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The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 20th January

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

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the de facto repository for random comments and questions.  With the news flow being lighter, we are running fewer ‘Bits’ articles.

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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General

Comments (214)

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

  • Ali says:
    20 Jan20 January 08:46

    £175 food credit on American express platinum for primary account holder showing

  • Dan says:
    20 Jan20 January 09:09

    Looking to buy MR points off Amex – I seem to remember an article detailing you can buy up to 10,000 a year. Does anyone how this bills on the account? Is it a standard charge and therefore counts towards spend targets (Amex Gold) or does it bill like the annual fee and therefore won’t count?

    Has anyone ever taken up the offer ?

    • Rob says:
      20 Jan20 January 09:17

      I did it myself, a LONG time ago. Can’t remember ever seeing a reference anywhere about how it is charged.

      • meta says:
        20 Jan20 January 09:44

        I know for Platinum. It does count as standard charge. You get 150 points as well. Sometimes it takes a few months before the charge appears, but you get points immediately. Last year I was charged three months later.

  • 747_Brat says:
    20 Jan20 January 09:23

    @The Urbanite
    Saw your comment on the World Elite card review chat. Please may I ask what is so special with the HSBC Rewards credit card, which in your words is “criminally underrated”. I have this card lying around in the drawer, and was just curious if I am missing out on anything.
    Thanks.

    • Ash says:
      20 Jan20 January 09:53

      MS have to find out how.

    • The Urbanite says:
      20 Jan20 January 10:20

      It’s the retailer offers – decent ones have come through in the past resulting in a good haul of rewards. The card is seldom mentioned on rewards sites but at one point was the most lucrative card in my wallet by some margin.

      The way the rewards rebate is paid is favourable to other schemes in the sense that it is credited to the wallet a couple of days after the transaction. Personally I prefer this to a yearly payout or vouchers limited to one retailer.

      • Dan says:
        20 Jan20 January 10:42

        Could you give us some examples?

        By decent I hope you don’t mean posh restaurants, fancy clothing/jewellery brands no ones heard of that are all based in London. I know another CC provider who’s particularly fond of that 😉

      • 747_Brat says:
        20 Jan20 January 11:09

        Thanks. I never actively looked at their offers. I did it when I got the card, but didn’t follow it afterwards. But I will pop in and have a look at the current offers.
        Cheers.

  • Ollie says:
    20 Jan20 January 09:29

    Have Amex taken away the metal card for supplementary plats now? Partner lost hers and got a plastic replacement.

  • The real John says:
    20 Jan20 January 09:33

    Airtime rewards, thanks to the person who signed up with my link 2 months ago.

    I didn’t realise that it takes forever to credit and you need £10 to redeem… anyway since 3 have increased their prices by 500% I no longer want to cash out to them.

    My question is I read that it is possible to cash out to a card, does that actually work? There doesn’t seem to be a ‘redeem to card’ button on the app, only redeem to phone bill.

    • Andrew Mc says:
      20 Jan20 January 10:15

      The clue is in the name. No other option AFAIK, sorry.

    • Tracey says:
      20 Jan20 January 11:44

      Choose a new provider that takes airtime rewards, assuming you aren’t reverting to landline only. I cash out to O2.

  • Michael says:
    20 Jan20 January 09:54

    I asked this late yesterday, but not received any helpful response yet.

    Is therea way to pay Beardy using Curve. All my underlying CC’s get declined.

    • mr_jetlag says:
      20 Jan20 January 10:25

      You’ve got it backwards…

      • S says:
        20 Jan20 January 10:40

        The problem with talking in codes is that every tom, dick and Harry thinks they can’t suddenly play the game once they know the lingo, despite being clueless about the basic.

  • Rob says:
    20 Jan20 January 10:48

    You might want to get one of these instead – https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/08/23/thinking-of-cancelling-amex-gold-or-amex-platinum/

    You need to remember that YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO USE BUSINESS CARDS FOR NON BUSINESS PURPOSES. There was even a reminder of this printed on my statement this month. Giving you £175 to spend in Harvey Nichols would be tricky on this basis ….

  • pauline says:
    20 Jan20 January 10:55

    Hi
    I want to fly to Cape Town / Johannesburg with a 241 next January. If I book two of the available seats in february this year which I would expect to be cancelled (I am flying from edi as well) could I then ask to be transferred to a booking next january provided both outbound and inbound are within 365 days of the booking? If I use a 241 expiring this August would this still be valid? If the flights are not cancelled I appreciate would need to cancel (£70)and probably lose the chance to book 355 days out. thanks

    • Anna says:
      20 Jan20 January 11:37

      You would certainly be within your rights to request this and it wouldn’t be affected by the expiry date of your 241. In the event the flight isn’t cancelled, you could keep your £70 and extend your 241 until April 2022 by applying for a FTV.

      • pauline says:
        20 Jan20 January 11:51

        thanks Anna
        I already have FTV’s and the way things are going they are going to be hard to use – when I first got one April 2022 seemed a lifetime away and everyone else is going to be in the same boat – could be a lot of bookings beginning 2022 and not much availability. I am sure this has been covered before but can you use a FTV booking a 241 355 days out and adding the return when it becomes available?

        • Anna says:
          20 Jan20 January 12:41

          I don’t see why not, though you need to call BA to make the booking using the FTV.
          As with any avios/241 booking, I think flexibility is going to be key in using the vouchers if they are not extended. I’ve got one which due to our circumstances can realistically only be used in the 2022 Easter school holidays so will be looking at what’s available, basically!

          • Anna says:
            20 Jan20 January 12:43

            Just to clarify, as far as I’m aware, you need to call BA to apply a FTV containing avios and/or cash. For a purely cash voucher, you should just be able to email BA to have it applied to a booking.

          • Nick says:
            20 Jan20 January 13:48

            FTVs for cash flights can’t be redeemed by email except for GGLs with access to the helpdesk. Everyone else has to call. Holidays are different, and do accept email requests.

    • memesweeper says:
      20 Jan20 January 14:24

      I did a rebooking, following cancellation, including with a companion voucher, this morning and managed it all online, to a dates out and back with zero Avios availability… and well over 12 months from original ticketing too. Previously you had to call to do this.

      • Charlieface says:
        20 Jan20 January 14:35

        Point taken here that THE 12 MONTH RULE IS BS. It refers to **voluntary** changes only. If you got an IRROPS, they can do anything so long as they endorse it as INVOL.

        • kitten says:
          20 Jan20 January 15:34

          Being charitable though it’s probably actually just perceived by agents as a difficulty. It can be resolved by just writing a new ticket. And perfectly reasonably too as there are some things people would travel for that might generally only be able to be travelled for at one time per year.

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