The HfP chat thread – Friday 2nd April

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

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

@mkcol says:

2 Apr2 April 02:37

Morning!
- Tarmohamed says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 04:04
  
  Good night.
  - Dubious says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 05:02
    
    Afternoon to both of you!
John says:

2 Apr2 April 05:39

I’m (trying to) sell my rental property in Croydon council – does anyone know if they will refund council tax to my current account if I pay the entire year upfront with hilton on their website?
- Yuff says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 06:59
  
  Why would you risk an argument claiming 100s potentially thousands of pounds in council tax for 5k points.
  They should pay it back but ime councils can, at times, provide poor customer service.
  - John says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 07:39
    
    What argument, the worst that would happen is they refund it to the card.
    - Worzel says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 08:38
      
      John, it seems as though you’re doing OK having a rental property.
      Though, some people would skin a turd for Farthing!
      - The Savage Squirrel says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 09:04
        
        HfP continues to expand my vocabulary of useful phrases 😀
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 07:02
  
  Depends on your council payment system. They might insist on refunding to most recent payment method.
  - Oh! Matron! says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 09:38
    
    Wandsworth and Richmond use Crapita, so don’t expect anything in the way of customer “service” in Croydon do too.
- Number9 says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:00
  
  I’m waiting on a refund for something and was told by law they had to refund to issuing card. Mine is made more difficult as card long cancelled and the rebate is to a deceased person.
  - Chris Heyes says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 09:16
    
    Number9 It’s not Law that it has to be refunded to the issuing Card
    I Used to use that trick all the time at various shops
    buy something take it back sorry, haven’t got that card on me but this is my card look my names on it
    Wouldn’t work all shops, but some big retailers would no questions asked
    - KBuffett says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 14:44
      
      All merchant agreements state that refunds MUST only be issued to the card from which the charge was taken.
      I think part of the reason is to do with money laundering.
      - A says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 15:40
        
        Sure. But that’s not “the law”, that’s just a contractual obligation (albeit not a contractual obligation I’d be keen to breach if I were a retailer as pissing off merchant acquirers is a BAD idea)
Maciek says:

2 Apr2 April 06:03

Qured customer service is non-existent – they don’t respond to emails and there is no phone number to call. Still waiting for the LFD test ordered on Saturday 🤦‍♂️
Before you order check their Trustpilot reviews and the twitter feed that is full of people complaining about lack of support, missing flights because the certificates are lacking essential information, day 2 tests not arriving until day 6 and so on.
I had a pretty good experience with DNA Workplace though.
- roberto says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 07:24
  
  I ordered my day 2 and day 8 tests from Latus Health @£175 for my recent 3 day trip and the arrived 5 days late and a day after I left the UK. I emailed asking if I could (a) have a refund or (b) use them the next time I visit in May but have not had a reply. it appears to be lawless out there in the covid testing world.
- Bs says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:11
  
  Had a similar experience. Did a chargeback on my credit card, which was successful. You are not just paying for a test, you are paying for the timing of the test too.
  - Chrisasaurus says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 09:25
    
    If ever there was a example of correct use of ‘time is of the essence’ in contract terms I’d argue this is it
    - Number9 says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 09:42
      
      Thanks Chris I didn’t think it was, to be honest I’ve gone with I’m a grieving daughter trying to sort her Mother’s estate out and I don’t want to be dealing with closed accounts. Which is the truth of the matter it’s £1100. The tax man had no problem sending Mums rebate cheque to me in my name as executor of her will so I don’t see why they can’t.
      - Chris Heyes says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 12:42
        
        Number9 Sorry it hear about your loss, Difficult time,
        But I’d send them a polite letter/ or phone asking them to refund it to you as your having to deal with it. At this destressing time, You have been told that it can and should be easy to just refund onto another card
      - Doug M says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 13:49
        
        I did my mum’s estate, and found the smaller the amount the pettier the jobsworth I ended up dealing with. Barclays were excellent. Some ancient penny insurances worth a couple of hundred each were very difficult to resolve.
      - Lady London says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 20:20
        
        if you have Probate surely no problem? ask to be put through to their Legal Dept. I think I’d get to the point where I’d produced everything required to prove I am entitled to do this then send them a Letter Before Action (signed-for) giving them 14 days for the monies owed to reach the executor’s account.
        
        Do they seriously think we have to keep our bank and card accounts open in heaven or that the providers of those accounts would even let us?
        
        I am wondering if opening a separate Executor”s bank account at your regular bank would would also avoid anything frozen.
Scallder says:

2 Apr2 April 06:23

Looks like we were slightly lucky yesterday as we had the BA Feastbox and didn’t incur any problems. Went for the £80 pasta and salmon option and have to say was pleasantly surprised. Food was all very good and the sparkling wine was excellent. Given we’re getting four free meals next week (2 people x 2 nights) as well, with the wine I thought it was excellent value.

Will also be able to use the 10% voucher for some long haul flights next Easter so all in all very happy with doing that so thanks for the heads up Rhys.

Although as mentioned it looks like we got slightly lucky to not have any problems…
- AJA says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 09:31
  
  Glad your meal kit turned up undamaged and that you enjoyed it. I have to say I find £80 expensive for pasta and salmon for 2 people even if it is offset by the free sparkling wine and the 10% BA flight discount.
  
  By the way 1Aturnleft posted the full T&Cs for the 10% discount over on FT
  
  https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33140033-post100.html
  
  You can only book flights directly with BA on BA metal, BA Holidays bookings are not valid and the 10% discount “is only valid for new flight bookings made between 00:00 GMT 01 April 2021 and 23:59 GMT 21 May 2021 and for travel between 17 May 2021 and 21 May 2022 inclusive (“the Promotional Period”). The Promotion is limited and subject to availability.”
  
  So make sure you book those flights for next Easter by 21 May!
  
  I’m not sure how you book flights returning on 21 May 2022 by 21 May 2021 but as you’re intending to go away at Easter 2022 that shouldn’t be a problem for you.
  - meta says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 12:22
    
    There’s more to T&C. Minimum spend on flights is £2000.
    - kevbar says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 16:18
      
      Minimum spend on flights is £200
  - Harry T says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 13:25
    
    I’m glad I didn’t fall for the 10% off code trap. Also you can buy a lot of nice food at Waitrose for £80 or just order a shit ton of Pizza Hut.
    - Rob says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 14:08
      
      You get a 2nd free Feast Box as well in 2 weeks, remember.
    - Phil says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 15:36
      
      Umm a shit ton of pizza hut sounds delicious 😀
  - Scallder says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 22:20
    
    Indeed made sure to go straight to the T&Cs when it came yesterday but knew Easter dates were fine before purchasing.
    
    Wouldn’t have done it without the wine but with that and the 2 meals next week (and cancelled straight after that – following 2 boxes are already paused so not paying), thought it was decent.
Vit says:

2 Apr2 April 06:42

Hello, quick question please. I need to order wallpaper from JL online. Can I use giftcard purchased in store such as Morrisons to make payment online? I used e-giftcard before and it was fine. TIA.
- Kurt Kraut says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 06:56
  
  Good morning. Is it only me or are replacement Hilton honours Barclaycards no longer issued even for existing customers? Mine expires this month. Thanks.
  - mark2 says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 07:25
    
    Some time ago my wife received replacements which cannot be used until May!
  - Stuart says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 07:28
    
    I got a replacement card in Jan
  - Swiss Jim says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 07:31
    
    I’d hope (and expect) not.! A major earner for me…. Have you not simply asked why it’s not arrived?
  - Anna says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 09:30
    
    I got a replacement in Feb, really close to the expiry date. It’s actually only the expiry date and CVV which have changed, the card number is identical.
  - Ambient says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 09:50
    
    Received my new one during early March which commenced validity yesterday.
  - Crafty says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 23:14
    
    Mine expired in February and they left it until final fortnight to replace.
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 06:59
  
  @Vit, Yes you can.
- Claire says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 07:49
  
  I have used John Lewis gift cards online and online at Waitrose before 🙂
- Zoe says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:01
  
  You should be able to. Worst case you’ll have to call and they will take the order over the phone.
- Stu N says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:11
  
  Yes, no problem. You’ll need the card number and PIN behind the scratch-off panel. No probs using multiple cards either.
- Steve says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:44
  
  Also no problem using partial cards either, in case your gift card value is greater than the purchase price, the balance stays on the gift card.
- KP says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:51
  
  Yes you can
- BJ says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 09:16
  
  Yes Vit, works fine. Does this mean you got your second place? Congrats if so.
  - Vit says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 09:39
    
    Thanks everyone!
    
    @BJ, Haha! Unfortunately not! We were out-bided last minute at one of the properties we offered in — but still actively looking and bidding now. This wallpaper is for our current kitchen. It has been a long-going DIY project! 😀
Chrism20 says:

2 Apr2 April 07:35

Shaping up to be a Good Friday so far.

500 bonus Nectar points have appeared in my account overnight and I have absolutely no idea what they are for.

Decided to complete a few online surveys over my morning coffee and I’m being sent a product sample of six miniatures of gin and a dozen bottles of tonic.

Have a good Easter everyone
- AJA says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 09:36
  
  Nice one. No such luck for me. Enjoy the gin! I wondered whether to sign up to the survey thing. Already do erewards topping up Avios nicely, not sure if it’s the same company ?
  - Chrism20 says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 11:22
    
    This one is panelbase which pays cash or gift cards rather than points/miles
Tw33ty says:

2 Apr2 April 08:03

Just checking through IHG app for points night’s in Aug Sept and Oct.
Some very high prices, Kimpton, IC and indigo some night 100k points!
CP City £189 or 89k points., even CP embankment @ 79k or £100-£200 a night.
Seen indigo Paddington at 69k and HI regent @ 60k.
- James. says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:49
  
  What’s going on with IHG??? Their points have sky rocketed for reward nights. 17,500 I paid for a room in December. Checked again today and it’s 36,500.
- Andrew says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:52
  
  The points have shot up for London over night! I’ve been making a few speculative London bookings for May and June over the last week or so, and many are now twice as many points. Cash prices haven’t gone up though, slightly down if anything.
  - James. says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 08:54
    
    Looks to me a devaluation of points or a push for cash? I would not pay 36,500 for the HI Brighton when the room itself is only £100
    - Chrisasaurus says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 09:26
      
      Well, those 100% bonuses have to be accounted for somehow…
    - Anna says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 09:33
      
      Flipping heck, I’ve only paid 40k per night for the IC O2 at Xmas! Sounds like I’ve locked in a few good deals in the past couple of months.
      - James. says:
        
        2 Apr2 April 09:40
        
        I paid 37,000 Oct last year so. Not sure why I would spend the same on a HI??
- Kai says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 08:56
  
  Wow, I hope it’s just a glitch as hotels in other countries appear to be pricing reasonably still.
- Andrew says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 10:00
  
  Probably just a glitch as they have all shot up over night. By tomorrow they’ll probably be back to lower than they were before! Something odd going on anyway – you can’t charge 38,000 points for a £89 room.
  - DJ says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 10:22
    
    I really hope so. We are looking at 50% price increase when paying by points. E.g. £80 or 30,000 points, assuming we value the points at 0.4P per point.
    
    If the change was intended, then I don’t see any reason to collect the points anymore, or stay with IHG in general ..
    - Tw33ty says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 10:29
      
      I’m hoping it’s a short term thing, to get people to use cash rather than points for cash flow reasons. with so many people not burning points but probably building up a lot on cc spend, there may be a glut off points that ihg don’t want spent all at once.
      
      If this is the high points prices going forward, then it’s a huge devaluation and will shift my 80-90 ihg nights a year elsewhere.
  - Memesweeper says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 14:33
    
    I don’t think it’s a glitch. It’s dynamic pricing. A place I’ve booked in Portugal has tripled in price.
    - DJ says:
      
      2 Apr2 April 15:27
      
      We had this dynamic pricing kicked in for a few months now, but at least the cash price and points stats are relatively close.
      
      But right now what we are seeing is that points stays are like 50% more expensive in some cases, so this is an unannounced devaluation on points. And I feel bad for people who bought points from IHG with cash.
      
      In the meantime, I’m shifting spending on the Marriott cards instead. The IHG points I got will be spent on AMB annual renewal instead.
- Mark Peterborough says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 11:36
  
  Wow, I’ve just had a look!
Craig says:

2 Apr2 April 08:15

Anyone with Orbit energy have a referral code?
- Eberg says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 09:51
  
  Hi Craig,
  
  Please use my referral link below.
  
  https://orbitenergy.mention-me.com/m/ol/oo9nn-emil-berg
  
  Thanks.
- Catman99 says:
  
  2 Apr2 April 10:52
  
  I wouldn’t use the Orbit referral code. It takes you to a ‘special’ price 12 month fixed rate deal which is a lot more expensive
  - Craig says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 11:34
    
    Thanks, I’ll double check.
  - Craig says:
    
    2 Apr2 April 19:19
    
    Thanks for the warning, that’s a nasty trick on their part!