The HfP chat thread – Monday 21st December

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• Doog1000 says:

  21 Dec21 December 12:47

  thanks Mark – did you get Emyr to do this or the hotel directly?

  • MarkH says:

    21 Dec21 December 16:05

    I called the hotel directly and told them I wanted to move the stay to Feb which wasn’t an issue as the rate was flexible.

    Then mentioned I wanted to pre-pay £450. The receptionist said this wasn’t an issue but she needed to get it out through by her manager and would send me a payment link via email.

    A few hours later I got the link and then confirmed over email that the booking conditions and type of rate (free breakfast, $100 spend etc) was all the same so that I’d have it in writing.

• Benilyn says:

  21 Dec21 December 12:49

  Kind of been out the game a little… is it worth getting bendy metal for the no fronting fee? Or is there enough free ways to go still? Mainly looking to do beardy c£12k limit over 2 users to then convert to HH points.

  • MarkH says:

    21 Dec21 December 17:47

    When I looked at it for myself I wasn’t going to putting enough through to make it worthwhile esp on my curve limit of £50k.

    Now they’ve upped it to £1.4m for everyone that would change the sums but I’ve haven’t got round to looking yet at how much I could / would be willing to put through, which is the deciding factor as it determines your cost per point

• Benilyn says:

  21 Dec21 December 12:54

  Have been using my HK Shanghai premier card for paying Kree Ation three times now (few £k each time) with no charge from the issuer. What if I used beardy instead, would I get hit?

  • Vit says:

    21 Dec21 December 13:37

    No charge. Just pay directly IHG directly.

• Mike says:

  21 Dec21 December 13:47

  Nick_C, you’d prefer to be part of the EU’s vaccine programme then?

  Would we have been better or worse off had we continued to be a MS and under Brussels vaccine regime?

  Count to 10 before hitting reply and answer the question truthfully.

  • BuildTheWall says:

    21 Dec21 December 14:09

    Brussels doesnt have enough scientists to even test and approve vaccines.
    Leave alone identifying a new strain from the thousands of tests they do everyday. They are now waiting for information from UK experts.
    But lets continue to bash our government, as thats the easiest thing to do.

    • Charlieface says:

      21 Dec21 December 14:20

      I bash all governments, they’re all rubbish. As you say though, some more than others…

    • Bazza says:

      21 Dec21 December 14:53

      So many remoaners actually want the UK to ‘fail’ (so they can be proved right). Angry & bitter – but I guess losers often are..

      • SteveD says:

        21 Dec21 December 16:25

        LOL, Bazza you are funny.

        Just for anyone not in on the joke, it’s actually completely irrelevant what ‘remoaners’ do or don’t want, and has been for about 4 and a half years. This is the funny bit…it’s actually the winners who are making all the decisions and have put us in our current glorious position. Tee-hee.

        What a hoot. Are you here all week?

        • KellyK says:

          21 Dec21 December 16:31

          @SteveD +1

      • Mike says:

        21 Dec21 December 22:26

        No reply to my correct schooling of the EU Procurement Scheme. One of the issues with these sorts of people is how little they know vs what they pretend and project they know. But of course, I dare to challenge the commentariat view that the UK is a toilet, ergo, I am thick. “Karen” is another moniker for “Hitler” and “Nazi”.

        Do you speak German? Probably not. Pick-up a copy of a German Daily and see how wonderful the Germans consider the EU scheme to be. Spiegel have translated an article for the uneducated (Left).

        To dismiss this article, shall we just declare Spiegel to be “far-right” “racist” “xenophobic” “Islamophobic” “Brexiteer” to rid such EU Hate from the site?

        https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/the-planning-disaster-germany-and-europe-could-fall-short-on-vaccine-supplies-a-3db4702d-ae23-4e85-85b7-20145a898abd

  • Nick_C says:

    21 Dec21 December 14:25

    I don’t know anything about the EU’s vaccination programme Mike. But if full membership of the EU would have prevented us doing what we have done, both in funding research and buying vaccines, then I would agree that our hokey-cokey membership has been different to full membership.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    21 Dec21 December 15:15

    They start vaccinating on the 23rd it was a two week head start not months/years.

    • Mike says:

      21 Dec21 December 16:46

      Started but will soon finish. There’s 400k doses for the German population?

      • HAM76 says:

        21 Dec21 December 17:30

        It‘s 3-4 million for the next 6 weeks, 11-13 million doses in the next 16 weeks, 136 million doses within the next 12-18 months, 300 million (which is more than we should need) if all vaccines get approval. Not sure where the 400k number is coming from…

        • James says:

          21 Dec21 December 18:14

          Mike prefers to get his stats and news from Karen off Facebook, The Sun (who will retract their lies in a tiny comment piece a few days later), or Bazza from down the boozer.
          Actual facts mean little to him, so best to just move on.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          21 Dec21 December 20:05

          Started but will soon finish ? There are around 25m people identified for phase 1 and we’ve done 500k doses in two weeks. Which unless there is more capacity added quickly (more difficult with Pfizer) will half since you’ll have people getting dose 1 and others coming in for dose 2.

          50m doses @ 250k doses a week will take years to get through phase 1.

          Perhaps they can up it to 2m doses a week and then get it done in c7 months (since they need 2 doses 3 weeks apart)

          RE 300m Some of the doses ordered by the richer countries will be shared with the poorer countries too.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          21 Dec21 December 20:06

          Ignore my “will half…” part of the comment I switched from people to doses to make it easier and forgot to delete 🤦🏽‍♂️

  • Alan says:

    21 Dec21 December 15:29

    If we were a member it would have been our vaccine programme, and quite possibly different to the EU’s current programme.

    Either way given our record to date it’s probably better we get to the end of the epidemic before we start deciding who was right or wrong.

  • RussellH says:

    21 Dec21 December 17:06

    There is no EU vaccine programme – like most things in Europe, health is decided at national level, or lower.
    The UK being no longer part of the EU has exactly zero significance for when people here could get vaccines.
    Yes, Mat Hancock (or one of the other numpties) tried to claim that we got it early because we had left the EU, but he was slapped down almost immediately by the scientists.
    What you may have forgotten is that the BioNTech vaccine was developed in Germany, by scientists of Turkish origin, and is made in Belgium, using mass production tecniques designed by a USA company (Pfizer).
    All that the UK has done is fast-track a provisional approval. Same as the USA.
    Why other European countries have not done the same I do not know, but I do not understand it.
    The European Medicines Agency aims to harmonise (but not replace) the work of national medicine regulatory bodies.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Medicines_Agency

    • Mike says:

      21 Dec21 December 17:20

      The BioNTech vaccine is indeed German, but MS order via common vaccine procurement scheme which they all participate in. You should know this? They don’t order as individual MS. This is really basic stuff.

      They have to order some French one as well, to ensure “fairness”. And don’t anyone dare order Modena…its from the land of Orange Man.

      Hence, despite the fact the vaccine is from a MS, made in a MS, the UK has vacced more people than the block combined and will get more doses before any of the MS.

      EU protectionism at its best. Ask Ivory Coast (in case you don’t know, it’s a rather “developing” country) Banana Growers who they love more…the EU or the French.

      • Mike says:

        21 Dec21 December 17:21

        *Moderna

• Tracey says:

  21 Dec21 December 13:48

  My passport expires September 2021, but it is now 10 years old. This means that it is still valid for anywhere except Europe from 1/1/21. I can’t decide if it is worth renewing now or waiting. I have no immediate plans to visit Europe, but not renewing would rule out any last minute trips and also any diversions from further afield into Europe would be a problem. Would you wait?

  • M says:

    21 Dec21 December 13:49

    A large number of countries, not just Europe, expect 6 month passport validity.

    • PerkyPat says:

      21 Dec21 December 14:06

      Most countries which require visas need 6 months validity in my experience, so a good number of Asian countries, for example, though you are unlikely to be visiting them any time soon, of course.

    • Mark says:

      21 Dec21 December 14:17

      That’s not what Tracey is asking though. Her passport has 6 months or more validity until March. It falls foul of the EU rule ahead of that which says your passport must be no more than ten years old.

      That said the only person who can answer Tracey’s question is Tracey herself. As things stand I doubt many of us will be travelling anywhere much until the dust settles on the new COVID variant. Of course you will be without a passport completely for a few weeks whilst the renewal goes through (stated lead time is 3 weeks though with the latest restrictions I wouldn’t bet against it taking somewhat longer…).

      Beyond March of course you will start to hit the six month validity requirement across a number of countries so if you are planning a trip elsewhere that is worth checking.

  • Genghis says:

    21 Dec21 December 13:59

    My old passport expired Dec 21. However, it wouldn’t be valid from 1 Jan 21 to Europe. I renewed a couple of weeks ago. For the sake of a few quid, I didn’t wanna risk not having a passport to be able to go away.

  • Lady London says:

    21 Dec21 December 14:00

    No.
    But I’ve carried my passport constantly with me since I was 17.

    In your case perhaps you are not likely to travel at short notice and could perhaps wait if processing times lengthen for passports.

  • Alex M says:

    21 Dec21 December 14:10

    Why wait? To save few pounds?

    • Aston100 says:

      21 Dec21 December 15:15

      “Why wait? To save few pounds?”
      I think passports no longer roll over the remaining months when you renew early, so it probably makes sense to leave it as long as (sensibly) possible before renewing.

      • Genghis says:

        21 Dec21 December 15:30

        A 10 year passport is £75.50. It actually really lasts 9.5 years going forward since most places require 6 month validity. So it costs £7.95 a year. Yes – leave it as late as possible to renew but not at risk of not having a valid passport for what really is just a few quid.

  • C says:

    21 Dec21 December 15:04

    If it helps for anyone wondering about turnaround times, my new passport arrived today just 10 days after applying (and 5 of those were due to them waiting to receive my marriage cert from me due to postal delays). So it’s pretty quick currently (not taking into account the xmas break now). I had a year of validity left but couldn’t use in Europe from April, so thought I’d get it sorted now. Plus have been meaning to update it to my married name anyway after nearly 2 years!

    • Tracey says:

      21 Dec21 December 15:31

      That’s good to know, thank you.
      No doubt I will hit the Xmas post and possible shutdown now.

      It just seemed a bit unnecessary to waste 9 months of validity for nothing, particularly at a time when I’m unlikely to be travelling.

      • Aston100 says:

        21 Dec21 December 15:49

        Yes but you get a BLUE passport.
        A massive benefit of ‘gettin are country back’ and ‘takin back control and all that’.

        “ing-urr-lund ing-urr-lund ing-urrl-lund” etc

        • Anna says:

          21 Dec21 December 15:56

          Nope – got my new one this time last year and it’s still burgundy! Someone who had theirs renewed just before I did got a blue one so it must depend which office is processing them.

        • Genghis says:

          21 Dec21 December 16:37

          To my eyes at least the new passports are black.

        • Harry T says:

          21 Dec21 December 18:27

          They look black to me too.

    • mvcvz says:

      21 Dec21 December 15:40

      Turnaround time for my own passport renewal earlier this month was similar.

  • Chris Heyes says:

    21 Dec21 December 23:15

    Tracy i would renew just before April 1) might go up in April 2) might be loads renewing or applying in April
    My Partners Brothers passport run out last September he will be renewing March ready for USA trip Aug

• Sundar says:

  21 Dec21 December 13:50

  Hows best to setup Avios accounts for my in-laws for first-timer ? Idea is to use their avios accumulated for any flights we may use in future – BA flights mostly.
  Setup in BA as a new household and then use the friends/family list to utilize for our flights ? The no of flights they take will be minimal – Once a year maybe.

  • Genghis says:

    21 Dec21 December 14:02

    Assuming they won’t redeem, put them in your HHA so you can use all their avios directly (transfer out other HHA members to Aerclub) to have exact amount in HHA to empty in-laws accts. I do same just with MIL.

    • Sundar says:

      21 Dec21 December 15:18

      Ha ok, I see –
      1) Add them to my HHA. Accrue.
      2) Use Aerclub to transfer out my and my wife avios
      3) Redeem in-laws avios in HHA
      4) Bring back from Aerclub if we need more avios/as needed ?

      • Genghis says:

        21 Dec21 December 15:27

        Yes

        • Sundar says:

          21 Dec21 December 15:53

          Thanks Genghis.

• Igloo says:

  21 Dec21 December 14:32

  Does anyone have any recommendations of business bank account providers? (Obviously I am doing other research, but it is helpful to have recommendations from people actually using these banks as well)

  • Tracey says:

    21 Dec21 December 15:28

    I’ve been happy with NatWest.

  • Louise K says:

    21 Dec21 December 16:00

    I like Starling. No fees for day today transactions, app based and very easy to use.

  • RussellH says:

    21 Dec21 December 17:12

    Where do you live?
    If on the west side of the country between Preston and Lockerbie, the Cumberland Building Society is excellent.

  • Max says:

    21 Dec21 December 17:28

    Cater Allen

  • Chris Heyes says:

    21 Dec21 December 23:22

    Igloo Years ago i used Lloyds Business for my 16 year old
    And strictly speaking i didn’t have a business, operated it for him
    Was very happy with treatment that was 25 years ago
    I was with them before them non-business and still with them now aged 73 non-business

  • Sina says:

    22 Dec22 December 00:06

    Starling is perfect, HSBC Kinetic is not bad with some benefits!

    • Rob says:

      22 Dec22 December 05:47

      We use Metro Bank, works perfectly well for our (minimal) needs, eg having an app and easy transfers in and out.

• Charlieface says:

  21 Dec21 December 14:36

  Has anyone watched Blackadder: The Army Years? That’s the way I feel now.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f8MinrUTpw

  • Lady London says:

    21 Dec21 December 15:43

    🙂

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