The new HFP chat thread – Wednesday 8th July

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/2020/07/08/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-wednesday-8th-july/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.

Reney says:

8 Jul8 July 08:50

Following on from yesterday’s post on Curve. I found Curve has consistently rejected one of my US card, despite sometimes the pop up comes up and I approve it. I have asked them about it but no response. For other backing cards, it’s trial and error as to what gets through at the moment as it seems to change day to day. It is really frustrating…especially since I have paid for metal.
- Genghis says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 09:25
  
  Sounds like it’s your underlying card rejecting the Curve transaction…
  You might want to speak to them.
  - Secret Squirrel says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 09:27
    
    Tesco Pet Insurance paid out today @ £56.00 😆
    - Liz says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 19:43
      
      Mine paid out too – £60.60!
    - SlowBrain says:
      
      9 Jul9 July 09:53
      
      Paid out?
  - Reney says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 19:49
    
    I resent a message to Curve and was told it was my underlying card, turns out there was a letter missing on my address (although no problems for a year before then). This has now been fixed so let see how it goes.
- Lee says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 09:51
  
  Can you pay seagull with curve fronted HH card? Never done that before.
  - Andrew says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 09:53
    
    Anyone paid MBNA credit card bill with Curve (backed by IHG) ok?
  - Claire says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 10:09
    
    Yes 🙂
    - Claire says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 10:10
      
      .. to both 🙂
    - Andrew says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 10:14
      
      That’s great! So it would show up on IHG as just a regular retailer transaction, not a cash transaction?
    - Andrew M says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 11:08
      
      I assume you’d need Curve Metal to do this?
      - Andrew says:
        
        8 Jul8 July 11:41
        
        I have curve plastic (the original one) – how does curve metal affect this?
      - Andrew M says:
        
        8 Jul8 July 19:11
        
        I thought paying off a credit card with Curve required Curve Metal otherwise there would be Curve Fronted fees to pay?
- Rossy says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 10:19
  
  I’ve carried out some further tests this morning. It appears ANY transactions I make (MS or otherwise) made through curve backed by IHG are being declined, however as soon as I switch to a different underlying card it’s fine. I’ve also separately made a £1 utility overpayment using IHG (not via curve) which has verified that my underlying card is not blocked. Could IHG be blocking curve transactions??
- Luckyjim says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 10:21
  
  It is your underlying card rejecting it, as Genghis says, but caused by recent changes at Curve. What you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts.
  - Rossy says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 10:29
    
    I don’t see the logic behind some people being affected and others not though?
    - Luckyjim says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 11:03
      
      Creation can apply different rules to different cards. I had a transaction put on hold once and had to call them. They released the payment but since then anything with MCC code 7995 seems to be limited to £1000 per day. My wife’s IHG card has no such limit. Why some people have certain rules and others don’t is a bit random.
N says:

8 Jul8 July 10:01

Any points earning/burning hotels in Champagne? Virtuoso/similar would be as bonus!
jamie says:

8 Jul8 July 10:15

In October? I’d presume it would go ahead.
- Rob says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 10:29
  
  We’re only talking 12 weeks away. I wouldn’t bet on it.
  
  I have some concerns over our Oman holiday in late October because the country has still not reopened.
  - marcw says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 11:04
    
    I’m starting to think that long haul flying won’t be really possible until spring 2021.
  - Luckyjim says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 14:35
    
    Don’t worry Rob. I’m sure by October you will be able to spend seven hours in a confined space, breathing in the same recirculated air as 200 strangers to get to Oman.
    - Rob says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 15:23
      
      Nothing confined about Lufty business class 🙂
      
      The other 196 people on the plane will be German anyway, so no risk there!
      
      You need to chill out. States of Jersey have worked out that 1 in 7,000 people flying in from the UK will test positive, according to the data I was reading today. If we take this figure in the absence of a better one (even though German levels are far lower) and based on your 200 people figure it would mean a 1 in 35 chance that there was a single person with it on my flight. You then need to reduce the possibility further because I’m in Business and so the chance of picking it up from the person who has it is even slimmer. You then need to factor in on top the fact that virtually no-one of my age group in the UK without underlying health conditions has died anyway.
      
      You’d be a bit sad to cancel a holiday based on those numbers.
    - Luckyjim says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 16:12
      
      All true, but…Oman?
      - Rob says:
        
        8 Jul8 July 17:05
        
        My wife wanted to go. Week in Dubai with her sister first.
    - Cat says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 18:06
      
      Oman is supposed to be lovely – where are you planning to stay?
      - Rob says:
        
        8 Jul8 July 19:25
        
        Current plan is to split between the Alila mountain resort and the R-C, although if the new Jumeirah beach resort opens in time we might swap to that. All on points.
    - Cat says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 22:26
      
      Wow! Looking forward to the reviews!
  - Tocsin says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 22:06
    
    Keep us posted, Rob – Mrs T and I have a BA booking LHR-MCT for the end of November!
Nigel says:

8 Jul8 July 10:33

Speaking of Curve payment rejections, tried paying for HMRC with Curve and HSBC Premier and kept getting the payment rejected even after authentication.
- Secret Squirrel says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 10:50
  
  Are on Metal?
  - Nigel W says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 11:24
    
    Nope, I’m a Black member, although probably will drop to Blue in the coming weeks/months.
    
    The added cost of metal doesn’t make much sense to me with the added costs over benefits, plus the HMRC ‘fee’ isn’t too much luckily for me.
- Rossy says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 10:57
  
  Out of interest have you tried a “normal” transaction just to check if those are going through okay?
- roberto says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 11:20
  
  Do you have a business/comercial curve card ( it says on the flip side ) or a personal one?
  https://headforpoints.com/2020/07/02/save-25-on-uk-accor-hotels-nhs-staff-ibis-mercure-novotel/
  - Nigel W says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 11:22
    
    Just changed from Commerical to Personal because of the recent changes (should’ve done it ages ago).
    - Kazim says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 12:16
      
      They gave me a hard time about changing from business to personal metal card. Had to reference the article on here because the agent emailing me seemed blissfully unaware of the changes!
- Alan S says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 12:11
  
  I’m actually having problems re-adding my HSBC WE CC to Curve. It won’t go in. I’ve tried uninstalling/reinstalling the app and made contact with Curve Support, but nothing useful so far.
  
  Not sure if anyone else is having similar issues?
  - memesweeper says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 15:19
    
    Yes, I have a WE which I can’t add and have been unable to do so for > 2 years. Curve support can not understand why. I have other cards so don’t desperately need it, but it is annoying and inexplicable. At one point the app thought the underlying card was denominated in CAD. Curve support thought it might be an address mismatch (it isn’t though)
    - Alan S says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 22:39
      
      Tremendous. That’ll be a killer given mine was on there. It’ll affect my ability to pay off my IHG…
pauldb says:

8 Jul8 July 10:52

I can’t see the US being open by October, nor anyone with a choice wanting to go. I imagine BA will extend flexibility for such destinations and you have a high chance of a cancellation, especially if you are not booked to one of the shortlisted special-entry airports.
Just wait and see what happens. Waiting as late as possible for a cancellation is the best choice, unless they offer a voucher and you used a 241 which will effectively be extended. Unless of course you have something else you’d like to book now instead, in which case just eat the £35pp canx fee.
Matthew says:

8 Jul8 July 11:01

If you booked with Avios and BA cancel (and close to year limit of ticket issue date) then option are full refund of Avios and money or take a FTV. It’s only worth taking the latter if you’d lose a companion voucher but it is rather restrictive.
- pauldb says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 11:30
  
  Bookings made before March for travel after August are not yet eligible for the voucher scheme.
- Linda says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 15:44
  
  We actually booked with our last ever Lloyds rewards voucher through the Avios site, so am hoping and presuming we will have the same rights as with other BA flight, we do not want to go , as if the US does open it may shutdown again and we would be stranded.
  
  Next year seems a much better option, we already have a flight booked to Vegas for next Easter?
marcw says:

8 Jul8 July 11:27

Spanish press reporting IAG has decided to fold OpenSkies/LEVEL France.
Nigel W says:

8 Jul8 July 11:27

Another Curve related comment, has anyone started getting refunds through yet?

Reason I ask, it seems like John Lewis has processed one onto the card this morning but it looks like a mixture of Curve and John Lewis mucking it up in my favour.

Got the full order refunded (when I only returned one of the three items that made up the order).
Furthermore, the item that I did return, well that item value has been given back to me via Curve Cash!
- Alan S says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 11:53
  
  I had a KLM one through today.
  
  Not sure if that was processed pre-Wirecard issue or after it was sorted.
  - Alan S says:
    
    8 Jul8 July 11:53
    
    Although as you say, looking just now it’s sitting as curve cash…!
    - Alan S says:
      
      8 Jul8 July 11:57
      
      This is on their site – I’m guessing there isn’t anything to stop you adding that to Ernie or Paypal etc.
      
      What is the latest regarding refunds? – If you are asking “what is going to happen with my refund?”
      We want you to know that our main priority is to get refunds up and running again for you as quickly as possible. The best way for us to do this is to build our own refunds process (totally in-house).
      
      In the first instance, the quickest way to do this is to send that money back to you as Curve Cash so you can use it right away. If we are able to process a refund; you will find it on your Curve Cash balance.
      
      You will just need to select Curve Cash as the payment card and you will be able to use the money stored inside!
      
      We are working hard to get refunds working in a normal way – our priority has been to get you access to money owed to you as quickly as possible.
- Nic says:
  
  8 Jul8 July 22:48
  
  I got a dispute refund today that had been waiting for weeks. That also went to Curve cash. Would rather it went back to the underlying card but at least it’s there.
  - @mkcol says:
    
    9 Jul9 July 01:17
    
    Use Curve Cash to pay your underlying card then.