The new HFP chat thread – Thursday 6th August

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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.

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/2020/08/06/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-thursday-6th-august/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.

xcalx says:

6 Aug6 August 17:14

Monese refund

I am afraid I skipped over some recent comments regarding refunds to a Monese card as I thought it didn’t apply to me.
Fast forward to today and I checked the payment card used to pay for a cruise which was cancelled yesterday and it’s my Monese card. Am I right in thinking I can transfer the refund to my UK bank or did I read that the money is locked in Monese money card. I do still have the Virgin card that was used as the underlying card.

Thanks.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 17:20
  
  Or you could deposit it all with ERNIE or a top up a HL account etc?
VJ says:

6 Aug6 August 18:23

With lots of gift card discussed today

I got about £200 Tesco CC vouchers, looking to achieve £450 for them i.e. 25% off on Hotels/Uber.

Any taker.
- Andrew says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 18:35
  
  Uber exited Clubcard as a partner a while back.
- BJ says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 18:53
  
  Oh, if we’re playing Swap Shop (anybody remember that except Noel himself?) today then I have LNER vouchers and I would like Hilton Honors points 🙂
  - The Original Nick says:
    
    6 Aug6 August 21:35
    
    I remember Swap Shop clearly but that’s showing my age at 44
  - Chrisasaurus says:
    
    6 Aug6 August 22:22
    
    I’ve got a lot of plums threatening to go rotten on the tree and I’d like an italian supercar
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      7 Aug7 August 00:01
      
      😉
AJA says:

6 Aug6 August 18:28

According to a report in the Guardian LGH Hotels plans to cut hundreds of jobs due to coronavirus pandemic

Hundreds of jobs are at risk at hotels managed by LGH Hotels in England and Scotland as the company looks to cut costs in response to the coronavirus crisis. LGH Hotels Management runs 47 hotels under brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Hallmark from Aberdeen to Guildford and is understood to employ 2,500 staff. LGH described the impact of Covid-19 on the business as “dramatic” and said it did not expect hotel occupancy to rise above 20% of capacity for the remainder of 2020.

Staff at the Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport, which has been shut since March, were informed in a presentation by the hotel’s general manager Denis McCann in late July that 88 out of 92 workers were at risk of redundancy.

The hotel is due to reopen in September with a skeleton staff, with only four senior managers to be retained. The remaining 88 workers have been told they can apply for seven to 10 new “hospitality service expert” roles, which will require employees to work flexibly in all areas of the hotel.
- AJA says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 18:28
  
  Oops forgot to post link
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/06/lgh-hotels-plans-to-cut-hundreds-of-jobs-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic
  - BJ says:
    
    6 Aug6 August 18:43
    
    Saw this one on BBC last night suggesting 1500 jobs at risk.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53670200
AJA says:

6 Aug6 August 18:34

Oh yippee. Following up on other comments earlier in the week about ERNIE premium bonds wins I just received an email saying I won in the August draw. Turns out it is £25, better than nothing and follows on from the £50 I won in June. I wonder what email you receive if you win one of the £1million prizes?
- BJ says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 18:44
  
  Enjoy your winnings…tempting me to have a go 🙂
- Connor says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 18:57
  
  If you win a million, someone comes and pays you a visit, although in the current situation it’s a phone call.
- dezbez says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 22:52
  
  +1. You get an email from NSI on the 4th or 5th and you think is this the big one and of course it’s just £25…!
  That’s twice in three months though, which is marginally ahead of the advertised return. (And not forgetting the main motive is for the points so any winnings are a bonus.)
Secret Squirrel says:

6 Aug6 August 19:16

If BA cancel your flight and you had a hotel and car parking booked for those dates non refundable / non flexible.
Do BA have to reimburse you the out of pocket fees?
- BJ says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 19:31
  
  No, unless they were booked via BA in which case they will.
  - Secret Squirrel says:
    
    6 Aug6 August 21:25
    
    Booked BA flights via AA. BA canx first leg today, we’ve paid seat reservation fees on return leg.
    Does BA have to refund the seat reservation fees for the RTN leg of the journey?
    - Lady London says:
      
      7 Aug7 August 00:08
      
      Totally immoral but people are saying BA is refusing this.
  - Lady London says:
    
    7 Aug7 August 00:09
    
    do you have insurance that would cover it?
    this is the sort of thing the compensation under EU261 is morally meant to cover, but currently the airlines are able to say exceptional circ’s so exempt from the compo for cancelling. Very bad luck on someone who’s got this type of expense.
- Sam S says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 19:48
  
  No
DaveL says:

6 Aug6 August 19:54

How much do small shops actually LOSE by accepting Amex vs MasterCard/visa? I’ve had a couple of upset shop owners recently when I’ve tried to pay with Amex, but with the interchange caps I though the difference now would be minimal. Are they misinformed, or does it still cost them an arm and a leg? If it’s significant, I’d rather do right by then than earn an extra couple of MR points. Thanks
- Jonathan says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 20:36
  
  We’re just signing up with a card company and our rates are 0.5% debit cards, 0.8% visa/MasterCard and 1.9% Amex.
- Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:
  
  7 Aug7 August 07:38
  
  Interchange cap affects how much the card issuer earns, not how much the acquiring bank charges the merchant. In theory competition means the saving gets passed on, but in practice…
BJ says:

6 Aug6 August 20:16

Arrivals from Belgium and Bahamas being subject to quarantine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53687740
- Heathrow Flyer says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 20:20
  
  And Andorra!
- Anna says:
  
  6 Aug6 August 21:18
  
  Bahamas shot itself in the foot by allowing its residents to visit Florida and not having them quarantine on their return. It caused another COVID outbreak.
  How many people even live in Andorra?!
Vit says:

6 Aug6 August 22:08

Anyone has used Amex to pay UK bank account via Xoom (paypal service) before? Understood there is a small charge along with that. Would amex charge you extra on top of that?