The HfP chat thread – Thursday 25th February

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babyg says:

25 Feb25 February 11:19

Hmm my wife just received a sign up bonus (British Airways Welcome Bonus) of 25k, she currently holds a amex-platinum, and had a BA card approx. 12 months ago… are amex relaxing the 2 year rule, or is this simply a bank error in my favour?
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 12:01
  
  Bank error in your favour, collect £200 (worth of Avios)
- Rob says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 12:31
  
  Amex’s useless IT in your favour!
Michael C says:

25 Feb25 February 11:28

On a positive note, BA sim trainers have been told to ramp up training in early May, so hopefully they’re trusting Boris’ timetable!
Oh! Matron! says:

25 Feb25 February 11:44

I see SAS have extended their status again for 12 months: https://loyaltylobby.com/2021/02/24/sas-eurobonus-extends-member-tiers-by-12-months/ It’s been a while since any update from VS. Any rumblings to indicate this may happen @Rob?
- Rob says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 12:30
  
  No, but I suspect something will happen.
stevenhp1987 says:

25 Feb25 February 11:55

Data Point:

My Telegraph subscription was due to end early next month (from last years £20 amex offer).

I rang them up, they cancelled my account with a pro-rata refund and signed me up again for another years subscription to take advantage of the current amex offer.
- Geoff says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 15:52
  
  Thanks for the tip. I also did.
Jody says:

25 Feb25 February 11:59

Random avios booking question that I should probably know the answer to:

If my husband and I book a short haul avios trip, then one of us needs to cancel but the other can still go, is that possible if you are on one ticket, or are we better to book separately?

We’re looking to go to Greece for a couple of days over the summer, but am a little concerned that if there are vaccine passports or similar required, then he will be fully vaccinated by then whereas I’ll be lucky to have had my first! He will still go, as need to buy some medication over the counter there that is practically impossible to get prescribed here (huge cost issues to the NHS so has essentially been banned unless you get a very sympathetic endocrinologist).

Anyway, thinking about a 3 nighter on avios but just want to make sure of the best way of doing it in case I need to cancel my ticket but not his.
- Anna says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 12:08
  
  I’m sure people have posted on here before that you can take one person off a group avios booking by calling BA.
  - Jody says:
    
    25 Feb25 February 12:26
    
    Thanks Anna. Hopefully someone will pop on and confirm.
  - ChrisC says:
    
    25 Feb25 February 12:33
    
    Group bookings are different. Remember trying to help someone who said they had a group booking but what they had were lots of separate bookings for a group of people and who couldn’t understand why BA wouldn’t let them do some of the things BA allowed proper group bookings to do.
    
    But yes you call up and ask BA to split the PNR.
    - Anna says:
      
      25 Feb25 February 12:37
      
      Sorry, I meant if you have more than one person on a booking!
- Craig says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 14:19
  
  Not sure about dedicated ‘group’ bookings, but standard multi-person ones can be split. Each person will then have a separate locator code for the booking.
- Matthew says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 18:17
  
  Yes, I’ve split a standard booking into two PNRs and cancelled one of them later…the remaining one was unaffected.
Eric says:

25 Feb25 February 12:13

Looking at hotels in Naples, Sorrento, Capri. Any recommendations?

Was looking at the The Britannique Naples, Curio Collection by Hilton since I have Hilton status but a bit pricey for the summer!
- Chris Heyes says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 14:54
  
  Eric check this out our summer or spring retreat
  http://www.surrientosuites.com
  The Surriento Suites rooms are located by the sea of Sorrento, very close to the beach of “marina piccola” and the dock.. It very easy to find us using the ferry from Naples. The bed and breakfast is also well connected to the main square, piazza Tasso, and to the Circumvesuviana train station of Sorrento, via cabs and local busses.
  It’s not an Hotel, but better imo run by Pamula only 3 suites The Hotel next door will let you use their lift to the top (just tell them coming up for drinks)
  or short walk to public lift up
  You will go back and back again we do
  - Chris Heyes says:
    
    25 Feb25 February 15:04
    
    Rob ooops sorry didn’t mean to post a link, delete if not allowed
    Sorry again i just cut n pasted for ease
- Tony says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 23:13
  
  The Naples McGallery is good http://palazzocaracciolo.com/ – the other Accor’s are not recommended – have stayed in all a few years back. Think you can get Gold with Accor by purchase of the Ibis Card for the “upgrade”
- Eugene says:
  
  26 Feb26 February 06:43
  
  We stayed at Palazzo Marziale in Sorrento Oct 19. V near the sea. Small 3-4 star old grand house. Not luxury but right in the middle of things. We liked it.
AndyW says:

25 Feb25 February 12:14

Any tips to get around the 1 year ticket validity. Not working to extend online and getting computer says no when I call.
- meta says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 13:25
  
  When is the flight? How long have you waited? Have you tried via app Rebooking/Refund options?
  - AndyW says:
    
    25 Feb25 February 15:21
    
    Original was booked in half price sale avios in October, for May 2021 (wedding in LA now moved to late October 2021). BA have cancelled it handily enough. Online was not working, saying no availability, and saying they can’t do it on the phone, usual response. I’ll keep playing around with it, seen responses that sometimes it just starts working.
Gavin says:

25 Feb25 February 12:34

I wonder if BA will ever allow the ability to cancel a booking easily and instantly online again? Previously, cancelling a flight (whether or not it’s cancelled) could be done online, you’d get a summary of refund due and any Avios would be back instantly, cash to card within a couple of days. Now, you need to phone to get a refund processed instantly, or wait up to 1 month+ if you fill in the cancelled flight refund form online.
- Anna says:
  
  25 Feb25 February 12:41
  
  +1, this is easily the most irritating thing about travel bookings at the moment! BA offered the excuse at the start of the pandemic that their IT wasn’t set up to process the volume of refunds they were getting and the CAA just rolled over and have not held them to account since. Every time I have to call to ask for a refund I make a point of commenting to the CSA how much extra work this is making for them.
  - Anna says:
    
    25 Feb25 February 12:44
    
    In fact, just on this subject, if it was still possible to get refunds online I would have made quite a few more speculative F and J bookings and BA would have my cash in the bank while I wait to see how things pan out. I can’t be the only person who is discouraged from doing this by the prospect of having to call to get the money and avios back.
    - babyg says:
      
      25 Feb25 February 14:19
      
      I would say because BAs rules are changing (e.g. cancellation policies/dates etc) and BA want to discourage refunding people in cash plus it takes time to code websites/booking systems (vs updating the call centre script)… so i don’t see the button coming back any time soon. Personally I haven’t been put off booking just because the cancel button is missing, we currently have the most amazing flexibility om bookingd/cancellations/rebooking’s that i have ever seen in my life .
      - Anna says:
        
        25 Feb25 February 15:35
        
        Avios bookings have always been refundable, nothing has changed there except the ability to do it online!