The HfP chat thread – Saturday 7th November

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• Russ says:

  7 Nov7 November 10:25

  Has anyone received any Waitrose money off vouchers lately? We used to get them regularly each quarter but seems to have dried up. Anyone?

  • Harry T says:

    7 Nov7 November 10:49

    Received some in September.

    • Harry T says:

      7 Nov7 November 11:32

      I think mine were £8 off £40 spend. We tend to small shops at the Little Waitrose round the corner.

    • Mco says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:14

      Same. £22 off £120

  • AJA says:

    7 Nov7 November 10:53

    Yes. In late September I got 6 vouchers
    Of £7 off on £70 spend and then in late October I got another 6 vouchers £12 off on £120 spend.

  • Doug M says:

    7 Nov7 November 11:34

    No, but I’ve been using JLP gift cards for around a year now from last years’ Amex/Morrison offer. Apart from the convenience of the app/scanner for shopping does the Waitrose ‘loyalty’ scheme have any value?

    • Olly says:

      7 Nov7 November 11:36

      Free coffee with a purchase if you take your own cup… Until covid anyhoo.

      • Lady London says:

        7 Nov7 November 12:13

        Yes, pretty sure Waitrose were finding the coffee benefit onerous and covid gave them a reason to cancel. Some people did abuse it though and they had downgraded it.

        • Denis says:

          7 Nov7 November 13:24

          +1

    • AJA says:

      7 Nov7 November 13:47

      The money off vouchers is really the only thing I’ve found to be of benefit. I also think the 20% off fish on Friday is only available to Waitrose loyalty card holders. Other than that using the self scanner which makes shopping so much easier. I don’t use the app on the phone to scan as I use a note app on my phone for my shopping list and switching between the two is a PITA. I’ve never had a free cup of coffee as I drink better coffee at home. It would be wonderful if they tied up with BA to offer Avios but I’m not holding my breath.

    • ChrisC says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:22

      Free newspaper if you spend more than £10

    • Harry T says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:52

      @Doug
      The only real value is money off coupons. Unless you want some average coffee and a physical newspaper.

      • Doug M says:

        7 Nov7 November 16:33

        They’re gaining a lot of data about my shopping habits for nothing in return. I liked the coffee to be fair, but don’t like actual newspapers.
        As for the app, and I find this in many supermarkets, they’re built in a way that they act like a Faraday cage, and I get no Voda inside. They mention free Wi-Fi but often it doesn’t work with my phone, or seems to be an offer for specific networks rather than real free Wi-Fi. Then certain Waitrose, for example Southside in Wandsworth, the scanner devices release by sliding your card. How can I slide the virtual card on my phone. Rant over.

  • Louise K says:

    7 Nov7 November 12:39

    Yes.

    Had not had any since March but got a batch in September and again in October. £10 off £50.

    • DB2020 says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:01

      Not had any for the last couple of quarters.

    • Polly says:

      7 Nov7 November 18:37

      Only ever get 4 off 40 spends, can’t even buy a gift card with them…

  • Donna says:

    7 Nov7 November 14:06

    6x £24 off £120 spend in October. Managed to use them all.

• Kevin says:

  7 Nov7 November 10:56

  Just checked my Amex online and see whether it has trigger the £50 for accumulative spend on Marriott but yet seen anything there. However I have noticed that the Marriott offer has no longer shown in my saved offer. Is that normal, being removed when it hit the target?

  Anyone experience this before?

  • KS says:

    7 Nov7 November 11:07

    Yes, it should show up in “Recently redeemed” though.

  • Paasan69 says:

    7 Nov7 November 11:10

    Mine tracked today. Last checkout from a Marriott to trigger the spend was Tuesday Nov 4th (3rd stay). £50 showing up as saved but not credited yet. Offer removed from the saved offers list.

    • Kevin says:

      7 Nov7 November 15:04

      I will give few more days. Hopefully it will tracked as spend was on 5th Nov.

  • Olly says:

    7 Nov7 November 11:39

    I don’t know if connected but I got a message when l logging into Amex a/c last night that some of my saved offers will have been removed due to lockdown. My original Bicester Village one with better rate has gone, although there is a lesser alternative popped up to save to card.

    • Andrew says:

      7 Nov7 November 12:34

      I think the £300/£40 Bicester one expired on 1 November anyway.

    • Sukes says:

      7 Nov7 November 13:56

      Same. Message on desktop site: “Offers which have been impacted by new Government guidance coming into effect on the 5th of November have been removed. This may mean an offer you had seen is no longer available due to this.”

• CF Frost says:

  7 Nov7 November 11:03

  Yes – You need a Reward account.

  • mark2 says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:19

    thanks

    • Andrew says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:29

      I think it’s £2 a month to have the rewards account but as long as you log into the app once a month and also have some direct debits out you get £5 back as well as any of the offers.

• David says:

  7 Nov7 November 11:27

  Anyone receive the Harrods offer email from Amex, but not have it show in their offers yet?
  If so, have you made a transaction and had it post?

  • Olly says:

    7 Nov7 November 11:42

    My digital offer was late to the ball showing on my account, after I had used it in fact, but the £100 went into my account the same day as the purchase went through and the items arrived an hour ago via DPD. Three day delivery.

    • Sandgrounder says:

      7 Nov7 November 11:54

      It would seem the offer does not appear until the pending transaction shows on your account, which for me was immediate after placing my order. Any Platinum holder who hasn’t had the lietter/email might want to try placing an order to see if the offer appears, if it doesn’t you can always call to cancel your order.

      • Andrew says:

        7 Nov7 November 12:37

        Yes David if you got the email then it won’t show in your saved offers until you’ve made at least one transaction at Harrods. As soon as I tapped my card in store I checked my app and it was showing as a saved offer – previously nowhere to be seen. If you’re concerned, a quick call to Amex will confirm they can see it’s saved and you have a recorded call and an email invite to justify any claim.

      • meta says:

        7 Nov7 November 13:03

        I tested and several others (no email or letter). Transaction posted on my account on Thursday. No sign of credit since then or offer under saved account.

        • DB2020 says:

          7 Nov7 November 14:06

          Amex told me on 3rd November that the Harrods offer is targeted and that they could not add it to my account. Furthermore, they had reached the maximum number of registered cards for the offer.

          Much as I would like to have had the offer as I would have been able to use it before the store closed due to the lock down, I do shop at Harrods regularly, so I don’t think that they will ever target me.

  • Andrew says:

    7 Nov7 November 14:31

    There’s no logic to any of it – I spend £10k a year at Harrods, ever year (I know this as I keep the black rewards) always use my platinum card there and I got the £100.

    • Harry T says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:54

      Interesting data point, Andrew. I never shop at Harrods and wasn’t targeted. I’ve also never received a Harrods amex offer of any stripe. I wonder if it was geographical targeting, as I live in the NE.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        7 Nov7 November 15:57

        Didn’t get this but have had the £30 off £100 etc in the past. Midlands based.

        It does seem they’ve targeted a higher % of London based cardholders

      • Tocsin says:

        7 Nov7 November 16:48

        I live in Northumberland, and got the Harrods offer by email, so possibly not a geographic issue…

        Sorry, Harry T! One Christmas bottle (Ch. Musar 2005), three bottles of Harrods Malbec, and a box of chocs – for roughly the price of the chocs 🙂

        • Harry T says:

          7 Nov7 November 23:42

          No hard feelings! Enjoy your gifts from Amex. Perhaps there’s no real rhyme or reason to their selection process.

  • S says:

    7 Nov7 November 17:44

    Did a test purchase, but unfortunately, no offer showed up

    • David says:

      8 Nov8 November 22:00

      Did you get the email?

• Anne says:

  7 Nov7 November 11:49

  Has anyone else had multiple Virgin 241 vouchers post to their account? I hit the 10k spend a few weeks ago on the Reward+ card and expected to see a single voucher in my account but it looks like three have posted, each exactly a week apart. I’m thinking system error and fully expecting two to disappear/not be valid….

  • Rahaney says:

    7 Nov7 November 12:05

    Where do these show btw??
    Cheers

    • Sean says:

      7 Nov7 November 12:33

      just as an entry ” You have qualified for a credit card reward voucher” within your account activity.

  • Sean says:

    7 Nov7 November 12:29

    Yes had the same – at one point i had 9 of them.

  • AndyW says:

    7 Nov7 November 12:40

    I have two and should only have 1. When I called to redeem one they told me I had another still to be used.

    • Anne says:

      7 Nov7 November 13:02

      Thanks Andy, might get lucky in that case – but I won’t bank on it!

• SL says:

  7 Nov7 November 12:16

  Hi

  Does anyone know when the Platinum Business Card £250 credit kicks in? Just gone past one year and had the new £595 fee for next year. Looking to get the £250 and cancel.

  • Mco says:

    7 Nov7 November 14:16

    I got mine in the month after it renewed.

• AndyF says:

  7 Nov7 November 12:44

  I’ve tried to contact Marriot but the UK numbers don’t seem to be working and the only other number I can find are charged numbers in the US. Does anyone have a UK toll free number? I am wanting to transfer points between members. I rang initially before releasing I was being charged and hung up but during the short call they said that to transfer points between members, it was only free for gold members and above? I thought it was free for any members according to the articles?

  • Nick_C says:

    8 Nov8 November 00:09

    020 3564 6335

• Brian W says:

  7 Nov7 November 13:01

  If anyone has any thoughts or advice that can help me with the following I’d appreciate it.

  Booked on BA EDI – LHR this coming Tuesday morning (still running), returning on Wednesday lunchtime which has just been cancelled.

  I need to be home by 6pm on Wednesday so the later flight from LHR is no use and there are no other real options so I’m resigned to the fact I can’t make the trip now.

  1) I think this would still be covered under EU 261/2004 as they are still allowed to fly this route and have other flights on the same day still running so they can’t claim Covid-19 is their get out cause surely?

  2) If I take a FTV or refund now can I still start a claim for EU 261/2004 or does taking a FTV / Refund mean I’m then not entitled to EU 261/2004?

  Thanks in advance for anyone that know the answers 🙂

  • TGLoyalty says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:20

    You won’t get compensation if that’s what you mean. I strongly feel they would be well within their rights to say cancellations this month are directly related to Covid restrictions introduced by HMG causing a large drop in passengers.

    Running other services doesn’t mean they’re not affected by Covid as the relaxation in the rule was so that near empty flights weren’t flown just to save on compensation claims.

  • Lady London says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:39

    if you ever take a refund or FTV, or let BA or another airline force you into taking one or try to give you one without your consent if you don’t want one, then that absolves the airline of any further responsibility to you ad you can make no further claim on MCOL or any other way.

    Costs of duty of care (including your right to choose another date convenient to you under rerouting rules and other things) and compensation (when it would be due but currently covid counts as the exceptional circumstances exempt airlines from compensation) can be significant and so there are some circumstances where even a cash-strapped airline would prefer to refund. Dont accept this if you want to travel on a later date instead

  • AJA says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:42

    TGLoyalty is right – you won’t get compensation under EU261.

    Re your second question if you take a FTV or refund you will not be allowed to start a claim under EU261 as the refund / FTV is instead of compensation.

    You could instead ask BA to move the entire booking to a future date (within 1 year of original ticketing) if that would work better for you than taking a refund.

    Personally I’d just ask for a full refund.

  • Lady London says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:46

    PS I personally have had many, many existing trips I had bookings for ruined by the airline in this way since covid @Brian W. Mostly I fly very short trips, like yours, for which my time of day or departure is crucial. In many cases the airline has moved me me another flight on same day but the new timing that suits in the airline has made my trip not worth doing. In each case the airline has offered a refund but that’s of no use to me so I prefer to exercise my rerouting rights.

  • Brian W says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:56

    Thank you @LL @TGLoyalty @AJA, all very helpful as always.

  • Brian W says:

    7 Nov7 November 17:56

    Not sure how the airlines get away with this. My return flight that I was notified by email as being cancelled on Wednesday has disappeared from MMB as expected, only the outbound showing now.

    However, BA have clearly cancelled the other two flights on the route that day, mine is still running with tickets being sold now at 400% of what I paid for my ‘cancelled’ seat. Unbelievable.

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