The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 17th November

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Harry T says:

17 Nov17 November 13:49

Gf has received a targeted postal offer for £100 off the wine flyer, which I understand is actually charged as Laithwaite’s. The Amex offer for £20 off £75 spend expires today – any chance Lathwaite’s will charge our card if we order today?
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 13:55
  
  Unfortunately they charge on Dispatch so highly unlikely.
  
  £100 voucher still makes for some cheap wine! Plus the Avios.
- ChrisC says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 13:57
  
  yesterday someone said Laithwaits charged on dispatch of the case so the sooner you order …
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 16:49
    
    I have never had an issue as long as it went to pending in time. Its only £20 so maybe worth the risk if the wine is good for the price anyway. remember 1k avios for your first order too via the e store
- John says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:53
  
  Ordered yesterday – pending charge showing today
  - Sandra says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 15:11
    
    Same here, here’s hoping it debits in time!
- Mouse says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 16:31
  
  I just bought a Laithwaite’s voucher for £75 and got the “you used your Amex offer” email immediately, so if you can use a Laithwaite’s voucher to pay wine flyer then that might work.
Martha says:

17 Nov17 November 13:57

Hi there. I bought 2 x £250 of Amazon gift cards at Morrissons. I checked the receipt and both were declined. Customer services at M said they can’t help and I must speak to Amazon.
What do I do?
a) speak to amazon
b) try the gift card to see if it works
c) chargback
d) other?
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:08
  
  D) Other: Speak to Morrisons, it is their problem if it got Declined and they shouldn’t have charged you.
  
  A will get a “Not our problem response”. B won’t work. C will probably loose you all of your Amex offers and all around a bad idea.
  - Charlieface says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 14:20
    
    I wouldn’t say it’s a bad a idea normally as OP has proof of decline. It will lose the offers though.
    - Tom says:
      
      17 Nov17 November 14:23
      
      It is a bad idea when Morrisons will refund and i would be surprised if there wasn’t now an internal memo explaining the issue.
- Tom says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:22
  
  It is Morrisons fault. Go back for a refund and if you accidentally put a different Amex card into the card reader to get your refund they won’t know…
  - Super Secret Stuff says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 15:12
    
    Or just accidentally put a debit card in by mistake 😉
Alan says:

17 Nov17 November 14:01

I can probably guess the answer to this but confirmation would be good.

Are the Ebay adds offering to transfer Avios or Virgin miles to your account legit, dodgy or illegal.
- 747_Brat says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:12
  
  Dodgy, illegal and you are risking suspension of your FF account, by dealing with mileage brokers.
  - Charlieface says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 14:20
    
    Why illegal?
    - Tom says:
      
      17 Nov17 November 14:29
      
      Hacked Avios/BA accounts are sold on the dark web for very little money and used for this sort of thing.
- AJA says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:14
  
  I think dodgy. If it looks too good to be true it usually is too good to be true.
- ChrisC says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:16
  
  (b) dodgy
- Mouse says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:54
  
  I’d never consider doing this but have heard of others who have done it successfully. The thing that intrigues me is how do they actually get the points into your account?
  - BuildTheWall says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 15:03
    
    They buy points from Amex and other cardholders in US, where it is allowed to transfer points to family and friends. These brokers add you as friends to the points holders and pay them while taking a commission.
    - Jimmy says:
      
      17 Nov17 November 15:47
      
      I’ve had a look but the prices aren’t even that great. Barely below the 1p/avios you can often get without risking your account.
747_Brat says:

17 Nov17 November 14:07

Sorry, but what is PAW? 🙄
- d4ve says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:16
  
  Perks @ Work maybe?
Colin MacKinnon says:

17 Nov17 November 14:29

Not illegal – nothing to do with parliament or the police.

But non-contractual – ie against the Avois terms and conditions. So the avoid can be voided and your account closed.
- Anna says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:50
  
  Yes in breach of Ts and Cs generally and you risk getting your account closed down like that now notorious woman who had her flights cancelled while she was on holiday because BA apparently found out she had been accepting avios in lieu of rent or something similar!
  Possibly illegal if you hand over money and then find yourself with no avios or miles in return, however it’s unlikely you would get any redress as the “seller” is probably far, far away from UK jurisdiction!
- james says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:51
  
  So fraud’s not a Police matter now?
  - Anna says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 15:53
    
    What element of it is fraud?
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      17 Nov17 November 16:53
      
      If fraud had taken place to secure the account / point then perhaps.
- 747_Brat says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:52
  
  By illegal, I meant exactly that. You are breaching the FF contract, if you are using the mileage brokers.
  Thanks for correcting me Colin.
- Nick says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 17:48
  
  The term Illegal is used so many times incorrectly. I had an electrician who told me the Fuse board in a flat I rent was illegal, along with exclamation mark, guess who didnt get the job to install the new one, which was needed
  - Jonathan says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 18:09
    
    There are safety regulations regarding electrical & gas work that it is a criminal offence to breach so he may have been correct. Electrical work is slightly gray area in that you have to prove you are competent or get a professional in whereas gas it’s Corgi or nothing.
    - xcalx says:
      
      18 Nov18 November 09:44
      
      @ Jonathan Your a little out of date
      
      Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the gas registration body in Great Britain and Isle of Man on 1 April 2009
Simon says:

17 Nov17 November 14:44

Sorry for this old chestnut, all — what do HFPers tend to think the most cost-effective taxi company would be to get from west London (Fulham) to Heathrow (Hatton Cross) and back again?

Usually, I take the tube (Piccadilly line) or tube and HEx (advance bookings), but wish to avoid both at the moment.

With AddLee (and the monthly £10.00 credit on Plat), I could get a return for £60.00 (£35.00 x 2, less £10.00). I just wondered if that could be bettered? As a non-driver, I couldn’t use the ZipCar method, alas.

Any tips gratefully received. TIA. 🙂
- Pete says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 14:53
  
  Sorry, I am not sure about your particular circumstances, but why are you so keen to avoid public transport? I certainly feel safer on the (pretty much empty) tube or train than sitting with another (unknown) person in close proximity for an hour.
  
  But I would suggest checking the Bolt, Ola or Freenow apps – they are generally cheaper than Uber and certainly Addison Lee. Just had a look, though, Ola prices at £23-29 from Fulham to Hatton Cross, so maybe AddLee with the discount is better!
  - Simon says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 16:53
    
    Many thanks, indeed Pete.
    
    (I’ve not had particularly great experiences on the limited occasions I’ve been on the District line of late whereas, with Addlee and their transparent partitions and both of us wearing masks, I have felt better about it. Each to their own, I guess.)
- Lady London says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 18:47
  
  kapten offering 30pc or 50pc on your first few journeys – I keep getting emails, think it’s offered to new users
  - Simon says:
    
    18 Nov18 November 09:27
    
    Many thanks, LL. 😉
Anna says:

17 Nov17 November 14:56

Lots of reports that household mixing may be banned right up until Xmas. Is it possible that hotels and hospitality will be allowed to open regardless? They don’t seem to be linked to significant numbers of infections as far as I can tell as long as hygiene and social distancing rules are adhered to.
- BuildTheWall says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 15:07
  
  Hope hotels and restaurants are allowed while pubs are closed. Pubs are where, in my opinion, people tend to ignore social distancing.
  - Andrew says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 15:26
    
    I hope non-essential retail reopens – Harrods *is* essential to me! I find online shopping loathsome
    - Harry T says:
      
      17 Nov17 November 15:54
      
      @Andrew find it difficult to get the right fit shopping online? Or just not enough discounts?
      - Andrew says:
        
        17 Nov17 November 16:08
        
        Just don’t really enjoy the process – I like to browse, chat to the staff, feel the products, then walk out with a nice cardboard carrier bag. Not order it, wait a few days and then a cardboard box turns up, by which time I’m kind of over it.
  - Anna says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 15:58
    
    I agree, and also I feel that a mini break in a household bubble with distancing and mask wearing would be safer than a massive family get together over Xmas. Our parents are all over 70 so I think it might just be better to wait until it’s less risky to get together.
747_Brat says:

17 Nov17 November 14:56

What is the best way to empty leftover gift card balance on cards like One4All and Love2shop, as I believe they can’t be topped-up?

I am looking for ways to empty my GC balances online, but happy to accept suggestions for offline transactions.
TIA
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 15:15
  
  Using it on your food shopping is probably the easiest because you buy it anyway.
- blenz101 says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 15:15
  
  You are going to need to do it offline where you can split a transaction unless you can find something online to the exact value. Argos or M&S perhaps? Just tell the cashier you want to pay X using the Love2Shop voucher and then pay the balance with another card/cash.
  - 747_Brat says:
    
    17 Nov17 November 16:31
    
    Thanks both.
    I also suspect I might need a store visit to empty my GC balances.
- mark2 says:
  
  17 Nov17 November 21:57
  
  You do not state the amounts involved, but if small just go to WH Smith, TK Maxx or B&Q etc. As pointed out above you can split the bill across several cards.