The new HFP chat thread – Thursday 6th August

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• Chrisasaurus says:

  6 Aug6 August 06:11

  Edit- note that it doesn’t even provide context, just refers to Good save the points as though everyone (wider audience) will obviously be familiar already which I rather doubt is the case

• ChrisC says:

  6 Aug6 August 06:42

  “Your future travel voucher has changed“

  That’s the subject line from the email from BA last night transferring one of my cancelled flights future travel vouchers into an e-voucher (their description) that can be used online which makes it far easier to use.

  Not sure how fast they are working through them but this was for one that was from right at the start of their introduction so around mid March Am still waiting for one that will be the residual balance of a part used original one that was cancelled in May.

  Format of the e-voucher in the email is

  125-0000000000 / GBP (value) / Surname
  Email address

  Email is very clear on how to use it and showing the value should stop Ann the queries abiut how much the FTV was worth.

  • jamie says:

    6 Aug6 August 08:52

    I got one of these as well for a cash flight – but nothing for an Avios flight at same time. Are they being dealt with separately?
    Can I still phone and try and get a refund for the Avios one?

    • Rob says:

      6 Aug6 August 09:16

      Only cash tickets can be converted to evouchers.

• David says:

  6 Aug6 August 06:42

  Deeply strange that if they want to provide authoritative reassurance, they refer people to a blog (and one that looks very commercial in nature, hawking lots of credit card offers).

  No idea if it was paid for or not. I just assume VS found something that is moderately widely read (although TBH I’d never looked at it before) and that was saying everything is fine. Which looks a bit desperate.

  Bottom line for me is that the Ch 15 filing itself isn’t anything immediate to worry about, but there are still big questions about their longer term future.

• IO says:

  6 Aug6 August 06:43

  Hi, my Emirates flights for October has changed I presume due to Emirates dropping some flights. They have allocated me a new flight out with rubbish timings. Do I have a right to cancel now as my original flight has been cancelled?

  • Andrew says:

    6 Aug6 August 07:51

    If it’s more than a couple of hours difference then yes.

  • Rhys says:

    6 Aug6 August 08:51

    Yes, you are entitled to a refund under EU261

    • ChrisC says:

      6 Aug6 August 10:43

      Depends on the route! If it does not involve an EU airport then EU 261 simply does not apply.

      For Emirates it would only apply to flights leaving the EU.

      I really do wish people would provide basic info such as the route involved (not asking for names, dates, booking ref or the name and colour of your mothers first pets favourite food
      ) so the most accurate answer is given)

  • Sukes says:

    6 Aug6 August 09:39

    If the flight has definitely been cancelled (ie the flight number is different on the new flight) then yes entitled to refund under EC261. If the flight number is the same then I suspect you’ll find in your T&c that this will be categorised as a ‘schedule change’ and is not covered by EC261. If the latter, you can argue that the flight change is significant to you and request a refund but there is no legal obligation for the airline to provide one, unless the airline specifically has a clause in their T&C stating refunds are available in event of ‘schedule change greater than x hours etc’.

    • Lady London says:

      6 Aug6 August 13:17

      Be aware anyone receiving a sweet little ‘your flight time has changed’ from Easyjet. You will note that Easyjet has not included your flight number.

      I called Easyjet because it was clear, knowing the schedule, even without them showing the flight numbers, that they had in fact moved me to a different flight. Which would have a different flight number. So would give me all EU261 rights including the various rerouting options. As well as other things I’m not mentioning here in the hope I will be able to persuade easyjet to provide the rerouting at a later date that I will need, as on their previous cancellations.

      So if you receive an emaik from Easyjet with a change that does not have any flight numbers, check your original flight
      number and whether it’s changed. I think Easyjet has omitted the flight numbers on purpose.

• Anna says:

  6 Aug6 August 07:13

  Any recommendations for a CP with lounge access in London? Thinking of using the current 2 4 1 offer for next March.

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    6 Aug6 August 07:20

    CP Kensington has a small lounge and is an excellent property for location

    • Anna says:

      6 Aug6 August 07:35

      Thanks – I think I’ll go with that one, £108 pn for a club room in London sounds like a bit of a steal!

      • Chrisasaurus says:

        6 Aug6 August 07:40

        And it has a private garden!

        It’s our go to hotel – right opposite tube and almost on top of museums and Hyde park. Nothing not to like and the duplex suites if you get an upgrade are a fun novelty

        • Anna says:

          6 Aug6 August 08:03

          I’ve booked 2 nights – at that price I might be able to afford a London show as well 🤣

    • jamie says:

      6 Aug6 August 08:54

      CP Ealing has a lounge and available for about £45 on this offer

      • AJA says:

        6 Aug6 August 11:13

        That CP is actually on Hanger Lane gyratory overlooking the A40 so very convenient for car access and the Central Line but not much else. Picturesque it is not. I also hope it has very good soundproofing because it will have the gentle hum of the motorway.

  • ChrisC says:

    6 Aug6 August 07:43

    The CP London – The City (at Blackfriars) ?

    Very good transport links as well.

    • Anna says:

      6 Aug6 August 08:03

      Looked at that but I think it was £170 pn so the Kensington one if much better value.

  • memesweeper says:

    6 Aug6 August 08:07

    Stayed shortly after lockdown eased — the lounge was shut, and didn’t look great to be honest, but the garden was nice. Got a great room upgrade as spire elite. Note there’s a lovely raddisson a few doors down the same road if you can live without the garden.

    • memesweeper says:

      6 Aug6 August 11:18

      (this was about the CP Kensington)

      • Rob says:

        6 Aug6 August 11:55

        There are about a 100 hotels on the same road 🙂

        The dump that is the HI Kensington Forum almost across the road is very cheap on points at the moment. I do like the CP Kensington though. I knew Edward Bracken, the GM, quite well but he is now at CP City.

• Boi says:

  6 Aug6 August 07:26

  Where are people selling gift cards? Due to the lockdown I was not able to use all the gift cards I bought during the Morrison’s/Amex promo and we are emigrating

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    6 Aug6 August 07:40

    Cardyard

  • TGLoyalty says:

    6 Aug6 August 08:58

    Sure someone here would take them off your hands for the 10% off

    Depending on what you have ofcourse

    • Rui N. says:

      6 Aug6 August 09:27

      I have one for Ticketmaster (£170) if anyone is interested 🙂 Selling cheaply!

    • Boi says:

      6 Aug6 August 13:39

      Anyone willing to get the restaurant card or Odeon?
      I actually managed to use most while running around buying last minute things.

  • ChrisC says:

    6 Aug6 August 10:47

    Offer to do some of your friends shopping for them.

    You pay with the gift card and they pay you with cash or bank transfers.

    I would be suspicious of getting a second hand gift card from some site I’d never heard of before.

    • Anuj says:

      6 Aug6 August 12:59

      Cardyard is totally legitimate. I sold over £2k worth of Amazon gift cards that I bought from the Amex/Morrison’s offer and had no problems.

• Anna says:

  6 Aug6 August 07:43

  If you achieve Spire Elite from IHG MC spend, how long does it last for (is it the year you achieved it plus the following year)? I can’t work it out from my account.

  • guesswho2000 says:

    6 Aug6 August 07:53

    Yes, exactly that.

  • Andrew says:

    6 Aug6 August 07:54

    Yes. Although that might be a further year this year due to the extension.

  • Anna says:

    6 Aug6 August 08:05

    Great stuff. OH got Spire last month due to the reduced number of points required and spending has now been moved to my IHG card so I can get it as well!

    • Brighton Belle says:

      6 Aug6 August 08:13

      Now that you have Spire you can discover how it’s the key that unlocks a free bag of crisps and a mini bottle of low quality wine. Enjoy the excitement.

      • Secret Squirrel says:

        6 Aug6 August 08:29

        Love it BB, spot on!😄

        • Andrew says:

          6 Aug6 August 08:42

          Indeed – I have been Spire for many years and have to say it’s the laughable the lack of recognition you get, I would never chase it apart from getting the 25,000 points and double points on all stays. Like everything to do with IHG Rewards – it’s great for earning points and that’s it, literally that’s it.

      • Andrew says:

        6 Aug6 August 08:58

        Could be worse.

        I once had a daily fruit basket in my room it varied from day to day but it included a pineapple, melon, kiwi fruit, pomelo, walnuts, brazil nuts along with the usual apple and banana.

        As you might have guessed, the only cutlery in the room was the metal teaspoons.

        I managed to get into the walnuts and brazil nuts by putting them in a laundry bag on top of the safe and smacking them with a hardback copy of “The Spirit To Serve”

        • Andrew says:

          6 Aug6 August 08:59

          (Obviously that was a Marriott hotel rather than IHG).

      • Lady London says:

        6 Aug6 August 13:43

        You got crisps and wine? I only got a Kit Kat.

      • Martyn Ford says:

        6 Aug6 August 21:11

        Exactly!

    • Anna says:

      6 Aug6 August 08:52

      I want it for points earning and 2 x 25k IHG points will come in useful. I do find that in the north status members for all the hotel schemes I’m in (HH, Bonvoy & IHG) seem few & far between and we’re always given a great welcome and an upgrade.

      • Harry T says:

        6 Aug6 August 09:02

        That’s heartening about the North. I did once get upgraded to a nice room at Holiday Inn Jesmond whilst getting in an extra stay during the 4x promotion, before my IC stay (IHG Plat Ambassador). I’d actually recommend that hotel for anyone visiting Newcastle. The HIX in the centre is also alright and well located for downtown but I’m not a fan of that part of town as much.

        • Genghis says:

          6 Aug6 August 09:21

          We stayed at Staybridge Suites in Feb. Decent room and v good breakfast for all. No upgrade of course but some free Newkie Brew and ket from the “tuck shop” was well received.

        • RussellH says:

          6 Aug6 August 09:50

          I much prefer the Hampton in Newcastle to the HIX, apart from the fact that it is just across the street from Central Station, while the HIX is rather further away.
          Only points where the HIX scores better are in staff friendliness and that you will get a free drink at the HIX with IHG Gold. You need to be Hilton Gold, not silver, to get any fizzy water out of the Hampton, where the breakfast is much better and the rooms nicer.

        • Peter K says:

          6 Aug6 August 10:10

          I also really enjoyed the HI Jesmond. It was maybe 3yrs ago but had a decent restaurant as well.

      • Harry T says:

        6 Aug6 August 09:02

        @Anna is the Durham Marriott any good? I remember you went recently. Have you stayed at the Marriott in York?

        • Anna says:

          6 Aug6 August 09:14

          Durham Marriott was fine (I booked s standard room for 22k points and got upgraded to a suite!), but didn’t touch the Indigo IMO, though cash prices are very similar. Never stayed in York as we tend to go there on the way to or from Durham when visiting friends.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        6 Aug6 August 09:30

        Exactly plus the welcome drink is usually better, asking for two works the majority of the time and you’ll probably still get the welcome points.

        Stay in a hotel with a decent bar for £80-150 on a single night and you’ll get 2 x £8-12 cocktails, £2 worth of welcome points plus probably £10-20 back in points and using a portal another £5-10

        It might not throw free breakfasts at you but its not a bad scheme especially when all you are doing is spending money on a credit card to earn it.

        • Paul74 says:

          6 Aug6 August 11:41

          Yes, plus occasionally you do get a big ‘win’. In 2018 I stayed seven nights at the CP near the Zoo station in Berlin. A suite upgrade, an excellent complimentary buffet breakfast and a compo minibar, restocked daily. Whilst I’ve never quite repeated that, CPs generally provide slightly above the tokenistic offering described here.

        • Simon says:

          6 Aug6 August 21:46

          Same as Paul74 inasmuch as, at a HIX just outside the centre of Munich in 2018 during the Christmas market season, as Spire I got upgraded to a suite. Had no idea there were even suites at HIXs, so that education came as a nice surprise! Also treated very well at the Golden Egg in Davos in 2016 as Spire. Even got the Royal Suite at IC Park Lane as Spire (though it was proposal night 😁). I think, however, I’ve been extremely lucky given years of HFP comments lamenting Spire, and it would seem justifiably so.

• Mr(s) Entitled says:

  6 Aug6 August 07:58

  I don’t think HfP’s article which described it as “messy” was ever going to be in the running.

  Linking to any blog does seem a tad desperate. It’s a long way down the food chain and indicates that they couldn’t find anything better higher up. They would have been better leaving well alone.

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