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The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 15th December

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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.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article.  This has long-term benefits as it keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

Old chat threads are hidden from the HfP home page.  If you want to look for something in an old thread, click here.  This brings up all the articles in our ‘General’ category which includes the chat threads.

Category

General

Comments (261)

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

  • Michael C says:
    15 Dec15 December 04:13

    “List of private providers of coronavirus testing” finally published!
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing

    • Michael C says:
      15 Dec15 December 04:39

      Samedaydoctor: “Unfortunately we have been so overwhelmed with requests for Test and Release that we cannot answer any more emails nor take any more bookings and we have asked to be removed form the Government list” – 12 minutes after the list was “live” ;o)

      Many results are “2-3 days”. MANY are not open outside Mon-Fri i.e. 24pm-25-26-27-28 Dec… *sigh*

    • Oli says:
      15 Dec15 December 06:26

      I’m surprised Boots isn’t on the list. Good to see one provider (via post) is only £89.

      • Laura says:
        15 Dec15 December 08:35

        Is it because Test and Release has to be done at home? Boots are only instore

    • BS says:
      15 Dec15 December 08:15

      I’ve signed up to the £89 Halo test – will report back on here.
      Although it is cheap, there are several red flags (maybe orang-ish flags) for me: several pages saying ‘under construction’ on their website, no obvious contact info on their website etc. But they are on the government list, so they must be thoroughly vetted and reliable, no?

      • BS says:
        15 Dec15 December 08:47

        Just double-checked – none of the executives are ‘Johnson’s or ‘Handcock’s.

      • Rantallion says:
        15 Dec15 December 09:07

        At the very least they’ll be known to one of the ministers.

        • Brian says:
          15 Dec15 December 09:16

          😂

        • Chrisasaurus says:
          15 Dec15 December 09:38

          At the very most you mean – the only two credited is for a government contract under this administration is 1) links to a minister and 2) zero domain expertise

      • Mike says:
        15 Dec15 December 17:38

        Halo are the people behind the Sofitel rest + test, and they also run a BA flight crew testing facility.

  • Oli says:
    15 Dec15 December 06:32

    One of the providers selected by the government says quarantine is 14 days. Another one says the day of arrival in the UK is Day 1 (should be Day 0). Not sure how they selected the providers!

    Day one: Arrive back in England from a quarantine country, you need to go straight to your self isolation destination and begin your isolation period in line with the UK government’s instructions.

    Day five: You can now physically attend your Covid19 test appointment, your sample will be sent to our lab directly from our clinic so no need to worry about a courier or delivering the sample yourself.

  • Alan says:
    15 Dec15 December 06:34

    Don’t seem to be any same day or fast track options available. With results in 2-3 days (including return post) then quarantine is only reduced by 2 maybe 3 days.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      15 Dec15 December 11:18

      As it’s 10 days anyway it’s really not worth the hassle unless you have critical business to do.

  • Magic Mike says:
    15 Dec15 December 06:45

    Hi all – how long should I give Virgin Money to process a chargeback before kicking up a fuss? They’ve had all the documentation required for 6 weeks, but so far zero communication from them – I had to chase to get them to confirm they had received it. They still have my money. (unlike Amex, who put the amount in dispute back onto my card within hours).

    • Jonathan says:
      15 Dec15 December 07:23

      I’d say 3 months minimum in the current climate given that they will have to review details, request response from merchant then review again. It’s frustrating but I believe Amex are outliers in refunding pending final decision.

    • BS says:
      15 Dec15 December 08:20

      Here’s how I would play it:
      – Submit a formal complaint about the speed of processing. This frequently works to kick them in to action
      – Escalate complaint to FOS in 8 weeks claiming for costs involved in not having the money, as well as outcome of the chargeback.
      It has been long enough to kick this process off already.

    • Charlieface says:
      15 Dec15 December 14:56

      Chargeback only works if they raise it within 120 days, so if they don’t you have a legit complaint

  • Fred S says:
    15 Dec15 December 07:25

    Creation IHG not posting any payments made since Friday….concerning as payment due date was yesterday

    • BuildTheWall says:
      15 Dec15 December 08:07

      Usually takes 2-3 business days

      • Genghis says:
        15 Dec15 December 09:55

        Yes. I noticed that. The normal for me is if a payment is made Monday to Friday, it credits the next day. If made Sat or Sun, it credits on the Tuesday.

      • Jane says:
        15 Dec15 December 12:45

        Same here, made payments over the weekend and they would normally credit Monday but still nothing. and I need to get spending to hit my spire elite by the end of the year but can’t till the payment credits.

    • Chrisasaurus says:
      15 Dec15 December 09:39

      Takes 3 (business) days pretty consistently for me

      • Rob says:
        15 Dec15 December 09:47

        Weird. Amex is instant if you do it online and even Diners Club, with the Lufty cards, credits same day as long as the money arrives by 4pm.

    • BuildTheWall says:
      15 Dec15 December 13:05

      Has your credit limit gone up? That’s a clue that it’s received but to be settled

  • Tanya says:
    15 Dec15 December 07:29

    I’m presuming BA lounges in Heathrow will be closed tomorrow? We fly from Dubai back to Belfast

  • RichS says:
    15 Dec15 December 07:29

    Has anyone had the extra 4000 Aegean points (after the initial 1000) Rob wrote about a few weeks ago? They were meant to post by today but no sign in my account yet.

  • JohnT says:
    15 Dec15 December 08:00

    Marriott status match, submitted Sunday, confirmed today! Wow.

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

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