The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 24th February

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• Baji Nahid says:

  24 Feb24 February 03:45

  A nice offer from Apple this morning on the Amex 🙂

  • Andrew says:

    24 Feb24 February 04:19

    Which is spend £500, get £50. 10% better than nothing if you’re planning to buy something anyway.

    • DT says:

      24 Feb24 February 04:57

      Thanks Andrew, was curious what the offer was as I don’t seem to have it

    • QFFlyer says:

      24 Feb24 February 06:38

      On the iPhone 12 Pro it seems, which is very specific. Not sure how they’d know.

      • Andrew says:

        24 Feb24 February 07:02

        Yes impossible for them to tell.

        • Andrew says:

          24 Feb24 February 07:50

          And in fact the T&Cs don’t even mention iPhone 12 Pro, or that e-gift cards are excluded (not that they ever are in practice).

      • Andy says:

        24 Feb24 February 08:09

        Yeah I actually need to buy an iPhone SE although that is still less than the £500. Guess depends if I can buy something else to tip it over the £500!

        Assuming it’s not iPhone 12 only anyway

      • David S says:

        24 Feb24 February 09:24

        Only just bought one last week as well from somewhere else 😭

    • Track says:

      24 Feb24 February 07:41

      Datapoint, this offer appeared on a long-standing personal card.

      Not on business cards.

  • Harry T says:

    24 Feb24 February 07:12

    Got this on several cards but probably not much use if planning to buy a phone or laptop – £50 off won’t represent a substantial saving.

    • Andrew says:

      24 Feb24 February 07:35

      E-gift cards

      • memesweeper says:

        24 Feb24 February 08:25

        You want the Apple Store ones, not the App Store ones, assuming the goal is to get some Apple hardware one day.

        • Rich says:

          24 Feb24 February 08:34

          Can you use the Apple Store cards online, or only in-store?

          Looking at buying some stuff from Apple Refurbished online.

        • aDifferentSimon says:

          24 Feb24 February 10:30

          i won an apple store voucher at work once. Spent it in the refurb store. So it’s probably still the same.

        • idrive says:

          24 Feb24 February 14:49

          can you use more than one giftcard at checkout?

    • KS says:

      24 Feb24 February 08:06

      It is not substantial but I was anyway looking to replace my Macbook and MacMini, both more than 5 year old and are getting decent trade-in values. It is good that I got the offer on two cards. 🙂

    • IanM says:

      24 Feb24 February 08:25

      Also not much good when you factor in that Iphone is 400% more expensive than an equivalent Android.

      • Rich says:

        24 Feb24 February 08:33

        400%, really?

        Most people who buy Apple stuff are well aware they are paying a price premium, and not in need of advice on how to spend their money.

        • BJ says:

          24 Feb24 February 08:59

          Each to their own, if they want to pay a premium for inferior products it’s up to them. Nobody I know who has switched from Apple to Android ever reversed their decision and price had nothing to do with it. Also inclined to agree with IanM, I used latest top end Galaxy series phone for years but two years ago I decided to try an A70 which retailed for about £370 IIRC but I paid very little due to deal stacks. No regrets, I’ll never go back to a high end handset.

        • IanM says:

          24 Feb24 February 10:31

          My point I suppose is that tech these days is so good, there’s very little benefit in buying Apple, unless everything you have is Apple. Seems to me they are less robust, and far more expensive to repair.

          I was recently looking at a 5G handset, the Motorola 5G Plus is £240 at John Lewis, for apple you need a 12 @ £800 min

        • BuildBackBetter says:

          24 Feb24 February 14:29

          @ BJ, I moved back to Apple after using Android for a year. For a device you spend hours every day, cost is secondary.

      • Oh! Matron! says:

        24 Feb24 February 08:47

        “The bias is strong in this one….”- Obi wan kenobi

        • Alan says:

          24 Feb24 February 10:22

          My wife changed jobs recently and had to buy her own phone. She bought an Xiaomi note 9 for under £200 and swears it is better than the iphone 11 she gave up.

          I think both Apple and premium Android phones are hugely overpriced compared to what you get in the mid or even budget ranges.

        • Rhys says:

          24 Feb24 February 10:24

          I refuse to buy Android phones when they don’t get software updates after 2 years. It’s ridiculous. At least iPhones can get them for 5+.

        • memesweeper says:

          24 Feb24 February 10:54

          +1

          The best choice for Android is the Pixels IMHO, most have poor long term support

        • Magic Mike says:

          24 Feb24 February 12:33

          @Rhys Samsung have just announced they will support Android security updates for 4 years.

          Google do 3 years on Pixels, as do Nokia.

        • The Savage Squirrel says:

          24 Feb24 February 13:20

          +1.
          The only thing I am less price sensitive about is the opticians for the same reason … always absolute best option available for glasses frame, lenses, whatever. What else do I get 16 hours of difference-making usage out of every day?

    • Michael C says:

      24 Feb24 February 09:01

      Harry, just buy anything on your Boston trip and paid in dollars instead of GBP!

      • Harry T says:

        24 Feb24 February 09:58

        Hopefully the offer doesn’t require spend in GBP, Michael!

  • Ali M says:

    24 Feb24 February 09:18

    oh I didnt receive it 🙁

  • Harry T says:

    24 Feb24 February 12:27

    Perhaps I pay a premium for Apple products but I also receive premium customer service. I’ve had last minute walk in appointments at Apple stores across the world, who’ve fitted me in at short notice and always solved my problem. I have just encountered an issue with my AirPods Pro and I instantly connected to a chat agent who arranged a repair and replacement AirPods whilst mine are being repaired. The replacements also arrived the next day. It’s important to determine what you derive value from. I personally find great value in Apple’s faultless customer service which is always there for me.

    Also, my iPhone is really very good.

    • Andrew says:

      24 Feb24 February 12:36

      Absolutely! And why drink prosecco, when you can drink Champagne? iPhones are a premium product and many of us surround ourselves with premium products so why would something we use for several hours of the day be any different? Also, if you combine this offer on two cards you can save more than £50 on the cost of the new phone.

    • BJ says:

      24 Feb24 February 14:46

      I suspect the majority of iphone and ipad users here have not tried both in recent years. I have; android is both more user-friendly and more easy to customise than apple. Apple can be a dogs breakfast when it comes to doing some very simple tasks. I cannot comment on customer service, I have never had the need to seek customer support on a Samsung handset or on the two tablets I have owned. Similarly, however, my partner has never needed to seek support with his iphone or ipad with the exception of the battery on his phone. In terms of longevity, we both get about 4 years use out of our respective devices before we feel they need change. Screens and sound quality on Samsung have been consistently better than on apple devices for years. Rob’s argument on cost of ownership was compelling until it fell flat near the end. I suspect he, and others, derive little benefit from the extra spec and features of high end phones regardless of whether they are iphohes or android – this is want versus need. It is for this reason I moved away from high end handsets two years ago. However, I am happy to admit that I did enjoy the better quality pics on HfP once Rob invested in a new phone, it was instantly noticeable at the time. I am also happy to admit that when I replace my laptop it will be a mac book. I have no issues with apple phones and tablets, they do the job but I just think android is better.

    • Jonathan says:

      24 Feb24 February 16:00

      Personally I find Apple CS abysmal for a supposedly premium product. I say this as someone who is fully integrated into their eco system (desktop, laptop, phone, tablet & watch).

      The insistence that you have to book an appointment to deal with a fault rather than just dealing with it plus their shady behaviour with respect to refusing to deal with eg. a warranty issue on a laptop keyboard as there is a tiny scratch on case not remotely related to the fault makes me loathe myself every time I hand over cash.

      They treat you as a captive audience to be exploited rather than a loyal customer to be rewarded.

      They were genuinely world leading innovators in the 90’s/00’s. Now they’re just another brand that is premium in price & marketing but not build quality or reliability.

    • Andrew says:

      24 Feb24 February 16:33

      For me, if I’m honest, it’s part status symbol too, I couldn’t possibly get out an Android phone in public.

      • Lord Doncaster says:

        24 Feb24 February 18:30

        To impress those dates on Tinder, eh Andrew? 😁

        • Sloth says:

          24 Feb24 February 21:33

          No, he has the double monk’s for that

        • The Savage Squirrel says:

          24 Feb24 February 22:02

          Those shoes really have become legendary on this site.

• cinereus says:

  24 Feb24 February 05:58

  Does anyone know whether ANA is currently cancelling LON-HND flights and if so how soon before departure?

• BJ says:

  24 Feb24 February 06:40

  Don’t forget the Virgin Red spin to win folks.

  • Peter K says:

    24 Feb24 February 07:14

    👍

  • Ali M says:

    24 Feb24 February 09:19

    Thank you. Done

  • Alan says:

    24 Feb24 February 10:24

    I am spinning but not winning. Is anyone having better luck.

    • Rhys says:

      24 Feb24 February 10:27

      I haven’t won anything yet.

    • Ali M says:

      24 Feb24 February 12:14

      no have done 2 spins but just in the ‘big draw’ – I have my speech ready for million points, haha

      • WaynedP says:

        24 Feb24 February 13:36

        +1

  • Phil H says:

    24 Feb24 February 14:12

    Not won anything yet. There are also other competitions & ‘fun’ games on there that can potentially win you points.

• BJ says:

  24 Feb24 February 06:57

  Kindle Unlimited: currently 50% off for signing up for 6 months. Prime members might have a better offer.

  • DT says:

    24 Feb24 February 07:05

    My Prime offer is two months free, might give it a go. Thanks for bringing it up, wouldn’t have checked otherwise.

    • BJ says:

      24 Feb24 February 07:16

      Thanks, I’ll see if my partner has a free or 99p prime offer to access this. I’ve noticed lately that some best selling authors like Grisham now have a book or two on KU. A lot of us like it though because there are some decent authors out there who deserve to be read but otherwise find mainstream publication difficult. Loads of rubbish too but you can quickly weed that out.

• KBuffett says:

  24 Feb24 February 07:04

  Is it possible to turn off the two factor authorisation on the AmEx app? I regularly try and save offers on my wife’s card, but it always wants to text a security code to her.

  • BJ says:

    24 Feb24 February 07:23

    I think if you set your communication preferences to email and opt out of SMS it only sends it to her email if that helps. Opt into both email and SMS and it asks you where you want to receive the code. Apologies if I got that wrong, I am drowning in OTP these days and distinguishing one account from another in memory becomes increasingly difficult.

    • Michael C says:

      24 Feb24 February 09:04

      Santander ONLY uses SMS, and we’re in an area with almost zero coverage…seriously thinking of moving business & personal accounts, it drives me mad!

      • John says:

        24 Feb24 February 09:53

        Very few banks use non phone methods

      • Doug M says:

        24 Feb24 February 10:12

        Wouldn’t changing mobile providers to one with coverage make more sense?

      • Andrew says:

        24 Feb24 February 13:49

        As long as you have:-

        A compatible provider
        A compatible phone
        Working WiFi

        Coverage doesn’t really matter at home nowadays.

  • cinereus says:

    24 Feb24 February 11:16

    Just auto-forward the email.

  • Grant says:

    24 Feb24 February 13:29

    Once you’ve completed 2FA once, you can ask the app to remember the device and it won’t ask again.

    • RussellH says:

      24 Feb24 February 15:26

      Until you realise that when cleaning out all the tracking cookies and other junk you have also cleared out the cookie that “remebers” the device.
      Always assuming, of course, that you permit the cookies in the first place.

• Charlie says:

  24 Feb24 February 07:17

  Do you get 3 x nectar points on every nectar credit card with sainsburys shops?

  • Will says:

    24 Feb24 February 08:26

    2x

    • Charlie says:

      24 Feb24 February 09:37

      Would you then get 2 x that because of the current offer after transferring avios to nectar points?

• E says:

  24 Feb24 February 07:58

  Anyone else had a delay in Bonvoy points from Amex hittng their Bonvoy account this month? My points appear to have left Amex on the 14th and still haven’t arrived in my Bonvoy account. Usually credits within a week but that’s 10 days now.

  • memesweeper says:

    24 Feb24 February 08:05

    My last transfer took 48 hours.

  • WaynedP says:

    24 Feb24 February 13:41

    Mine took 24 hours on 2 & 3 Feb

• JohnT says:

  24 Feb24 February 08:17

  Still waiting for Marriott bonus nights from last year. OH got hers ok. Wonder if because I have a status match open? (that I can’t use, bad timing on my part).

  • S says:

    24 Feb24 February 14:02

    I was in same situation and I had to ask for manual credit. Only got the 13 nights for Gold rather than 25 for being platinum at end of 2020 (due to status challenge).

    I know those who got the credits automatically got the full 25 nights despite being in same situation as us, so it’s a bit annoying.

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