Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Saturday 24th 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

Comments (263)

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

  • Ja says:
    24 Apr24 April 15:11

    Flying to Edinburgh next weekend from LHR. Are we allowed to stay in a hotel the night before? Otherwise it will be an early start.

    Not sure what the rules are in lockdown.

    • Anna says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:02

      I’m guessing it would depend on why you’re travelling to Edinburgh, though I have no idea how strict airport hotels are about checking. Are many even open at the moment? It said on the news that even the Sofitel is being used for mandatory quarantine!

      • Ja says:
        24 Apr24 April 17:20

        Going on holiday for weekend . There are hotels at LHR which are bookable and says nothing about not being able to stay there. I have a flight at about 9am. Live near Oxford so it’s drivable but it’s just nice not to have to start too early

  • Tim says:
    24 Apr24 April 15:30

    If you’ve held BA basic Amex for a period of time, does that disqualify you from the 22,000 (or 32,000 via referral) points on the Gold? I thought having held MR cards only would stop you from getting MR card bonuses? Appreciate the help.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      24 Apr24 April 15:57

      Yes. When the rules change all personal cards are treated as one and the same for bonus exclusion. Apart from Platinum (no MR earning card) and BAPP (no BA earning card)

      So You are eligible for the Platinum 50k bonus if you haven’t had a personal MR card for 24m

      Dump the BA card for a nectar as you’d qualify for the BAPP bonus in 24 months and it actually earns more Avios / £.

      • Tim says:
        24 Apr24 April 16:17

        Thanks TGLoyalty. So to clarify, switch to Nectar (no sign up) and be patient waiting for 24 months to end before taking BAPP, or take Platinum, are only referral bonus options? This is for a friend… trying to figure out best way out of the free BA card trap.

  • Rob says:
    24 Apr24 April 15:34

    Anyone else having issues with Bendy today?
    Had a few payments get to the 3ds screen and then the accept notification didn’t come through the app.
    Cancelled 3 times then lowerred the amount and it went through.
    Very strange as normally have no problem.

  • Sean says:
    24 Apr24 April 16:09

    *problem

  • bafan says:
    24 Apr24 April 16:22

    Got my mail ballot for the London Mayoral Elections. Voted for Sadiq of course, and Count Binface, who truly had a manifesto that I could get behind.

    • Lord Doncaster says:
      24 Apr24 April 16:41

      Why not the suave and sophisticated Mr Rose?

      • bafan says:
        24 Apr24 April 16:48

        This is a jovial website so I won’t offend anyone reading but the billboard adverts alone were…off-putting to say the least. I was on Reddit and saw that people had openly trolled him at events though which did make me LOL.

        He’s still a step above Laure*ce F*x though. Who has the same vote share as Ct. Binface after spending £5m :).

        I don’t even like Sadiq but I appreciate the efforts that have been made into keeping public transport costs down and I’m enjoying the car free streets in London.

        • Lord Doncaster says:
          24 Apr24 April 23:57

          Oh come now, he pulls off the “Bond villain” look better than any of the other candidates 😁 Very handy for those showdowns with the union bosses.

    • Charlieface says:
      24 Apr24 April 22:30

      OMRLP Manicfesto:

      The MOT is an annual test to ensure that your car is roadworthy. We will introduce a ROT, an annual test to make sure all roads are car worthy.

  • bafan says:
    24 Apr24 April 16:50

    So I have an ARCC and the free BA Amex. I also have a U.S. issued Chase Sapphire Preferred which I can earn points on that transfer to Avios. I’d do BAPP but of course I’m not eligible for the SUB for 24 months. It’s worth canceling it to restart the clock and use the CSP for earning Avios, correct? BA also won’t let me transfer points from Chase while my account is UK registered I don’t think, which is annoying.

    • Memesweeper says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:37

      If I had those cards I’d cancel the free BA Amex. You can keep the AERCC while you wait for BA bonus eligibility. Rob would also advise you get the paid for BA card, not the free one, if aiming for the companion voucher- and if you’re not aiming for the companion voucher I’d not bother getting any BA Amex.

    • Reney says:
      24 Apr24 April 19:13

      Hi, can I just check it is definitely the case that you cannot transfer avios from your US card whilst your BA account is registered in the UK?

      • bafan says:
        24 Apr24 April 19:32

        OK – that makes sense, thanks @memesweeper

        @Reney My understanding is no, but I do stand to be corrected. Chase do bonus transfers of 30% from time to time so from an Avios earning standpoint it makes far more sense to spend on that. Plus UK/US exchange ATM is £1/$1.40 at the moment so for every £10 I spend I earn 14 avios which is 40% more? Not too shabby.

        I’ll get onto Amex and cancel the BA card. Definitely keeping the ARCC.

      • ChrisC says:
        24 Apr24 April 20:38

        Correct.

  • Secret Squirrel says:
    24 Apr24 April 16:50

    Can you use Bendy with creat behind to pay Creat?

    • Alex says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:00

      Seen it work – not sure if it incurs the “interest on cash” like rev does though

    • TGLoyalty says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:00

      It’s Deffo one way to draw attention to yourself.

      • Anna says:
        24 Apr24 April 17:05

        +1 – that would be absolutely taking the proverbial and risking getting all avenues shut down.

        • Secret Squirrel says:
          24 Apr24 April 17:28

          I thought I would ask as I’m sure I’ve read ppl doing similar using other cards on here before.
          It’s not something I have ever done personally but was interested to know if some had done it.

    • DT says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:15

      Are people actually serious in thinking this would be a good idea? Ironic that code words are used, like using the actual company names is what’s the dumb idea here. If you take the piss, your widespread MS route gets shut down, just be glad you have an avenue for MS rather than pushing it beyond reason.

      • Secret Squirrel says:
        24 Apr24 April 17:31

        Agree DT with you, using the same card to pay off the same card is in my books one of the biggest P takes. However, reading others putting 50k a month through NS is up there also.

    • Memesweeper says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:39

      If you can it would result in all manner of trouble from either or both card issuers if/when they cotton on. Just don’t even try.

      I *accidentally* did something similar once and was delighted it got declined.

      • Secret Squirrel says:
        24 Apr24 April 17:49

        Good to hear it gets declined Memesweeper, that must of stopped a lot getting into trouble.

        • The real John says:
          24 Apr24 April 22:17

          I have been having moderate success speculating on exchange rates by bending a non-UK card with a UK card, then vice versa

  • Rma says:
    24 Apr24 April 16:50

    Any opinions about choosing AA business over BA club for flights between LHR and Chicago?
    Also does any one know how their premium economy compares?

    • Alex says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:01

      AA Prem economy over BA’s without doubt for me!
      If it was club suite I’d probably pick BA but if it’s club world then I’d go with AA. Saying that from my limited experience I don’t find AA’s service very good.

    • mr_jetlag says:
      24 Apr24 April 17:24

      Old TATL J: AA > BA, not sure tbh if club suite would swing it the other way as in all in other respects BA J is pedestrian. Only exception would have been 747 Upper Deck, sadly no longer possible.

    • Andrew says:
      24 Apr24 April 18:04

      Depends if AA move back to T3 – but if they do then the lounges are far superior to the T5 BA canteen aka Galleries lounges.

      • ChrisC says:
        24 Apr24 April 20:41

        Only superior if the Cathay and QANTAS lounges open.

        And unlikely QF will operate this year.

    • AJA says:
      24 Apr24 April 19:22

      Going to US I’d choose AA over BA. Coming back to UK I’d choose BA over AA for EU261 protection. I still like old Club World, not yet tried Club Suite.

      • ChrisC says:
        24 Apr24 April 20:44

        Given the small number of flights in the scheme of things that qualify for EU261 (whether for delay compo or duty of care) it’s not a factor I consider when selecting a flight ex USA.

        I go for on board comfort and service and lounges and that’s generally AA over a BA

        • Jonathan says:
          25 Apr25 April 10:54

          I would absolutely still consider EU261 for a USA-U.K. leg. Having been on the wrong end of IRROPS on US carriers it’s not pretty. They just completely wash their hands of you beyond offering a rebooking.

          BA would have to sort or pay for food, accommodation etc.

          There’s more to EU261 than just the compensation bits that are currently effectively suspended.

    • Doc says:
      24 Apr24 April 22:17

      AA seats on the 777 is much better than yin-yang BA seats but club suite are definitely par. Food definitely better on BA pre- COVID (AA offered warm white wine and when told that it was warm, returned within a minute with ice cubes- classy!!!) T3 lounges (CX/QF) better than AA or BA lounges (if open).

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