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The HfP chat thread – Sunday 16th May

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Comments (251)

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

  • Reney says:
    16 May16 May 10:22

    Tesco question, how long does vouchers take to arrive on the quarterly conversion? I feel like the points have left days ago but vouchers have not turned up yet.

  • Jason says:
    16 May16 May 10:23

    Researching Covid test to Portugal so I have the 3 tests required at c£150 anyone got it cheaper?

    • Sean says:
      16 May16 May 10:46

      Is that all 3 tests for £150? Can I ask which who that is? Eurofins?

      • meta says:
        16 May16 May 11:33

        Randox will do it for £120 and then you can get Qured one for £33. All with BA discount codes, but there are others floating around for the same prices. So overall £153.

        • DK says:
          16 May16 May 12:52

          Randox does now allow to use the discount code for their “green list travel” package.
          So is it required to order 2 home testing kits to get to £60 per test?

    • Rich says:
      16 May16 May 11:40

      Seems to be the going rate. £152 for 3 (sounds like a cricket score!) at Prenetics. I think you could just get the 2 PCRs and probably find a lateral flow in Portugal

      • meta says:
        16 May16 May 12:42

        I would be reluctant to get lateral one elsewhere as it might not be accepted in the UK. There is certain criteria it needs to fulfil. You could probably get one for 20-25 euros, but for the sake of £10 quid or so it’s not worth it.

        • James Vickers says:
          16 May16 May 13:38

          Ones available for free in albufeira way exceed the testing requirements and provide email confirmation of the result with required information on.

    • N says:
      16 May16 May 16:32

      Eurofins offers 2&8 Day Test for £98.90. They removed it from the site a few days ago but it has returned. (Double check their reviews on Trustpilot though … although delays in 2&8 day tests might not be much of a issue.)

      Randox, with whom I went, delivered the 2&8 day tests via TNT very promptly and returned results with about 30 hours. Their network of drop boxes is quite limited, however, so double check their map before you commit.

    • Jimmy says:
      17 May17 May 10:29

      On Project Screen’s (Prenetics) Virgin Atlantic offer page you can get a fit to fly home test for £55 (nothing in the T&Cs about needing to have a Virgin booking). You can then order their Lateral Flow test to return for £26 separately, and a Day 2 test from Randox for £60 using any BA/EasyJet etc. discount code for a total of £141.

      If you get an EuroFins fit to fly test you can get this down to £131, but they seem to have more variable performance.

      Personally I went with an Express Test in person test (£80) for the outbound test as I want to minimise the chance of any issues or delays with getting the results that could impact my ability to fly.

  • Paul465 says:
    16 May16 May 10:50

    Anyone understand the rules with going to Northern Ireland from England? I was thinking of a few days family trip taking the kids to see Giants Causeway at half term but it’s not very clear if we would need tests and isolation?

    • John says:
      16 May16 May 11:08

      Not legal until at least 24 May, then it says legal to visit people only but not necessarily general tourism. No isolation and tests only advised

    • Richie says:
      16 May16 May 11:36

      I read that there’ll be another review 20th May.

    • Sukes says:
      16 May16 May 15:36

      Currently the only rule in NI law is that overnight stays away from your normal household are illegal, which is really aimed at stopping NI residents staying over with their mates. Anything you see about travel between NI and the rest of UK is guidance and not set in law. The Executive currently guides against non-essential travel but where you do travel to NI it advises to undertake 10days of self isolation, but again this is advisory and is not a legal requirement. No testing is advised currently. From 24 May, the Executive proposes that CTA travellers to NI who are visiting family/friends in NI could take lateral flow tests rather than self isolate, but again this is advisory only. The Executive could make CTA traveller self-isolation &/or testing law rather than advisory, but I think this unlikely given our Irish Sea ‘border’ relations are tense enough as it is ; ) & they have not made any indication that they want to make it law. What is in current law is that hotels (for leisure) & indoor hospitality must be closed but Executive will expire this law from 24 May after a ratification on 20 May. Executive statement details what will/ will not be allowed from 24 May https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/news/statement-executive-decisions-13-may-2021

  • Roger says:
    16 May16 May 10:53

    Any current retention offer for Amex Gold card – personal?
    I am a freeholder from AMEX Platinum downgrade from last year with first free year coming to an end.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      16 May16 May 10:54

      Ring them and say you’re thinking about cancelling as all the benefits don’t work for you right now

    • Doc says:
      16 May16 May 11:54

      Ring them. I rang them a few weeks ago and was offered 20000 MR points without any questions.

    • Paul says:
      16 May16 May 15:29

      10k to stay last month, only spent about £3k in the last year, nearly all in the first few weeks for bonus miles.

  • Super Secret Stuff says:
    16 May16 May 10:53

    Kensington Indigo is on Travelzoo for £89 with breakfast and bubbly if anyone is interested. @Rhys could be a new installment of “Interesting things we found on travel zoo”

    https://www.travelzoo.com/uk/local-deals/London/Getaway/372572/Hotel-Indigo-London-Kensington

  • Roger says:
    16 May16 May 10:59

    Any creative strategy to use Billhop with Amex, like paying other CCs?
    if willing to swallow 3% fees?

  • Olver says:
    16 May16 May 11:06

    What are you top ways of making the minimum spend of a card? For me, it’s in the following order

    1. Put all bills on the card council tax/ electricity/water/broadband/insurance/phones
    2. Put all daily expenses from all family members on the card, just adding it all to their Google Pay to make it easy
    3. prepay all large purchases we got coming up mainly all holidays
    4. Buy a load of vouchers for Amazon, Waitrose etc.
    5. Prepay gas and electricity for the next 1 year

    Any other ideas please share them

    • Harry T says:
      16 May16 May 11:20

      I just spend loads of money.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      16 May16 May 11:21

      Council tax at a shops paypoint is a common one

      • Super Secret Stuff says:
        16 May16 May 11:22

        And how could I forget the refundable flight trick

      • Olver says:
        16 May16 May 11:28

        ah like you pay your council tax up front via pay point for the whole year?

        • Steve says:
          16 May16 May 13:18

          It can be a palaver, my local COOP has a £150 per paypoint limit (others seem to have £200). They’ll pu multiple transactions through though. I usually only do 2 or 3 multiples in one hit though, trying not to annoy them!

    • Steve says:
      16 May16 May 13:20

      Anyone know if Virgin Media (TV and Broadband) will take card payment? And if so Amex?

      Their Ts&Cs seem to suggest they’d charge for not paying by DD, though I’m not sure how enforced that is.

  • Roger says:
    16 May16 May 11:23

    How is everyone maximizing the Dell offer via AMEX business gold and platinum card?

    • Olver says:
      16 May16 May 11:27

      Very good one, I have been struggling to find something myself! Mainly interesting in a new keyboard

      • Roger says:
        16 May16 May 11:31

        Thought I will look at SSD / HDD but no go looking at prices.
        May be backpacks / mouse are the only sensible options?

        • Olver says:
          16 May16 May 11:36

          I think so, it’s fine to pay £10-20 more but otherwise it defeats the whole purpose of the offer. Curious if you could pay a transaction in 2 chunks and use the offer twice.

          • Roger says:
            16 May16 May 11:39

            I assume the offer is for main card only and not for supplementary cards.

    • Ryan says:
      16 May16 May 12:41

      Bought a £74 keyboard (Plat) and sold on eBay for £45-£50 plus P&P
      After fees etc I was looking at £40-£45

      • Memesweeper says:
        16 May16 May 13:25

        Just what I did too. Might be more imaginative next time.

      • Rob says:
        16 May16 May 13:28

        I did similar last year. If you don’t open the box it is easy to repost.

    • QFFlyer says:
      16 May16 May 13:27

      Bought a couple of wireless mice. Total came to around £48, got £52.80 back (100% from Amex for the card benefit plus the 10% Dell statement credit offer). I got them delivered to a family member in the UK and told her to do whatever she liked with them. So my gain was £4.80 plus 48 MR points…

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