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The HfP chat thread – Thursday 18th 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.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article.  This has long-term benefits as it keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

Old chat threads are hidden from the HfP home page.  If you want to look for something in an old thread, click here.  This brings up all the articles in our ‘General’ category which includes the chat threads.

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General

Comments (384)

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

  • Damien says:
    18 Feb18 February 18:52

    What’s it like starting a BA flight from Dublin during lockdown. Do they check if you should fly there also?

    • BrianW says:
      18 Feb18 February 22:57

      Damien, your post makes no sense i’m afraid. BA flight from Dublin to where? Do who check if you should fly where?

    • John says:
      19 Feb19 February 00:59

      If you’re not turned back/fined/reported for prosecution at the Garda National Immigration Bureau checkpoint, everything’s running normally enough for passengers with a legitimate reason to travel. Airport’s very quiet though, obviously.

  • BuildBackBetter says:
    18 Feb18 February 19:02

    Was it BJ or someone else who said you can keep both hsbc and Barclays premier open at same time? If the eligibility was met by salary only, how is that possible as it can be credited to only one account?

    • Blair says:
      18 Feb18 February 19:11

      BJ says nothing can stay open and we have to all wait for his roadmap next week.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      18 Feb18 February 19:15

      I feel like that’s something they can never control.

      What is you’re a sole trader etc.

    • mr_jetlag says:
      18 Feb18 February 19:44

      should be fairly easy to have standing orders from one acc to the other. Banks can’t mandate BACS salary payments.

    • Jimbob says:
      18 Feb18 February 20:29

      Just transfer your income from one account to the other

  • david says:
    18 Feb18 February 19:04

    Has anyone else been offered 50% on buying Bonvoy or is it everyone ?

    • TGLoyalty says:
      18 Feb18 February 19:15

      Every elite member. You need to be logged in.

      • Rob says:
        18 Feb18 February 19:53

        I only get 40% and I’m very elite 🙂

        EDIT: Just got an email saying I do though

        • TGLoyalty says:
          18 Feb18 February 20:41

          Log into points.com (names number email)

          Or perhaps not elite enough for Bonvoy 🙂

    • Ken says:
      18 Feb18 February 19:25

      Pretty sure it’s general 40%

      I logged in yesterday and it was 40%
      Subsequently had an email saying it’s 50% by invitation, but then maybe everyone who has Ann account gets this.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        18 Feb18 February 19:30

        Make sure you’re actually logged into points.com not Marriott

      • Harry T says:
        18 Feb18 February 20:09

        Have to fill in your details on points.com – being logged into Bonvoy doesn’t show you the 50%. Classic Bonvoy IT!

  • Harry T says:
    18 Feb18 February 20:49

    Can anyone recommend very good Intercontinental hotels that are worth visiting? My experience has been very patchy, with a few tired hotels and some stingy ones. Only the Amstel has really stood out as an actual luxury hotel – they also treat Ambassadors well.

    • Aston100 says:
      18 Feb18 February 21:10

      What is it that you look for in a hotel Harry?

    • Guernsey Globetrotter says:
      18 Feb18 February 21:49

      Bali IC seems to have quite a following – try a FlyerTalk search on this (and other ICs) perhaps?

      • Guernsey Globetrotter says:
        18 Feb18 February 21:50

        For a beach holiday that is…
        I have been to the Singapore IC which is a great base for a city break there 🙂

      • Harry T says:
        18 Feb18 February 22:57

        Thanks!

      • Aston100 says:
        19 Feb19 February 00:33

        As they say on Reddit, “Today I learnt” (TIL).
        Now added Bali, and the IC in particular, to my list of places I want to stay at in the near future.
        Thanks.

    • Craig says:
      18 Feb18 February 22:15

      IC DaNang, but be prepared to negotiate club access in advance, there’s not really anywhere else to go.

    • avstar says:
      18 Feb18 February 22:47

      Paris, Amstel, Porto are some of the best in Europe. Bucharest for service/recognition (athough v old decor)

    • Alan says:
      18 Feb18 February 23:21

      Sofia and Porto are my favourites

    • Wollhouse says:
      19 Feb19 February 06:43

      Further to Craig recommending IC danang, although danang is nothing special, it’s well located for day trips. Scooter hire is cheap and easy (ONLY IF you’re competent, don’t be one of those tourists;) or hiring a car and driver is peanuts. You’re close to Hoi An which is simply lovely. Little windy streets with lots of cafes, restaurants, markets; An Bang beach which has beach front restaurants w live music; Marble Mountain and Giant Buddha. Vietnam is a beautiful country with warm friendly people. I’m counting the days until I can get back!

    • NC says:
      19 Feb19 February 09:43

      Maldives is top notch.

  • Ross says:
    18 Feb18 February 20:59

    I have searched but couldn’t find an answer

    Might be a bit late to ask a question…but What is a “Bendy” and what is an “earnie”

    Also, how do they interact?
    What is the benefit?

    Many thanks

    • Aston100 says:
      18 Feb18 February 21:03

      Well, when I typed Bendy Ernie into Google, the first set of results were from this site and seemed to have what you need.

    • Mike P says:
      18 Feb18 February 21:03

      Bendy is Curve and Ernie NS&I. A lot of people on here are using stupid names to try and conceal the fact that a small minority of people are using Curve to manufacture spend and therefore generate points.

      • Peter K says:
        18 Feb18 February 21:11

        Interestingly the OP seems to show the code is doing what is intended by those that use it.

        • Sloth says:
          18 Feb18 February 21:15

          I think it more shows he in incapable of using google …as mentioned the first result when searching bendy Ernie is hfp…

          • Ross says:
            18 Feb18 February 21:32

            It wasn’t obvious to me, despite Googling. It just leads to a HFP chat page where people are already using the terminology.

            Cheer up, it was just a question! p.s. Rarely is anything secret when typed on a public internet forum.

          • Lady London says:
            18 Feb18 February 22:12

            ‘searched’ hmhmhmm

      • Aston100 says:
        18 Feb18 February 23:25

        I happen to think the code words are amusing. Not sure why you think it is stupid.

        • Paul says:
          19 Feb19 February 00:08

          Its stupid because people who dont know then have to ask. Very pointless.

          • Aston100 says:
            19 Feb19 February 00:28

            But a few moments of reflection should let you decipher the barely obfuscated names.
            Especially if one reads the comments and articles on this site for a while.
            There really isn’t that much difficulty involved unless someone has literally no prior knowledge or experience and has just arrived on this site.

          • Harrier25 says:
            19 Feb19 February 00:31

            What’s more stupid is that there are plenty of knowledgeable contributors eager to answer, which makes the coding in the first instance even more of a farce!

          • Ashish says:
            19 Feb19 February 06:24

            This is correct. Other sites keep secret. Here you find all answers. Best site. Latest i discover is HSBC = hong Kong for free avios

          • Lady London says:
            19 Feb19 February 11:57

            Well, the alternative is they could do what most of us have to do and look through a few pages or days where these things recur, and put it together by looking at the context of the comments. It’s just a minor effort and thinking it through. Oh wait…

  • Kevin says:
    18 Feb18 February 21:36

    Just noticed that R is charging fee when sending money from Bendy. Well I’m having just standard card so this sounds like the end of of R?

    • Lord Doncaster says:
      18 Feb18 February 21:39

      R? As in Elizabeth R?

    • Lady London says:
      18 Feb18 February 21:41

      This plus all their fees seems to make R a “me too” card now.

      Combined with what a nightmare their contactibility (in particular) is and pretty much absent customer service I am struggling to see Where is R going?

      • Kevin says:
        18 Feb18 February 21:59

        Yeah quite bad as I just learn of this interesting trick and used it just last few months.

    • Harrier25 says:
      18 Feb18 February 22:07

      I wouldn’t feed the revolutionaries with a Curve card and if you’re being charged then you’re using a corporate card.

      • Lady London says:
        18 Feb18 February 22:30

        In the past you would be correct.

        Unfortunately R has sent out emails today with a complex set of new charges they weren’t making before. Whereas before you’d have automatically used them for most international transfers, now you have to check.

        Someone else also commented on here today to the effect that R also don’t seem to be able to be counted on to fx at near-bank rates, even on weekdays now. Which means you’d need to check and compare whereas before you could use them automatically as a first choice.

        It all feels a bit Paypal really. Started off with a proposition you could work out worked for you that you didn’t have to think too much about, minor inconveniences like a hopelessly uncommunicative customer service model with absent exception handling, but now they’re salami-slicing and you have to check the rates they’re using. Not clear where R is going really.

        • TGLoyalty says:
          18 Feb18 February 22:45

          It’s always the way isn’t it. Promise you the world then slowly take it all away.

          Imagine investors are tired of throwing away money and now actually want to see some returns instead of YoY losses.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      18 Feb18 February 22:47

      What’s the underlying card and who exactly is charging?

      There’s literally no point using bendy because you can use credit cards directly and the MCC isn’t masked.

      • Harrier25 says:
        18 Feb18 February 23:12

        I did my usual mid month deposit from the Hotel Kings to Revolutionaries the other day and haven’t been charged a bean on either side, so something isn’t quite right here.

  • Sloth says:
    18 Feb18 February 21:52

    HSBC Premier…for those interested…I took my own advice and did a DIY upgrade from the Advance ac to premier by just applying for a new premier account online. It has all gone through ok, received the new debit card for the new account but have noticed in the app my advance ac has also been changed to premier so I now have two premier accounts…not sure what will happen there 🙂

    • TGLoyalty says:
      18 Feb18 February 22:04

      I’ve tried that trick too.

      See how it goes.

    • Matthew says:
      19 Feb19 February 00:03

      Exactly same with me. A new premier account appeared and now my existing advance is showing premier account too. Think I will just call and ask to combine them to the original account.

    • Kevin says:
      19 Feb19 February 00:03

      I tried this evening and noted that it shows a fee of £16+ for transfer money from bendy to revolutionaries

  • Tracey says:
    18 Feb18 February 21:54

    Strange deduction of 150 points (=75p?) on my nectar card. I’ve unlinked my BAEC as a precaution. Very annoying.

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

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