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The HfP chat thread – Monday 22nd February

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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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Comments (359)

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

  • Secret Squirrel says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:03

    NSI playing up today?

  • Kai says:
    22 Feb22 February 09:49

    Trading212 – I topped up my account using Curve and withdrawal has to been done via the same route. Will the withdrawal show up as cash balance in Curve and most importantly, not lost?

  • KBuffett says:
    22 Feb22 February 10:02

    Does anyone share a endless pret coffees with their wife? Is it shareable?

    • Rhys says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:03

      I shared it with Rob last year when we were both at the office….

    • Rob says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:07

      You can only get 1 drink every 30 minutes. However, you can send a screenshot of the QR code from one phone to another and it will scan OK once the 30 minutes is up. I doubt you are meant to do this but there is no way of checking.

      • Lady London says:
        22 Feb22 February 10:31

        Do you think they might get wise if you’re ordering your drink in Sth Kensington and 30 min later Rhys orders his in Mile End? 🙂

    • Rich says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:15

      T&Cs say you can’t share with another person. 3.3

      https://www.pret.co.uk/en-GB/yourpret-terms

      • TGLoyalty says:
        22 Feb22 February 11:32

        Well ofcourse but can you in reality. Yes as long as they wait 30 mins after yours.

        • Rich says:
          22 Feb22 February 12:39

          I find it odd that people with presumably decent disposable income are looking for tips on how to steal £2 worth of coffee.

          In reality, you can probably get away with robbing a granny if you kick her hard enough and run fast enough. It’s not right though, is it?

          • QFFlyer says:
            22 Feb22 February 12:43

            Yes, because making use of an offer to get a free coffee is exactly the same as inflicting GBH on a pensioner…

          • Rich says:
            22 Feb22 February 12:59

            @QFFlyer Comparison, not equivalence.

          • Anna says:
            22 Feb22 February 13:24

            Odd how people’s concept of stealing bears no relation to the law in respect of theft!

    • avstar says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:22

      LEON rival offer for coffee is shareable

  • Oli says:
    22 Feb22 February 10:04

    Do I understand it correctly that from 29th March day trips are allowed but still not hotel stays?

    • Will says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:08

      That’s the rumour, but we’ll have to wait until 7pm to find out.

      • meta says:
        22 Feb22 February 10:35

        Possibly a few more days until full legislation is published. BJ will only give an indication, but not the actual contents.

    • Anna says:
      22 Feb22 February 12:48

      Looks like we’ll be able to play football but not get a haircut, even if the hairdresser offers to work outdoors! You’ve got to wonder who’s making these decisions.
      Not that anything has been stopping footballers from getting haircuts, by all accounts.

      • ankomonkey says:
        22 Feb22 February 13:28

        I think the hairdresser decisions are being made by either a bald minister or BJ himself. BJ’s hairstyle during normal times looks worse than my lockdown hairmess.

        • Anna says:
          22 Feb22 February 14:20

          If there was any evidence of hairdressers and salons being the source of outbreaks I’d understand it, but I certainly haven’t seen any, plus these are some of the most hygenic places imaginable even in normal times because they can’t risk being sued.

          • Polly says:
            23 Feb23 February 06:56

            Agree, Oz kept their hairdressers open throughout lockdown. Allowed 30 min appointments. Seemed ok for them…

      • Chris Heyes says:
        22 Feb22 February 13:44

        Anna OOOooo you continue to surprise me, never knew you played football lol
        Manchester i hope
        in reply to your previous post (no reply lol)
        What on earth makes you think having a type of vaccine could ban you from traveling !
        yes i know the theory is possible but WHAT ! lol

        • Anna says:
          22 Feb22 February 14:17

          It’s not beyond the bounds of probability – if some countries are not administering the AZ vaccine because they don’t think it’s effective for their citizens, why would they think it’s effective for ours?

          Lol – if things don’t change soon I might have to take up football. At least then I’d be able to get my hair done and take foreign trips for “work” and “training”.

    • Andrew says:
      22 Feb22 February 13:31

      Correct, there will be no Easter holidays staying away from home overnight.

  • Stu N says:
    22 Feb22 February 10:05

    Any recent experience of rebooking cancelled redemption flights with BA? Our April trip to Miami, booked during 50% sale, is off. Can we push out to 355 days from ticketing or are BA playing hardball and holding you to dates close to original flights?

    Secondary question – if we can rebook that pushes us out into September/ October at latest – is Florida at that time of year a good idea? On one hand, later the better for reopening but on other hand late summer is hurricane season….

    • meta says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:38

      First try changing the dates online. The system might let you rebook 355 days from the cancellation date. It did for me in January. I haven’t called BA, but it seems lots of agents are playing hardball.

      • Stu N says:
        22 Feb22 February 10:57

        I’m just getting “No Availability” for any dates I try…. I guess I’ll need to phone.

    • Alex says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:50

      They have you allow you to book a year out from when you originally booked(paid the taxes). If they play hardball with you just persist or ask to speak to manager etc. I had flights to NYC cancelled and pushed out as far as I could and they did it after a bit of a push. CFU cancelled last week and didn’t have any issue changing to whenever I wanted(up to year).

      Hurricane season is always a risk but I wouldn’t let it put me off personally

      • meta says:
        22 Feb22 February 10:56

        They have to allow you to rebook for any date in the future even if it is beyond 355 days for original booking. The problem is BA won’t do it because they’ve set up the system and unless the agent knows how to override it, you won’t get anywhere. In that case your option is to either fight it via CS, complaint, MCOL or CEDR or let it go.

    • Darren says:
      22 Feb22 February 12:51

      Second question, I would avoid Sept, October may be ok but for me November would be preferable, that’s what I did.

      • Stu N says:
        22 Feb22 February 14:09

        Thanks all. I’ll find some time to phone and see what they will let me do.

        November would be ideal but it’s more than a year since originally booked so might be a bit of a punt. If not, I’ll take a punt on end of Sept and hope for the best.

  • Chris says:
    22 Feb22 February 10:11

    Could I have some advice on the best route for making an economy avios redemption to Tokyo from the UK (happy to start in any Europe destination) for a family of 4? Looking to save around 100k or so. We would love to go to Japan in a few years time.

    The best I’ve been able to find is HEL-HND return, but this garners barely over 1p per point.

    I’m aware the best redemptions are to be found in upper cabins, but I don’t think we could save the additional avios/surcharges on these even in the coming years while everything recovers.

    • meta says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:41

      You can save a lot on surcharges by booking it as one-ways. Surcharges are low from Tokyo. You should also save HEL-HND on charges, but not avios. Avios redemptions on partner airlines are always charged as peak prices, so you won’t be saving much on that.

      • Chris says:
        22 Feb22 February 10:45

        Sorry maybe should have clarified – I’m looking to save in total, not just the avios alone – i.e. the avios value itself because that’s what I’ve read is what you should look for.

        When putting in a return flight HEL-HND, it came to about 1.05 Avios pp, whereas when I put it in LHR-HND… 0.95 pp…

        I was basically wondering whether there were any better routes for value in this regard?

        In regards to one-ways – it actually came out more expensive in value on this route sadly , I’m aware flying back is always cheaper from locations which have lower/no surcharges, thanks.

        • Dave says:
          22 Feb22 February 11:19

          If price is the main driver, you should not just look at the price per point you get. Compare the cheapest cost in cash and avois against the cheapest cash price. No point paying more just to get a better perceived value. As mentioned, don’t forget about positioning flights etc and risks.

          • Chris says:
            22 Feb22 February 11:55

            Yes I always try to use Rob’s HfP avios value calculations which factors in the cheapest costs, or that’s what I was trying to refer to, sorry if I phrased it wrong!

            Definitely was an oversight in regards to the risks – from what I’ve read might consider finding a cheap cash one-way, and then using Avios for the return trip with no surcharges.

    • Stu N says:
      22 Feb22 February 10:44

      HI Chris – economy Avios redemptions are usually terrible value for money, you’d generally be better booking a sale fare and using Avios for something else.

      Starting in Europe doesn’t usually work for redemptions either as the connecting flights are priced separately so you’d end up paying more Avios. Say you started in Paris, you’d pay Avios cost of Paris-Heathrow and Heathrow Tokyo. You might save a bit on air passenger duty but for economy that would be wiped out by charges on the Paris-London flights I’d expect.

      The exception is partner redemptions – Helsinki to Tokyo would probably be with Finnair and JAL fly from major cities to Tokyo as well. You’d need to find somewhere in a lower zone – Helsinki might well be as it’s significantly closer to Tokyo than London – but you’d need to factor in connecting flights and possibly an overnight stay as if anything went wrong with your London flight your long haul would be at risk if on separate bookings.

      Overall, if you don’t think you can accumulate enough Avios and 2-4-1 vouchers for business flights then I’d just look to pay cash and possibly fly indirect. Going via Middle East or a European hub is probably best bet.

      • Chris says:
        22 Feb22 February 10:49

        Thanks Stu – that’s great advice.

        Looks like Helsinki was possible the best possible route – although I didn’t consider the connection risk admittedly!

        I will look into the indirect routes/cash bookings for sure when there’s sales on again 🙂

        • Chris says:
          22 Feb22 February 11:51

          Thanks AnotherUser for the further advice.

          I’d almost forgotten about Nectar being able to be used in groceries, especially at present! Might be something I’ll consider, thanks.

    • marcw says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:11

      A couple of things to consider:
      – If you plan to travel economy, IMHO, travel times are very important to keep in time. Foremost, I would avoid the long route – say, flying via DOH, DXB or AUH, it adds a lot to your travel time. Flying via the north-pole (any European airline or JAL/NL) will make it much shorter. Secondly, I’d suggest night flights in both directions. Thirdly, if you plan ex-EU… that’s wise for travelling to, but returning you will regret the last hop back home. So, to summarise, plan something like ex-EU – Japan – Lon (overnight) – EU. That way you can skip the last leg, collect luggage and head home (of course, if you don’t live in or around London, might be a different situation).
      -Usually, spending Avios in Economy on BA is a rip-off. From Japan to the UK on BA it’s actually OK, as there are no fuel surcharges. But from the UK to Japan, god lord.
      -Lastly, don’t forget your options of using Avios to receive a discount. You don’t necessarily receive a good value per Avios, but it could make your trip affordable and doable.

      • Chris says:
        22 Feb22 February 11:54

        Thanks Marcw.

        I agree in regards to a one-way return due to the lack of fuel surcharges, the issue I’ve had is finding decently priced one-way tickets to Tokyo – most of them seem as expensive as a return ticket!

        • marcw says:
          22 Feb22 February 12:53

          Don’t bother with reserving with Avios, even though it’s “cheap” from Japan, getting there one-way Avios or tickets negates it.
          Realistically you have to use Avios to save X cash aspect (or follow the advice above, cash out your Avios to Sainsbury’s and the equivalence you add it to your travel budget), to make the trip affordable.
          Also, perhaps worth saying, follow the typical cheap fare finder blogs (like Secret Flying) as sometimes they highlight some attractive fares to Japan from the UK.

    • memesweeper says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:58

      Iberia fly to Tokyo direct from Madrid. I’d consider pricing that up for Avios and cash as an alternative to London or Helsinki. Much more straightforward and cheaper to position to Madrid v. Helsinki.

      JAL also serve Paris and Frankfurt, check that out too.

      • marcw says:
        22 Feb22 February 12:56

        The IB Japan route is not that cheap in Avios: 30k Avios, one-way off-peak, and their Avios&Money is not as attractive as the BA one.

        JAL and Finnair from Europe to Japan on Avios is pointless, really.

        Unfortunately, Avios is not that great to travel to north east asia.

    • Hotelier says:
      22 Feb22 February 14:05

      As mentioned, considering BA economy redemptions are not great value due to taxes which are almost the price of a cash ticket, you really need to check for how much cash tickets are sold.
      If you want to travel to Japan at peak dates where even economy tickets are sold for £650++ return a good option could be if you manage to get 2-4-1 vouchers. For two people return you would be paying 39000 avios (offpeak, but still can find dates around easter/christmas if flexible) plus around £720 in taxes which works quite nicely.
      Of course if you find cash tickets at around £450 return then not so much. I find peak Japan dates are one of the few Economy routes I could justify, I do NOT fly Business and use my avios for other purposes, last minute Europe short haul, lots of partner airlines bookings (LATAM in the past in SouthAmerica, S7 Russia-Uzbekistan) or Iberia out of Madrid which serves me to visit my parents back home before a long holiday…where I often manager to get up to 2p -4p/avios in economy for cash saving as I would not pay for a business class seat)

  • Chris says:
    22 Feb22 February 10:51

    Hello. My 241 voucher has triggered on my Black Amex and I was planning on converting it to a Blue card (I now have two vouchers outstanding to use). Since the voucher triggered I have now had a BA refund so I’m £1,200 below the £10k threshold. I have the voucher in my BA account. Am I okay to downgrade my card now or should I wait until I am above £10k again? Thanks in advance.

    • Harry T says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:07

      If the voucher is in your BAEC account, it’s yours. You may wish to consider closing the card and then applying for a new one for your household in the near further (perhaps refer your other half or get a friend/loved one to refer you), as you will now have to spend 11.2k to get your next voucher, from what you’ve told us. Getting a fresh card would mean you only need to spend 10k. Obviously depends on what your plans are for earning Avios and vouchers going forward.

  • KBuffett says:
    22 Feb22 February 11:19

    Has anyone recently managed to get a retention bonus by threatening to cancel AmEx Gold Charge card?

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:41

      Yep. Twice in one year (June and then Feb). 5k MR in June for £1k spend and 10k MR for £3k in Feb ish

    • Vit says:
      22 Feb22 February 11:58

      Yes, 5k MR for £1k spend. Hopefully manage to get that 10k MR for £3k spend later… 🙂

    • Harry T says:
      22 Feb22 February 12:02

      Gold credit, not charge, but I was given an extra two MR per pound spent for three months late last year. Worked in my favour more than a lump sum. Meant 3 per pound for ordinary spend and more for flights, foreign spend etc.

    • Sina says:
      22 Feb22 February 17:34

      I was given 5k MR, 3 MR per £1 spent for 3 months, 10k MR points and cancelled it last week!

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