The HfP chat thread – Sunday 15th November

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• SteveSlow says:

  15 Nov15 November 16:03

  Curve transactions are working for me, last one was on 7th Nov, and has tracked already

  I’ve also had success in the past using the claim form

  • FM says:

    15 Nov15 November 16:28

    Great, thanks – how long do Airtime rewards generally take to post the balance to your account?

    • SteveSlow says:

      15 Nov15 November 17:10

      Quite a while, anywhere from 60 days to 180 days, depending on the merchant.
      And then you can only cash out in £10 chunks.
      It’s not the best scheme, but is extremely low effort (no portals, no opting in etc)

• Barry says:

  15 Nov15 November 16:10

  RE: Amazon gift card issue at Morrison’s.

  I took my declined gift cards back to the store today and they said an email went out from Morrison’s head office this morning to say there are issues activating the Amazon gift cards with the blue packaging. She swapped them for the black ones and I’ve managed to redeem successfully.

  The blue ones I bought originally look like this:
  https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/amazon-%EF%BF%BD15-%EF%BF%BD500-gift-card/p/0447500

  • TGLoyalty says:

    15 Nov15 November 16:12

    £500 a card would have been nice 🙂

    No issue with the small box style £25-250 nor the congratulations style £25-250.

  • Liz says:

    15 Nov15 November 16:38

    Mine were the black ones which both failed

    • Ant says:

      15 Nov15 November 18:29

      I did £750 – 3 x£250 and after I paid while still in store realised the chits said declined. So customer service refunded them – without saying anything I put my debit card in for refund.
      Yesterday in a different store I got £1000 on £100×10 cards and a few M&S and John Lewis cards without any issues.
      The Morrison’s in Grays and Cheltenham’s have loads of cards.

      • S says:

        15 Nov15 November 18:55

        Is the AMEX offer not a one time use?

        • Josh says:

          15 Nov15 November 19:30

          Indeed. Unless he just wants airtime credit, but if his debit card is registered to airtime it’ll see the refund and deduct from his balance..

        • TGLoyalty says:

          15 Nov15 November 20:07

          Per card yes. Always possible to have it on multiple cards.

      • Gormlesstraveller says:

        15 Nov15 November 20:12

        You’re a pro. I would never have thought to insert a different card by mistake.

        • Amar says:

          15 Nov15 November 21:14

          I did the same (£600 were declined and refunded to a different card). Do you reckon it’s worth buying gift cards and returning them (even the activated ones)? And do they allow refunds on activated gift cards?

        • TGLoyalty says:

          15 Nov15 November 22:22

          You can’t return activated gift cards.

• Rob says:

  15 Nov15 November 16:43

  As it was Hilton’s choice to do this, I doubt much will change.

  It is fine for Hilton to give out Diamond like confetti for 2021. Hotels will be empty. I am more concerned about 2022. You’ll only need 30 nights in 2021 to earn it for 2022, and I will have it automatically for 2022 because I will be at 30 nights by the end of this year, which roll over.

  That said … Bonvoy is now slightly better than Hilton if you are doing a lot of nights. 50 nights gets you GUARANTEED 4pm check-out and 5 Suite Night Awards.

  If we’re honest, Diamond doesn’t get you much over Gold UNLESS the hotel has a lounge, in which case you get access.

• Harry T says:

  15 Nov15 November 17:07

  Diamond essentially has no value over Gold, unless you stay a lot in Asia, potentially. There’s no guaranteed late checkout and the upgrade benefits are not clear cut. Hilton gives Diamond out with credit cards because it’s weak status that rarely costs them more than the price of breakfast.

  Personally, I think Hilton is substantially weaker than Marriott Bonvoy, if you compare Platinum or Titanium to Diamond (Marriott Gold is rubbish compared to Hilton Gold). The guaranteed late check out at 4pm is very valuable to me. My experience travelling throughout the pandemic and staying at Marriott hotels has also been very positive – I’ve been upgraded to a suite at the last seven hotels I’ve stayed at, as Platinum, and all have honoured late checkout and breakfast benefits. Plus most higher end Hilton hotels are poor in Europe, when compared to Marriott. Marriott boasts hotels like Hotel Imperial Vienna, Augustine Prague, Gritti Palace, Ritz-Carlton Abama, Turnberry etc. Obviously experiences may differ if you are comparing Hamptons and Courtyards.

  • Optimus Prime says:

    15 Nov15 November 21:43

    Well yes, you’ve been upgraded everywhere and given late checkout etc because of low occupancy due to COVID.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      15 Nov15 November 22:26

      Marriott guarantee the 4pm and I’ve never not received it. IHG and Hilton will just about give you 2pm (except IC’a where ambassador guarantees 4pm or 10k points).

      Always get an upgrade of some sort but that’s true on IHG, Hilton and Radisson too. More like to get a suite in Marriott or Hilton than the others in my experience

    • Lady London says:

      16 Nov16 November 01:07

      plus his charm I suspect 🙂

• Baji Nahid says:

  15 Nov15 November 19:52

  I remember someone saying that they went to apply for a status match with TAP. Did anything come of that?

  • The Original Nick says:

    15 Nov15 November 20:18

    Search Tap Air Portugal on here. I can’t copy and paste the link for some reason. I’m Gold with Tap via the Status match.

    • Baji Nahid says:

      15 Nov15 November 21:28

      Hi Nick,

      I think it was someone who recently had done it but not sure what the status was with it and wanted to know!

• Gormlesstraveller says:

  15 Nov15 November 20:11

  Accor offer. “You must book by 16th November, even though you can stay until 13th December”. Means book by 23:59 16/11/2020 and check out before 23:59 13/12/2020?

• The Original Nick says:

  15 Nov15 November 20:20

  I’ve just been looking at hotels to stay at in January at LHR. Usually I’d stay on the Bath road. It seems that the Moxy has no avaliability during January and February. Is it closed due to Covid does anyone know?

  • E says:

    15 Nov15 November 20:30

    It’s closed till the 1st April now.

    • The Original Nick says:

      15 Nov15 November 20:30

      Thanks.

• David D says:

  15 Nov15 November 20:24

  Finally had a flight change confirmation from BA for what was going to be my internal flight SYD-MEL on QF in January. The flight number has changed, but the flight times remain the same. My assumption from reading here is that this would equate to a flight cancellation and I may request a full refund in both Avios and Cash paid. Would I be right in my thought process?

  • Blenz101 says:

    15 Nov15 November 20:36

    Only BA can tell you how they will treat this when you call.

    You have no automatic rights as the flight is operated by a non-EU airline between two non-EU destinations.

    BA may say the change of flight number is immaterial and you have been placed on a directly comparable service. OR they may just agree any allow you to cancel at no-cost.

    One would hope they would be reasonable but plenty examples of them deciding to play hardball.

    • AndyGWP says:

      15 Nov15 November 21:59

      Re: “You have no automatic rights as the flight is operated by a non-EU airline between two non-EU destinations.”

      Does this statement still apply if it was a segment of their outbound ticket from U.K.? (Which I assume it is)

      • guesswho2000 says:

        16 Nov16 November 03:15

        I assume from reading it that it’s an Avios redemption for a SYD-MEL QF domestic flight only.

        If it was a segment of their outbound (as in their booking was LHR (or other UK departure port)-XXX-SYD-MEL, then it’d still be no-mans land, as Jan 2021 is after the 31/12 Brexit cut off, surely? Must say I’m not 100% certain what’s happening to EC261 after 31/12.

        • guesswho2000 says:

          16 Nov16 November 03:17

          That said…I had a Chile domestic Avios booking changed (flight number only), and BA let me cancel penalty free, so BA are being lenient (mine was solely a SPC-ICL booking, separate QF ticket MEL-SCL, so definitely no EC261 rules at play there).

        • guesswho2000 says:

          16 Nov16 November 03:18

          *SCL-IPC even…

        • Blenz101 says:

          16 Nov16 November 04:55

          EU261 is being directly transposed into U.K. law. It will have a new number for us Brits to learn but at least for the short term it will apply as normal.

          Even if BA and others lobby to have it weakened (most likely compensation reduced) and are successful it would still apply when flying into the EU. Generous long haul compensation however may have its days numbered.

        • Nick_C says:

          16 Nov16 November 06:22

          Nothing is happening to EC261 after 31/12. It is UK law.

  • Lady London says:

    16 Nov16 November 00:57

    Have they put your flight onto Jetstar instead?

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