The HfP chat thread – Thursday 14th January

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• Youllnever says:

  14 Jan14 January 16:47

  This was mentioned a while back: https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/11/26/get-2000-free-virgin-points-with-tesco-clubcard-auto-convert/

• Rob says:

  14 Jan14 January 16:51

  We wrote about this TWO MONTHS AGO 🙂

  26th November to be precise.

  • Alex says:

    14 Jan14 January 16:54

    Wow! I even read this article and comment I think😂

    I knew I read HFP for a reason! It’s just better and I checked – I already change my clubcard!

• Wollhouse says:

  14 Jan14 January 17:16

  Thought i was making progress with BA – I had a very helpful agent who managed to find alternative flights with Qatar for the cancelled EDI-BKK flights. Got all the way to the final stage and then said, hmm, it’s not letting me complete this, I’m going to have to put you through to the Avios team…. Where a rather short tempered chap informed me that all he could offer was a FTV or refund. Asked him to check and he reverted and said, ok, i can cancel your booking and rebook you with Qatar but you have to pay full avios, as we don’t have a trade agreement for 241 vouchers… So, back to square one! The first, helpful agent did manage to process a refund for a different cancelled flight before she transferred me. I lost the will to live and didn’t even bother to transfer to the holiday dept to discuss my other cancellation… Three different cancellations to sort with three different departments…is it wine o’clock yet???

  • memesweeper says:

    14 Jan14 January 17:52

    Fight on. You’re in the right. And there’s special rules about wine in lockdowns I think.

    • Wollhouse says:

      14 Jan14 January 18:13

      You’re right! I’m sure Nicola slipped something about wine being medicinal in with all her other new legislation 😉

  • kitten says:

    14 Jan14 January 18:11

    After the number of attempts you’ve made (that I’m sure you’ve kept a note of the details of each for) it’s time to go to either Amex (if charge card paid) or your UK credit card under Section 75 to get the card to cover the cost of your replacement ticket.

    It’s really not worth talking to British Airways any more. I think they’re replying on just wearing you down. Kind of like in those shooting galleries you see in the movies. You shoot one agent that’s denying you a EU261 rerouting you have the right to down, then another agent pops up and you have to shoot them down too.

    Give it up and go to credit card s75. If you paid on any other card than Amex you’re going to have to MCOL it I am afraid.

    Remember that you can’t pick a specific airline to reroute on – provided you are rerouted at as close as reasonably practicable to your original travel time, departure, landing times and duration. So for example, you should not have to accept indirect stops being added in to your itinerary if it would make the journey longer and more complicated than it otherwise should be.

    Section 75 with card gives you higher price of replacement ticket if needed and you don’t ahve to pay the difference. Beware if card wants to charge back you are only limited to getting back what you paid – so Section 75 is the way to go.kitten

    • Wollhouse says:

      14 Jan14 January 18:17

      Thanks, I think you’re right (sadly). I’ve asked a friendly travel agent to hold alternatives so I can do MCOL (Or Scottish equivalent) if Amex doesn’t work out. I’m in Scotland so alternatives are pretty limited.. she will be holding Qatar for us. But it really is shabby from BA. Anyway, it’s definitely wine o’clock now. Thanks to all for your always helpful and interesting comments on the site!

      • kitten says:

        14 Jan14 January 22:14

        Looking at what they said to you again and feeling angry for you. How dare British Airways say that becuase they haven’;t got a special agreement with the obvious airline that can get you there reasonably close to BA;s cancelled flight timing, they are denying you your statutory EU261 right to a reroute after they cancelled the route to save their own neck (which is fair enough, but they are big enough and ugly enough to know full well the extent of their continuing obligations under statute to any passengers whose flight they cancel).

        Please sue them for absolutely everything if you do end up suing. But for the sake of your sanity I hope you paid by UK credit card so should qualify for Section 75 credit card lets you bill the replacement ticket even if higher and sends their own big ugly lawyers after British Airways.

        • Kevin says:

          14 Jan14 January 22:59

          Whats the difference to section 75 rules if paid using Amex credit card? Or am I getting confused?

        • kitten says:

          15 Jan15 January 20:29

          Kevin UK credit cards get protection under Section 75 statute which covers a level of consequential losses such as higher cost of replacement if needed

          charge cards get only chargeback which is voluntary scheme of card industry. also limited to just what you paid and no consequential loss coverage.

          Amex has both charge and credit cards always know which you paid by

          Amex also offers better to Plats but that’s voluntary by Amex so not quite as good as a statute

  • babyg says:

    14 Jan14 January 19:03

    my friends LHR-BKK on Jan 10th was booked on 50% off with a 2-4-1 and he got moved to QATAR when the BA flight was cancelled…

    • Wollhouse says:

      15 Jan15 January 08:23

      Babyg, wish I could call whoever dealt with his request;) some do seem to have managed it, which will certainly be something I’ll be citing…

      Kitten, like Kevin above, I was wondering what was special about Amex Sec 75 versus other credit card Sec 75 protection? I thought that Sec 75 covers a refund for a disputed charge? Which would mean I would actually have to book and pay for the Qatar flights in advance? I’m going to call Amex and discuss as perhaps I’m misunderstanding how this process works and don’t want to keep asking silly questions! Thanks again

      • kitten says:

        15 Jan15 January 20:31

        see my reply above.
        look at MSE site for decentgeneral info on s75

• BuildBackBetter says:

  14 Jan14 January 17:27

  Anyone managed to get their Bulb direct debit reduced after a top up?

  • 747_Brat says:

    14 Jan14 January 17:35

    Yes, I did when I was with them. I was paying a princely sum of 50p every month by DD! 🙂

• Stephen says:

  14 Jan14 January 17:34

  American Express retention offer

  Has anyone managed to get the 2 MR per £1 spend applied twice in one year? I know its usually one offer per 12 month period

  • Dan says:

    14 Jan14 January 17:53

    Is this for the Amex Gold?

    • Stephen says:

      14 Jan14 January 18:01

      Yep Business Gold

      • Dan says:

        14 Jan14 January 19:03

        I, and a few others on here, got a spend bonus: spend 2.5k and get 10,000 back but that was for the personal gold.

    • Darren says:

      14 Jan14 January 19:45

      Cancelled my Amex Gold cr card today, no offers or even a sniff at one.

• Nick_C says:

  14 Jan14 January 17:54

  I say, that’s not very sporting!

  https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/virgin-atlantic-flying-club/UK-002179.prd

• Clive says:

  14 Jan14 January 18:50

  If anyone is contemplating booking travel for Q3 TK have an excellent Business fare out of AMS to Bali. Coming in under £1000

  • babyg says:

    14 Jan14 January 19:06

    @Clive – good price but having to take a positioning flights, plus the stop in IST makes in a non starter form me..

  • Rob says:

    14 Jan14 January 19:42

    Being reliant on getting into Amsterdam AND Istanbul AND Bali may be tricky. Hopefully not, but I’d be valuing direct over indirect for a while.

    • Clive says:

      14 Jan14 January 19:49

      Difficult to find a direct flight to Bali Rob. Just to follow on price of around £1000 seems to be available to most of the Far East.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      14 Jan14 January 20:00

      Amsterdam – High
      Turkey – Mid
      Bali – Low

• Louise Carapiet says:

  14 Jan14 January 18:52

  Suggestions on next steps….. saga trying to get a correct refund from BA for the last 5 months, they incorrectly refunded in Indian Rupees, instead of GBP, I have escalated to BA complaints, placating replies received but still no refund, countless calls made ….. I’m just so disappointed … I’ve shown my loyalty by taking vouchers, made further bookings, but this BA error has seen no resolution. (Have called exec club, am Silver cad holder) Any escalation suggestion please

  • babyg says:

    14 Jan14 January 21:49

    Loyalty? What other options do you have for a lot of the routes, BA has one of the best booking/cancellation options currently. I found reasonable success using the webform to lodge complaints. You should let them know how many £££ the difference was and have them refund you that amount.

    https://www.britishairways.com/travel/customerportal/execclub/_gf/en_gb#/customer-service-portal#pageTitle

  • kitten says:

    14 Jan14 January 22:19

    Raise a dispute on the card you paid on. tell them it’s urgent. Make sure you can quantify the amount you are still owed before you call them and be ready to tell them how you calculated it.

  • ChrisC says:

    14 Jan14 January 22:48

    Write to BA legal. Give brief details of the issue and your attempts to resolve – dates etc.

    Tell then unless you receive full restitution by 14 days you’ll go to MCOL.

    BA legal absolutely love dealing with the failures of BA customer services department!

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