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The HfP chat thread – Saturday 17th April

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Comments (215)

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

  • SwissJim says:
    17 Apr17 April 06:28

    Morning all. Coming back to an earlier thread. My Bendy daily limit has suddenly dropped again to £2000. Was £9000, then £2000 for a few days, then back to £9000, now £2000 again. Anyone else seeing this? My card expires at the end of the month (new one received) just in case that’s a trigger. £2000 is a pain…

    • Mike says:
      17 Apr17 April 06:49

      Are you using it entirely for topping up p bonds ?

    • Mike says:
      17 Apr17 April 06:50

      Sorry too early- paying in to up accounts not just p bonds ie MS

      • SwissJim says:
        17 Apr17 April 07:17

        Let’s just say I’ve put through £50k so far this month – MS except for a £7.99 payment to Ocado. Maybe I need to put a few real £ through it. Problem is I already do that on another card we’re all familiar with on this site….

        Strangely I still have a £1.4m annual limit. Which is a little tricky to reach with a £2k daily one…

        • Missy says:
          17 Apr17 April 07:27

          Bravo!

        • Sandgrounder says:
          17 Apr17 April 07:38

          Is there an OH who can have a supp and bendy all of their own?

        • Jonathan says:
          17 Apr17 April 08:39

          One things for sure, I wouldn’t be complaining to Curve about it. With those numbers you’re firmly in the “taking the pi33” category so I wouldn’t want to invite any human scrutiny.

          • Swiss Jim says:
            17 Apr17 April 09:09

            Agreed – wasn’t planning to.! £2k a day better than nothing.!!

        • Secret Squirrel says:
          17 Apr17 April 08:43

          Some on on here got a warning yesterday off Bendy for putting through a lot less than you have stated, just be careful or you could lose it all.

          • Swiss Jim says:
            17 Apr17 April 09:14

            Thanks Secret Squirrel. My strategy was go for broke until got warned/banned. We may be nearing that day, though I might slow down (forced to at £2k). I will be way up compared to a more gentle approach.

            Though thinking about it there’s my partner’s card. Underying supplementary card in her name on one of my credit cards. And she still has £9k limit… 😱

        • Jamie says:
          17 Apr17 April 10:30

          Which card is the underlying?

      • Bob says:
        18 Apr18 April 07:54

        Any hints as to what accounts work for you? Ernie always declines for me.

    • Benilyn says:
      17 Apr17 April 07:49

      It’s driven by new card the move to default £2k. The yo-yo movement not sure about

      • Doug M says:
        17 Apr17 April 08:51

        Yes I got a new card when other reached expiry and daily limit went to £2K. I use it mostly for investments, proper transactions outnumber MS about 5:1, but in £ terms they’d be less than 5%.

    • Chris Heyes says:
      17 Apr17 April 11:33

      SwissJim Sorry no never seen your bendy account !

    • Lord Doncaster says:
      17 Apr17 April 14:23

      CIFAS Marker rapidly incoming for SwissJim

      • Charlieface says:
        18 Apr18 April 00:25

        CIFAS marker needs pretty solid evidence for fraud, otherwise serious compo is payable

  • Laura says:
    17 Apr17 April 07:27

    Morning all.

    I’ve discovered my grandad has had the Lloyd’s Avios MasterCard/Amex combi for years. God knows why, because I don’t think he’s been on a British Airways flight in his life. He even asked me “what’s avios?” when I tried to talk to him about it..
    (I suspect the bank midsold it to him, but that’s another moan for another day).

    Anyway, how would I help him to find out how many Avios he’s accumulated over the years? He definitely won’t have an Avios account already, so have they all been lost from previous years?

    Thanks

    • AndyGWP says:
      17 Apr17 April 07:45

      Think the first step would be to contact lloyds to see if they can identify the Avios account. Doubt they have just vanished into thin air tho.

      Please let us know how many he managed to accidentally accumulate when you fund out! 🙂

      • AndyGWP says:
        17 Apr17 April 07:51

        Try Avios chat as well (on the Avios website) to see if they can find his account… one of Robs recent articles on extending the Lloyds Credit card voucher explained how to get the chat to come up (think it’s just a case of changing your language / country to America on the website??)

    • BuildBackBetter says:
      17 Apr17 April 07:45

      Highly likely any avios earned would’ve expired?

      • AndyGWP says:
        17 Apr17 April 07:49

        I thought they only expired if a point hadn’t been earned for 3 years?

        • TGLoyalty says:
          17 Apr17 April 08:15

          Yes so if the card was being used even once a year they’d still be alive.

          Imagine he was set up an Avios account and it was transferred to BAEC. You may be able to find it via the email if one was every given to Lloyds when the card was set up.

      • Mikeact says:
        17 Apr17 April 10:47

        @Rob…I’ve had many ,logged, chats and have never had to change web site to Ireland, unless it’s done automatically.

    • Gavin says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:45

      Once you’ve found the Avios stick him in your household account as it sounds like he won’t be using them. Get him a bottle of something to say thanks via Gate 365 if you feel so inclined

    • Chris Heyes says:
      17 Apr17 April 11:41

      Laura Lloyds/Avios Will have opened one for him if he didn’t
      Although I SUSPECT he opened one himself and forgot about it
      Ring customer service’s Lloyds first then Avios.
      You will need your Grandad to “approve” your call (data protection)

    • Lyn says:
      17 Apr17 April 20:53

      Good luck with finding your Grandad’s avios. If he would like you to help him manage his BAEC account, you can ask both BA to add you as a 3rd party nominee on his BAEC account. You would each have your own separate passwords.

  • AndyGWP says:
    17 Apr17 April 07:42

    Few comments about Dufry / DragonPass yesterday.

    Anyone else noticed that their previously extended membership shows as cancelled (even tho it has a 2022 expiry) and they have 0 passes available in their account now??

    • Dave says:
      17 Apr17 April 08:12

      Mine too. 06 Jan 2022 expiry, but with ‘cancelled’ on the right hand side of the card. Still says I have available visits though.

    • Bs says:
      17 Apr17 April 08:29

      Nope. Mine is fine. I have it in writing my passes were extended by 12 months. 5 left. All valid.

      • Alex says:
        17 Apr17 April 11:05

        Your card in the app doesn’t have a “Cancelled” seal on the bottom right?

      • AndyGWP says:
        17 Apr17 April 11:18

        I have it in writing too… I’ve followed it up to see what they say. They were showing as available a few weeks ago, so something has wiped them off.

        My girlfriend still has her 3 visits showing as available (but cancelled status), it’s just my visits that have vanished.

    • Alex says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:01

      Same for me. Cancelled “membership”, 6 available visits…

    • the_real_a says:
      17 Apr17 April 12:49

      Mine looks ok. Still silver at Dufry.

      I filled in my DOB and have been gifted 5k points each anniversary. Do you all have activity? Unsure if you need activity to keep your Dufry account open?

  • Anna says:
    17 Apr17 April 07:48

    Took the plunge and referred my OH for the Amex Platinum (his 24 month gap was up in March), I decided the bonus referral AND sign up offers were too good to miss even though we’ll be generating much more spend next year than this.
    Are there any decent hotel offers on the Platinum at the moment? Of course we ended up not being able to use all the IHG/Hilton/Marriott ones last year – now we can travel at least domestically these would come in very handy again!

    • Andrew says:
      17 Apr17 April 07:59

      Welcome back to Platinum membership and the joys of a metal card! Only major hotel brand offer is Melia (300/75). Harrods offer is decent (200/50). Not sure if they are adding the £175 Selfridges credit for new members but worth asking. And of course he can refer you for the free platinum money back card or similar and get the 24k bonus.

      • YC says:
        17 Apr17 April 09:01

        No luck with the £175 for new Plat card but good shout on asking

      • Lord Doncaster says:
        17 Apr17 April 14:26

        I don’t see any benefits in having a metal card though? I’ve never asked to replace my plastic Plat with a metal one.

    • YC says:
      17 Apr17 April 08:02

      Similar conclusion on my side. I’m not sure if offers will be back loaded (e.g. probably missed the Melia offer) but its a good thing given the bigger chain (IHG, Marriott, Hilton) offers have not released anything and we can participate if they do come along.

    • Secret Squirrel says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:52

      Same here, the 50k sign up offer was too much to let go by.
      59k inc supp & 4K spend(happy days)!

      • YC says:
        17 Apr17 April 10:29

        On sup cards – can you give your OH two sup cards? Gold/Plat. Made the mistake of applying for the sup on application and so missed the 5k

        • meta says:
          17 Apr17 April 11:08

          You can open an additional Gold for yourself. It will show as your name plus A.C. This is how I split business payments from my personal expenses.

          • YC says:
            17 Apr17 April 11:24

            Thanks for the tip. Will see if it triggers the bonus (technically suppose to be just for Plat supp card)

          • TGLoyalty says:
            17 Apr17 April 11:51

            It’s for 1st supp of any colour

        • Alan says:
          17 Apr17 April 13:11

          My 5k offer on supp cards disappeared after a week or so is it likely to make a comeback or be increased at any point.

          Apart from the 24k for referrals, offers to date have been pretty poor – no Harrods, Selfridges, Waitrose or anything else that I would actually use.

        • Secret Squirrel says:
          17 Apr17 April 13:31

          Easy mistake to make adding a supp at application stage.

    • Chris Heyes says:
      17 Apr17 April 11:57

      Anna, Good for you, he can always cancel soon as he hits target spend, or downgrade.
      We did that last year hit target within 6 weeks all three of us Platinum
      For some reason Partner and her Brother got Gold (beginning June)
      Got sign up bonus with target spend, not sure if I.T. glitch
      or because we’d spent a lot (was with help of family but Amex don’t know that)
      I’m going to referee them to my BA Premium soon as their June 15k spend comes through early July I hope
      Add i wouldn’t keep the Platinum long unless he can get a “lot” of value from it

  • Anna says:
    17 Apr17 April 07:52

    Also – M & S bank is closing current accounts soon; I have therefore done a switch to Halifax which seems to have the best offer for a free account (as long as you pay in £1500 per month). You get £100 for switching, then as long as you spend £500 pm on the debit card you get a free perk each month such as a cinema ticket or 2 free films to stream. The cinema tickets have a 12 month validity as well so you can save them up and take the whole family when the Bond film is finally released!!

    • Harry T says:
      17 Apr17 April 08:45

      Yes, I’ve switched to Halifax. Very impressed with how smooth the process has been. Received the £100 well before switching date. I’ve personally gone for the £5 a month reward for now.

      • Anna says:
        17 Apr17 April 09:21

        That’s good to know. My preferred Vue cinema (next door to a Waitrose which might explain the pricing!) was charging £12.99 pp for a new release viewing back in the dim and distant days of cinemas being open so I’m hoping for decent value out of the free tickets.

      • Anna says:
        17 Apr17 April 09:23

        Does donating to ernie count for the debit card spend?

        • Doogie says:
          17 Apr17 April 09:38

          I use it every month to pay Brighton / Paris / Solihull (only in a pinch to the last one depending on dates as better options available) to qualify for the £5 x 2 with no problem, assume Ernie will be the same.

        • Toaster says:
          17 Apr17 April 10:05

          Ernie definitely counts for the debit card spend.

          So long as you are using the 16 digit debit card number (i.e. not a bank transfer, cash machine) then Halifax will see it as a valid purchase.

    • Chris Heyes says:
      17 Apr17 April 16:55

      Anna My second Bank bank NationWide gives free holiday insurance until reach 70 as long as you pay in £750 a month kept it going plus other insurance’s
      covers Partner.
      There’s also a Flexi plus Account covers more things but not sure what, never bothered to check

      • CH says:
        17 Apr17 April 21:30

        I might be spouting rubbish (haven’t checked it for a while now), but I think Flex Account travel insurance (which was only to Europe anyway), hasn’t been offered for a few years now.
        The Flex Plus insurance is worldwide, but the account costs £13 a month with a few other insurances.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:
    17 Apr17 April 08:31

    So thanks to a rather expensive all inclusive stay a couple of years ago (remember them?) and some recent activity I have finally clicked round to a free hotels.com night with a value of £300, so with so much choice available at that site, thought I would draw upon the enormous amount of knowledge on HfP. Can anyone inspire me?! Where would you stay with this anywhere in the UK? (either for a couple or a family).

    • Harry T says:
      17 Apr17 April 08:47

      The Langley, but it’s too bloody expensive. Other hotels I like are the University Arms in Cambridge (usually not more than £250 a night for a basic room on peak dates – better to use points though) and Turnberry in Girvan – could be within budget.

      What sort of stay do you fancy?

      • Harry T says:
        17 Apr17 April 08:48

        I should say there’s a few hotels I like in London but they are often very expensive and I’m not sure what your preferences are.

      • The Savage Squirrel says:
        17 Apr17 April 09:33

        Non-chain would be better I suppose unless exceptional (like most point collectors I get plenty of free chain stays in 😀 )
        North of England would be ideal location.
        Countryside with either nice adult dining options or family activities would be ideal.
        Happy to top up with cash if it gets over the line to an exceptional property 🙂 .

        • Chrisasaurus says:
          17 Apr17 April 10:24

          Not north but cotswolds lovely and dormy house hotel a personal recommendation

        • Anna says:
          17 Apr17 April 11:05

          There are some lovely properties around Richmond (the one in North Yorkshire!) We’re currently in the local area and keep driving past nice looking hotels/posh B& Bs. The Mr & Mrs Middleton Lodge looks gorgeous if you can book that on hotels.com. I have to say even the pub food round here is exceptional and the countryside is stunning. Lots of things to visit like Roman sites once they’re back open – if you like this kind of thing they often have family-friendly archaeologists or reenactors on site. Durham and Newcastle are also just within driving distance for a day out if you want something a bit more sophisticated or lively.

          • Genghis says:
            17 Apr17 April 11:10

            Ive booked Middleton lodge for when see family in May. 80k IHGs so a bit steep but looks v nice.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            17 Apr17 April 20:58

            Well obvs if you live on the wrong side of the Pennines, all of Yorkshire will seem fantastic ; we’re used to it 😉 😉 . More seriously, yes always happy to spend a night or two in that area; and the dining opportunities (with a couple of exceptions, under the radar enough to have escaped the Michelin judges eyes which means the prices stay reasonable) is exceptional!

        • HBommie says:
          17 Apr17 April 15:41

          Not sure if these are on Hotels.com but I’d recommend Yorbridge House, Rudding Park, Grantley Hall and Middlestone Lodge.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            17 Apr17 April 20:50

            Thanks HBommie. I remember from previous searches that Rudding Park is not on Hotels.com, but Grantley Hall is on my radar and thanks to you will check out the other two!

    • Anna says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:17

      Unless things have changed you can pay the difference on a more expensive hotel if you want. Also have you got some flexibility on which day of the week you can stay as this can have a big impact on the price?

      • The Savage Squirrel says:
        17 Apr17 April 09:34

        Yes, can manufacture week days off, although likely only in school holidays.

        • Anna says:
          17 Apr17 April 09:38

          Sunday nights are often cheaper than Saturday as well. I’d check some prices and then go for maximum value on a cheaper night. You’d probably get one of the nicer London hotels like the IC Park Lane or even a suite at the IC O2 if you’re taking the kids, for £300 or less.

          • Anna says:
            17 Apr17 April 09:43

            Mid-week in October half term the Deluxe suite at the O2 (sleeping 4) is £280. Pay a bit more for the bigger Intercontinental Suite and I think you’d get club access. Enough to do in Greenwich for 2 days with kids if you don’t want to travel into central London. Pool, etc at the hotel.

          • kitten says:
            17 Apr17 April 14:00

            Sunday night dining options are often thin to zero though

    • Kevin C says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:24

      I have two hotels.com nights to use so am interested in this. Have been looking at The Treehouse, a relatively new hotel near Broadcasting House. It’s that sort of price range.

    • Genghis says:
      17 Apr17 April 11:00

      I’m using my close to £300 vouchers (from NYC) for Marmalade hotel on Skye.

  • Jonathan says:
    17 Apr17 April 09:21

    Does anyone know if Nectar offers at Essentially cab stack on top of each other ?

    I’ve got 2 offers (aside from the 1000 bonus for filling up 20 litres of more), one is 10x Nectar points and expires very soon, the other is 3x Nectar for filling up with Synergy (Esso’s premium fuel). One of the offers expires today !

    • Alex says:
      17 Apr17 April 09:45

      The points times offers won’t stack but seen as 1 is for Esso anyway then it should be fine. If you mean using the 1000pts for 20litres and the 10x. The 10x most likely says on the back excludes fuel, if not they should stack though.

      • James says:
        17 Apr17 April 13:03

        T&Cs for Esso offers usually say only one offer per transaction so won’t stack, and allocated by date of load to nectar card.

  • Anna says:
    17 Apr17 April 09:35

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/man-sees-13k-wiped-off-his-barclaycard-spending-limit-despite-never-missing-a-payment/ar-BB1fINpL?ocid=msedgdhp

    Did someone mention having their Barclaycard limit cut recently? It’s interesting that the article quotes them saying that no one has had their limit cut below their current balance – keep that money moving, I guess.

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