The new HFP chat thread – Thursday 30th 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.

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.

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Category

General

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

Caroline says:

30 Jul30 July 16:02

Hi I have the basic BA Amex. I was looking to refer a friend.

My friend currently has the Amex preferred gold card. They have never held a BA card before.

Two questions. Will I be eligible for the referral bonus? Will they be eligible for the sign up bonus?

Thanks
- Grant says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 16:17
  
  1. Yes – eligibility for referral bonuses for the referer and not connected to eligibility for cardholder welcome bonuses.
  
  2. Yes – the qualifying condition is that they have’n’t had a BA card in the previous 24 months. Being a supplementary card holder on another persons account does not count.
  
  see https://headforpoints.com/2019/11/14/british-airways-american-express-premium-plus-review/ for more details.
- Rob says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 16:28
  
  Yes and Yes (if they get BAPP, no if they get the free card)
  - Caroline says:
    
    30 Jul30 July 16:51
    
    Thanks for confirming.
Gerry says:

30 Jul30 July 16:17

What is view in chasing stays for spire reward benefits – 20k points
- Paul74 says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:10
  
  You can buy 20,000 for c£80 in one of those 100% bonus on pts purchase promotions. So it’s worth thinking about how the status will benefit you generally. I’ve generally found that Spire can yield good benefits at Crowne Plaza but is something of a lottery elsewhere. No complaints about the 100% extra pts on cash stays though.
  With bonus pts packages and credit card spend counting for status (and Spire currently being only 55,000 pts I think) it’s probably worth a punt if the stays aren’t taking you too far out of your way…
  - Rob says:
    
    30 Jul30 July 17:56
    
    Remember that hitting Spire gets you a bonus of 25,000 points, so there is a c£100 benefit in hitting it.
Wally1976 says:

30 Jul30 July 16:19

Hi folks – just checking – I have Amex business Gold card and my wife has Amex Gold Credit (personal) card (and we have no other Amex cards).

If I refer her for “The American Express Card” (the card with the £60 annual fee), I get 9k referral MR points and she can straight away upgrade to Platinum charge card for 20k points (so long as she spends £4k in 6 months) using this link: https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/benefits/upgrade/platinum-charge/. Correct? Many thanks.
- BS says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:15
  
  I don’t see the benefit in going for green first then upgrading.
  You should refer straight to platinum, spend requirement is less, and she received 35k straight. Additionally you can get the ~£50 from the site that shall not be named.
  - Rob says:
    
    30 Jul30 July 17:55
    
    No she won’t, because having Amex Gold blocks her from the Platinum bonus.
    - Wally1976 says:
      
      30 Jul30 July 18:51
      
      But she still gets the upgrade points doesn’t she doing it the way I said?
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        30 Jul30 July 19:16
        
        Yes still gets the upgrade points.
      - Rob says:
        
        30 Jul30 July 19:59
        
        Yes
- BS says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:16
  
  Ah sorry missed she had a personal card already…
- Benj says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 18:59
  
  I took out the Green card in June, upgraded to Platinum a couple of weeks later, and got the 20k MR. Platinum fee hit on the first statement.
Wally1976 says:

30 Jul30 July 16:27

Data point – I applied for Tesco Pet Insurance under the latest offer (3000 points) on 13/6/20 having already had 2500 points in the offer earlier this year. Points have now arrived in my Clubcard account :-).
- E says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:01
  
  Sadly mine aren’t there yet but will keep an eye on it now I know someone else has got them!
  - E says:
    
    30 Jul30 July 17:02
    
    Actually I’ve just noticed you applied on 13/6. I applied on 27/5. Time to call Tesco I guess.
Caroline says:

30 Jul30 July 16:41

Re the BA Premium Amex. Is it anywhere in terms about the pro-rata refund of the fee if you downgrade or cancel? Anyone got a link that shows it?

I had a look but couldn’t seem to see it. Thanks
- Rob says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:07
  
  Trust us, you get it.
  - Caroline says:
    
    30 Jul30 July 17:33
    
    Okay thank you
    - Andreas says:
      
      30 Jul30 July 22:05
      
      You don’t even have to ask for it, their system does it automatically
Richard Shakeshaft says:

30 Jul30 July 16:43

We got back from a week in Italy yesterday, and as a couple of friends have asked me what flying was like at present, I’ve written things up here: https://richardshakeshaft.blogspot.com/2020/07/travelling-in-midst-of-global-pandemic.html and I share it here in case it’s any interest to anyone and supplements the experiences of others. I will probably try to add some photos later.
- Paul74 says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:21
  
  Thanks Richard, Italy is on my ‘possibles’ list plus I’ll likely try and burn up some avios points this Summer so your account is helpful. Cheers Paul
- Lady London says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 19:32
  
  Nice review. Thank you.
J says:

30 Jul30 July 16:51

At Berlin Tegel today the BA lounge is closed “because of the current situation”. Lufthansa and independent lounge operating as normal…
- Andrew says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 17:02
  
  Shocker! Anything for BA to save a few quid.
JustinJ says:

30 Jul30 July 17:09

Curve question, anyone know where I can see the MCC code on my HSBC Premier mastercard?
Paid NS&I today and no fee from curve so wondered if I’d get charged a fee from HSBC premier?
Any issues with doing this re credit rating etc?
- The Urbanite says:
  
  30 Jul30 July 18:41
  
  The only way to get this information from HSBC is to ring them. A few card providers give the MCC and a few more give the description from looking up Visa or MC’s databse, but not many. It’s generally a technical detail most people aren’t interested in so banks tend not to show it.
  - James says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 08:39
    
    Isn’t Curve still processing all transactions as 8999?