The HfP chat thread – Sunday 14th February

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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

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

AviosNewbie says:

14 Feb14 February 10:59

Has anyone paid beardy recently using bendy? Ever since they migrated to the web app, it’s been giving me problems and since a week or so, I cannot repay beardy using bendy (I tried with different cards linked to bendy).
- Nick says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:43
  
  What is “beardy” and what is “bendy”? It would be helpful if posters could write using recognisable terminology. I am assuming bendy is Curve but as for beardy????
  - Tarmohamed says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 12:49
    
    Rich Branson
  - stevenhp1987 says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 12:49
    
    Beardy = the owner of an airline that flies across the Atlantic.
  - GaryC says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 22:06
    
    It’s infantile language, used by people who think that manufactured spend is some huge secret.
    - Lady London says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 23:24
      
      Well that word could perhaps be applied to commentators who will be the first to moan because some bot finds and sprays a longstanding decent deal all over the internet.
      Leading to it suddenly being shut down in 48 hours due to sudden flood of millions of people who are not regular customers….The names are not intended to be difficult for anyone even with the slightest grasp of the product’s existence. We know the product owners are fully aware. But so far the bots generally aren’t and that suits everyone (even the owners) just fine as an equilibrium is maintained.
      
      Look at Gamestop where people got burned I am sure. Then some posters who heard about something, never invested before and think CFD’s are a good way to start. <>
- James. says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 13:44
  
  I have had the same issue but only on my wife’s beardy account. All attempts using different underlying cards declined
- Simon says:
  
  15 Feb15 February 17:11
  
  @AviosNewbie
  
  I have. I mentioned it in the comments a few days back. All weird — had no issues with website, but having issues with Beardy app and settling a Beardy debt via Curve. I have Metal. Strangely, I *can* settle MY Beardy debts in the Beardy app via my WIFE’s (Metal) Curve, just not mine.
Lady London says:

14 Feb14 February 11:19

Google is serving me ads for airline pilot training courses on HfP. Must sign up.
Anna says:

14 Feb14 February 11:31

As Spain’s tourism ministry has said it’s possible vaccinated Brits will be allowed to travel to Spain this summer, I have noticed that the Higueron Hotel Malaga (part of Hilton’s Curio Collection) is a real bargain at 40k points per night in August. It’s about 20 minutes from AGP and well situated for exploring the area.
- BA-Flyer says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 11:36
  
  How are they (or any other country) going to know which Bits are vaccinated? (Other than guessing based on age and current rollout schedule). The only think my father got after his jab was a sticker!
  - Sandgrounder says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 11:52
    
    Certificate/letter on request (for a fee) from you GP I’d imagine.
    - Anna says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 12:11
      
      There’s also the issue of children not being vaccinated. At the moment some countries look as though they will require it, and some don’t, it remains to be seen what will ultimately happen with this.
      - Geoff says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 12:13
        
        Leave the kids with the grandparents? 🤣
      - Anna says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 12:24
        
        For a long weekend, yes, a fortnight in the sun is pushing it though!
      - Chris Heyes says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 12:31
        
        Anna Stick with it ! Kids “Will be Vaccinated” they will have to be ?
        Just not sure will be in-time for your hols
        my guess by Autumn, which i know too late for you my guess would be over 6/7s
      - xcalx says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 12:34
        
        It’s us Grandparents that will be off first.
  - Anna says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 12:14
    
    https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/spain-demands-covid-vaccine-passport-fears-summer-holidays-abroad-cancelled-865570
    
    It says the government has no plans for a vaccine passport, but also that they are working with the Greek authorities to develop one, so who knows?!
    - Geoff says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 13:21
      
      I think they’re just being PC and don’t want to call it a “vaccine passport” because they don’t want to offend the 5G/Bill Gates/microchip/no to compulsory vaccine (even though they’re not) loons.
      
      For the record, I don’t think there should be any domestic requirement to have a vaccine to go to a sporting event etc for example. However, if another country has a requirement then their country, their rules and if I don’t like it then I go elsewhere.
- Red Flyer says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 11:36
  
  Stayed 12 months ago on business and it was on a hillside building site. I had a hire car so could get around easily as most things close by on A7 but nothing in immediate vicinity of note.
  - Anna says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 12:09
    
    Recent reviews are very positive – we would always have a car for exploring anyway. Cash prices for all accommodation in resorts is probably going to go stratospheric as soon as travel opens up again.
- Geoff says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:12
  
  “ Israel and Cyprus have agreed in principle a deal allowing coronavirus-vaccinated citizens of the two countries to travel between them without limitations, once flights resume, Israel’s president said Sunday.”
  
  It’s gathering momentum. I’m hopeful that travel could be on again at some point this year. Given that there’s already been 15 million jabs in arms already anyone who wants one could be offered one soon than we think.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 12:26
    
    Unless you’re under 50 without a underlying healthier condition. Then you won’t be offered one until after May.
    
    Unless it’s over 50’s with a vaccine (both dose I guess which means second doses by end of august!) and under 50’s fine without it’s going to leave a hell of a lot of people without a way to go this summer.
    - Geoff says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 12:48
      
      There’s always the autumn. I’m sure people can hold on for a bit longer?
      - Anna says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 13:13
        
        It’s not that simple, though, if your annual leave is booked for the summer and you have no flexibility to change it, which applies to a lot of professions, you may well not be able to travel until well into 2022.
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 13:24
        
        So all other adults have dose one by September means they could be waiting until December before they get dose 2.
        
        I don’t think that’ll happen anyway if the 9 at risk groups need a booster in autumn.
    - Sandra says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 14:08
      
      I’m mid 50s & got a text Friday from our surgery to book my vaccination, going on Tuesday AM. I do have asthma which, although bad, is not classed as bad enough to have had a shielding letter but that may be still why I’ve got the call. My other half (61) has not been called yet but last week I do know they were vaccinating 65 – 70s so it’s looking hopeful as long as supplies continue that they will get through people quite fast for the 1st dose at least.
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 15:04
        
        People that are shielding should have already had there’s.
        
        From tomorrow doctors will handle those they have on there books that fall into the vulnerable category.
        
        The big centres will focus on the 50+ And invite to book letters will go out by age bracket.
      - abc says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 17:44
        
        Yes, there’s to levels of vulnerable people, those shielding were offered vaccines at the same time as over 70s and those work other relevant clinical conditions are offered after over 65s and before over 60s, so your case makes sense.
- Yolo says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:22
  
  Wouldn’t it make better sense to reopen to tourists once your local population is vaccinated?
  - Geoff says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 13:23
    
    “ It’s not that simple, though, if your annual leave is booked for the summer and you have no flexibility to change it, which applies to a lot of professions, you may well not be able to travel until well into 2022.”
    
    There’ll still be the possibility of domestic travel though. This great country has a lot of brilliant places to visit, which are a change from wherever someone in the U.K. happens to live.
    - Andy says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 13:45
      
      The Uk is beautiful but it’s an absolute arse and expensive to get around if you don’t drive or have a car (like me). So many other European countries are much better set up and I hope I’ll be able to get to one of them at some point this year!
      - Geoff says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 13:49
        
        Oh definitely. I agree with that but if the backup option is a U.K. holistay, then it’s not bad as far as backup options go!
    - The cyclist says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 14:18
      
      “Annual Leave” what delightfully old fashioned concept.
      - meta says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 14:58
        
        @Geoff I am one of those who is not prepared to spend my money or points on overpriced or rundown hotels, bad food, crowds and traffic jams. Plus there is a high chance it’s going to rain the whole week. I’d rather save money for a holiday in 2022 and spend my holiday in my garden.
      - Anna says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 16:26
        
        Not if you’re in a profession where you have to ask for it!
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 14:50
  
  I don’t know which age bucket you are in, but 2nd jab by august is optimistic for all adults.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 15:08
    
    Don’t forget these centres and doctors will need to give a significant number of second doses in mid March.
    
    There will be a slow down of 1st doses.
  - Geoff says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 15:39
    
    I don’t think all adults will have their second jab by August. Just that it could be sooner than people might think given the speed at which jabs have gone into arms so far.
    - Geoff says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 16:03
      
      We also don’t know how high take up will be amongst younger groups. The older groups have generally taken theirs but there’ll be many younger people who want to wait. There’s also the mad anti vaxxers who think it’s a conspiracy to put microchips in us (probably only a small minority to be fair).
  - Anna says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 16:28
    
    50 so just sneaked into the vulnerable category and hoping to be called up for 1st jab by the start of April.
Yolo says:

14 Feb14 February 12:26

How reliable is Airtime Rewards when tracking online purchases? Made my first one on 25th Jan and hasn’t tracked yet so have missed out on my signup bonus. Reported it on 8th Feb, still no answer
- IF1 says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:33
  
  I’ve had one purchase track last year but took a few weeks, the other purchase was forever lost and never tracked, I never followed up.
- James. says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 13:45
  
  They are usually OK. Argos and Hellofresh have tracked between 5-7 days after transaction.
DK says:

14 Feb14 February 12:27

I usually empty MR account before cancelling. But Is it ok to do it after getting the pro-rata back and settling the final amount? Rules say 1 month
- Charlieface says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:37
  
  I believe once you cancel, you need to transfer over the phone within the month. I have had points from BA card after cancellation. But wouldn’t risk it personally, why not do it before.
IF1 says:

14 Feb14 February 12:32

I’ve signed up for HL stocks and share isa and the fees are killing me, £12 per trade and 1% fx conversion fees really adds up when you’re buying us stocks and not mutual funds. Does anyone have any advice or opinions on HL/ other uk brokers
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:35
  
  iWeb but £100 sign up fee then £5 per trade.
  
  HL gets cheaper with more trades but not great for a day trader.
- Crispr says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:41
  
  I use HL for my mutual funds (they have the widest selection) and it connects seamlessly with my firms compliance system as I have to get clearance before buying securities but I only use HL for long term allocations now (1-2+ years) to limit the trading fees where possible and mutual funds.
  
  More actively I use Trading212 but have been experiencing execution delays as of late, where you place a trade but takes a while to execute so you’re exposed to price fluctuations before a trade goes through. I have found Freetrade to be a good alternative, really intuitive UI and wide selection of stocks, execution and servers seem more reliable. I’ve got a link if you are thinking of joining:
  
  Join me and invest commission-free with Freetrade. Get started with a free share worth £3-£200.
  https://magic.freetrade.io/join/henry/f7b5d12f
  - Dr C says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 17:25
    
    Trading 212 is complete trash, tried withdrawing money and its a complete nightmare. They limit your choice of card you can withdraw to, I select a certain card number to withdraw to and then the transactions go through to another card! No phone support, absolute rubbish!
- Fred says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:49
  
  Trading 212?
- Sina says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 13:01
  
  For US stocks I use Stake, if you use my code to sign up, we both get a free share:
  
  Join today using my referral code sinaa653 Or
  https://hellostake.com/referral-program?referrer=sinaa653
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 14:53
  
  HL is best for long term investment in shares / ETFs / trusts. It’s not good for frequent traders or investing in funds. Did u not do a research before opening an account?
  Search for monevator broker comparison or compare funds platform . com
- Dr C says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 17:28
  
  You will get 1% FX conversion fees with every broker each time you buy and sell in an ISA account due to you not being allowed to hold a balance is anything but GBP, this applies to all ISA accounts. If you are doing many trades I suggest looking at a normal account not in and ISA where you can hold a US dollar balance. I’m not recommending any or pushing codes but let me know if you have any other queries
Bee says:

14 Feb14 February 12:41

I was wondering can a Virgin Atlantic companion be used on KLM/Airfrance?
- Stuart says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 12:53
  
  No. Needs to be VS metal.
  - Bee says:
    
    14 Feb14 February 13:24
    
    what is VS metal?
    
    I meant can a virgin Atlantic companion voucher be used with KLM/Airfrance?
    - Alex D says:
      
      14 Feb14 February 13:33
      
      No you can’t, it needs to be VS Metal. This means it needs to be a Virgin Atlantic aircraft specifically, not a code share etc, only their planes with a VS code.
      - Bee says:
        
        14 Feb14 February 13:37
        
        Ah thanks.
Josh says:

14 Feb14 February 12:56

Hey all! Hoping to get some advice on best approach to below:

Booked J INV-LHR-Tokyo on 50% off avios redemptions + used BA 241 last year to fly this April.

Just received email that INV-LHR leg has been cancelled. I intentionally booked this to take advantage of the 50% off avios in the hope that I could rebook it later whilst still taking advantage of the 50% offer.

Am I now eligible to rebook at no additional cost/point difference? Would it be 1 year from the current flight date or from the original booking date?

What’s the best tactic here? I did ex. INV due to the lower fees however ideally we would depart from LHR.

In my head it’s between:

Ring up, reschedule same flight to next year (if it’s 1 year from flight date and not from booking date)

Ring up, get them to remove the INV portion and continue with LHR-Tokyo with hopes that this flight then gets cancelled, and I can do the above but with LHR-Tokyo only, still saving the original flight fees from exiting Inverness

third option: ???

Thanks!
- Charlieface says:
  
  14 Feb14 February 16:23
  
  No cost to rebook.
  
  They may be willing to ignore the missing leg and still let you fly, not sure they are required to agree, as you are contracted to fly from INV.
  
  The 1 year thing (from booking date) is made up by BA staff. It is only supposed to apply to VOLUNTARY changes, involuntary changes they are supposed to override the system and endorse as “INVOL”