The HfP chat thread – Saturday 10th October

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• Jill (Kinkell) says:

  10 Oct10 October 13:30

  Thanks Rob, re: yesterday’s tip on sorting the avatar in Comments section.

• phatbear says:

  10 Oct10 October 14:41

  me and the other half have just achieved upgrade vouchers on both of our virgin credit cards, there is a comment on our online apps.

  we’ve had no email about them though.

  my question how do we actually use the vouchers ie when booking flights does it just automatically allow you to upgrade etc?

  • Axil23 says:

    10 Oct10 October 14:49

    You need to call them to do this.

    • phatbear says:

      10 Oct10 October 14:52

      cool thanks for the reply

• WillPS says:

  10 Oct10 October 14:50

  Did the ‘use Christmas Savers vouchers then return and get normal Clubcard Points’ trick work last year?

  • Rob says:

    10 Oct10 October 14:52

    Don’t think so

  • BJ says:

    10 Oct10 October 15:13

    No, only xcalx reported getting away with it IIRC.

    • WillPS says:

      10 Oct10 October 15:19

      Dang, what happens in the event of a refund now? Back on to money/gift card?

      • BJ says:

        10 Oct10 October 15:55

        Buy something and refund onto debit card or giftcard.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          10 Oct10 October 16:34

          Debit card didn’t work for many last year.

          Can just buy a gift card with the saver clubcard points.

    • xcalx says:

      11 Oct11 October 08:48

      I managed to get the points for returned TVs on 2 out of the 3 accounts. the other vouchers I used to purchase sim cards when the £20 top up deal was on. so 3 out of 3 really. Not bothering this year as I think I got very lucky last time.

  • memesweeper says:

    10 Oct10 October 15:22

    Will the double Nectar return? Will it include any categories that can be used as Xmas gifts? 😉

    • BJ says:

      10 Oct10 October 16:14

      If it comes back it’ll probably include their Christmas gift range, toys, home wares, and ttd wines so it can be useful. However you don’t get the full value because almost everything is usual price, not discount offers you see at other times. There will also be a cap on points to voucher conversion which has got worse every year. Sainsbury half price toy sale is coming up shortly, if those will make useful gifts for you then I recommend redeeming the nectar points at standard rates on this sale. The end result is the same, there are no limits, and no guessing if double up will come back. Same applies to wine offers, or any others that are useful to you. I redeemed some of mine at standard rates on argos lego sale about two weeks ago.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        10 Oct10 October 16:36

        I actually saw a tile in the nectar app about double last weekend but wasn’t clickable.

        I’m sure it’ll be back.

        • BJ says:

          10 Oct10 October 16:54

          Thanks for the heads up, I wonder if itll be available online this year given the circumstances.

• Toni says:

  10 Oct10 October 15:23

  Whats the thoughts on Malaysia in June? Always wanted to go and thought it could be the first long haul with the kids. Looked at the few hotels that have had articles on by HfP but does anyone have any other suggestions?

  • Crafty says:

    10 Oct10 October 15:40

    How old are the kids? We had an amazing time in Penang, Langkawi and Melaka with our then 2-year-old last Jan-Mar.

    • Toni says:

      10 Oct10 October 15:44

      They will be 2 & 3 when we go. Will be going for a couple of weeks so would want to move around a bit rather than stay in one resort. Any recommendations for the places you mentioned? Thank you!

      • BP says:

        10 Oct10 October 16:42

        The Danna in Langkawi is incredible. Can’t remember seeing any kids though.

      • Crafty says:

        10 Oct10 October 21:48

        Ok so our experiences highly relevant then. Penang was great, we stayed a week and could have done more. In Georgetown we stayed at a boutique hotel called the Areca, which was very convenient, although nothing special if you are looking for more than a place to sleep. We then moved on to the Hard Rock at Batu Ferringghi which was pretty awful if I’m honest, but it didn’t stop us loving Penang.

        Langkawi – we did 5 nights on points at the Ritz-Carlton. One of the best hotels we’ve ever been to. The standard “Rainforest Room” would be absolutely fine with your two toddlers. The wildlife and sunsets were incredible.

        I’d then highly recommend Melaka. A spontaneous addition to our trip. Perfect little town to do with kids – small and easy to get around, obvious central points to get your bearings around, many attractions child-friendly. Here we stayed at a boutique slightly out of town called the Rosa – but a Grab into town was about a dollar each way.

        • Toni says:

          11 Oct11 October 13:53

          Some great advice. Thanks

  • Pablo says:

    10 Oct10 October 15:45

    Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang was fabulous. June is wet season though. Monsoon in the entire Southeast Asia except Indonesia. I’d leave Asia for winter months and explore the Mediterranean in the summer.

    • BJ says:

      10 Oct10 October 16:28

      The climate is part of the experience though, tropical storms are amazing when experiencing them for the first time. Toni would be very unlucky if it rained all the time. While I’d also favour winter I don’t think it would put me off June.

    • BP says:

      10 Oct10 October 16:43

      I often visit eastern Thailand (Samui/Phangan) mid June and it’s fine.

      • Andrew says:

        10 Oct10 October 16:59

        IIRC the west and east coasts of peninsular Malaysia have different rainy seasons. So, if the monsoon is a worry, try some places the east coast (Kuala Terengganu and islands on the Terengganu coast like Pulau Redang might be a good bet).

        Equally as others have said I’d not let the rainy season out you off. I’d also suggest the E&O in Penang – we’ve had a couple of wonderful stays there.

  • BJ says:

    10 Oct10 October 16:23

    Hard to go wrong in Malaysia, value is amazing. Doubletree Penang is only 10k/night still. Cannot really advise about kids, maybe something at Genting for them, others can advise. In addition to KL and beach some places I also recommend Cameron Highlands for a different perspective. Arrange everything locally with local companies, not UK travel agents etc.

    • Crafty says:

      10 Oct10 October 21:50

      DT Penang in the middle of nowhere though. I did a mattress run while there to hit Diamond. Did a recce of the hotel as we could have stayed 3-4 nights if keen, but it really seemed like nothing there at all. We left town and had a few nights elsewhere (Melaka) instead.

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:

    10 Oct10 October 16:51

    Stayed at Hilton KL, Eastern and Oriental and Shangri La Rasa Sayang Rasa Wing and was happy with all three. Hilton was mostly to dejetlag since it’s convenient from the airport but was actually very impressed by it, especially the breakfast and exec lounge. The Mandarin Oriental in KL is supposed to be good with a stunning rooftop pool (and not that expensive) but not so convenient from the airport. E&O was excellent, dripping with history and class and perfectly placed to explore Georgetown. Shangri La was good but ultimately a function of logistics – we’d have gone to Langkawi for some beach time (check out the Datai and Andaman) but it meant losing too much time flying there and back (whereas the Shangri-la is a 30min £10 Uber from the E&O).

    Really enjoyed Borneo too but not sure I’d recommend it with small children.

    • Crafty says:

      10 Oct10 October 21:51

      Hilton KL is brilliant. Highly recommended.

  • Michael C says:

    10 Oct10 October 18:53

    Another recommend for E&O Penang.
    If you’re doing KL and looking at hotels with lounges, just note that not all let kids in.

  • Vanessa says:

    11 Oct11 October 01:01

    “Wet” season in malaysia usually just means torrential rain for a couple of hours in the afternoon and it actually cools down the temperature slightly for a pleasant evening stroll. Shangri-La in Penang is good for Batu ferringhi (beach) with a kids club and soft play shared with sister hotel Golden sands next door, hard rock is horrid – pool stinks of wee , for downtown with character E&O as others mentioned , otherwise G-hotel on Gurney plaza is convenient, spacious, clean and good value with amazing power shower and decent pool (sea view can be interesting if they are still doing the land reclaim project but no beach, right next to a mall with food court can be very handy with small ones). KL mandarin Oriental is old glamour, also check out Pavillion (Accor group but think managed by Banyan) which is quite a lot newer with very good breakfast and spa and again attached to giant mall with multiple food joints under cover convenient for kids. Melaka try Majestic Malacca good location and plenty of character while full of creature comfort. Haven’t been to Langkawi for ages but also hear good things about datai. Between KL and Penang, stop by Ipoh with the heritage colonial train station (if you are not driving can consider taking a train from KL to Penang passing Ipoh as well), famous hawker food, and limestone caves; heard good things about banjaran hotsprings but haven’t been.

    • Toni says:

      11 Oct11 October 13:59

      Thanks everyone some great advice and lots of options to look at. How do most people travel between locations? Hire car, train or fly (eg KL to Penang)?

• YC says:

  10 Oct10 October 15:50

  Rang Avios (lloyds voucher booking) to enquire on flight number having changed. They said this is not considered a flight cancellation because it was just a flight number being changed (dep/arrival times all unchanged). Is this correct? Implication is standard t&c’s apply and have to pay £35/pp for any changes. I thought this might just be a HUACA thing but wanted to check if my thinking is correct

  • TGLoyalty says:

    10 Oct10 October 16:36

    Hang up and try again. Flight number change means full refund under EU261.

    • YC says:

      10 Oct10 October 17:26

      Thanks will give it another go on Monday given Avios is closed Sunday

    • Lady London says:

      10 Oct10 October 20:39

      or reroute at a later date convenient to you at your choice

  • Sukes says:

    10 Oct10 October 19:41

    Flight number change is used on this chat as shorthand for cancellation because 99 percent of the time Event A (cancellation) appears concurrent with Event B (rebooking by airline with a different flight number). EC261 provides rights when Event A happens. But Event B is not a legal basis for determining that Event A has happened.

    European Commission 2016 interpretation of EC261 opined on this stating “3.2.2…. In practice, although a flight may generally tend to be considered as cancelled when its flight number changes, this might not always be a determinant criterion.” Commission gives an example “a flight may experience such a long delay that it departs the day after it was scheduled and may therefore be given an annotated flight number (e.g. XX 1234a instead of XX 1234) to distinguish it from the flight of the same number on that subsequent day” (ie flight’s number has changed but legally flight has not been cancelled).

    • TGLoyalty says:

      10 Oct10 October 22:20

      In what world would that happen more than a couple days in advance?

• Nick says:

  10 Oct10 October 15:55

  Trying to find a country open for tourists in the BA Avios sale. Looks like MRU, SEZ & MLE are all gone for summer 2021. Any tips for finding availability for countries still accepting British tourists?

  • Anna says:

    10 Oct10 October 16:15

    By next summer things may have changed for better or worse but have you considered Bermuda? Availability on avios is usually good, summer is their high season (it’s not in the Caribbean, contrary to popular belief!) and currently they seem to be managing COVID very well by testing visitors every few days. The downsides are eye-wateringly expensive accommodation and tourists are only allowed to rent 2-seater electric cars which are no use for a family, so you have to get round by taxi or bus.

  • BJ says:

    10 Oct10 October 16:31

    Japan supposed to be reopening starting April.

    • Anna says:

      10 Oct10 October 17:13

      NIck sounds like he’s looking for a tropical beach break though, his preferred options were MRU, SEZ & MLE! BDA has gorgeous beaches and is only 7 hours away.

      • meta says:

        10 Oct10 October 17:26

        To be fair to BJ, Japan has Okinawa, Ishigaki, etc. All tropical!

        • Andrew says:

          10 Oct10 October 18:11

          I’m hoping for Singapore to be open by April as I booked that in the Avios sale, but giving it a 10% chance at the moment – which could reduce to zero in due course. Thought it was worth taking a punt.

        • Genghis says:

          10 Oct10 October 18:48

          Both excellent. Would love to go back. Been 12 years since I went!

        • meta says:

          10 Oct10 October 19:32

          @Genghis I was planning to go to Japan this year with my partner who has never been to Japan & then possibly again next year to visit Okinawa and Ishigaki. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time. Now still hoping to go in April (we’ll know more in new year), but not enough time for Okinawa and Ishigaki, so another year.

          @Andrew I am supposed to return from Japan via Singapore in SQ Suites (first time!). Transit is allowed at the moment, so if Japan is off, hoping some other destination opens up.

• Chrisasaurus says:

  10 Oct10 October 17:03

  What’s the best way to deal with a VS refund? Miles redemption for November to NYC, flights have been moved around a bit but not by much. I can’t find anything on their site (on my mobile) and the links in the schedule change email all take me to the entry requirements page instead. Need to phone to sort and then wait til Christmas or beyond to get charges back?

  I don’t even know what the cancellation rules are with VS redemptions in normal times as never needed to!

  • ChrisC says:

    10 Oct10 October 18:59

    VS redemptions cancelable upto 24 hours before departure. Fee is IIRC £35 or thereabouts.

    You should be able to do it on line in the web version. At least have a look as might save you a call.

• Scott says:

  10 Oct10 October 18:30

  Virgin related – not sure if anyone else has had experience trying to upgrade from Premium to UC using the upgrade voucher.

  I just came off the phone after 1h40 and I think I have managed to upgrade from Premium to UC by just paying the extra £51.50 in taxes.

  The agent initially said I couldn’t use the upgrade voucher on my cash ticket. I told her the terms changed in August, she then went away to get clarification. I was then told I can use the upgrade voucher but I need to pay 50% of the standard miles to upgrade. I said the 50% only apply in the 2-4-1 scenario and I am travelling alone. She didn’t try to get further clarification on this and proceeded to take payment of the £51.50.

  I should get the tickets reissued in the next 48 hours. I hoping my miles balance will remain intact.

  • ChrisC says:

    10 Oct10 October 19:01

    You mean £51 in VS surcharges,

    Proper taxes and airport fees are the same in PE and UC.

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