The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 23rd March

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• Aston100 says:

  23 Mar23 March 14:44

  Wanting to understand where my Avios + MR collection sits amongst that collected by people who are actively going out of their way to find opportunities.
  I don’t MS with Amex (is that even possible?) and because I got my first Amex at start of March 2019, I didn’t benefit from the 6 monthly bonus churning. So my collection is mostly genuine spend, with a small number of cross referrals with my wife and 3 or 4 total referrals to friends.
  Reading some of the stories this week, I suspect I’m far behind others.

  I’ve collected 337k avios and MR in 2 years and 3 weeks – about 170k pa?
  This includes some Tesco clubcard transfers.
  So wondering how that compares against those on here who are heavy weight champions.
  Can anyone kindly advise how much Avios + MR they’ve collected in the last 2 years please, and how hard they were trying?

  Thanks.

  • Genghis says:

    23 Mar23 March 14:52

    What matters is whether you’re achieving what you want to achieve. I think it’s futile comparing yourself to others when they don’t have your specific level of spend, type of spend, risk appetite in some cases etc. It’s your own race, run it.

    • Aston100 says:

      23 Mar23 March 16:19

      I don’t have an objective, but I suspect people like you do. Hence wanting to compare where my (mostly genuine) accumulation sits compared to people who are going out of their way to collect miles & points in the same period of time.
      So no, it isn’t futile. There is a genuine comparison being sought here.

      • Genghis says:

        23 Mar23 March 16:38

        Ok. Back of a fag packet, my “wheeler dealering” has earned me about £10k across points of various kinds and cash.

        • Aston100 says:

          23 Mar23 March 16:51

          Thanks Genghis. Wasn’t really a monetary value I was seeking, but I can do some quick maths and get the comparison I was looking for from that. Thanks.

        • Genghis says:

          23 Mar23 March 17:02

          Surely cash is best as it’s a common language? 1 MR isn’t equal one Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Tesco, HSBC, avios etc.

  • KK says:

    23 Mar23 March 15:19

    Started January 2020 (great time to start!) and have got 60000 virgin, 110000 Avios and 40000 MR so far plus about 20000 nectar when the credit card bonus arrives. Happy with that so far but will slow down now the sign up bonuses are all gone. Have a Amex gold, BAPP and a Nectar CC and have just ended the Virgin card before the annual fee. About a grand short of the BA companion voucher but hoping for something next year so no rush yet. I sometimes think of the missed points spent over the years on debit and Jon rewards CC!!! Must be hundreds of 1000’s!!!!

    • Anna says:

      23 Mar23 March 15:51

      Regrets are pointless, just congratulate yourself on getting something positive out of the last year!

  • Chris Heyes says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:07

    Aston100 I agree with Genghis What difference does it make what other people do
    Ok if your looking for help advice on boosting
    To many people on here ask dumb questions
    What other people think or what might happen “IF” is like the length of string or what day will the sun shine all day in 2022
    Do your own thing, get advice if you need it
    but for goodness sake ?
    I wont hit my target for my latest BA 241 until 1st OCT on purpose, so will spend on Partners Gold instead because i want to be able to use the 241 in Sept
    But you might want to use yours in School Hols so Aug might suit you
    Everyone has different reasons/ objectives for doing whatever they do

    • Aston100 says:

      23 Mar23 March 16:17

      Bloody hell, was just looking to see what kind of haul the actual players on here have accumulated.
      Sorry I rattled your cage. Jeez.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        23 Mar23 March 16:22

        I don’t think it’s about a rattled cage.

        What would you do differently if you found out someone else earned 1m?

        Do you suddenly have more people to refer or more money to spend every year?

        Without knowing anyone else circumstances you can’t make any comparisons.

        • Aston100 says:

          23 Mar23 March 16:49

          TGLoyalty, what would I do differently? – well nothing.
          I’m not asking for techniques. It’s a comparison so I can see where my (mostly genuinely accumulated) haul sits in relation to that acquired by people who are actively gaming, MSing, or otherwise using every opportunity to maximise miles & points earning.

          I can absolutely make my own private comparisons for my own knowledge. Individual circumstances are irrelevant for what I am trying to gauge here. i.e. what kind of avios + MR totals people are able to achieve when they try very hard.

        • meta says:

          23 Mar23 March 16:59

          I agree it’s not about how many Avios and MR points you collect, it’s about what kind of experience you want from it. The goals shouldn’t be how much points you can collect in a certain period, but how quickly you can achieve your desired redemption with minimum spend. For those of us who depend on our employer, you also have to take into the consideration not just how quickly, but whether you can realistically go. Finally, whether there is availability. Sometimes monitoring it for 2-3 weeks or more to get a sense of when seats are released.

          I first chose where I want to go. That’s number one thing. Then I decide on how I can make it as great as possible. For example, I decided to go to Seychelles and then I tied it to flying in Etihad F apartment on the way back. It took me about a year of planning that and collecting points for all aspects of the trip.

      • The uncivil servant says:

        23 Mar23 March 17:13

        Its not really a fair comparison as other posters have mentioned an Avios doesn’t equal an Hilton point or Virgin point or MR etc. Be happy with what you have. Needless to say mines bigger than yours though!!

        • Tracey says:

          23 Mar23 March 18:55

          Replying to Meta: “I first chose where I want to go.” I no longer do that. To snag reward seats that are in high demand, flexibility is key. So a cancelled Seychelles holiday became a Maldives trip, a Canada road tour started in Boston, a South American trip had the route map reversed etc

        • meta says:

          23 Mar23 March 20:02

          @ Tracey I got one-way to Seychelles on a Lloyds voucher calling in the morning. However, I can travel whenever I want and with short notice.

          Another thing people tend to forget is to diversify their points. My partner and I hold reasonable balances (100k+) with 4 different airline schemes most of the time which enable us to mix and match however we want. We love to do open jaw 241s on Avios and then mix it with another airline. I know it’s easy to get Avios/Virgin miles m, but all the fun is once you crack how to get other points.

      • James says:

        24 Mar24 March 01:06

        Sounds like you’re the one with the rattled cage, Aston.
        And not for the first time.

  • Dan says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:40

    Would Card Fees not need to be factored in as well to make a comparison? I mean, you could earn loads of points but if you paid extortionate card fees to get them then it might not be good value. So some other metric will be needed to make any comparison more…comparable

    • The cyclist says:

      23 Mar23 March 19:02

      Aston, its an ok number of Avios, don’t beat yourself up about it, take it easy, crack open a beer , get a girlfriend/boyfriend, roll a joint and chill.

  • Travel Strong says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:41

    I can see the interest. Perhaps it is comforting to know you are not missing some tricks etc!

    FYI I think 170k pa is pretty much where I must be for MR+Avios. Mine will consist of a few amex referrals and retention bonuses (plat) and a splattering of 1k bump ups from Nectar, TeeCeeBee, and Natwest reward transfers. Naf all from spending (20k pa), no real work expenses or flights to drive that way, and Zero from flying! (Almost always redemptions, no BA flying for work, etc).

    Virgin is of course:
    [Monthly credit limit] x 0.75 or 1.5 (for free card or paid for card x 12 times per year!

    • Aston100 says:

      23 Mar23 March 16:43

      Thanks for the feedback Travel Strong

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    23 Mar23 March 17:53

    It’s all pretty meaningless comparing. Anyone with a business will have far greater genuine spend. At the extreme end, some businesses rely entirely on internet adverts for leads and their advertising spends through google and facebook are astonishing. If you pay that with an Amex then nobody “normal” is getting close to that.

  • DT says:

    23 Mar23 March 17:58

    I guess I’ll bite, if talking strictly Avios + MR, have earned 810k in the last two years between me and my wife. Havent tried particularly hard, not doing any Amex MS. Only mildly dodgy thing I did with the Amex was an accidental £50 paypal transfer into the work Fantasy League pot with Amex selected as the paying card.

    Hotel points on the other hand is a whole different ball game.

    • roberto says:

      23 Mar23 March 18:12

      I have “earnt” about 800k miles/points since the pandemic kicked in. Most of that has be refunds after avios flights were cancelled.

      Have about 500k out in reward bookings and about a million Hilton points committed currently. Booked to go to The Maldives next month, vegas twice (Aug and dec) , Barbados twice ( June and Jan) & Nashville (sep) in the next while but old enough to realise that it all might go to sh1t.

      I did win a million avios a while back of course but thats old news and spent that already. The game is different what with the amex rules changing two years ago, money is harder to come by and I like many am a little more cautious post covid.

  • Guernsey Globetrotter says:

    23 Mar23 March 18:15

    Hi Aston
    Primarily, I agree with all the comments that it’s a personal game. What is important is that you achieve your aims and hopefully enjoy some aspirational travel experiences, which would certainly count as success in my book! All seems a bit moot at the moment but we live in hope…
    In the interest of directly answering your original question, I reckon you’re doing OK earning 170k Amex MRs / Avios per annum. If you can couple that with a 2-4-1 then that’s a business class return long haul pretty much anywhere for a couple which isn’t bad.
    Having absolutely hammered all possible Amex referral bonuses between me & Mrs Trotter, I reckon to have accumulated about 375k of points in the last 12 months but that’s not sustainable unless I start referring other people now. Am considering using the Amex business payments service to earn c. 500k in points annually going forward but there is a cost associated with that (1-1.5% before tax benefits are taken into account) and I appreciate that only applies to people with a business or other activity which generates regular large payments to be made.
    With apologies to all the code word haters, I also dabble in the ‘Revolutionary’ process and that is generating about 250k Beardy per annum and about the same amount split between the Creationist hotel groups… Have to have something to keep us all busy during these lockdowns 🙂

    • Russ says:

      23 Mar23 March 18:29

      Oh wow, I’m really surprised one could make 250k points from the double entendre game. Fair play.

    • Aston100 says:

      23 Mar23 March 20:50

      Thanks for the feedback from those who replied with figures.
      It was very helpful.

  • Russ says:

    23 Mar23 March 18:24

    Actually I think it’s interesting to know how your performing or how else do you know if you’re doing ok at this game? We used to have a chap here called Shoestring whom I haven’t seen around for a whilst and he was very talented in finding deals. You never know though if all the ducking and diving is worth your time unless you ask what others are doing.

    Anyway, I have no idea how many points I earned over the last two years as wife bungs them all over to Hilton and Marriott before they’re even dried. We usually pay cash for all my flights so that helps and especially as I buy with Amex Gold card (2 points on travel). If the hotel is a bargain I’ll pay cash, if not points. We get involved with the obvious stuff like the Iberia 80,000 promotion and the Economist offer. No interest in anything more taxing though such as ink cartridges and Lego which went right over my head. Each to their own with point collecting and I doubt anyone catches all the pesky critters 😉

    • The uncivil servant says:

      23 Mar23 March 18:48

      He is still here under a different name

      • Harry T says:

        23 Mar23 March 19:02

        Which name?

    • mr_jetlag says:

      23 Mar23 March 18:49

      Funny thread this. I’m with Genghis, £ is the only meaningful comparison and I’ve got £2.5k in MRs / premier points and the same again in Avios / Virgin points with another £4k worth of Avios floating in various speculative bookings (if you’d told me in 2020 I’d still be locked down I would have been livid…)

  • Chris Heyes says:

    23 Mar23 March 19:09

    Aston100 Rough brake down Myself, Partner, her Brother (travel together)
    Me platinum referred Partner Platinum, Partner referred her brother Platinum,
    her Brother referred 3 Children, Partner referred 2 children myself referred 3 children (only 2 got it) none of our referral’s got Platinum (some got Gold & a couple got BA Premium)
    Then it was getting rid of platinum and hitting target as soon as we could
    All 3 of us concentrated on two platinum’s (with help from Children’s spend)
    Both Platinum’s hit target spend just short of one month (a record ?)
    cancelled both, then we all concentrated spend on last platinum 7 weeks we had hit target cancelled
    Sounds harder than it was Son bought a new build house, so that made it very easy
    we all had supl for each other
    When we cancelled i was referred for BA premium told them, my partner wanted to down-grade to Gold (for some unknown reason got Gold target with it)
    either very lucky
    another story with Tesco club Card one of my Daughters partners filled his works vans up using my ClubCard & Amex (Supl) until last year hit Tesco’s points limit every year easily
    I’ve always had enough Avios (before that Airmiles if you can remember that far back) that I’ve never paid for a flight (except the large taxes surcharges Gr)
    Used to be free with Air Miles)
    I have 480k Hilton, 100k MR, 250K Avios left (long haul flight booked Denver back from Phoenix Aug (Business Club Suite i hope)
    Hope that helps
    Its a game for me, Partner doesn’t give a dam same her brother
    my aim has always been to “never” pay for a flight,
    I always use Amex see if what i want can be done through BA Shopping site
    Anywhere they say sorry we don’t take Amex i walk out
    only ever travelled Economy once won’t do it again !
    Plus never travelled on any other airline only BA (and BAOC I think what it used to be called) from UK, used various airlines to connect outside of UK AA, Condor, Great Lakes Airlines ect
    My retirement income is 20k a year only, not a patch on most if not all on here, but more than enough for me i would say that 16k of that goes through Amex
    I pay Amex off every time it goes from pending so nothing to pay end of month
    So i would say tried very hard but found it easy just focus needed

  • Jimc says:

    23 Mar23 March 21:06

    Hi Ashton100

    I tend to net about 1 million Avios/Kris flyer points per year. With not 1 penny of MS.

    Until Curve limits changed recently I would also pay HMRC a fair chunk each year with Tesco debit card and gain about £1500 of hotels.com spend too.

  • GaryC says:

    23 Mar23 March 21:13

    What I weird thread. The OP asked an innocuous question, something that had appeared to simply piqued his or her interest, and is immediately beset by a number of people wanting to get all “meta”, borderline outraged even, and going to enormous lengths to question the motivation for such a post 🙂 To those individuals I’d suggest going and knocking yourselves out reading and re-reading Rule #4 from Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules of Life 🙂

    To answer the OP’s question, I don’t think I count as a heavy-weight champion here compared to many. A couple of years ago I was earning some way north of 500k avios per annum, plus about 100k each VS, Hilton and IHG points. That was mainly through genuine travel, typically 5 work TATL’s + lots of leisure travel, decent level of spend through Amex and other cards, and maximising Tesco clubcard opportunities. I value my time and enjoy flying, so would happily spend it in the air on odd routings to maximise tier points and avios, and I’ll use Amex offers that happen to come my way. But I don’t have massive tolerance for grinding out points, so I don’t manufacture spend, and I’m not going to take special trips to Morrisons to get 12 VS points per £ on giftcards.

    The last 12 months the travel opportunities have obviously dried up (I’ve done 10 short-haul flights I think), so fewer opportunities for direct collection, and my travel and leisure spend is a fraction of what it was overall. I might have earned 100k avios total, but I’d be surprised if it’s much more. I’ve also been more actively looking at other options rather than simply amassing more miles I can’t spend, so used about £800 of clubcard vouchers in the Denby sale, cancelled my Virgin credit card, converted my 200k points to a mix of wine and Hilton points, and spent about 500k avios on champagne (yes bad value I know!). Overall I’m trying much less hard to collect, and going forward I doubt it will increase much – the ever increasing taxes and charges element to avios bookings compared to cheap cash fares provides further disincentive.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      23 Mar23 March 21:49

      You won’t take a trip to M’s to save 10% and earn 8 VS miles/£!

      Crazy talk. You’ll never earn 18% interest on your cash in the bank.

  • VJ says:

    23 Mar23 March 21:46

    I collected just over 20k with IHG black (while paying every possible bill through it) a couple of hundred Avios and about 1500 MR points…. beat me.

  • Peter K says:

    23 Mar23 March 21:46

    Simple answer for me: I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever cared enough to work out what I’ve earned over any meaningful period. I enjoy watching the amounts grow and then enjoy spending them, but never really thought about how many I earn.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      23 Mar23 March 21:54

      I’m pretty much like this no what I’ve earned or spent but can see how much I had in March 20 and what I have now looks like

      net after redemptions I’m
      +225k MR
      +200k virgin
      -25k Avios
      -200k Bonvoy (looks like I’d be +300k if I cancelled my current reservations)
      +250k Hilton
      +100k IHG
      +100k Lufty

      Loads of ca$h back, Amex offers and a few Nectar / clubcard etc

  • Paul says:

    23 Mar23 March 22:32

    In last 12 months i have achieved:

    1 million amex
    8 million hsbc
    1.5 million lufthansa
    2 million virgin
    2 million ihg
    1 million hilton

    All in all worth around 100k gbp. Almost all MS.

    • Paul says:

      23 Mar23 March 22:33

      Forgot.. about 500k marriott

    • The Urbanite says:

      23 Mar23 March 23:03

      If you aren’t being tongue-in-cheek Paul that’s quite the haul. Must be turning over 8 figures a year!

• Tical says:

  23 Mar23 March 14:49

  Would anyone refer me for ovo energy please?

  • Dave says:

    23 Mar23 March 15:55

    Here you go:
    https://ovoenergy.mention-me.com/m/ol/sv4gu-david-harper-68

  • mark2 says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:02

    I just looked at the price for their electric car scheme and was amazed at how high they were. Are their normal prices reasonable?

    • Tracey says:

      23 Mar23 March 17:49

      Twice MSE energy club has calculated they are my cheapest supplier. They also pay interest on positive balances up to £1000. Interest is 3-5% depending on how long you have been with them.

      • mark2 says:

        23 Mar23 March 19:01

        Did you check the price per KWh?

• Andy says:

  23 Mar23 March 16:15

  Virgin Atlantic companion / upgrade voucher question – where can I see it on my Flying Club account? My activity shows “you have qualified for a credit card reward voucher” earned on March 1st, but can’t see it anywhere on my account

  • Jonathan says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:30

    That’s it. There’s no voucher as such. You have to call to use it unlike BA. The phone agents will be able to see it in your account.

  • Alex D says:

    23 Mar23 March 18:23

    yeah that’s all you get, it isn’t great. I would say Whatsapp or call them to find the expiry date as i thought i could go off the statement date but it wasn’t correct.

    • Grant says:

      23 Mar23 March 19:32

      I find it frustrating that awardwallet can’t pick it up in the same way it does with other vouchers – very easy to keep track of expiry dates on BA 2-4-1 and and IHG certificates that way.

• r* says:

  23 Mar23 March 16:29

  Which are the best Hiltons in Dubai? Is it generally better to stay near the Conrad area or near the palm if doing tourist stuff?

  • Andrew says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:39

    The palm is so sprawling that the hotels leave you far from most things – if you’re wanting to be near ‘tourist stuff’, but can be more tranquil there.

  • Rob says:

    23 Mar23 March 16:54

    Depends what you want. Beach or not? If no beach, Conrad or proably Waldorf DIFC are best. If beach, it’s really the Waldorf Palm and you just need to suck up the travel delay getting on and off the Palm each time.

    The new Hilton at the base of the Palm will open later this year and won’t have the travel issues. The DoubleTree etc near the marina are in an area I don’t know well but you don’t get a private beach as the Waldorf Palm offers.

    Ras is better value overall but if you’ve never been to Dubai and want to see the place it makes no sense.

    • Blenz101 says:

      23 Mar23 March 18:22

      There are also two connected Hilton’s in JBR which is a pretty touristy area with good tram/metro connections to the rest of Dubai. Walking distance to the Marina, Bluewaters and minutes away by taxi to the Palm.

      As a bonus Hilton JBR serves pork at breakfast so no chicken hot dog sausages.

      • Blenz101 says:

        23 Mar23 March 20:05

        JBR being Jumeirah Beach Residence. Hotel backs out onto said beach and has a sufficiently large roped off area with loungers just for hotel guests. Accessing the sea though and you will be crossing a public beach albeit nobody would be using it for anything other than walking in front of the hotel.

    • KBuffett says:

      23 Mar23 March 20:31

      Any thoughts on the W Palm?

      • Blenz101 says:

        23 Mar23 March 20:56

        Very nice hotel, I think it may now be slight older than the WA but feels much more moden as you would likely expect from the brand. It sits on the western crescent in pretty much an identical location to the WA on the eastern crescent.

        It is home to Akira Back which is a fantastic restaurant and the entrance lobby / valet area is one of the best in Dubai.

        Not been in the rooms but given the ocean is on both sides you will always enjoy either a pure ocean or palm/ocean + pool view. No reason to doubt the hotel website photos for interior specifications.

        What I would say is the WET deck (pool area) is popular with a younger crowd who you won’t find at the WA. Although currently not allowed pool parties and DJs are hosted here at the weekend and it can get crowded with residents. You would find brunch hosted at the hotel restaurants to attract a similar party crowd vs the WA.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          23 Mar23 March 21:09

          W palm is a brand new hotel opened end of 2019? The WA is much older.

• KS says:

  23 Mar23 March 16:52

  After showing up as not eligible for as long as I have checked, I am now pre-approved for VS rewards+ credit card. Weird!
  Before I apply for it I wanted to check what is the best course of action if I get offered a low credit limit. Do I go through it anyway and hope/apply for a limit increase later or should I stop and apply for the card again after some time?

  • Paul says:

    23 Mar23 March 18:16

    Preapproval seems to be a bit of an issue with limits, from a purely personal and acquaintances stance. Between us, have been preapproved 5 times, and each has resulted in limit of less than £1000, a couple of times less than £300, with everyone holding other cards of more than £20,000 limits. Perhaps that in itself was the issue. Thankfully each time the issuer has seen the difficulty and retrospectively scrapped the application, and credit search, so fair play to them. Maybe we were just unlucky, but seriously, a £280 credit limit on a card?

• Yuff says:

  23 Mar23 March 17:14

  Spain relaxing restrictions for British visitors

  • Anna says:

    23 Mar23 March 17:38

    Not much use if we’re not allowed to leave the UK!

    • Yuff says:

      23 Mar23 March 18:01

      Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I have been stuck in Mallorca since the beginning of January but my wife can now travel over to relieve me of childcare duties.
      She was coming anyway as my 90 day allowance was almost up.

      • Anna says:

        23 Mar23 March 18:36

        That makes sense now! Who’s still flying at the moment?

        • TGLoyalty says:

          23 Mar23 March 18:44

          Germans.

        • Yuff says:

          23 Mar23 March 18:54

          Iberia via Madrid, I think daily, the past couple of months, but first direct flight since I arrived back in January is this weekend, easyJet and Ryanair are flying.
          The chances of someone getting here via Madrid over the past few months would not have been high without a residence permit.

        • Harrier25 says:

          23 Mar23 March 19:53

          Germans carrying the South African variant! 😷

    • Pete M says:

      23 Mar23 March 19:05

      You can’t take these things too seriously Anna 🙂

• mutley says:

  23 Mar23 March 17:24

  I have Amex Plat and Mrs Mutley is a supplementary, She has Plat Biz and I am supplementary, can we amalgamate MR points into my Green IDC?

  • Grant says:

    23 Mar23 March 19:35

    AFAIK you can link your MR accounts for your Plat and Green but Mrs M must keep her own MR account separately.

    • Guernsey Globetrotter says:

      24 Mar24 March 00:19

      Actually think the IDC is a totally different platform (otherwise you’d not get the points multiplier at GBP-USD conversion rate on transfer) so no you can’t link your own accounts either.

      • Guernsey Globetrotter says:

        24 Mar24 March 00:55

        Sorry Mutley – bit late for my little brain here – if by amalgamate you mean transfer (not link) your Plat Bus to IDC then you are right, you can (and get the points uplifted by GBP to USD rate).

        Do think Grant is correct that your missus cannot transfer to an account in a different name though…

• BuildBackBetter says:

  23 Mar23 March 19:45

  Ooh, finally some Clubcard points offers! Double points, 25 points on some items and a free chocolate egg!

  • Harrier25 says:

    23 Mar23 March 19:56

    Tesco Clubcard is so yesterday. It’s all about Nectar on here these days!

    • BuildBackBetter says:

      23 Mar23 March 20:40

      Sainsbury’s marketing budget is close to zero, if you haven’t been keeping up with latest points offers.

      • Blenz101 says:

        23 Mar23 March 21:00

        If you have watched any commercial television you will know that their marketing budget is vast!

        Have you not had it drilled in that app users earn on average 3x more points?

      • Harrier25 says:

        23 Mar23 March 22:31

        Calm down Mr BBB. I was just being facetious. Sorry.

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