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The HfP chat thread – Monday 3rd May

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Comments (236)

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

  • Alex D says:
    3 May3 May 14:19

    I have the virgin + card and now have multiple vouchers to use due to covid extensions. I am looking to buy PE seats and then use the vouchers to upgrade to Upper.

    My question is, do the flights have to originate in the UK like a BA 241 or can i book a one-way from say HKG-LHR and then use the voucher to upgrade??

    • tom1 says:
      3 May3 May 14:57

      I have booked (but not flown for obvious reasons) HKG-LHR using the voucher. I was flying on my own, so they marked the voucher as “half used” in the system and said I could use the other half for another flight at another time. VS seems to manually enter these vouchers/discounts, and have been pretty flexible for me.

      • Alex says:
        3 May3 May 15:23

        okay great – that’s good to know!
        It would be myself and my partner so we’d use one whole voucher as it were but we’re looking to use other points/miles to get out to HKG.

  • Sam says:
    3 May3 May 14:22

    Hi all, currently reading Lars Kroijer ‘Investing Demystified’. I have a S & S ISA with Vanguard and invest in a distributing ETF. I know (well I think I know!) the basic difference between a distributing ETF and an accumulation ETF – the former distributes dividends but the latter reinvests it in the fund. But when I have received dividends they have gone back in the fund. Is there any other difference – I know the distributing ETF has a lower OCF than the accumulation one and less paperwork I suppose with the accumulation one.

    • Yorkie Aid says:
      3 May3 May 15:09

      Perhaps when you set up the ISA you checked a box asking for all distributions to be reinvested? A lot of brokers will do this for you. I don’t have Vanguard myself but I would imagine that it’s a service they would offer

    • Genghis says:
      3 May3 May 16:04

      Only distributing ETFs are available on Vanguard Investor.

      No difference in OCF dist vs acc ETFs on other platforms but the spreads on the new acc ETFs are big.

      Only difference with using Vanguard Investor is a slight lag on returns from cash being transferred from them to you and then it being reinvested and the lag on smaller amounts, eg if £30 cash bit ETF costs £50, you can’t reinvest in it.

      If you chose to move to another broker as pot gets bigger you’ll likely be paying trading fees to reinvest.

    • JDB says:
      3 May3 May 16:39

      One way or another, you want to keep reinvesting the dividends. If you look at historic market returns, almost all the performance comes from reinvested income – look at charts of total return vs standard indices. It has been particularly marked in the UK where the FTSE100 today is barely changed in 20 years (it has been quite a bit higher and lower in the meantime) so without dividends you would have lost money in an index fund.

      • Sam says:
        3 May3 May 17:39

        Thanks Yorkie Aid, Genghis and JDB.

        It’s the FTSE Developed World UCITS ETF (VEVE) so that is an ETF (as far as my understanding goes) and yes the last dividend was 7 April and I held the EFT on that date.

        Genghis, when you select the type of investments on Vanguard some funds state the word ‘accumulation’ – e.g. FTSE Developed World ex-U.K. Equity Index Fund – Accumulation so isn’t that an accumulation fund?

        “Also note no automatic div reinvestment with Vanguard Investor” – all of the dividends I received have gone back in but looking at the cash statement, I did that myself inadvertently (but I did want to reinvest all of the dividends).

        • Genghis says:
          3 May3 May 17:48

          I’m a little confused by the question.

          Yes, VEVE is a distributing ETF. It sounds like you received the dividend cash and then reinvested it without realising.

          But “ FTSE Developed World ex-U.K. Equity Index Fund – Accumulation” is not an ETF. It’s an OEIC.

          Like I say, Vanguard Investor only offers distributing ETFs at present (VHVG is the accumulating equivalent of VEVE offered on other platforms).

  • Alex says:
    3 May3 May 14:31

    I have a BA FTV with a 241, about 50K avios and £1K taxes tied up in it. If i use the FTV with the 241,30K avios and about £200. What happens with the rest?

    Would i get a FTV with whats left, or a refund for whats left?

    Lastly, if it is tied up in a FTV – can i apply this to a future 241 booking or not?

    • TGLoyalty says:
      3 May3 May 15:02

      In my experience I got a refund of the extra Avios and £ but it was only around 10k and £80

      They may stick the £800 on another FTV

      • TGLoyalty says:
        3 May3 May 15:03

        When you say future 2-4-1 booking with the new voucher. If you had another voucher yes as it’s effectively just your avios/£ suspended in a voucher.

    • ChrisC says:
      3 May3 May 15:13

      The FTV contains everything you used to pay for your flights – cash, avios, 2-4-1, green shield stamps etc etc so yes you can apply it to a future 2-4-1 booking.

      If you then use part of that FTV so only say some cash and avios are left then that’s what is put in the next FTV. And yes you could use that on a future 2-4-1 booking using another 2-4-1 voucher

      With about £800 left BA will almost certainly put this into another FTV.

      If it was £8 they would more than likely just refund you.

      • Alex says:
        3 May3 May 15:28

        Okay that’s helpful thank you. I don’t mind another FTV, it would just be nice to have the money sat in my own account not BA’s until i need it.

        • Alex says:
          3 May3 May 15:59

          Realised i could cancel my current flights in full pay the £35pp and then book a cheap one-way to MAN for example to keep 241 alive without having to tie up loads of avios/taxes.

  • Elaine says:
    3 May3 May 15:30

    Hi. Can someone please remind me how I can check on my BA Executive account when my 2 for 1 voucher is valid until?

    • Travel Strong says:
      3 May3 May 15:45

      On the Book With Avios page it states the expiration when you select to use the BA American Express Companion Voucher

    • Genghis says:
      3 May3 May 16:07

      My account->My account -> eVouchers

  • Rob says:
    3 May3 May 15:42

    Judging by the limited number of retailers who agree to instore rewards via BA or VS, I thought most had already woken up to this.

  • Stuart h says:
    3 May3 May 15:49

    Hi all,

    I currently have a amex bonvoy card and a business platinum card, i’ve not held any other amex cards for over 24 months.

    Will i be entitled to the sign up bonus points for the Preferred Rewards Gold Card.

    Thanks

  • FM says:
    3 May3 May 16:53

    Could anyone advise if Che plays with Brighton?

  • gareth says:
    3 May3 May 17:05

    Hi, could someone share an airtime rewards link? Thanks

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

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