The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 5th January

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We have decided to run this daily chat thread on Head for Points during the coronavirus outbreak.

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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.

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Category

General

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

Mike says:

5 Jan5 January 07:44

Will the the current Lockdown 3 to require travelers to the UK to arrive with a negative COVID test or be tested on arrival ?
- KP says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 08:34
  
  No
- paulm says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 08:41
  
  There were a few reports yesterday that arrival with a negative test will be required soon but not confirmed
  - memesweeper says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 13:02
    
    Only a year too late! Talk about shutting the stable door…
Kevin says:

5 Jan5 January 08:25

Got a Lloyd upgrade voucher to be used. If I use it to book a return flight LHR -KUL, would that possible to cancel the inbound ticket and get Avios refund if I would need to extend my stay beyond March. I can’t change date due to BA stop flying to KUL after March.
- memesweeper says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 13:04
  
  If you book a return there will be no Avios refund on your inbound flight AFAIK. I guess you might get some airport taxes back.
  
  Two one-ways and you can cancel the inbound for Avios (-£35) or FTV. Limits the usefulness of the Lloyds voucher though.
Mco says:

5 Jan5 January 08:26

In regards to EC261. I have MLE-CMB-DOH-EDI booked through AA points on QR. A few months ago they cancelled DOH-EDI and I wasn’t aware of EC261 so the only option they gave me was to move me to MAN flight which I accepted.

Now they have had a schedule change on the CMB-DOH sector which resulted in new flight times/numbers. Am I correct in thinking I can’t use this to request a change in dates as it’s not a flight to Europe or do connections qualify too?
- ChrisC says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 08:51
  
  Correct – none of that routing is covered by EU261 because it’s flights to Europe on a non EU registered airline and those are exempt.
  
  You could ask them about a reroute anyway and see what they say but it would be down to what their T&Cs and goodwill say.
  - Mco says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 18:18
    
    Thanks!
Michael C says:

5 Jan5 January 08:49

Just as an FYI, we used ExpressTests at Reading Madejski stadium (as recommended by another reader here – Simon? Thanks!) and also v. good experience.
- Jordan says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 09:39
  
  Hi, thinking of booking with ExpressTest as its so much cheaper than the other clinics! Can you confirm if the Fit to Fly certificate has both the passport number and laboratory name address? The two are requirements of my destination. Thanks!
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 10:19
    
    For anyone flying out of Heathrow there is a drive through option charging a reduced £80 for a PCR fit to fly. You just need to provide a booking reference.
    
    Search via the Heathrow website.
  - Michael C says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 13:22
    
    Yes, Jordan. You can book ahead and even change time/date if it’s before the appointment time.
  - Heathrow Flyer says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 13:40
    
    Lab address and passport number are on the ExpressTest cert.
Christopher says:

5 Jan5 January 08:56

My Capital on Tap card subscription is due to come to an end so i’m going to get an Amex Business Gold to replace it.

Is 20k the best bonus I can achieve on this – meaning i’m not going to get 2 weeks later and Amex introduce a larger bonus?
- Rhys says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 08:57
  
  Very unlikely. It’s normally 10k: https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/10/19/amex-gold-bonus-doubles-to-20000-points/
  - Christopher says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 09:07
    
    Ah, that’s great. Found that on the personal but will go ahead and apply now on the business one.
    
    🙂
    - Rhys says:
      
      5 Jan5 January 09:26
      
      Sorry – thought you meant personal card! (Waking up and checking comments not always the best idea…!) Business card always has 20,000 points.
      - xcalx says:
        
        5 Jan5 January 12:26
        
        “Waking up and checking comments not always the best idea…” 08.57…. While the cats away lol
- Asim says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 09:32
  
  But remember Capital on Tap is a visa whereas Amex is well.. Amex and not accepted everywhere.
  
  I have both; using CoT where Amex isn’t taken.
- Rob says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 10:31
  
  The 20k has not changed, up or down, for years.
Ttime says:

5 Jan5 January 09:08

Selling my house in the next couple of weeks and won’t be able to get into our new one for at least a couple of months.

Does anyone have any suggestions – clearly recognising relevant travel restrictions etc. – where we could de-camp to for the intervening c. 2 months? Ideally it would be somewhere abroad (and warm) and, given the time, we don’t mind quarantining/ paying for tests. Suspect this is wishful thinking so UK alternatives would be fine.

We’re based in London, two adults and a 6 mth old.
- Tracey says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 09:33
  
  Technically the lockdown restrictions on travelling abroad don’t apply to anyone homeless, or at least they didn’t in lockdown 1 and 2. So provided you could get travel insurance and flights weren’t cancelled, the world is your oyster. Other than the pandemic. Some Carribean islands are still open as is the Maldives. Or Dubai.
  - Tracey says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 09:34
    
    If the joys of lockdown are too great to give up, premier inns and travelodges will often give long term deals.
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 09:45
  
  Obviously you have Airbnb, but if you prefer a slightly luxurious place, can negotiate a long term deal with Marriott homes and villas. You’ll get points and status too.
  - Toppcat says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 10:22
    
    We had to do this for a month during the first lockdown, and found ridiculous discounts available on Airbnb, unsurprisingly… I think we paid 33% of the list price for a place that had been on Grand Designs, which was quite fun! Message the hosts and negotiate.
    
    Obviously not as good as a holiday, but not too bad in the circumstances…
- Pete says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 10:28
  
  Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico are still fairly realistic options if you wanted to go further out – although not sure I’d embark on an adventure like that with a 6mth old!
  - BP says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 14:35
    
    We took our 7 month old to Thailand for 2 months. Everyone was telling me I was crazy. It was awesome! Almost everything you need is available but I did take 11 tubs of Baby Milk Powder and a Tomee Tippee machine! Unfortunately you now need to quarantine for 2 weeks on entry to Thailand.
- BJ says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 10:49
  
  I think Rob’s place is currently empty…
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 10:53
    
    Robs back. Just in time for lockdown 3
    - Rob says:
      
      5 Jan5 January 11:23
      
      Blame my wife. I was happy to stay away for a couple of months but she wasn’t keen on working 1pm to 9pm. Our neighbour sent me a message to say he has extended his Barbados Christmas break until March.
      - Navara says:
        
        5 Jan5 January 13:07
        
        Oh well she can do the home schooling now
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        5 Jan5 January 13:17
        
        I’d happily work 1pm-9pm but I’m not a morning person 🙂
      - Dick Steele says:
        
        5 Jan5 January 14:39
        
        My at home working hours are 6pm to 3am (China Clients) – 1pm to 9pm seems civilised
- Paul says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 10:51
  
  I am in exactly the same position. Barbados maybe?
  - Sarah says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 17:45
    
    I’m in Barbados until Easter, I would give it a couple of weeks before deciding to come here, as they’ve had a spike in cases. Currently there’s a 9pm-5am curfew, but a lockdown isn’t out of the question. If things settle down then I’d definitely recommend it as a place to see out lockdown. Their Welcome Stamp programme means there are lots of people working remotely out here. I start working early and am finished early afternoon so have some time to enjoy the sunshine each day. There’s a lot of vacant holiday accommodation at the minute, and more and more owners are offering deals for long-term renters. The only real downside is that it’s not a cheap place (the supermarket is eye-wateringly expensive) – and that it probably wouldn’t be able to cope well if covid cases increase.
- Ming The Merciless says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 13:34
  
  Cheap Hilton in Turkey- 4000 points and get just over 4000 back per night if split one on one off with a partner.
Anna says:

5 Jan5 January 09:13

I’ve just called You First to cancel our NYC/GCM flights at Easter. Exemplary service as always, the call was answered within 30 seconds, both legs were refunded then and there, avios and 2 4 1 back in account, and best of all I was only charged 1 lot of cancellation fees even though the 2 legs were on separate PNRs.
- BJ says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 10:51
  
  Less than 3 seconds on the 727800 yesterday.
- Jamie says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 15:10
  
  But yesterday you were panicking about the awfulness of calling BA and wanting to avoid massive telephone delays at all cost. And now you’ve had exemplary service “as akways”. Bit of a contradiction…
  - ChrisBCN says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 20:03
    
    😂😂
  - ChrisBCN says:
    
    5 Jan5 January 20:04
    
    Wait until you hear about the EU passport…!
DJ says:

5 Jan5 January 09:21

Creation’s IHG Premium Credit Card (Black) – I just noticed that on the latest statement it says 2 points for foreign currency transactions. But it used to be 4 points? See the extracts from 2019 and 2020 statements below:

2019:
We’d like to remind you that as an IHG Rewards Club Premium Credit Card holder you are able to:
– Earn 4 IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend at any IHG family of hotels
– Earn 4 IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend abroad
– Earn 2 IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend in the UK

2020:
We’d like to remind you that as an IHG Rewards Club Premium Credit Card holder you earn:
– 2 IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend in the UK
– 4 IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend at any IHG family of hotels
– 2 IHG Rewards Club points for every £1 you spend abroad
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 09:41
  
  Had this a few days ago
  
  consensus was that it’s an error and there’s been no notification of a change to T&C’s and people were still earning 4 points per £ for spend abroad.
- Pid says:
  
  5 Jan5 January 22:08
  
  I also had a flyer with my statement which stated the normal level of points