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The HfP chat thread – Sunday 20th September

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We have decided to run this daily chat thread on Head for Points during the coronavirus outbreak.

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the de facto repository for random comments and questions.  With the news flow being lighter, we are running fewer ‘Bits’ articles.

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 at home, we want the HfP community to have a place to chat.

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General

Comments (116)

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

  • Harry T says:
    20 Sep20 September 12:30

    Anyone having issues with points and nights crediting after Marriott stays? Out of my last five or so stays, most have either not posted at all or posted with incorrect points.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      20 Sep20 September 12:46

      Nope no issues with my last 3

      I have had issues in the past where I had a reward stay booked but cancelled and switched to a paid stay as the price drop or the deal economics changed.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        20 Sep20 September 17:06

        Do you have Twitter Harry? Follow me on the same handle as here and I’ll DM you the Twitter teams email. I no longer do them and just email. Find it’s far easier/quicker.

    • DB2020 says:
      20 Sep20 September 12:47

      Likewise I have this issue at present. One stay not credited, no 2500 bonus points, and I have another stay coming up. Probably will have to follow up with the Bonvoy team because my email to the hotel hasn’t been replied to.

    • BJ says:
      20 Sep20 September 12:53

      OT @Harry T, hope you are enjoying your weekend in my old back yard. If you have time before returning home pop up to Kilmarnock and try the ice cream at Varani’s Forum, probably the best in the country. Opt for the Vanilla or go half and half with one of their more unusual flavours. If heading back to Newcastle the scenic route from Kilmarnock would be via New Cumnock and Dumfries taking you through the Nith Valley.

      • Harry T says:
        20 Sep20 September 17:05

        Alas, we have already passed by, but thank you anyway. We will certainly be back this way in the near future. I appreciate the thoughtful comment.

    • Chrisasaurus says:
      20 Sep20 September 15:04

      Yep

      Had to submit missing stat request for 5 stays this year and 100% fail date at some hotels.

      Last stay has credited value of my incidentals but not room rate!

      • Harry T says:
        20 Sep20 September 17:06

        Thanks, at least it’s not just me. I’m not sure if it’s the hotels that are making the mistakes, or the Bonvoy IT.

  • Baji Nahid says:
    20 Sep20 September 13:27

    Hi guys, quick question regarding the free BA Amex offer where there was 1 extra avios per £2 spent. I was under the presumption that since this offer ends in October, that we can spend as much as we can before the offer expiry so that those with the card could collect that extra avios.

    Looking at the T and C’s of the offer, it was super vague and didnt suggest that the max amount of avios points you would get would in total would only be 1000. Wondering if anyone else felt the same reading the terms and conditions on that offer.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      20 Sep20 September 14:04

      From the comments and article Rob did it seemed pretty clear it was 1k max.

    • BJ says:
      20 Sep20 September 14:07

      Yes, I think it was clear to most that the maximum benefit was 1000 avios for spending £2k(+) during the promotion. Hardly an offer to get excited about but if you are spending anyway…

    • Andrew says:
      20 Sep20 September 18:24

      “Spend £2 get 1 Avios Every time up to 1000 Avios” is the headline of the offer.

      I’m not sure how much clearer anyone could be in 11 words.

  • DZOO says:
    20 Sep20 September 14:20

    Anyone having issues with Curve to Seagulls (fronted is on and Curve w/ underlying VS MC working to other merchants)?

    • Mike says:
      21 Sep21 September 01:11

      Yes, not working but did previously without issue. Just declines and doesn’t show decline in the App in the timeline. Something is going on and Curve are absolutely useless to fix it.

  • antoinette says:
    20 Sep20 September 14:23

    Hi i have a companion voucher that i would like to extend using an FTV. Pls can I confirm that my thinking is correct.
    Today I book a club flight for 2 people to Rome for March 2021 using a companion voucher, 25500 avios (off peak) & £100 and in a couple of days cancel and get an FTV which I can use for a trip up to Apr 2022 for any destination – paying the difference in avios & cash?

    • Rob says:
      20 Sep20 September 15:41

      You can do that, but you can also book an economy flight to Manchester using the 241. No need to tie up 25,500 Avios and £100!

      • Chrisasaurus says:
        20 Sep20 September 15:52

        Interesting – so does the FTV effectively contain a 241? I’d assume it would have been essentially 2x30k Avios in the example given?

        • AndyW says:
          20 Sep20 September 17:56

          Yes, it just holds a 241, a cash amount, and an avios amount, all as separate line items, in this scenario.

        • Rob says:
          20 Sep20 September 18:15

          The FTV is just your frozen ticket, which is unfrozen letter (hence why the voucher number is your ticket number). It contains whatever was in the old ticket.

  • Lady London says:
    20 Sep20 September 15:40

    Why are comments today, so civilised? It’s Sunday. So I was braced for the outbreak we’ve seen over the past few monthd. What’s happened to our pet trolls? I’m beginning to miss them.

    • Chrisasaurus says:
      20 Sep20 September 15:50

      You’re a big smellyhead and your shoes are the wrong shade.

      Hows that to get us started? I’m not very good at it I’m afraid…

    • BJ says:
      20 Sep20 September 15:52

      Be careful what you wish for…

      Btw, did you see I recommended cake for you a few days ago?

      • Lady London says:
        20 Sep20 September 18:01

        cake? no, I missed that.
        was it perchance where I might find my all-time favourite, Fly Cemetery, in England?

        otherwise I’ll have to try to remember to ask my mother for the recipe as we used to have it at home.

        • BJ says:
          20 Sep20 September 18:34

          Yes, in relation to that but I cannot recall the article. Don’t know where you can get fruit slice. Gregg’s used to sell quite a decent one before reducing their range if cakes a couple if years back. However, I am guessing you might also love Ecclefechan Tart, maybe even better. You can order that online from a Baker called Alex Dalgetty if you Google it. Comes with fast delivery, is well packed and has two month shelf life. Sainsbury sell mini Ecclefechan tarts at Xmas and I think they are in stock already. You could try theirs first, presuming they sell them in England and not just Scottish stores.

    • Brian says:
      20 Sep20 September 15:59

      You shouldn’t have a comma after ‚today‘. Will that do?

    • ChrisC says:
      20 Sep20 September 16:31

      I’ve noticed that if the chat thread 3 isn’t in the top 3 posts and below the first stip of ‘advert’ posts for other threads that the number of comments in general and from some of the trolls in particulat seems to drop dramatically

      • Lady London says:
        20 Sep20 September 18:04

        So there was method in Rob’s redesign… 🙂 So the effort of scrolling was too much for the trolls ? 🙂

  • Aston100 says:
    20 Sep20 September 15:41

    Hello, regarding a potential stay at an Intercontinental in Johannesburg.
    Payment is to be made upon checkout, in the local currency.

    Can anyone advise which of these would be the better method of payment in regards to points and/or foreign currency fees?

    White IHG card (do you earn x4 points due to IHG hotel and foreign currency?)
    Amex BAPP (1.5 avios per pound)
    Halifax Clarity (no foreign currency fee)
    Revolut, topped up with IHG. I am not entirely sure how foreign currencies are handled by Revolut – it’s new to me.
    Or something else entirely (I also have Curve free but doubt it’s relevant)?

    Thanks.

    • Chrisasaurus says:
      20 Sep20 September 15:49

      The one you discounted as irrelevant!

      Curve backed by IHG. Job done

      • Aston100 says:
        20 Sep20 September 16:01

        Thank you. I confess to knowing nothing about foreign currencies with these cards and fintech banks.
        So, using a free white IHG through free Curve to pay the IHG hotel in their local currency would incur no foreign fees, and would gain me x2 IHG points? or something else?

        Thanks.

      • yorkieflyer says:
        20 Sep20 September 19:35

        if it’s not the weekend! extra fees on Curve, only 0.5% or $ but quite a lot more for other currencies eg ZAR, forget how much

        • yorkieflyer says:
          20 Sep20 September 19:37

          € or US$ that is, weekend is midnight Friday to midnight Sunday UK time I believe

          • Genghis says:
            20 Sep20 September 19:57

            I ran the numbers when was in RSA in Jan / Feb and found it was flat on a weekend in ZAR. YMMV.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      20 Sep20 September 17:09

      I’ve found I’ve earned 4x IHG on all hotel spend abroad backed by curve.

      Usually it’ll be a bars/restaurants etc but deffo get 4x

  • BJ says:
    20 Sep20 September 16:46

    Cafe Nero drink vouchers (valid for a year) are available at Nectar for 350 points. I cannot find any details on t&c so may be valid for any hot or cold drink. I also have 10x points at Esso.

    • Harry T says:
      20 Sep20 September 17:09

      I have the Nero offer, actually. I also had 500 points for filling up at Esso, which stacked nicely with the Amex gold bonus points offer (if it works).

    • TGLoyalty says:
      20 Sep20 September 17:11

      There’s one which is any hot drink and another that’s any drink but has a few exclusions on the cold ones you can have.

      However, Sometimes I’ve found if you try it and it doesn’t work the member of staff just says it does that sometimes he’s it free anyway” and you get two free ones 🙂

      • BJ says:
        20 Sep20 September 18:25

        Thanks, one I got mentioned hot or cold butnothing else which is good I guess. Might convert some points on this as I’m well stocked on LNER and the double up is rarely real anyway.

  • Harry T says:
    20 Sep20 September 17:11

    Trump Turnberry resort is well worth a trip if anyone fancies a staycation. Beautiful part of the world too.

    Rather unexpectedly, we saw the UK director of The Points Guy there. I’m not a massive fan of that website but just goes to show it’s a small world. Still waiting to bump into Rob somewhere!

    • BJ says:
      20 Sep20 September 18:21

      Glad you enjoyed, you got a pretty glorious late September weekend for it.

      • Harry T says:
        20 Sep20 September 19:08

        Thanks. We actually moved our stay from August because we wanted to go when the pool and gym were open. Turns out we lucked out and chose the perfect weekend!

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

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