Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Sunday 28th February

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

We are running 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.

Category

General

Comments (339)

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

  • Martin says:
    28 Feb28 February 02:21

    I know I’m looking at lockdown rules to favour travel..

    So if legal lockdown lifted 29th March I assume I’m free to move about..
    Can I go on European Holiday ?

    Or the 12th April domestic travel allowed,
    Will that mean Europe rather than just feather an English’ man’s nest..

    International travel is mentioned in May..
    What about Europe.!!

    Or will we just have to wait and see if all but essential travel is lifted by each date..

    • Harry T says:
      28 Feb28 February 04:09

      Good luck going on holiday anywhere in March 😂 you probably won’t be allowed into most countries and may suffer quarantine on arrival, with an extra quarantine at a UK airport upon your return! It’s probably most sensible to wait until the summer, when covid rates should be down, vaccination numbers will be up, and the pressure will be on governments to open up travel.

    • Harry T says:
      28 Feb28 February 04:10

      I assume domestic means domestic, so it would be optimistic to think that could mean non domestic…

    • Ian M says:
      28 Feb28 February 04:43

      Foreign travel is currently illegal in England due to the fact that you cannot leave your home for non-essential reasons. There’s no specific law banning from travel.

      On 29th March, the ban on leaving your home for non-essential reasons will be lifted. In the absence of new measures that cover foreign travel, you will therefore be able to travel abroad from 29th March.

      • Harry T says:
        28 Feb28 February 05:20

        That may well be the case, but I expect it will be practically very difficult to travel abroad at the end of March without encountering significant adversity/inconvenience.

        • Ian M says:
          28 Feb28 February 05:24

          That will likely really depend on where you’re travelling to. Escaping totalitarianism is unlikely to ever be easy 🙂

          • Genghis says:
            28 Feb28 February 06:49

            Yawn

          • Jamie says:
            28 Feb28 February 12:29

            Yawn. Ian’s not able to go and bore down the pub, must be a totalitarian state.

          • Anuj says:
            28 Feb28 February 13:19

            What a privileged statement to make. Why don’t you experience genuine totalitarianism such as in Myanmar before calling what we’re going through as such

        • Lady London says:
          1 Mar1 March 13:09

          Amen to that. I have just done it. If you genuinely have to travel for essential reasons as I have just had to, the new requirements just add difficulty and cost to an already difficult situation.

    • Anna says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:32

      According to what’s been reported so far, domestic stays from April 12th will only be allowed in self-catering accommodation. It remains to be seen whether the rules will change to a) make it illegal for people to stay in a hotel or b) make it illegal for hotels to accept leisure guests, neither of which is the case at the moment. But unless there is specific legislation, from April 12th (or indeed March 29th), there won’t be any legal reason why you can’t have a hotel stay.

      • Andrew says:
        28 Feb28 February 06:47

        I think the restriction on hotels remains as it is now until 17 May at the earliest – hotels were listed alongside restaurants etc as opening at that stage.

      • Anna says:
        28 Feb28 February 07:03

        Hotels don’t currently have to close, though, unlike restaurants. There will need to be new legislation if they are to continue to be banned from receiving leisure travellers after March 31st.

        • abc says:
          28 Feb28 February 07:33

          Hotels do currently have to close unless they only provide accommodation for specific reasons, which do not include leisure travel.

          • A says:
            28 Feb28 February 07:51

            Hotels are not at present contained in the list of establishments that must close, are they? Is not the closure of most hotels just a practical decision centred around the fact there are few (lawful) guests?

          • Andrew says:
            28 Feb28 February 07:54

            And that will continue to be the case until 17 May at the earliest when the restriction on staying overnight in a hotel for leisure is proposed to be lifted.

          • Anna says:
            28 Feb28 February 08:32

            So they don’t actually have to close – I’m not sure what your point is?

          • abc says:
            28 Feb28 February 10:11

            @A: They are, the regulation says: “Subject to sub-paragraph (2), a person responsible for carrying on a business consisting of the provision of holiday accommodation situated in the Tier 4 area, whether in a hotel, … must cease to carry on that business.” (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374/schedule/3A #14)

        • TGLoyalty says:
          28 Feb28 February 08:10

          Hotels don’t have to close but The SI does have restrictions on the reasons why you can stay.

        • David S says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:42

          My local Premier Inn looks to be quite busy and the couple we saw coming out the door yesterday were well beyond working age. Costa takeaway is next door – queue back to the main road for the drive through so some businesses are doing ok

          • kitten says:
            28 Feb28 February 14:49

            2 hotels I stayed in this week had quite a lot of rooms sold but everyone in the hotel was clearly there for work. Particularly lucky for the hotel as a few large construction sites in the area with workers travelling to them for a week at a time which has continued throughout covid.

      • James says:
        28 Feb28 February 12:31

        Anna, do you seriously think people are going to be able to stay in hotels on April 12th?

    • TGLoyalty says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:08

      “International travel is mentioned in May..
      What about Europe.!!”

      Is this for real?

    • Paul says:
      28 Feb28 February 10:33

      We are a third country now so EU is international. Even Scotland and Wales May (rightly) restrict travel. We are not out of this yet

  • The Streets says:
    28 Feb28 February 03:00

    Non essential foreign travel banned until at least 17 May.. then it’s down to whether the country will let you in

    • Andrew says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:49

      A review by the government will be published on 12 April on when international travel will be permitted. No date has yet been mentioned for it’s resumption and is not included in the 17 May list of activities.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        28 Feb28 February 08:11

        To quote Grant Shapps tweet

        “ Following @BorisJohnson’s #RoadMap I will launch new ✈️Global Travel Taskforce✈️ to facilitate return to international travel while still managing risk from imported cases & Variants of Concern. Taskforce will report on 12 Apr.
        International Travel resume no earlier than 17 May”

  • Boi says:
    28 Feb28 February 04:49

    We now have 4 IHG free night vouchers. Book by jan 2022 and March 2022. Where can we get the best value? I am happy to go anywhere outside Europe. I just want ideas of where people have got the most value from the free nights certificates.

    • lumma says:
      28 Feb28 February 04:54

      Isn’t the best value the nicest hotel in a city you want to visit?

    • ChrisC says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:18

      Use them for somewhere you want to go and not because of some perceived notion of supposed ‘most value’ based on a spreadsheet and an nth of a penny valuation.

    • BJ says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:34

      Tokyo (new Kimpton Shinjuku). My valuation is based on Japan as a travel experience as opposed to the cost of the hotel but it works in that respect too so it is win-win.

    • Anna says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:39

      Hi Boi, it depends what kind of break you want, if it’s a city break the ICs in New York, Boston and Chicago all look quite fabulous (hopefully we’ll be allowed back into the US by 2022!) If your using them as part of a longer trip I’d be tempted by the IC Maldives though I’m not sure how easy it is to get there from Canada! Isn’t there also an IC in Bora Bora or somewhere like that?
      There’s an amazing Kimpton in Grand Cayman which always has plenty of award night availability and is usually 70k points or $1k plus pn but they haven’t announced when they are re-opening the borders yet so it might be a bit of a gamble.

    • Genghis says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:51

      Maldives IC is 100k points / n. That’d be the alternative price. So saving £400 of points.

    • Secret Squirrel says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:58

      Are any of those free night certs been extended? If so, like me the dates to use by are not book by dates, you have to have stayed by those expiry dates (as BJ pointed out to me yesterday)☺

      • Boi says:
        28 Feb28 February 15:26

        Actually I dont have one of the vouchers yet, but expect to earn it this August. I should have said by the time we may be able to travel I will have 4.

        Here are the ones I have:
        1. Book 1 between 08/25/2020 – 03/13/2022
        2. Book 1 between 01/23/2020 – 12/31/2021
        3. Book 1 between 01/25/2021 – 01/25/2022

        Looks like one has been extended…Do you think it is still book by or I might be caught out?

    • TripRep says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:22

      Maldives?

      • Boi says:
        28 Feb28 February 15:20

        Thanks All.
        Yes best value is where you want to go….but it is reasonable to get ideas from fellow travellers coz I dont have any particular place I desperately want to go to. And sometimes other people stimulate your mind. eg Anna got me intrigued to check out GCM, equally Bora Bora, Maldives and Japan all sounds good. So I now have options.

        • TGLoyalty says:
          28 Feb28 February 16:36

          If you want up or European options then

          Either IC or Kimpton Edinburgh
          Kimpton Fitzroy London

          Kimpton Paris or IC Paris le grand
          IC Lyon
          IC Bordeaux
          Kimpton Barcelona
          Kimpton De Witt or IC Amstel Amsterdam
          IC Porto

          But to name a few.

        • Anna says:
          28 Feb28 February 16:58

          GCM is popular with Canadians – there are direct flights from Toronto (WestJet?) in normal times. We like to combine the beach break with a city stay and Toronto is on the wish list! Cayman News Service is a good website for checking where they are up to in terms of allowing tourists back – currently it requires 14 days’ quarantine so only really worth it for longer stays.
          If I’d known how the past 12 months were going to pan out I might well have taken myself off there for the winter!

  • BJ says:
    28 Feb28 February 05:47

    Yeah, don’t know when people are going to stop asking this inane question day after day, almost hour after hour. No disrespect to Martin and others, I know they just want to travel like everybody else but patience is the name of the game for at least a few months yet, and where we can go is undoubtedly the bigger question, not when will the UK let us go.

    • BJ says:
      28 Feb28 February 05:49

      That was supposed to be reply to @The Streets

    • Mike says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:47

      Yes, I agree. I certainly haven’t got any European travel plans until Easter 2022 and long haul until Sep/Oct 2022. I think it worth waiting until the travel restrictions/ quarantine/ vaccination passport schemes are all sorted etc

    • Harry T says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:05

      Yep, it’s like people asking if BA will extend status… just wait and see, no one knows what the lay of the land will be in three months time.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:14

      The reply function has been broken for a few days now.

    • Crafty says:
      28 Feb28 February 09:12

      It would be good if people could ignore the posts instead of day after day posting the same equally inane replies. Really, nobody cares as to whether or not hotels are legally obliged to be closed…

  • The Streets says:
    28 Feb28 February 06:10

    I am just checking if I have missed something.. is there a reason why people can’t access the MBNA or Lloyds app/website in some countries abroad. The AMEX app is also playing up but accessible via their website. Luckily able to do MBNA/Lloyds via a VPN but not ideal

    • Blenz101 says:
      28 Feb28 February 06:22

      For the Amex app it seems to be since they introduced the two factor authentication.

      It has become very unreliable, it’s even hit and miss with VPN.

    • Andrew says:
      28 Feb28 February 10:17

      It’s down to the bank’s risk appetite.

      There’s a fair bit of checking going on in the background. Registered device, device location, cell location, card use.

      If someone were to log into your account from the Philippines when you’d just used your card in Poundland, Merthyr Tydfil – you’d be quite cross.

    • Jay says:
      28 Feb28 February 10:30

      Depending on the bank, some will actively block connection via VPN, but this seems hit and miss and some VPN connections are blocked, but with a different VPN provider the connection is allowed. I think a lot of VPN IP addresses are blacklisted so this may be an issue.

  • BJ says:
    28 Feb28 February 06:10

    Politics versus science and medicine; experts versus sceptics – let’s watch this one 🙂
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56227171

    • Andrew says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:04

      Europe has got themselves in a right mess over this one.

    • Harry T says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:06

      WHO seem to think AZ vaccine is appropriate for the elderly. I can’t believe all the political chicanery that has gone on between the EU and AZ, and now the European countries aren’t even using the vaccine they have 😂

      • Michael C says:
        28 Feb28 February 07:20

        My (supposedly intelligent!) pal in Spain was just offered the vaccine through work (he’s 40), but turned it down because…it’s AZ! The anti-AZ theme in the popular press there is a bit disturbing…

        • TGLoyalty says:
          28 Feb28 February 08:16

          What a mess.

          If you are willing to take a vaccine you should just take which ever is offered.

          • Polly says:
            28 Feb28 February 08:39

            Exactly. We were delighted to be texted last minute to come within 45 minutes locally to get AZ vac. To prevent wastage, great policy. No hesitation at all. Idea that it will keep us out of hospital is as good a reason as any to accept it. And be grateful.

            This lot in Europe should be ashamed of themselves with their attitude. Even tho Macron has turned, Merkel holding fast. Ok she is a scientist, but her country needs protection. Am quite surprised at her attitude.

        • The real John says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:31

          A friend working in a London vacc centre said some people turned up and refused the jab when they found it was the Pfizer one

      • Anna says:
        28 Feb28 February 07:27

        It must be very depressing for healthcare staff that it’s so easy to plant seeds of doubt – there are people who still don’t trust the MMR vaccine. It also beggars belief that non-scientist politicians are prepared to make comments which potentially put their populations at risk.

        • Anna says:
          28 Feb28 February 07:34

          Though Angela Merkel has endorsed the AZ vaccine now, and does have a scientific academic background!

          • Yuff says:
            28 Feb28 February 08:10

            It was only last week, when a German politician, was criticising our vaccine policy and how the UK had fared so badly and our figures were poor compared to Germany.
            Strange how things can turn around in a couple of weeks, German talking of a 3rd, or 4th, wave and we are discussing opening our lockdown.
            However the worst thing about all this is macron and merkel’s comments will have cost lives which the media have contributed towards by sensationalising their comments…….

        • Andrew says:
          28 Feb28 February 10:29

          The normal patients who laugh at the anti-vaxx hysteria make up for it though.

          The 80 year olds giggling whilst seeking reassurance that they won’t fall pregnant as a result, the amputees asking about the risk of athletes foot…

          The ever hopeful men, suffering hair loss, that hope for a particular side effect.

      • BJ says:
        28 Feb28 February 07:29

        …laughs the guy now running around with German-modified genetic code 😀

        • Lady London says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:28

          Let’s really hope that the vaccines can keep up with mutations. Also that they won’t turn out to have any nasty as yet unknown side effects in the long run.

      • Ken says:
        28 Feb28 February 12:18

        The European Medicine Agency has authorised it for all ages above 18, it is the national agency’s that have put grit in the cogs. Macron’s comment that it isn’t effective trumps almost anything that our own idiot politicians come up with.

    • Yuff says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:18

      Do you think Emmanuel is regretting his vaccine comments earlier this month. Judging by the fact he now says he would have the AZ vaccine I suspect I know the answer.
      I still can’t believe people using up unwanted vaccines, which would otherwise go to waste, is still making the news this weekend.
      Everyone who gets a jab is protecting others as well as themselves.

      • Anna says:
        28 Feb28 February 07:31

        My OH (50 year old key worker) got a left over AZ vaccine on Friday, I totally agree that every jab is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately he’s had quite a bad reaction and taken to his bed (he’s normally very stoical so it must be pretty grim). Conversely all the over 70s I know who’ve had have suffered nothing more than sore arms!

        • AndyW says:
          28 Feb28 February 07:39

          I have heard of a few people that had a reaction that lasted 1-2 days, and then right as rain, so fingers crossed.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            28 Feb28 February 08:28

            Yes of another 5 people I know that have had AZ this past week

            3 have had very bad headaches and 1 had a bad fever/flu like symptoms.

            But they seem to subside within 1/2 days.

          • Erico1875 says:
            28 Feb28 February 08:56

            I developed a sore throat the same evening I had the jag.
            Hard to swallow.
            Lasted a couple of days

        • Harry T says:
          28 Feb28 February 07:45

          @Anna
          I never react to drugs and I was absolutely decked for 24 hours by my second Pfizer dose… ironically after posting that I felt fine! I was febrile all night and felt like I had flu.

          • Anna says:
            28 Feb28 February 08:40

            Yes that’s exactly how he’s been – first time he’s been off work sick for at least 10 years, ironically!

          • Lady London says:
            28 Feb28 February 09:31

            Could that be because you’ve actually had covid HarryT? i think i saw somewhere that if you’ve already had it you only need a booster.

          • Doc says:
            28 Feb28 February 10:37

            Well known that the second dose, particularly the Pfizer one, induces a reaction and usually last a day or two. Even some of my healthcare colleagues who were unlucky enough to catch COVID last year and survived and then had the vaccine, still felt horrendous for 24 hours with flu like symptoms including fever and then improved.
            My better half unfortunately had a really bad reaction to the second dose (she was completely fine after the first) and was off work for three weeks, which is very unlike her and also not very common. However between a few weeks off work vs being ill or admitted to ITU with COVID, there is no contest.

        • Froggee says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:48

          My dear mama was floored for a couple of days and groggy for several. No fever but sore at injection site and was incredibly tired. Fine on the day of jab. Felt like she was coming down with something nasty the day after. Felt like she had something nasty the next day (back to bed in the afternoon and an 8pm bedtime) and then steady improvement. But to put that in context she still came over to play with her grandkids and have dinner the day after her worst day. She’s 77 and in good health. Was she bothered by it? Absolutely not. Just a bit surprised! That’s for AZ. I’d be delighted to get AZ when it’s my turn but would ideally not have it on the same day as my wife!

          • Harry T says:
            28 Feb28 February 20:17

            Yeah, most healthcare colleagues I know who’ve had the second Pfizer jab have had a wild 24 hours or so. I think it’s mostly to do with young people mounting a particularly effective and impressive immune response. My previous covid infection could play a part too.

        • Chris Heyes says:
          28 Feb28 February 10:19

          Anna Sorry to hear about your better half sorry (OH) lol
          but at least he got his Jab one of my daughters (key worker) had a bad reaction lasted a week
          My Partner and I had ours 3 week ago not even a sore arm,
          they just need to get down to 16 year olds soon for you ?

      • Harry T says:
        28 Feb28 February 07:47

        @Yuff
        Yes, it’s absolutely stupid that there is media furore about left over doses going to people who aren’t strictly in the right priority group. It’s like the media frenzy about people going to parks and beaches, when there has never been a covid outbreak in an outdoor setting, as far as I’m aware.

        • Kevin C says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:42

          There was an outbreak after Cheltenham. Agree it’s very different to a beach where people are maintaining some distancing.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            28 Feb28 February 10:20

            Was there? It was it just people saying can’t believe you let it go ahead.

            Also you have to consider if it was the event itself or the behaviour that lead up to it and after it. Public transport, pubs, bars, house parties etc.

            Same reason why stadium spectators are restricted it’s the activity related to it rather than sitting outdoors to watch football.

          • Ken says:
            28 Feb28 February 12:25

            I’ve been to the Cheltenham festival 23 times. It’s far more likely to be a super spreader event than almost any sports event I can think of.
            People are 6 deep at the bars, moving from bar to bookies to viewing spot. People are shouting at each other.
            Drinking & breakfast starts 10am. The pubs are packed, the buses back from the course are packed.
            The pubs / clubs in town are full until the early hours. People singing in pubs in Montpellier.

            Then repeat for 4 days.

            It is great thought!

          • Kevin C says:
            28 Feb28 February 14:14

            Yes I know of people who died after attending Cheltenham. Others with long covid. Here and in Ireland.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            28 Feb28 February 15:44

            It’s worth remembering that Cheltenham is very far from being an outdoor event so not a good example of “outdoor” spread. Over 90% of the crowd will spend a considerable amount of time inside and in close proximity at bars, restaurants, hospitality box, toilets, tote etc etc.

        • Tariq says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:44

          🤣 that’s the cost of having a hysterical media influenced by a bedwetting government 🙄

        • Jamie says:
          28 Feb28 February 12:43

          Hmm, tell me about the horseracing, Harry? 🤦

      • BJ says:
        28 Feb28 February 08:05

        Obviously but he and others need to eat pie at political cost, so difficult for them to do. I am less interested in the politics than the public health and faith in science perspectives. I think uptake in the UK has been both astounding and heartwarming. I think the politicians and public health experts were hoping for something around 80% which probably seemed not unreasonable given polling split between people who generally supported measures to control the pandemic and those that didn’t. That uptake has been closer to 100% than 80% so far suggests to me that the public in the UK as a whole respect and have confidence in the basic and applied science, and recognise and are prepared to rally round the public health message for the common good. Given all the devisive politics, fake news, conspiracy cra@p and all the rest that has come to characterise our times, I think it is brilliant that the public at large have almost entirely shown sound judgment and pulled together on this. Of the small number that are refusing the vaccine, many will have real fears and need persuasion, not ridicule. Hopefully the evidence in favour of vaccination will become increasingly apparent and their fears will subside.

        • Lady London says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:39

          I couldnt agree more @BJ.

          My mission was first to persuade my 82 year old neighbour to stay at home when he wanted to keep going out to live his life. New mission is to persuade him to have the vaccine.

          I’m more on the side of anti-vaxx generally (following advice from best doctor I had) but will be having vaxx as soon as it is offered.

          It’s a question of balancing the risks to yourselves and others.

        • Chris Heyes says:
          28 Feb28 February 10:30

          BJ Whilst i totally agree with you there are various reasons for larger take-up than expected, My daughter said no-way will she have the vac this year until it has been tested and proved safe for at least two years. (key worker)
          Until she realised without it she “may not” be allowed to fly
          She soon changed her mind, had it two weeks ago, want her 12 & 6 year old to have it soon as !

      • TGLoyalty says:
        28 Feb28 February 08:20

        I have no idea why using wasted jabs is news worthy. It’s better in any arm than the bin. Whatever it’s affect on transmission.

        Re vaccine acceptance I think most people would do anything to leave their homes right now.

        • Ken says:
          28 Feb28 February 12:30

          It’s the endless whining about getting priority.

          Police, teachers, transport workers, shop workers, food factory workers, prison officers, asthmatics, people who have a relative who is disabled or elderly.

          The crying has been utterly pathetic.

          • Jamie says:
            28 Feb28 February 12:45

            A bit like this comment?

          • Nick says:
            28 Feb28 February 12:55

            Agreed. The government has said that speed is their main priority, so they’ve stopped listening to whingeing from those demanding to queue jump and done it purely based on age as it’s much easier and more efficient to go through their books that way – but with direct connections to (for example) police stations to use up end-of-day supplies. I don’t give this government much credit for anything, but on this they’ve got it exactly spot on.

          • kitten says:
            28 Feb28 February 16:18

            +1

          • TGLoyalty says:
            28 Feb28 February 16:41

            The reality is lots of them are already getting it.

            Either through excess doses or because they are vulnerable or because they were sent a link they shouldn’t have used and got it anyway.

    • Charlieface says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:43

      What I really don’t get is: most of the reason for slow rollout is supply, so why haven’t they used much of their stock yet, irrespective of age?

      • Louise K says:
        28 Feb28 February 08:20

        Partly because they are holding 2nd doses back, I think.

        I believe Italy and Austria might quietly be following our example by spacing the doses.

        • Yuff says:
          28 Feb28 February 09:27

          There are several countries, who have no doubt seen how successfully the UK has done over the past 6 weeks, who are following the uk lead ……

  • Fab212 says:
    28 Feb28 February 07:14

    Where is the best place (price v distance & car safety) to park near LHR T5 for a long weekend break please?

    • Michael C says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:18

      We nearly always use JustPark.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        28 Feb28 February 08:21

        There’s one just across the road from the moxy (bus stops outside moxy)

    • memesweeper says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:31

      My family love the ‘pod’ experience, often reasonably priced at weekends with pre-booking.

      For an extended weekend short term pre-booked may be affordable.

  • Charlieface says:
    28 Feb28 February 07:47

    Can someone please commiserate with me:

    I’m just coming up to my two years without Amex, along comes the biggest bonus in history, and I can’t use it because I want to take out a mortgage and buy a house in the next month

    • A says:
      28 Feb28 February 07:52

      Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time indeed

    • BuildBackBetter says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:11

      I just got the Amex gold and wife got the rewards card! 🤦‍♂️

    • BJ says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:16

      Years since I had a mortgage but IIRC the offers last 1-3 months. Therefore, I think you could get your mortgage offers on the table now and then apply for the amex. I think that would work butvotgers will confirm. One long time poster (Nick?) is a mortgage advisor I think so perhaps he can help.

      • The Savage Squirrel says:
        28 Feb28 February 08:32

        Exactly this – good advice. Offer in principle.

        Does a business Amex application make that much difference to credit score anyway?

    • TGLoyalty says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:25

      I know the general advice is to be careful but if you’ve had no recent searches 1 is low risk, especially if you carry low / nil balances on other cards.

      • Matty says:
        28 Feb28 February 09:23

        I never know what to put when I’m asked for my outstanding credit card balance on any such financial applications. Should I put the actual figure even though I always pay off the outstanding sum each month or put zero?

    • Anna says:
      28 Feb28 February 08:47

      I’m just about to set up as a sole trader but currently have a gold MR card so can’t get the massive sign up bonus on either business card 😭. OH has nearly finished his 2 year break but has a BAPP so can’t go for the personal gold enhanced sign up, only option is Platinum and suck up the fee for a couple of months. Truly we live in terrible times!

      • The cyclist says:
        28 Feb28 February 09:35

        Bored of retirement already?

      • Jay says:
        28 Feb28 February 10:38

        Ring up Amex and see what they can do or offer you. 2019 – I had Gold MR and wanted Bus Platinum, offered 20K bonus so better than nothing. Alternatively, email one of the SB Sales Managers at Amex, as they always have offers up their sleeve to entice you in. Can supply an email address if required… however I get that to you.. who knows ?

      • Ken says:
        28 Feb28 February 13:10

        Why doesn’t OH get business gold for your business ?

        Will get 50k despite holding BAPP.

        Only sets personal card clock back 6 months

    • Rhys says:
      28 Feb28 February 09:12

      Bonus is until 9th April – apply after your mortgage?

      • Nick says:
        28 Feb28 February 09:37

        You’d have to have a pretty poor credit record for one extra application to kibosh a mortgage – either that or the house you want is too much of a stretch and pushing you too close to the edge of your risk profile. Most lenders in most situations will see a recent credit card application and assume it’s just to buy things for the new house.

        • Charlieface says:
          28 Feb28 February 13:01

          That might be closer to the mark…

          I’m hoping for the offer to be open long enough, who knows?

    • Lady London says:
      28 Feb28 February 09:44

      Courage, my son (daughter), and you will come through this adversity.

      Could the offer be open long enough?

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Learn more on our About page.

VAA

Latest comments

Latest Forum Posts

Get 30,000 points bonus with American Express Platinum

Amex Gold

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.3 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

Get 20,000 bonus points and your first year free with American Express Gold

Amex Gold