The HfP chat thread – Sunday 20th December

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• Ceri says:

  20 Dec20 December 08:47

  Does anyone think that BA will extend the 2 for 1 vouchers expiry dates again? Thinking about whether to book in the sale or wait for an extension of the voucher.

  • hypuk says:

    20 Dec20 December 09:20

    Does the sale also include reward flights? I thought that reward flights always have the same “avios cost”?

  • Anna says:

    20 Dec20 December 13:47

    The sale is cash fares.

• Jimbo says:

  20 Dec20 December 09:00

  IHG Premium Credit Card update? Just noticed in my IHG account I’ve got an extra credit card free night – validity April 2 2020 to August 31 2021. My old expiring free night is still in there with an expiry of 31 December 2020 – if I could find a way to use it.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    20 Dec20 December 09:22

    Yup you can use both.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      20 Dec20 December 09:23

      Suggest booking ASAP for a date long in the future.

      • Jimbo says:

        20 Dec20 December 11:03

        Cheers – didn’t realise the end date was the last date to book, I thought it was the last day to stay. Weekend stay booked in London for august bank holiday – fingers crossed!

        • Chrisasaurus says:

          20 Dec20 December 13:00

          Careful.

          Usually the date is last day to book but for the new freebie ones it appears that the expiry date (end Aug) is the last day to stay.

  • Louise K says:

    20 Dec20 December 09:42

    Yes, I’ve got an extra night too. Is this to replace the expiring one I wonder. I no longer even have the credit card.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      20 Dec20 December 10:19

      Yes it is.

    • Binks says:

      20 Dec20 December 10:30

      Where do you check on the IHG app for the free night voucher? Thx

      • TGLoyalty says:

        20 Dec20 December 10:51

        When you go to your account summary you’ll see the number of free nights you have right next to your number of points.

        • Binks says:

          20 Dec20 December 15:59

          Thank you TGLoyalty

• Jamie says:

  20 Dec20 December 09:33

  I have recently bought an item on groupon Spain after clicking on IB plus store first but points have not been posted yet on my IB plus store account. Does anyone have any experience on how soon it will take for them to appear?

• Dominic says:

  20 Dec20 December 09:50

  Query on shop small; I’m assuming any spend I do today will definitely count (and not be a case of ‘wasn’t fully processed today’)?

  Cheers

  • TGLoyalty says:

    20 Dec20 December 10:19

    Always has for me.

  • Harry T says:

    20 Dec20 December 13:46

    Should do. I find most places trigger an email with the shop name in anyway. So you could always contest.

• Diydegsy says:

  20 Dec20 December 10:01

  Asked BA yesterday to reroute me from Manchester to Bangkok as flight in March cancelled and they said they couldn’t do it as it was on a 241 I pressed her on legal situation and she went away came back and said she had checked it with her boss and their boss but they both said no. Then she said they couldn’t reroute me anyway with Qatar for example as they had no availability either for coming back on the 3rd April. She also said she would leave a note on my booking to say what the situation was so does anyone’s have any suggestions for what to do next as if I phone back to try another CS rep they will surely quote the same thing when they see the notes she has added? Thanks for any help.

  • Anna says:

    20 Dec20 December 10:17

    You are entitled to re-routing regardless of how you paid (including using a 2 4 1), but you might have to accept another flight via London if that’s what BA offers you, as presumably you were originally on BA metal. Similarly they would only re-route me to DXB on BA metal via LHR, and I think I would have struggled to insist they re-routed me direct from MAN as my original flight to AUH was via LHR as well.
    But they legally need to find you alternative flights.

    • marcw says:

      20 Dec20 December 10:34

      Re-routing is *subject to seat availability*. I think each airline interprets is as they wish.

      • Lady London says:

        20 Dec20 December 11:50

        Any seat available for cash in same cabin class is available, by law, for you to be placed im on your later date of travel convenient to you or close to your original travel date if your flight was cancelled by the airline. Reward seats/fare clasd do *not* have to be available. EU261 and case law, there is no doubt here a refus is just airlines’ multiple ways of trying to deny you your rights.

        HUACA in early day hours or core hours on a weekday to get the best chance of this rubbish not playing. Always research to identify which flights still selling cash seats your airline your cabin first, feed as a request to agent.

        3 refusals Section 75 on your credit card, ‘inadvertently’ making sure you choose an airline with higher service levels in your class if you can. Cost does not matter if it’s the general market sort of rate by the time you are forced to do this. Card s75 procedure once gone through should mean you buy with your card and card is jointly liable so you don’t have to pay.

        And best of all your card company will recover the full market cash price off BA instead of the what,? 0-10% ? it might have cost BA to honour your rights after *their* cancellation.

    • Diydegsy says:

      20 Dec20 December 10:36

      Thanks Anna I don’t mind rerouting via London etc but they just insisted no not on a 241 so not quite sure what to do next?

      • Lady London says:

        20 Dec20 December 11:53

        with respect diydegsy, even token study of this daily thread past 2 days or so will give you full answers

    • Aston100 says:

      20 Dec20 December 13:20

      We really do need an article describing the next steps that people can take when BA (as always) deny you your rights and options.

      There are numerous replies throughout the daily threads describing what people are entitled to, but the problem is that BA (and probably other airlines) are simply refusing to honour their obligation. This then leaves people with knowledge of what they should be entitled to, but no way of knowing how to obtain it / force BA to provide it.

      Hence an article would be really good as a reference point.

      • Anna says:

        20 Dec20 December 13:53

        At that point the affected person has to take action themself or instruct a solicitor to do it for them!

      • Rob says:

        20 Dec20 December 13:57

        1. Pay a few grand for the flight you believe BA should give you

        2. Take BA to CEDR arbitration for the money

        There isn’t much else you can do.

        • Jon says:

          20 Dec20 December 14:28

          Section 75? One thing I’m not clear on with s75 – is it: buy replacement ticket then make S75 claim, or make claim in order to (if successful) get permission (from card co) to buy the replacement ticket?

        • meta says:

          20 Dec20 December 14:40

          Or take them to MCOL and pay an extra fee (it will be higher for couple of grand than usualy £25). You do not need to go to CEDR before MCOL. BA is then obliged to pay your MCOL fee too plus interest, preparation costs, etc.

        • Jon says:

          20 Dec20 December 14:49

          With MCOL you have to front the cost of the replacement flight until judgement though? Whereas did I see somewhere that with s75 the card co (or maybe just Amex?) will usually wipe the charge within a few days and only reimpose it if they decide against you? Although on the other hand, I thought I also saw something about getting authorisation first, before purchase, but not 100% sure, hence my question above.

          Either way, CEDR, MCOL or S75, presumably buying a fully-flex replacement ticket (which I assume would be justifiable if the cancelled flight was itself fully-flex or booked on Avios etc) would be prudent, since it could be cancelled for refund if the claim failed (assuming enough time between claim and flight departure of course)?

        • Charlieface says:

          20 Dec20 December 16:59

          S75 is a good way forward. You would need to show to the credit card provider that that is how much it would cost you for replacement flights. They may want you to actually pay for them but technically there is no need.
          If doing MCOL, you can list both the airline and CC as joint liability.

        • Lady London says:

          20 Dec20 December 20:04

          @Jon obviously, when you’ve made a few attempts (documented) with the airline, but being refused, or ignored, or taking more than about 2 months (3months in Covid)…. that’s the time you contact your credit card to request provision of needed replacement ticket under s75.

          You either had to buy it already at market rates (keep a few screenshots of alternatives at the time to prove) or, like our poster stuck in Australia with all flights cancelled except QR costing £5,000 at the time, you need to ask the cardco if they will fund under s75 before you buy.

• Tony says:

  20 Dec20 December 10:22

  We have all had 12 months added to our BA Executive Club membership and targets have been reduced by 25% for next year. Given that air travel is likely to be challenging for the first half of 2021, is there a view as to whether BA are likely to extend/modify their policy. I guess it is going to be a very competitive market as the airline industry recovers…

  • Andrew says:

    20 Dec20 December 13:08

    I hope they will add another 12 months on as we still won’t be going anywhere in 2021.

    • Josh says:

      20 Dec20 December 14:12

      BA will follow where others lead…if other carriers start offering additional year-long extensions then BA will probably follow… Although they may say their reduced tier thresholds are adequate

      • Andrew says:

        20 Dec20 December 14:23

        Although the reason for an extension is not just requalification but also being able to use the benefits you earned during 2019, thinking you could use them in 2020 and now 2021 not looking likely for travel either, finally getting to use them in 2022 if an extra year is given. Like you say, early days but we can but hope.

• Phil H says:

  20 Dec20 December 10:53

  Not sure if this has been mentioned already but following on from previous comments about it being in the pipeline, you can now book concert tickets in the Virgin Red suite at the Manchester AO Arena using points. Blossoms are 20,000 points for 2, Celine Dion 65,000 for 2. No food & drink is included though…

  • Rob mc says:

    20 Dec20 December 11:56

    Anyone have a virgin vaults referral code?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      20 Dec20 December 12:43

      You’ve been invited to become a member of Virgin Red Vaults. Sign up using the code 2UIPXE to receive your bonus tokens.

• Sal says:

  20 Dec20 December 11:04

  So I have a premier account with Hong Kong and thinking of applying for premier world elite cc. Did I read that you can use the world elite to pay off ihg?

  • Josh says:

    20 Dec20 December 11:16

    Any Visa or Mcard supposedly

  • BuildTheWall says:

    20 Dec20 December 11:16

    Yes

    • Sprout says:

      20 Dec20 December 13:49

      Is that direct or via a intermediate revolutionary or bendy?

      • Josh says:

        20 Dec20 December 14:04

        Direct i think. Even on the ihg pay page it says you can use credit or debit cards (although that doesn’t mean the card you’re paying with won’t levy a fee?)

        • Jonathan says:

          20 Dec20 December 15:42

          This! IHG will allow you to pay with any Visa or MasterCard but the issue is how the payment will be treated by your card company. Potentially cash advance fees & interest from date of transaction.

      • BuildTheWall says:

        20 Dec20 December 15:32

        Direct

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