The HfP chat thread – Monday 4th January

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• dave says:

  4 Jan4 January 12:28

  Anyone seen the bonus 5000 IHG points yet for booking a night using your Creation IHG card in the last quarter?

• Colin MacKinnon says:

  4 Jan4 January 12:31

  Am in Lanzarote at the moment.

  Suspect Scotland going into full lockdown this afternoon, so wondering about staying here.

  But if things get worse here, and UK in serious lockdown, will I get stuck here?

  Does anyone know if there were still flights from Canaries direct to UK – especially Scotland – during Spain’s big lockdown?

  In summary, if both countries locked down then I’d rather be home. But if Lanzarote still open, rather be here!

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Jan4 January 12:44

    Honestly I don’t think anyone can answer what will happen where you are unless they own a crystal ball, if they do can they DM me the lottery results for Friday thanks.

    If it’s that much of a drag that if they lockdown you’d rather be home then go home.

  • Anna says:

    4 Jan4 January 12:58

    I wish I was in Lanzarote, Colin, it’s the loveliest of the Canary Islands I’ve been to and I would find it no hardship to spend 2 or 3 months there. I have a feeling that during Spain’s first lockdown a lot of flights were cancelled and people stranded not knowing how or when they could get home. Is your return flight still running? Is Lanzarote likely to go into lockdown, I thought the Canaries had managed quite low infection rates throughout? If you have accommodation arranged and insurance to cover you should the worst happen you could consider staying, but it’s very much a personal call!

    • Anna says:

      4 Jan4 January 13:19

      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/14/jet2-cancels-flights-mainland-spain-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/
      This was at the start of the crisis.

    • Colin MacKinnon says:

      4 Jan4 January 18:35

      Hi Anna, thanks for that link. Jet2 have already stopped their flights to Spain this time around.

      We are well sorted here, lots of places still open and plenty of accommodation to choose from. And a Spanish partner to do all the talking – except she can’t speak German!

      Easyjet now cancelled their flights after the end of this week until February. Ryanair stop on the 10th and don’t restart until 4th Feb – at the moment. Route back via Madrid and London is a real drag – with two overnights!

      BA still timetable a few flights a week to London, but don’t see that surviving tonight.

      So still swithering about staying through the Scottish lockdown, but concerned it will all come to here eventually!

      We are lucky to have loads of space in Scotland, but Spanish partner wants the warmth. And we really should be together in this crisis.

      Aaaargh!

  • Paul says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:35

    You may not have the right to stay for more than 90 days now that U.K. has exited EU. Reports in media of people being turned away from AMS despite having Covid tests. The failed the entry regs under need to travel. Now that we are a third country there is no automatic right to enter

  • marcw says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:37

    In any case, you could always go via Madrid. Stay in Lanzarote, enjoy the food, sea, and comfy weather.

    • Nick says:

      4 Jan4 January 13:57

      Seconding the comments above. Even if not direct, there will 100% be a flight to Madrid, and almost as high chance there’ll be at least some flights from Madrid to the UK (currently Iberia is running both heathrow and Manchester, though could obviously change). Failing that, trains will continue to run between Spain and France and then on to the UK. However, your biggest consideration will be the 90-day stay limit, which will include both this and any future planned trips. Aren’t you glad we ‘took back control’.

      • Anna says:

        4 Jan4 January 14:18

        Why would Colin want to stay more than 90 days? By then the vaccines will have been far more widely distributed, the weather will be getting better here and he will probably be missing home.

        • Mr. AC says:

          4 Jan4 January 15:20

          Not guaranteed. If the 50%+ more infectiousness is correct for the new strain, no amount of lockdown (at least nothing a western country barring Australia is willing to do) will be able to contain it. It will continue growing exponentially and spreading through the population until there’s nobody left that’s not immune one way or another (or in strict self-isolation). Vaccinations can’t keep up since the rate is linear whatever you do (just sloped differently depending on scale). However, it might be possible to lower the IFR if the most at risk (older) folks do get vaccinated in time.

        • Jamie says:

          4 Jan4 January 15:46

          Why wouldn’t he want to stay more than 90 days? Odd thing to say Anna.

    • Anna says:

      4 Jan4 January 15:02

      Best snorkelling and diving outside the Caribbean IMO. Playa Caleton blanco is very reminiscent of the Caribbean, in fact. Best beaches in Spain outside of Vigo and the Cies.

  • Super Secret Stuff says:

    4 Jan4 January 16:12

    Staying would be a legally precarious thing to do because of brexit but you’ll pretty much always find a way home. I see 3 scinarios in terms of staying:

    1) You entered Spain before the UK left the EU, so free movement and the right to reside still applies
    2) you entered Spain before the UK left the EU but as you haven’t stayed long enough you aren’t allowed to stay
    3) you entered after the UK left the EU in which case you have to go home or be deported

  • Lyn says:

    4 Jan4 January 19:44

    Good luck with whatever compromise you both decide on, Colin. But definitely stick together, wherever you are! Too many partners and families have already been separated by Covid as it is.

• John says:

  4 Jan4 January 12:42

  Anyone received a bonus to retain the Amex SPG/ marriot card?

  • FFoxSake says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:31

    I cancelled Amex Marriott card today – nothing was offered.

• Stephen says:

  4 Jan4 January 12:59

  Does MCC 9311 Govt Tax Payments – using Curve Metal with Virgin underlying count as a purchase or cash advance?

  Thanks

• 747_Brat says:

  4 Jan4 January 13:18

  Does Seagull allows self referrals and more importantly, does it track and gets paid?
  TIA

  • Anna says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:20

    Success has been reported recently but it’s a risky strategy. Accounts over the pond have been closed down for such activity.

  • Youllnever says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:32

    I would steer clear from doing so if you value a long-term relationship with them. Like Anna has mentioned, I’ve heard people being permanently blacklisted for this reason.

    • Youllnever says:

      4 Jan4 January 13:32

      *in the US

    • Steven says:

      4 Jan4 January 15:45

      I’m guessing there is no harm in referring your other half?

      • dezbez says:

        4 Jan4 January 16:06

        Yeah that’s fine. I’m now referring my 18yr old son as well

  • Jonathan says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:37

    I wouldn’t do it. Amex did a sweep in the USA & closed a lot of accounts of people who had self-referred. It’s pretty easy for them to track anyone who’s done this so unless you will ensure any MR accounts are emptied monthly & you’re not bothered about having an Amex again in the future it’s not worth it for 12k MR’s.

  • 747_Brat says:

    4 Jan4 January 14:04

    Thanks everyone for the replies.
    I will steer clear of self referrals then, as I value my relationship with them due to the credit line they have offered me and the ability to generate generous rewards!

    • Anuj says:

      4 Jan4 January 15:40

      Plus it’s very easy to just refer between siblings or family like parents which is almost the same but allowed afaik

• stairali says:

  4 Jan4 January 13:19

  Did anyone successfully use their Qatar Voucher (for teachers)? I tried but got a message saying the code had expired, despite being within the given booking period.

  After contacting them over the phone, email and Twitter, I am no closer to getting any resolution some 8 weeks later.

• bill says:

  4 Jan4 January 13:23

  Qantas have resumed selling international flights for travel after 1 July

  • The real John says:

    4 Jan4 January 13:58

    I suspect this merely means Australian residents will be allowed to leave for leisure purposes, but they might still have to quarantine on return. It doesn’t necessarily mean non-citizens and non-residents will be allowed to enter.

    I doubt the quarantine requirement will be removed until all Australian residents who want a vaccine get one, which is planned for October.

    States have imposed entry bans and quarantines for those allowed to enter with barely 100 total new cases in NSW, so the UK and Europe have a long way to go

• Jody says:

  4 Jan4 January 13:58

  After reading somewhere else about Easyjet Verona flights being moved, I checked our booking and sure enough it has been. Looks like they’ve binned off the Luton – Verona route completely, ours flights have been moved to Gatwick, which isn’t convenient for us. These flights are already moved from a booking last year that had to be changed because of covid, not sure whether to try and be optimistic and book something else for the latter part of the year (we can change them to anywhere in Italy for no cost) or just take the refund.

  • ChrisBCN says:

    4 Jan4 January 15:48

    Don’t see why you wouldn’t take the cash now then book something else later in the year when travelling rules get loosened

    • Jody says:

      4 Jan4 January 16:01

      Two reasons – something to look forward to (but then get even more disappointed if that gets cancelled as well!) and pre-empt any price rises as when travel eventually is back on (hopefully by the second half of the year) then I suspect prices for flights will go through the roof.

      I’m also anticipating (possibly wrongly) it being a bit of a fight to get a refund, as these flights have already been changed once due to trips being cancelled last year.

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