The new HFP chat thread – Monday 27th July

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We have decided to run this new daily chat thread on Head for Points.

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the de facto 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.

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General

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

Blue Mountains says:

27 Jul27 July 09:33

Check your AmEx PRG credit cards. Got this (admittedly small) offer on 2 different accounts: Spend £5 or more, get 250 Membership Reward Points
Deliveroo, Morrisons and Pret A Manger EXPIRES 24/08/2020
- Martha says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 10:07
  
  Nothing on any card
  - Rob says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 10:12
    
    Nor me.
    - Blue Mountains says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 10:23
      
      Interesting… These were accounts from 2 different people. Maybe it is very targetted. It has a limit of 52,000 cardmembers apparently.
      - sloth says:
        
        27 Jul27 July 11:14
        
        have it on only 1 card out of 5
    - Chris Heyes says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 12:09
      
      On Partners Gold Card this morning but not on my BA Card nor on any of my supl cards
  - RussellH says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 10:57
    
    Do not have a PRG any more, But do have a Rewards Amex.
    5% off on Five Guys just appeared today – no minimum IIRC, but nothing for Morrisons, which would have been good. The other two are irrelevant.
- Lee says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 11:06
  
  Thanks, on my PRG card which never used since received
- Sandra says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 11:13
  
  I have the Morrisons etc offer my Gold card this morning and Five Guys on BAPP has also appeared.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 13:47
  
  Got it on one card thanks. The supp for this card seems to get zero offers still.
- NvT1115 says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 16:00
  
  I have it on my Gold Charge card. Thinks terms say once per retailer
N says:

27 Jul27 July 09:44

Is someone smarter than me working on a combined shop small + eat out to help out map?

My basic maths suggests you can get a £20 meal for a fiver if you can stack the two
- Andrew says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 09:59
  
  Correct – if a shop small location is participating in the government scheme then yes. You need to check that they are participating in the government scheme and accept Amex before ordering.
  - TonyG says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 12:15
    
    I want to increase my limits by putting more transactions through it
- Stanley says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 14:10
  
  Hawksmoor in London is doing a rump steak, jockeys and a sauce for £20, net £10. Cant imagine a better deal to be had. Not sure if they are on shopsmall though.
Soso says:

27 Jul27 July 10:13

Anyone know if would lose my virgin 2 4 1 voucher if i cancel the card ? I can’t seem to find the voucher on my virgin account like i can on BA and not too sure if i will lose it…
- Rob says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 10:24
  
  No, you’re fine.
- ChrisC says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 18:02
  
  there is a line in your flying club account transactions that says something like ‘ xxxx voucher’
  
  and will be listed by the date it was applied to your account. There isn’t a separate section that displays vouchers it’s just a transaction
Optimus Prime says:

27 Jul27 July 10:18

Some US blogs reporting that IHG is going to have an offer to sign-up/renew ambassador that comes with an extra free night certificate capped at 40k points if you complete a qualifying stay by 31 Jan 2021. Such certificate must be redeemed by 30 April 2021.
- Rob says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 10:23
  
  Yes, saw this. Effectively makes Ambassador free, which means it effectively gets you Platinum Elite for free.
- Lady London says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 11:52
  
  Do we think this is US-only?
- ChrisC says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 11:52
  
  Oh flip the offer ends (currently) 15th November but you can only renew within 60 days of your renewal date and mine is 1st March 2021 So hope the offer gets extended.
  
  But could work for some especially as the free night can now be used at Kimptons not just ICs
- Gerry says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 12:41
  
  Any idea when this offer will be launched.
  - Anna says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 12:44
    
    +1, I’m about to sign up anyway as OH is Ambassador already & we can currently book consecutive nights at Kimpton with the Bogof.
- Kai says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 12:50
  
  From 30/07. It’s already in the UK version of ambassador t&c.
- Anna says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 14:23
  
  What counts as a qualifying stay though? It’s not clear from the Ts & Cs. This only works then if you had a stay planned anyway – not worth paying for it unnecessarily just to get a 40k night certificate. Some HIs are that!
  - Rob says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 15:08
    
    A ‘qualifying’ IHG stay is any cash stay, except one booked on a private rate which offers an extreme discount (eg Friends & Family). Very unlikely that a stay wouldn’t trigger it.
    
    Makes little to buy Ambassador full stop if you’re not planning an InterCon stay though! Only exception would be if you thought this was a roundabout way to effectively get Platinum for free.
    - Sundar says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 18:12
      
      Or If a lot of redemption stays coming up where you could get 10% back in points ? @Genghis – Our in-house expert in numbers will tell exactly how many nights are needed 🙂
      - Secret Squirrel says:
        
        28 Jul28 July 07:49
        
        Thats only in Y2 of holding AMB!
    - Anna says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 18:58
      
      We’ve used OH’s bogof for a suite at the Kimpton Eventi next Easter. Neither IC in NYC would let us book anything other than a standard room (for a similar price to the suite at the Eventi).
      - JPa says:
        
        27 Jul27 July 21:54
        
        I stayed there last year, good location and nice modern vibe. Don’t get a drink in the bar for plat though, just minibar credit which I think covered one beer and a coke. There is the wine tasting but was out and about at the time.
        
        You can get the lift all the way up (not locked to the floor you are staying in) and there is a good view of the Empire State building. There is a (or was) a place that does breakfast/lunches by weight just opposite and a Target just around the corner.
David says:

27 Jul27 July 10:45

Hi Rob/team. Can you please point me to your page on cancelling Avios flights. Have flights to Boston next month bought on miles. Don’t think the flight is going to be cancelled so need to work out best option for points/fees refunds. BA site is predictably rubbish at explaining. Thank!
- AJA says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 10:49
  
  Phone up BA at least 24 hours before flight due to depart, pay £35 per passenger to cancel, get all your Avios back.
  - David says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 10:57
    
    thanks very much. I’m calling on the 0800 727 800 number – is there another way in (I assume the dedicated BAEC numbers still aren’t working)?
    - Secret Squirrel says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 11:44
      
      David:
      If you can’t get through try at 7.30pm, I go through in 2 mins last week.
      - TokyoFan says:
        
        27 Jul27 July 13:46
        
        Right on opening has worked for me – 8am Friday straight through and 9am Saturday the same. Avios bookings done and straight back in account, cash bookings cancelled on Fri/Sat and money back on Amex this morning. Pretty efficient!
      - David says:
        
        28 Jul28 July 09:15
        
        Thanks – good to know!
- AJA says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 10:53
  
  + return of Amex 2-4-1 voucher, extended by 6 months from original expiry.
  
  Or exchange for a Future Travel Voucher if available still. Effectively puts whole booking in suspension and valid until end Apr 2022 but requires Avios availability to use when re-booking.
- Rob says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 11:07
  
  Ring BA to cancel – pay £35, get everything back in your account, you lose any money you paid for seat reservations
  
  Take the voucher – pay no cancellation fees, don’t get your Avios or £ back but receive a voucher valid until 30/4/22, voucher only redeemable by ringing BA, restrictions on who can travel, seat reservation money refunded
  
  Wait to see if BA cancels – pay no cancellation fees, get everything back in your account inc seat reservation fees
  
  Best bet is to wait until a couple of days before departure to try to get 3). If that fails, I’d do 1) unless you paid for seat reservations, in which case 2) makes more sense.
  - David says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 11:31
    
    Thanks – that’s a perfect summary. There’s just only so long I can be bothered to spend on the phone each day trying to get through! The flights are to Boston in mid-Aug. All but two of the daily flights have been cancelled so I’m assuming they won’t cancel another one now??
    - Lady London says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 11:48
      
      call when ba opens or around 8pm uk time, this is when people are reporting getting through quickly
    - Lady London says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 12:02
      
      check iagcargo.com. If it’s there as a freight flight the odds are it will not be cancelled so do 1) or 2) following what Rob says.
      
      If its not on iagcargo.com clearly active then hold on to your hat and play who-blinks-first with BA to see who’s gonna cancel that flight first – you or them. If BA cancels you also have a choice of a later date that suits you due EU261 – you have the right to this- ( suitable replacement date for you may turn out to be Christmas ahem) as well as the full refund or voucher options BA offers that Rob mentioned.
      - Lady London says:
        
        27 Jul27 July 12:04
        
        I’d wait till 48 or even 30 hours before the flight, with my options ready, in the hope BA would cancel. Dont forget it’s August and I would rate Boston as more of a business destination than leisure and I am really not sure about freight loads in August.
      - Lady London says:
        
        27 Jul27 July 12:17
        
        (so if you wanted to reschedule to Christmas under EC261 BA could not insist on avios seats being available on the replacement flight you want – any seat in your class would be available to you so long as the plane has seats – whereas if you take a voucher you can only rebook into avios seats). You should also not lose your seat reservations as it wasnt your fault BA cancelled your flight).
      - PJJ says:
        
        27 Jul27 July 12:53
        
        Does this work for Virgin too ? I have a flight booked at the end of August to JFK, the flight has been rescheduled twice (times only but flight number stayed the same on both occasions) but noted that it was flying last Thursday and Saturday. Checked Virgin Cargo and it shows my flight number for the Saturday. Suppose my best option would be to take a voucher and use it for same time next year. U.S. Open Tennis
        BTW
        The tennis tickets I purchased, I was given the chance to roll them over to next year at no extra cost PLUS will receive a 100 Dollar Gift Card for use inside the grounds.
        TAKE NOTE WILLIE WALSH !
    - Taylor says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 16:50
      
      If you’re travelling F just call you first. I did this at the weekend and they answered within 10 seconds. Avios and voucher returned on the same day and tax refund has gone back into my amex today! Only 1 working day.
  - Lee says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 12:14
    
    Rob, just to provide a data point for 1st point.
    I had a reward booking HKG-LHR, phoned BA last week expect to pay £35 fee. But CSA didn’t mention that at all just saying I won’t get any money back which is a lot less than £35 consider it’s HKG depart. Avios were credited back immediately.
Concerto says:

27 Jul27 July 11:09

I have just noticed that my German Amex has got Shop Small, called the same in Germany. €5 back for every €20 spent. None of the retailers interest me though. Even now, it’s quite hard to pass a credit card there. I wish that mentality would change there.
- Ikaz says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 13:31
  
  I have the same on my French Air France Amex
Ben says:

27 Jul27 July 11:17

About to close Plat Card but have been flagged for an account review – worth completing the review then closing or just closing the account?

Thanks
- John says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 14:44
  
  Why pay the fee longer than you need to?
- Charlieface says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 15:01
  
  Probably depends if you want another in future…
- Secret Squirrel says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 17:40
  
  What do you think triggered your account review Ben?
  - Ben says:
    
    27 Jul27 July 20:31
    
    Double points and a few aborted F trips…
    - JPa says:
      
      27 Jul27 July 22:01
      
      How do you know it is an account review? If you cancel on the chat they often want you to phone up to discuss as they want to keep you as a customer and have been giving 15/20K MR points to stay.
      
      On chat they don’t have the authority to offer anything. Just cancelled mine this evening, after having had the 15K free points, double points/cashout, £100 Waitrose etc. Bascially had not cost me anything to have the card for a few months and used it on my holiday to Cali in Feb.I switched to Gold charge in the end with one year free (should be upgradable back to Plat later also). Be careful if you have more than one sup card as there is a £45 charge on the gold for 2 or more sup card.
Ron says:

27 Jul27 July 11:28

Hello, does any know if I can check in car seat at normal check-in/ bag drop or do I need to go to family check-in (zone A)? Thanks.
- Chris says:
  
  27 Jul27 July 14:43
  
  Any check in desk has worked for me. I just ask them to tag it for me then I take it off to oversize/special baggage to drop it off.