F, although if you look at the seating plans on ExpertFlyer they show (on most but not all days) the F seats, but they are all blocked. Not too keen in going overnight in old Club. Has anyone seen this on any other route? Wondering if it is something to do with the extra cargo for this route or a pending aircraft change?

  • marcw says:

    29 Jun29 June 15:01

    Many airlines have stopped selling First Class – Singapore and Lufthansa are not selling First Class seats until November the earliest. I don’t know about BA, maybe they haven’t made it public yet.

    • Ralph says:

      29 Jun29 June 15:54

      Possible, but they are still showing F to Beijing next year, also on 777.

  • Rahul says:

    29 Jun29 June 18:57

    BA agent confirmed all First class tickets are suspended until end of August and in some routes till October. He did confirm that it was temporary only and I was able book a F for 2021 though on a refurbished 777-200ER.

    • Lady Londonn says:

      29 Jun29 June 22:07

      It’s usually pending an eqot change when they do that so makes sense.

      If you waited and they downgraded you I believe that would have enabled you to cancel and other potentially expensive rights.

• BJ says:

  29 Jun29 June 15:11

  What are peoples thoughts and decisions when faced with the choice between First and Club Suites?

  • Andrew says:

    29 Jun29 June 15:17

    First for me please. Service in Club is poor whatever the seat design – meal on a tray with low quality Champagne whereas First is more what you would expect in terms of fine dining. Of course that’s pre-covid, these days it’s a Pret salad with a BA sticker on the box whatever class you’re in, so not much between them, both are fine for an A to B in a socially distanced way (the door isn’t really face height unless you’re very reclined or flat so doesn’t add much additional protection to First).

    • BJ says:

      29 Jun29 June 17:12

      I try to sleep most of flights so the soft product is less important than the hard product. This will be an all daytime flight though so more of a factor.

  • Aston100 says:

    29 Jun29 June 15:30

    I’m guessing the chance of seeing a plane with both 1st Class and the Club Suite is going to be very rare for the next year or more?

    • Rhys says:

      29 Jun29 June 15:42

      Not if everything goes to plan. With the refurbished 777s and the 787-10 I imagine more aircraft with Club Suite ALSO have First than those that don’t.

    • BJ says:

      29 Jun29 June 17:18

      Two different flight options but ones a 773 so as Rhys says, possibility for both on one plane. However, I do not have too much faith in the schedules metal anyway, it could change more than once before we fly.

  • Harry T says:

    29 Jun29 June 15:36

    Not flown either but CS is meant to be more private in theory due to the door, whilst First has better food, drink, lounge access (Concorde room etc). Of course, seat selection is also free in First for non status holders, as you will know. My thought is that CS would be perfectly adequate for a night flight but you may enjoy the superior F soft product during the day. CS could be better for social distancing due to the door, but F will have less passengers. I have seen the CS product on the A350 and it looks decent, albeit quite packed with seats.

    • Rhys says:

      29 Jun29 June 15:41

      Also, the First cabin as a whole is more private. Some of the Club World cabins are very, very large – so whilst your seat is perhaps more private it feels less private as a whole.

      • Aston100 says:

        29 Jun29 June 15:54

        The pictures make it look like a dormitory.
        Why would BA take a nice new product, and then ruin the impact by sticking you in a cabin of 40+ ?

        • Rhys says:

          29 Jun29 June 16:19

          For one because it’s a key differentiator between Club and First. Club is not about exclusivity whilst First is.

        • Rob says:

          29 Jun29 June 17:05

          Although BA 777’s have 14 seats in F whilst 787-9 Club World has 14 seats in the forward cabin, so not a lot of exclusivity difference there!

        • Nick_C says:

          30 Jun30 June 20:03

          AA have 44 seats in the main J cabin, and it feels nothing like a dormitory. Even without individual doors, you can’t see other passengers when seated. Great privacy.

      • Andrew says:

        29 Jun29 June 16:15

        And the door isn’t like QSuite – it really only gives you privacy when you’re very reclined or flat, eating and throughout the early stages of the flight the door serves no purpose, and of course isn’t released until after take-off. Whereas the First cabin like you say is much more private by its nature and the newer First seats do have a nice face height wraparound which does give you lots of privacy.

        • BJ says:

          29 Jun29 June 17:34

          Club Suites is beginning to sound like a stable (of the equine variety)..

    • BJ says:

      29 Jun29 June 17:29

      This is for our proposed flight to Tokyo next July which I’m now turning my attention to. My inclination is to fly First because it’s a daytime flight, and because in event of a downgrade due to flying a 241, that would hopefully only be to CW. However, the 773 with F is the morning flight meaning an early start from Edinburgh. The afternoon flight is obviously better timed from my point of view but is an a350 so no First. Then there is the novelty factor as it’ll likely be our first opportunity to fly the suites.

      • Vit says:

        29 Jun29 June 17:33

        Haha! Nice one BJ. You’ve said it all for me. That’s what I am struggling to decide as well for spring-early summer next year to TYO. Though I am leaning toward A350 Club Suite in a bid to save some avios and would be flying out of INV rather than ABZ to save ~£400 tax! But having said that, this is probably the only time I can afford to fly F! 😉

        • BJ says:

          29 Jun29 June 17:38

          I would like to fly exINV too Vit but except weekends it means an early start too.

        • BJ says:

          29 Jun29 June 18:41

          Just been searching F availability and there is not a single seat next year! Looks like their plan is to downgrade TYO(HND) to 3-cabin aircraft only. A pity since F didn’t used to be that difficult to find on the route.

      • meta says:

        29 Jun29 June 19:56

        @BJ Yes, that’s sadly the case. I wish I had rebooked my 241 in F for next Spring instead of asking for a refund. I would be flying in JAL First now. I am now hoping JAL or will open up some F reward seats. Then I’ll cancel 241 in Club. I have too many Avios now for my liking sitting around. I also have 3 vouchers unused and 1 to be earned in the next two months plus two Lloyds vouchers. I don’t have that many holidays, so I fear some will have to go to waste.

        • Stu N says:

          29 Jun29 June 20:17

          In your situation, get a mid-afternoon flight down, stay at the Sofitel and fly out the following morning. It’s just so much more relaxing, avoids an early start and stress of impact of delays – the morning EDI flights can be quite bad for that if there’s weather at Heathrow. It also helps with jetlag as it avoids a really, really long day on outbound. We are Edinburgh-based and tend to do this for any flight leaving before mid-afternoon. If you can wangle an ex-INV then the APD saving would probably pay for the hotel.

        • BJ says:

          29 Jun29 June 21:45

          Thanks @Meta, I am sure many will envy your challenges 🙂

          @Stu, I get the logic and would probably do this if the morning flight wasn’t operated by a 777 and arriving HND around 7am. I think now we will try to snag exINV on the weekend to connect with the afternoon a350 which puts us into HND about 11am IIRC. We will likely just stay at the Courtyard on points and sleep in late before departure. There will be 3 hour layover at T5 but if they mess that up then hopefully we would get on the JAL flight in the evening. I’m giving more weight to schedule than aircraft as the latter are more likely to change.

      • Lady Londonn says:

        29 Jun29 June 22:29

        If day flight to TYO then First. Maybe spring for a hotel at LHR for a good start? I know you dont do Accor but Sofitel at T5, new HGI T2?

  • AJA says:

    29 Jun29 June 18:33

    I’ve not yet experienced either Club Suite or First (I was supposed to be travelling in First to Tel Aviv this Wednesday but it got cancelled) but I think in terms of space and service I would choose First if I could. I think Club Suite is a huge improvement on CW ying-yang but the one thing about the ying-yang layout is that you have plenty of knee-room. I worry that lying flat my knees may hit the inflight monitor in the Club Suite. Having said that ying-yang CW is significantly better than the PE and WT.

    • BJ says:

      29 Jun29 June 18:45

      Given my comment above, the issue may have become academic for my flight to Tokyo. Seems that something is amiss at BA if they cannot sell First to Japan.

  • Lady Londonn says:

    29 Jun29 June 22:12

    As @Polly once said you can compare BA First to QR J. Depending on the route QR might come out a bit ahead.

    I think it depends on the aircraft but as you’re hinting @BJ Club Suites might even be better on some routes. Plus as you’re Scottish, would you really want to pay extra 🙂 for First outside of a promotion, if Club Suites were available?

    • BJ says:

      29 Jun29 June 23:07

      Thanks @Lady London, sadly no longer helps me as we have now established BA no longer offers F to TYO. Still, the discussion should hopefully be of general interest. This trip is not turning out so well for me, first the IHG dynamic pricing opportunity was wound up to early, now there is no First, and likely JAL will reinstate surcharges before I’m able to book my flight from KIX to BKK the way my luck is running.

• Aston100 says:

  29 Jun29 June 15:52

  Is it safe to assume Thailand are not going to let UK tourists in at the end of July?
  My QR flights (in under 4 weeks from today) are showing as still going ahead.
  I wish there was a way to simply move these flight back by a year, but apparently not. The ‘hold your ticket for two years’ option doesn’t do what it says on the tin.

  I’ll give it till two weeks before departure date and ask for a voucher at that point. Assuming QR don’t suddenly cancel out of the blue.
  Really not sure why they haven’t cancelled yet.
  I’m also not liking the look of their prices next year.

  • Andrew says:

    29 Jun29 June 16:18

    It is safe to assume that. But why would QR cancel it? They have been flying to most destinations throughout the pandemic so they are unlikely to stop now. I’m guessing this was booked some time ago which is why the ticket isn’t movable under the current policy?

  • Vit says:

    29 Jun29 June 16:42

    4 weeks to go for QR to decide. Plenty of time for QR to decide as they are waiting for formal announcement of the (possibly extended) commercially international flight ban. If you have residency in Thailand or Thai partner, you can jump through a few loops before spending 15 days in the alternative state quarantine hotel upon arrival for a mere £1000-ish. Otherwise, I would suggest wait till QR cancel or move to later date. You can find more and formal info in English by searching PR Thai Government on Facebook.

    Link shown below but Rob can remove if not appropriate. https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/

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