The new HFP chat thread – Friday 31st 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 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.

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/2020/07/31/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-friday-31st-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.

Old chat threads are hidden from the HFP home page. If you want to look for something in an old thread, click here. This brings up all the articles in our ‘General’ category which includes the chat threads.

Category

General

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

Vit says:

31 Jul31 July 06:04

Anyone be able to share their experiences of having QR future travel voucher and actually use the voucher to book for upcoming flight?

I’m holding Lastminute .com gift card after flights back in April were cancelled. Thinking of booking QR flight end of this year and seeking for Qatar voucher instead. Not keen on holding TA voucher anymore.
- Paul says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 06:57
  
  I was booked ex CDG with QR via Amex Travel. QR cancelled and allowed a free reroute ex LHR (I paid the higher APD) but this too was cancelled. I wanted to use the ticket next year but was advised that I would need to pay fare difference which, given my ex CDG price, was £000’s more per passenger. I took the refund which Amex travel processed In less than 2 weeks.
  Either I misunderstood QRs policy or Amex did but I couldn’t be bothered arguing for once
  - Lady London says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 10:25
    
    flight was leaving the EU so legally you did not have to pay fare difference
John says:

31 Jul31 July 07:11

I have a LUX-LHR which I want to cancel for an FTV. Cash booking.

I want to book a short-haul flight ex LHR for Sunday (2 days from now) – does the FTV come through immediately and can I use it immediately?

Given that the original flight was only €16, I don’t really care that much but obviously would rather use the credit sooner than later
- mr_jetlag says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:50
  
  If you’re on the phone, BA can just immediately apply the voucher amt to your SUnday booking (make sure you’re not charged for phone bookings which will negate your credit)
- Pierre says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 10:51
  
  Was on the phone with BA 2 days ago requesting to cancel a flight and took the travel voucher. We received an email with the voucher information a couple of hours later, so it’s pretty quick…
Will says:

31 Jul31 July 07:56

Booked to stay in the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow this weekend on the points deal so good no-one could believe from IHG from about a month ago.
Turned up last night to find the hotel closed and a sign on the door saying it was re-opening as a Voco in 2021!
Checked the app and it appeared the booking was cancelled by IHG…..would’ve been nice for someone to have told me!
- Luckyjim says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 08:25
  
  Probably worth checking before you travel. I read somewhere that a lot of flights and hotel bookings have been cancelled recently.
- Peter K says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:05
  
  I feel for you. What a nightmare.
- Anna says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:47
  
  Oh no! I had a booking cancelled recently but IHG emailed AND called me to let me know.
- Lady London says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 10:30
  
  s75 on credit card for replacement accommodation. It was prepaid so I dont see any priblem in you getting your replacement costs back.
  
  Onus is on the provider to prove you received any cancellation notice (not that I think they sent one), the onus is not on you here and they didnt perform. putting it in the app is not good enough – they have to trigger that you are informed, they cant assume that you have or look at app, phone, network connection etc.
  - Will says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 11:11
    
    Thankfully I phoned IHG’s customer care line and they put me in a Hotel Indigo a couple of hundred yards away at minimal cost.
    I’ll still be throwing a complaint in as I wasn’t really expecting something like this to happen with IHG.
    Certainly didn’t fancy sleeping on the streets!
    - Andrew says:
      
      31 Jul31 July 12:06
      
      Grand Central is directly managed by IHG, so they can’t blame a franchisee…
      
      Shame you hadn’t spotted details of the closure on the HfP forums, it’s been covered a few times. The George and Kimpton in Edinburgh, along with Grand Central and Kimpton in Edinburgh (all direclty managed by IHG) are unlikely to reopen until 2021.
      - Axel says:
        
        31 Jul31 July 12:18
        
        Kimpton Edinburgh is open, stayed there 2 weeks ago. It’s been given a good clean especially the garden restaurant. The North African rest. still closed
        
        They’ve swapped the afternoon Social drinks thing for comp. Breakfast
James says:

31 Jul31 July 08:28

I am currently IHG Spire and have booked the IC O2, as a Reward Night, in September. I have just received a promotion for InterContinental Ambassador and am thinking about using 40,000 points to upgrade. Because I have booked my reservation through IHG would they see me an an Ambassador or Spire when I go in September?
- Andrew says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:10
  
  Yes they will see your current status when you check in. I think 40,000 points is the standard amount for taking out AMB membership, so I’m not sure this is a ‘promotion’.
  - Grant says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 09:19
    
    I think James probably means he received an email promoting the benefits of AMB membership rather than being offered a promotional rate to join.
  - ChrisC says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 09:44
    
    There is a promotion to join / renew at the moment.
    
    It’s basically that after one paid stay you get a voucher for a free night worth up to 40k points (but which needs to be used by next April) This is in addition to the usual weekend night certificate at ICs (but which can also be used at Kimpton during the week)
    
    This offer is currently live and Rob said he would do an article about it at the weekend (but other blogs have already published articles about it)
    
    If you aren’t a regular stayer at ICs then AMB may not be the right programme for you and you could spend the $200 / 40k pointe on better things.
  - Simon says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 09:56
    
    I got the same email, it said about getting q reward night after your first stay after joining which I assumed was a promotional.
- Leo says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:17
  
  You can pay separately to use the lounge if you want, it doesn’t come as a perk with Spire or Ambassador as you probably know. Nice hotel but the demographic is dependent on what’s going on at the O2. I once stayed whilst the Cage Fighting World Championships were taking place. Interesting……
  - Andrew says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 09:40
    
    Although at the moment, the O2 is nothing more than a small shopping centre.
- Kai says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 13:41
  
  I’d hold back and prod the front desk when checking in. Because they get a commission from your Ambassador purchase you could easily negotiate free breakfast or suite upgrade etc.
Titus Adduxas says:

31 Jul31 July 08:36

We’ve got flights booked to MIA in January and have picked our seats on the 747 which of course has now been retired. Anyone have any idea when BA are likely to update their aircraft type In the route so we can choose our seats again?
- Rhys says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 08:37
  
  We have an article about it in the next few days, but likely to be 787
  - Titus Adduxas says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 09:07
    
    I look forward to reading it. Thanks Rhys
    - Andy says:
      
      31 Jul31 July 10:30
      
      We were booked on a 747 from JFK to LHR last October. We had CW seats upstairs, which would have been a real treat for my wife’s 60th Birthday.
      
      BA put us on a bloody awful 777 instead. I didn’t get a wink of sleep in my aisle seat, with all the comings and goings of crew and passengers all night – I’d rather have been in WT+ and saved the money.
Dubious says:

31 Jul31 July 09:16

I remember reading about a signup bonus for MeliáRewards via BA Executive Club.

Can anyone point me to the link? I can’t seem to find it but I’m sure I saw it on this website.
Isobel Brown says:

31 Jul31 July 09:17

Following on from yesterday’s article about the delay in airline refunds, has anyone tried Section 75 claim for delayed refund?
1 am 10 weeks and counting waiting for a BA refund of taxes (around £1300). I have tweeted them several times. They confirm I’m due a refund but can’t say when it will be paid. Not sure if AMEX will entertain a claim if a refund has been promised?
BA’s lack of action has really ticked me off to the extent that I may stop using them, despite being silver cardholder. BA AMEX card may also get ditched
- Rhys says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:34
  
  Try calling instead of tweeting….reports are that the waits aren’t too long at the moment.
- Andrew says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:39
  
  When you call don’t press any options – they will just give you a recorded message and cut you off if you press anything, just stay silent, you’ll be speaking so someone in a few minutes and the money will be back in your account by mid-next week.
  - Peter K says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 10:46
    
    I rang this morning about 10am. Didn’t press any buttons, through in a handful of minutes. Two flights (both RFS) cancelled in under 20 minutes all told.
- Jody says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 10:23
  
  Have you tried barefund helper on flyertalk? I assume they are still helping people, lots of people on here have had assistance from them including me. Sorted out my refund that I had been waiting weeks for.
EDA says:

31 Jul31 July 09:41

Anyone else unable to top up Revolut with HSBC WE anymore?
- Luckyjim says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 09:46
  
  I’m ‘unable’ because I cancelled the card a couple of months ago. One of the reasons was the fact they started treating Revolut top ups as cash advances.
- MaeStro says:
  
  31 Jul31 July 10:30
  
  If Revolut isn’t working out try the Koto Card app, you can load with a credit card for free.
  - EDA says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 10:38
    
    What’s the MCC for that? Are they treated as cash advances?
  - James says:
    
    31 Jul31 July 13:44
    
    Anyone used Monese?
    - @mkcol says:
      
      31 Jul31 July 14:11
      
      Yep all the time, it’s my back-up bank account.
      - James says:
        
        31 Jul31 July 14:47
        
        Any issues topping up? or use? I stay away from Revolut after they lost my money and couldn’t actually locate with their internal systems.
      - @mkcol says:
        
        31 Jul31 July 23:47
        
        @James No issues with Monese at all.
        Limited to 10 top ups/up to £1000 total per month but can easily transfer money in/out like any bank account.