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The HfP chat thread – Thursday 29th April

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Comments (299)

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

  • Milly says:
    29 Apr29 April 02:18

    Anyone have luck with booking reward flights for 18th April 2022? I called the USA team at 12:43am and couldn’t get through, at 1am, the message changed to ‘we are now closed’. I tried Japan, and they were closed! Website had no availability either. Issue is, when I call earlier I get told to call back. I have an outbound flight booked, the return is proving challenging. Using the AMEX 2-4-1 voucher. Any pointers?

    • Chris Heyes says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:14

      Milly ring now, i think open at 7.30

    • Jenster says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:25

      Milly – I am in same situation, got up early to call BA for 6am but the message say’s they don’t open until 8am! Very limited seats released only 2 from most USA locations, I know I am pushing my luck as need 4 CW seats, normally LAX has that available but not last 2 days, only 2 left.

      • Anna says:
        29 Apr29 April 07:30

        Jenster – not sure why you’re calling if you need more seats than are showing? Call centres only have the same inventory as you can see online, unless you are GGL member and can force more award seats to open, which is sometimes mentioned on here.

        • Jenster says:
          29 Apr29 April 07:37

          Anna – thanks, I can be flexible with return airport but ideally wanted LAX, now looking at other options and seeing what I can get with 4 CW seats available. Just annoying I thought they opened at 6am but appears to be 8am, could have had a long lie 😉

          • Anna says:
            29 Apr29 April 07:50

            Do you use SeatSpy or Reward Flight Finder? Not always 100% reliable but you can do a fast search to see where 4 or more seats are showing.
            East coast availability is usually good – if you’re not very flexible on dates and need to get something locked in, returning from NYC would be an option, with a cheap internal flight to get you from LAX.

          • Anna says:
            29 Apr29 April 07:52

            Seatspy is showing 6 avios seats from NYC on April 15th, 16th & 17th. (It must be a day behind ba.com currently).

          • Louise K says:
            29 Apr29 April 08:24

            SFO have 2 seats on both their flights.

      • Milly says:
        29 Apr29 April 09:18

        Yeah I tried calling in the morning, no such luck! Will have to try tonight.

    • Anna says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:27

      Where are you searching for? If ba.com is showing no availability it sounds as though the seats have been taken already. Also, if you’re trying to book a flight with a domestic connection the following day, you have to wait an extra day for the connecting flights to be released.

      • Jenster says:
        29 Apr29 April 08:44

        I have got PHX for Monday 18th, 4 CW seats. Will just need to book cheap internal flight from LAX to PHX one way or drive the 4 hours. Glad that’s done, it’s stressful, haha!

        • Anna says:
          29 Apr29 April 08:52

          That sounds like a great trip – could you not have a couple of days in Arizona to round off the holiday?
          Flexibility is your friend with avios – I always tell myself that if all else fails it’s highly likely that I’ll be able to get home via another city.

          • Jenster says:
            29 Apr29 April 09:34

            Anna – we are doing a road trip with the kids, fly to LAS, visit Grand Canyon, Sedona, Phoenix, Palm Springs, San Diego then LA. Plan was to fly back from LAX but now we’ll just go back to PHX and fly home. 4th time I’ve changed flights due to covid, fingers crossed it happened this time! Thanks for all your help and advice

        • Chris Heyes says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:34

          Jenster Sounds brill trip, We did Sedona Great Western Arroy Arobie , South Rim Hotel Torvar, North Rim, Rim Cabin. Lake Powell Resort, back to Phoenix.
          Was brill, back again this year hopefully (but added Boulder Colorado_
          If you can fit in have a look at Lake Powell Horse Shoe Bend, top long way down, then log raft round the bottom (safe) no rapids Colorado river, plus Antelope Canyon upper and lower separate company’s Indian reservation
          kids and adults will love it , plenty of boat trips on Lake Powell, or hire a boat ?
          To do it from Vagas go North Rim 1st, Lake Powell, South Rim, Sedona, Phoenix

          • Jenster says:
            30 Apr30 April 06:53

            Chris – thanks for the tips, will look into this as sounds amazing!

    • Louise K says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:54

      There are 2 seats available on the 21:25 service on 18/4/22.

      I’ve been looking at this route too and they are going very quickly as I’ve been keeping an eye on them.

      • Anna says:
        29 Apr29 April 08:00

        18/4/22 is Easter Monday so will be a very busy weekend for travel.

        • Louise K says:
          29 Apr29 April 08:26

          Indeed. It’s a bit early for me to return on those dates but they are disappearing at midnight!

          • Jenster says:
            29 Apr29 April 08:42

            I have got PHX for Monday 18th, 4 CW seats. Will just need to book cheap internal flight from LAX to PHX one way or drive the 4 hours.

  • David says:
    29 Apr29 April 07:13

    Hi all, I am sorry if the answer to this questions is on the website (I have looked).

    I am gaining momentum to reach Spire Ambassador status, however I am keen to try out another hotel chain, so my question is which groups are offering status match/challenge? Thanks in advance

    • Rob says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:39

      Hilton has a long-running one with a dedicated website (although it has not been working well for a week or so).

      Marriott has a Platinum Challenge which comes and goes, not sure if it is running now.

      Look at statusmatcher.com to see what ad hoc deals others are offering.

      • Mr. AC says:
        29 Apr29 April 16:44

        For some reason Hilton didn’t accept a status match to Spire late last year. They didn’t give any response at all, and when I called they told me something vague about the proof being insufficient. I sent screenshots from the “My Account” section on ihg.com, and also photos of physical folios from stays in 2020…
        Gave up, got to Gold status the “hard” way, which is enough for now.

  • Tony1 says:
    29 Apr29 April 07:31

    Hi. Looking for some “left field” suggestions for a risk adverse tax paying collogue to invest savings safely. I Suggested Shawbrook, or NS&I but he is appalled at the low rate of return ! Any suggestions. He wont Bendy and does not have points earning cards despite informing him of better alternatives to saving at the moment. Has a Amex Plat though ….. ( for the PP access alone ) never spent on it.

    • Tony1 says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:32

      Sorry should have said £10K

    • Brighton Belle says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:49

      I recommend you request an online consultation with Genghis here. He’ll be along soon and advise solutions that will make a stockbroker out of your colleague within a few months.

      • Genghis says:
        29 Apr29 April 07:54

        🙂

        • Tony1 says:
          29 Apr29 April 09:20

          @Genghis – stocks and shares are “a foreign country” to him. I suggested a free bendy to front a points card to NS&I, and then repay card. My commission would be the points 🙂 He said no. Seems not everyone wants a free IGH hotel night after all ….

    • mr_jetlag says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:50

      Your colleague should know that the risk free rate is practically zero, so there are no good “saving” options that preserve capital. Premium bonds or term bonds, that’s it.

    • Harry T says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:50

      There’s a difference between savings and investments. He’s going to get absolutely buggered with low interest rates on any savings right now, with the best easy access savings accounts offering 0.4%. If he is risk averse, and doesn’t need this cash any time soon, then he should consider passively investing in a S&S ISA using index funds. This is tax efficient and should deliver better returns over time than the abhorrent savings accounts interest rates.

      Tbh it sounds like your friend has bigger problems with financial literacy and confidence than where to park 10k.

    • Andrew says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:12

      As others have said, there isn’t much out there. Savings accounts aren’t really investments either.

      If he’s an existing Yorkshire BS customer, there’s 3.5% on a Regular Saver at the moment for £500 a month max. Not so good for the £10,000, but handy for putting together the next £5,000-£6,000 lump sum.

    • Genghis says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:19

      There’s no such thing as a free lunch. In general, increased return comes with increase risk.

      As has already been said, there’s “saving” – what you keep as cash to pay for short to medium term expenses: day to day expenses, to fix a broken boiler, to pay for that loft conversion next year. Premium bonds isn’t a bad place to hold any excess over the immediate need amount in a current account.

      Then there’s “investing”, what you should put into a globally diversified portfolio for longer term.

      Your colleague needs to decide which bucket it falls into. Remember that cash over the long term is one of the riskiest investments. Its value is almost certain to be eroded away in real terms by inflation. I have seen some good charts on this online but can’t find them now.

      • Tony1 says:
        29 Apr29 April 09:23

        Agree, and thank you. He has the cash as extra to his needs for the next foreseeable year.

      • Bs says:
        29 Apr29 April 09:45

        Interesting – I would call ‘risk’ as unknown movements potentially costing you money. When something is known for almost certain I wouldn’t call it risk. Keeping money as cash in the long-term will almost certainly cost you real money. I wouldn’t call this a ‘risk’, more a certainty.

        • Genghis says:
          29 Apr29 April 09:55

          I disagree. Risk = probability x impact. To say that something is almost certain to happen (probability) doesn’t mean it isn’t risky. I talk “risk” at work.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            29 Apr29 April 10:17

            many struggle with the idea of risk and probability

            I agree with you having a heavy ‘cash’ portfolio is one of the riskiest things to do.

            on a side note not related to risk as such but many people forget their portfolio includes a large work place pension pot that they probably aren’t even considering.

    • BS says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:42

      It really depends. Does he need access to it in a certain timeframe? Is this money going to be a buffer in case anything going wrong, like the boiler blowing up? If so the ERNIE really is the best option, given the tax-free status and ease of access.
      Otherwise for a longer term better return, he really is going to have to embrace some degree of risk. This does not mean putting it all on red in the casino, but there are some lower risk options in funds/trackers that really are likely to pay off long term.

      • Bobri says:
        29 Apr29 April 12:34

        I often see the boiler blow up as an example of a one-off adverse event on the UK sites and forums, especially in discussions about finance or rent vs buy decisions, and somewhat struggle to fully appreciate the reference. Are boilers blowing up that frequently that you need to be prepared for it? Is a boiler so expensive that it needs to be part of your saving/investment strategy or rent vs buy decision?

        • Genghis says:
          29 Apr29 April 12:53

          🙂 you’re right. It is a common example. I mentioned it as an example above. It rarely happens though. But when it does, if you own your home, if you don’t have any savings you’ll be without hot water and / or need to take out a payday loan (costs c.£1k when we got ours done in 2015) or something to fix it. If you maintain an emergency fund, you’ll be able to pay for it. In rent vs buy decisioning, it comes up as extra ongoing costs to buy a house. It costs a couple of grand on average a year in maintenance to own a house.

    • BuildBackBetter says:
      29 Apr29 April 10:03

      1) Vanguard Lifestrategy 20. Up to 20% equities and remaining in bonds.
      2) wealth preservation trusts like CGT, PNL etc. These trusts invest a lot in inflation linked bonds and spread the rest across asset classes.
      As mentioned by others above, every option has risk, even keeping cash in the bank.

    • Magic Mike says:
      29 Apr29 April 10:47

      If savings accounts are too low return and stocks too risky, P2P lending is a possibility – 3 or 4% is reasonable with Zopa. There is still a risk to capital.

      Has he filled up his ISA and annual pension allowance?

  • meta says:
    29 Apr29 April 07:41

    I am off to Aberdeen this morning. Imagine my excitement that the Club passengers where sent to First Wing check in and lounge. It’s nice to be at the airport after so many cancelled flights and holidays.

    • Anna says:
      29 Apr29 April 07:47

      Nice re-introduction to travel! Hope they haven’t removed too many amenities.

      • Andrew says:
        29 Apr29 April 07:51

        I hope that doesn’t overcrowd the First Wing for us who are actually eligible to use it!

        • meta says:
          29 Apr29 April 08:06

          There is no one really at the airport. It’s maybe at 5% capacity.

        • James Purvis says:
          29 Apr29 April 08:37

          Club passengers are just as entitled to use it as you are. Oh the self-entitlement!

          • TGLoyalty says:
            29 Apr29 April 09:06

            They actually aren’t in normal times – First customers and Gold card Holders only

            Speaking as someone is who is neither

          • Doug M says:
            29 Apr29 April 09:31

            No they’re not, FW is for the elite, not business riffraff.

          • HBommie says:
            29 Apr29 April 09:52

            Oh to be riff raff in normal times pushing the ‘elites’ nose out of joint. They’ll be letting kids in next!

    • Kai says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:38

      Is the First Wing open? I was there on Tuesday and it looked closed to me so I just used the usual gate.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        29 Apr29 April 09:52

        It has been ever since late last summer I believe.

      • Rhys says:
        29 Apr29 April 09:53

        Didn’t seem open on Monday when I was there either, although I didn’t really look!

      • Ikaz says:
        29 Apr29 April 10:34

        It is, I have been using it weekly for the past few months flying club europe without status (should reach gold soon now though)

  • N says:
    29 Apr29 April 08:05

    By text (!) this morning from Aegean:

    “Fly to Greece & Cyprus with a £30 discount! Book your tickets now using your VISA card and the promo code VISA30UK. Booking until 30/04/2021. Travel between 01/05/2021-31/10/2021.”

  • HBommie says:
    29 Apr29 April 08:41

    Ryanair offering discount codes for PCR tests with Randox RYANHTK21

    £60 instead of £120 for UK departures.

  • TJ says:
    29 Apr29 April 08:56

    Amex offered me some points recently to retain my gold card. How long does it usually take for retention offer points to post…I thought it would be within 24hrs?

    • Lee says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:00

      Almost immediately

    • Andrew says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:01

      A hour or so after the phone call I’ve found.

    • TJ says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:17

      Thx. I just contacted Amex to chase. They advised that it can take 3-5 days for larger amounts to post since it has to be authorised by a senior member of staff! A bit weird since they have already verbally committed to the retention offer. Anyway, I’ll sit tight for a few days.

      • James says:
        29 Apr29 April 16:59

        I think I’ve seen posts before saying that they sometimes say that when their internal systems have a hiccup – but they should arrive eventually

  • Asim says:
    29 Apr29 April 09:01

    BA Cancellation rerouting problem:
    Originally had a flight booked LHR-DXB for mid-Jan. I did a voluntary change to mid-Feb. Mid-feb flight was cancelled (got the usual emails asking me to accept a later flight through MMB). Tried rebooking this week for MAy departure via QR, but BA CS are saying that because the Feb flight was never ticketed (they didn’t issue a new e-ticket) and they only changed the flight reservation, EU261 doesn’t apply. Is this correct?
    I’ve looked at the flight change email from when we did the voluntary change, but the email doesn’t state an e-ticket number.

    • Bs says:
      29 Apr29 April 09:48

      Sadly correct. You should have chased a lack of ticket. Your loss. You will be forced to accept a FTV now and pay any flight cost difference, as per the rules of your original ticket.

    • Matt says:
      29 Apr29 April 10:12

      I would have a look/ask on the Flyertalk.com EC/261 thread. It sounds wrong, not least because it suggests that if airlines just didn’t ticket until the day of the flight they could avoid their obligations a lot of the time. That said, it may well be legally correct.

    • Asim says:
      29 Apr29 April 16:39

      Thanks – will ask on FT.
      Always assumed that if I paid for a voluntary change, it would mean they were re-issuing the ticket. My mistake for not checking for the e-ticket number when reading their booking confirmation email.

      • Lady London says:
        29 Apr29 April 19:35

        This is complete and utter rubbish. The average person has mo idea about ticketing. They just think they paid their tickey so it’s done. I:ve been caught by this myself

        Call BA back. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Be upset and say this is not acceotable. You bought a ticket and as you were allowed to do(or as you paid for if true) you made a change and were entitled to assume it was done. Their inefficienxy had nothing to do
        with you. You had made other plans around it which you are now having to cancel due to them not doing what there is a phonr recording (theirs) saying they agreed to action. Ask then to retrieve the recording of the call. “You will need to raise a conplaint but the least you would expect is flight change charges to rebook should be waived”…

        • Asim says:
          29 Apr29 April 22:56

          Thank you Lady London. I will call them tomorrow and update everyone. I know you’re a somewhat of an expert in these matters!

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