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The HfP chat thread – Monday 22nd March

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Comments (392)

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

  • Rupert says:
    22 Mar22 March 08:27

    I’ve noted that BA have now got four flights a day LHRBOS. Commencing first day or so in June. This is their “normal” schedule. For many months it was one flight a day. A sign of things perhaps…

    • kitty says:
      22 Mar22 March 08:31

      the leopard doesn’t change its spots, does it

      Laker and Norwegian all over again with JetBlue?

      • Rhys says:
        22 Mar22 March 09:47

        I’m not sure. JetBlue is NOT Norwegian – it has a proper business class and is launching with considerably smaller aircraft and a US domestic network.

  • Secret Squirrel says:
    22 Mar22 March 08:34

    I purchased some Marriott points over the weekend which came with 50% bonus. Today, the base points have credited but not the bonus. How long do the bonus 50% points take to credit?

    • Matthew says:
      22 Mar22 March 10:38

      Bonus points normally take upto 48hours after posting of base points.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        22 Mar22 March 11:04

        Took a week when I bought some last year.

        • Secret Squirrel says:
          22 Mar22 March 11:11

          Thanks, strange as I purchased a quantity of Hilton points a few months back & all points were awarded at the same time.

  • TimM says:
    22 Mar22 March 08:34

    Any inklings as to whether BA will cancel their LHR-Kalamata route this summer?

    • pauldb says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:14

      Not any time soon, unless you’re talking about June flights and the govt decides to push back the restart a few weeks on Apr12.

      I think we’re at least 2 months away from knowing for sure what July/August look like so BA will keep the flights on sale. For now the government is setting up its defence in case it has to push through the summer ban, but the talk at the moment is not very revealing.

    • JDB says:
      22 Mar22 March 10:43

      I’m not sure they will cancel it, but it is probably going back to LGW which is a shame.

    • Paula says:
      22 Mar22 March 21:09

      Hope not booked on it for late June from Heathrow, picked it as it survived last summer for the few months we could fly and when Greece was doing ok.

  • TM says:
    22 Mar22 March 08:50

    Good Morning.

    Finally managed to active Barclays Avios Rewards on Saturday.
    Account is now linked to BAEC & showing Avios balance in the Barclays app.

    Am I now safe to initiate the switch for 25,000 Avios?
    I have read the very clear article by Rob regarding the steps to be taken, but wanted to double check as I have had no email confirmation suggesting Barclays avios rewards is now active.

    Thanks in advance

    • Craig says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:12

      Having moved from HSBC I’m genuinely disappointed in the Barclays app and website. I’ve turned on Avios rewards and linked accounts but the app still tells me that I need to link, I then looked for it on the website but can’t find it. I did find something called Premier Rewards but the takes you to an error page. Both the website and the app design are amateurish at best.

      • TM says:
        22 Mar22 March 09:21

        I’m switching from a dormant account so less concerned about their technical performance/customer service and more interested to make sure I follow the correct steps to get the 25K bonus 🙂

        Premier rewards is different, that is their standard rewards scheme.

      • KBuffett says:
        22 Mar22 March 09:38

        My opinion is the HBSC app is far inferior.
        It’s slow, can’t pay in cheques using the app, can’t make international payments, can’t have ALL accounts in one login (business, personal, ISA etc and transfer between all of them).

        • Rob says:
          22 Mar22 March 09:41

          Eh? You can pay in cheques via the HSBC app. I have been doing it for a while.

        • DJ says:
          22 Mar22 March 09:46

          I don’t know which version you have.

          But I much prefer HSBC’s app on iOS, than my Barclays app. I can even see the pending incoming payment as well with HSBC.

          • KBuffett says:
            22 Mar22 March 10:49

            My error guys. It was so terrible previously they I stopped using it. At the time Barclays already had all these features and HSBC wouldn’t allow you to do anything! I will have to check out the new version

          • BuildBackBetter says:
            22 Mar22 March 14:42

            +1, hsbc app is quite good. NatWest doesn’t have cheque pay in feature.

  • Pete M says:
    22 Mar22 March 08:51

    Re: paying your CTax with an Amex at the Co-Op via PayPoint (if your council doesn’t take Amex directly or doesn’t offer payments via PayPal). Tried a few Co-Ops over the weekend and thought I’d share some tips: check whether your local Co-Op does PayPoint on the PayPoint website – it appears very accurate, at least in my area. You obviously need to go to a till, ideally one that is staffed by someone with a headset (appears to be a manager or a member of staff who knows what they are doing). Ask to pay a reasonable amount (I went for £400-600), but tell them it needs to be split into chunks of £200 for PayPoint (in 4/5 cases they already knew that). They can then separate the PayPoint transaction into £200 chunks, but can group them on their till to only charge your card once and majorly speed up the process. This last bit seems to require some level of skill, hence looking for a person with a headset! Then pop your card in and presto!

    • Secret Squirrel says:
      22 Mar22 March 08:54

      It doesn’t require staff wearing a headset, just staff who have been trained properly in all functions of the till. I have had to direct staff (not wearing a headset)how to do this process on many occasions

      • Pete M says:
        22 Mar22 March 08:59

        Hence “ideally one that is staffed by someone with a headset” – so you don’t have to faff around teaching them how to do their job 🙂

        • Secret Squirrel says:
          22 Mar22 March 09:09

          Supervisors in my stores don’t wear any headsets. 😊

        • Ikaz says:
          22 Mar22 March 09:09

          I didn’t manage to get them to sub-total last time I went to a coop, so had to pay 2x£200 and it went through fine

    • Jamie says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:46

      I can only imagine the joy those poor assistants felt of you telling them how to do their job.

    • John Gallagher says:
      22 Mar22 March 14:42

      I’m not sure ‘trying a few Co-Ops over the weekend’ is sensible at the moment 👹

  • @mkcol says:
    22 Mar22 March 08:59

    Friend has easyJet flights to Cyprus on 30 May.
    They’re too young & not at risk to be vaccinated, so won’t be allowed in.

    Any ideas what their options are to avoid losing their money?
    If it makes any difference, this booking was pushed back from June last year.

    • HBommie says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:14

      No idea on Cyprus accepting non vaxxed, but my experience of rebooking with Easyjet has been positive and also refunding has worked well when flights are cancelled. I’m sure others haven’t had such a positive result.
      https://www.easyjet.com/en/pledge

    • Travel Strong says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:44

      Wait until 15th May in case flight is cancelled. If cancelled you can get cash refund OR move out in to the future at no extra cost – even to peak dates. If not cancelled then you still have plenty of option so long as you take action at least 14 days before the flight – just not a cash refund. See EasyJet site for your options.

    • Anna says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:44

      So is Cyprus saying only vaccinated people allowed in, i.e. no family holidays?

      • @mkcol says:
        22 Mar22 March 10:00

        Yes, announced a couple of weeks ago they’re accepting only vaccinated from 1st May.

        • ian_h says:
          22 Mar22 March 11:06

          That’s not strictly true, you can enter Cyprus without testing if you have had both jabs, if not you need to prove negative test result on departure taken in 72 hours before take off.

        • TGLoyalty says:
          22 Mar22 March 11:07

          You been had by sensationalist headlines.

          They will adopt a traffic light system on what tests / quarantine will be required from different groups of travellers.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      22 Mar22 March 11:06

      Who said they won’t be allowed in?

      It will depend on the origin and Pre departure tests May be required if you haven’t had a vaccine.

      • Travel Strong says:
        22 Mar22 March 11:45

        Another good reason to delay the decision as long as possible, base choice on the info available on 15th May.

  • Andrew says:
    22 Mar22 March 09:14

    And the Avios to Nectar transfer tool
    STILL isn’t fixed!

    • Rob says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:44

      Retrofitting 2FA is really hard. Doing it during the initial development would have been a doddly by comparison.

      • Andrew says:
        22 Mar22 March 09:53

        Sure are taking their time though.

        • Rob says:
          22 Mar22 March 12:07

          The problem, I think, is that 2 parties are involved. Standard 2FA is probably a fairly simple plug and play solution. However, you have four options here:

          *use BA site to transfer in to BA
          *use BA site to transfer out of BA
          *use Nectar site to transfer in to BA
          *use Nectar site to transfer out of BA

          You then have the issue of who issues and authorises the 2FA request. Should is always be BA or Nectar? Should it vary depending on the direction of transfer or the website being used?

      • will says:
        22 Mar22 March 10:22

        If only it could have been foreseen that using a transfer tool without any checks at all could been open to fraud 🙂

        • Rob says:
          22 Mar22 March 12:03

          Amex transfers to Nectar also used to have zero checks – it may still be the case. Radisson was the same.

      • memesweeper says:
        22 Mar22 March 12:29

        Agreed — retrofitting is hard. Doing it with ‘guest’ accounts is *really* hard, even Microsoft can’t get that to work well. However, waiting until now to get 2FA working is unforgivably slack, it’s been best practice for all online accounts of value for years now.

  • NC says:
    22 Mar22 March 09:14

    Trying to convert Avios to Nectar online via the BA website and it prompts me to log in – but when I log in I get an error message. Is anyone else having this? Thanks

    • Andrew says:
      22 Mar22 March 09:36

      Yes, been the case for over a month now, you have to call up to make the transfer

      • NC says:
        22 Mar22 March 09:40

        Before it used to let me log in but then it gave me a message telling me to call in, with the telephone details. Now I get a “Problem with your request” error…

        • Andrew says:
          22 Mar22 March 09:54

          On the Nectar app I’m just getting the usual call in message when I try and change the transfer direction.

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

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