The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 15th December

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BP says:

15 Dec15 December 08:17

How do you book KLM flights using Virgin points? I can’t seem to figure out!?!
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 08:23
  
  Put the route into the VS website and if there is availability it will show.
  - BP says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 08:52
    
    Thanks. Must be no availability.
    - Magic Mike says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 14:46
      
      I’ve had issues with the opposite – phantom availability on AF/KL that fails at the payment page. Call VS and they tell you there is no actual availability…
- Rob says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 08:57
  
  Book online as usual unless the website fails to recognise the cities involved, in which case call.
- Charlieface says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:32
  
  Doesn’t show connections so you need to call. Cross reference with delta.com no need to login.
- Steven says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 18:48
  
  Not all KLM routes are available to redeem using Virgin Miles. UK to Japan is one it doesn’t accept.
  - Charlieface says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 23:03
    
    I think that is only online, if you call up you can book.
stevenhp1987 says:

15 Dec15 December 08:26

Data point:

We ate at a restaurant last night that has always been part of Amex Shop Small in previous years. They are no longer showing as a small shop on the map.

The payment triggered the Shop Small email which is a nice bonus.

Seems the map is a bit off this time around!
- mark2 says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 08:54
  
  In my experience, the map/list has always been a lot off!
  - Andrew says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 09:09
    
    +1
- Hoppy says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:20
  
  Lots of places near me are off the map and NOT(!) paying this time round…
- Olly says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:38
  
  I had the opposite. Restaurant was in the list but when it came to pay i was told they’re not taking Amex. Composing to Brighton and they put it into my account after confirming the restaurant was shown.
  - Wollhouse says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 09:45
    
    Same around me. Two places I visited show in the map but one said they haven’t accepted Amex for over a year and the other had absolutely no idea what Shop Small was!
    - Terri says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 11:13
      
      There is a note on the map page that it show retailers where Amex customers have recently frequented. Looks like this may still not accurately reflect the position from the comments.
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 11:20
      
      The local chippy is on the list and they don’t take card at all!!!
  - ankomonkey says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 12:15
    
    I had the credit refused yesterday by Amex CS. Shop didn’t accept Amex despite being on the map. I was told the Shop Small Ts & Cs now state that the map is “just a guide” and it is the responsibility of the customer to confirm if a merchant is “participating”. I asked what this involved and was told “1. they accept Amex; 2. they are participating in the Amex Shop Small promotion”. They told me the current policy is no Amex transaction, no credit. I told them I felt the issue of an advertised merchant refusing Amex is an issue between Amex and the merchant, not me. They said ‘tough’! Couldn’t quite believe I was hearing it (through Chat and on the phone). Good luck everyone!!!
    - Lady London says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 12:37
      
      it’s a form of misrepresentation you could claim as Amex has induced you to spend by promising a promotional benefit when you spend and then denying it.
      
      Amex deserves to be sued but it would take more work than it’s worth to win as there is are so many ways they’re shoring themselves up with disclaimers now. Negligence is of course there is too in providing inacurate information about which merchants are participating (separate from the izettle-type problem which they could say they have no control over).
      
      I think the only remedies here are if people cancelled their cards in droves naming as the reason and this is not going to happen. And loss of reputatioñ is impossible to link to getting Amex to change their behaviour. Cardholders wil react by getting more mercenary in their attitude to Amex I suppose but being on here I doubt Amex will see any difference!
      - ankomonkey says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 20:33
        
        Agree with everything you say, but for £5 it’s not worth the effort or risk of Amex blacklisting me for future applications.
    - Gary says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 17:54
      
      I had the example of the shop taking Amex and with the Small Shop signage in the window – but I have always got the notification of spending in a SS immediately after I spend the money. I contacted Amex today as this had not happened and they advised that the merchant was not participating in this offer. I said it was wrong that they should be allowed to advertise the signage and it is misleading and the CS agent agreed and as a goodwill gesture credited the £5. Sometimes I am not sure whether it is worth the hassle – but then on 3 cards its £150 free money. If only I could find a SS that sold gift cards for any of the multiples!
Laura says:

15 Dec15 December 08:38

Any recommendations for travel insurance that will cover EU countries not the FCDO travel list?

I looked at Avanti (Insurance not trains!) with the optional extra, and they seemed ok until the small print said they won’t cover any costs related to covid, including hospitalisation.

I know of Battleface, but wanted to check I wasn’t missing anyone obvious.

Thanks!
- Jen T says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:50
  
  I think Staysure is an option for that. You can pay extra to cover countries where FCDO advise against travel.
  - meta says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 12:22
    
    If you really want to be sure to cover everything, you will probably need to take two insurances. There is absolutely not a single one on the market which is comprehensive. Some cover medical, the other covers travel against FCO advice, etc.
- Yorkieflyer says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 10:07
  
  Nationwide current account
Martin Short says:

15 Dec15 December 08:48

I have Oneworld Emerald (via Qatar Gold) . How do I book seats in advance on a BA business flight please- I still want to earn Avios?
- Rob says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 08:55
  
  The easiest way is to put in the other number now via MMB and swap it at check in. Ensure you get a boarding pass with the Avios number on.
  - Andrew says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 09:12
    
    And if you would like to enter the First lounge and use the First wing, leave the Emerald number on the boarding pass until you get to the gate and get them to reissue the boarding pass. Lounge agents often won’t grant access unless the corresponding tier is on the boarding pass rather than just flashing the card.
    - Polly says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 23:16
      
      Yes, or get the gate crew to change your frequent flyer number…we were literally on the plane one time, when the chief steward got it sorted for us.. QR no had stayed on the BP, instead of the baec l had changed it to..
- Rhys says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:00
  
  You should be able to do so from Manage My Booking – have you added your Gold number?
Mike says:

15 Dec15 December 09:08

Should I wait it out for a better Virgin+ Rewards sign on bonus? Is the annual fee refundable pro-rata after I hit £10k and get the voucher?
- Rhys says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:11
  
  Not refundable pro rata, and your guess is as good as ours as to when a better sign up bonus will pop up. Was fairly regular pre-covid but who knows now.
  - Chrisasaurus says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 09:36
    
    My assumption is they’re still no keener on taking on applications they will struggle to process and risk they’ll struggle to price.
    
    I signed up at the weekend – third time I’ve applied (first time rejected, sent them a letter, still rejected and didn’t bother with letter second time)
    
    This time accepted with fair size limit. They’re a rule unto themselves…
    - Mike says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 10:36
      
      What limit did you get accepted with?
      
      Not sure what’s the deal with all these limits! Even for Amex I had a BAPP with £12k limit, got an Amex Gold and they gave me £1.5k…
      - Jonathan says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 14:14
        
        Who needs immediate access to a £10k unsecured credit line in the current climate? Either someone out to play the system or who is about to lose their income. Neither of which is particularly attractive to them.
        
        In pre-Covid times when employment was high & defaults low then they were quite happy to let you run a large balance paying 20% interest as the majority would pay it off eventually, now much less so!
      - Mike says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 14:44
        
        I buy watches and luxury goods often enough. So 1.5k dosent cut it.
Joe says:

15 Dec15 December 09:30

Remember the article about DragonPass about a year ago?

I’ve got 9 (out of the original 10!) left and they expire beginning of January. I seem to remember the HfP article saying they’d be refundable if not used – is this true? Or will they extend the duration?
- Jane says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:33
  
  If you contact them they’ll either extend to jan 2022 or refund or refund some and extend the rest.
- Rob says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 09:48
  
  You can do either – drop them a note. Lots of readers have had extensions.
- Jody says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 10:34
  
  I contacted them a couple of months ago and was told they would automatically be extended in January for another year.
xcalx says:

15 Dec15 December 09:35

Update
On Sunday I asked if Tesco clucard transfers to BA Avios worked using same surname.
I did a small transfer to check.

Same first and surname . No other details matched eg DOB, email, address. Avios in BA account this morning.
- Charlieface says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 14:47
  
  Used to do it with only surname matching, and was told even that doesn’t have to match, but haven’t done that for a few years so don’t know if it still works.
Olly says:

15 Dec15 December 09:45

I’ve noticed a fair bit of comments on Ernie via Bendy of late and thought I might invest some money doing it. However, going to the Ernie website to set it up, noticed it asks for Bendy sort code, but it doesn’t have one on the card so thought I would ask advice here regarding it. Any other issues I should be aware of would also be greatly appreciated. In relation to the card, it is a little used legacy black I’ve had for years and have my HH and IHG linked to it for situations that I can’t pay for things with my Amex or IHG cards/ PayPal.
Thanks in advance.
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  15 Dec15 December 10:12
  
  When you setup an account with NS&I they ask for a bank account to link to your account so you can withdraw etc.
  
  Just enter the bank account you will want any funds withdrawn to?
  - Olly says:
    
    15 Dec15 December 11:23
    
    @stevenhp, thank you for that. My presumption was it might have to be the same account details as for purchasing the bonds. I can’t remember but presume no sort code is asked for from the purchasing card for people to have used Bendy.
    - Sean says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 12:10
      
      correct
    - The real John says:
      
      15 Dec15 December 13:04
      
      When you go to the payment page, you are just asked for the debit card number. It doesn’t specify that it should be the debit card of your linked bank account.
      
      Even if it did, Ernie can’t verify that your account matches your debit card number. The most they could do is see if your card BIN is from a bank that uses the sort code you provided.
      - Ash says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 13:45
        
        Can we use COT, Miles & More and HSBC the same?
      - Mike says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 14:51
        
        How long must the funds be in Ernie before we can withdraw it? Couple of months?
      - memesweeper says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 15:38
        
        Leave it as long as possible to minimise the chance of a source of funds enquiry. I would guess you are right in thinking months not weeks.
      - Olly says:
        
        15 Dec15 December 17:23
        
        Thanks TRJ