The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 8th June

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

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

IanM says:

8 Jun8 June 12:29

Are there any lounges operating at the moment – flying from Edinburgh to Heathrow tomorrow and all lounges closed at EDI, Plaza Premium seems to be also closed in T5?
#Hopeless.
- Allan says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:33
  
  Nothing open in Edinburgh last week
- SJ says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:58
  
  Plaza Premium was closed in T5 last week
- mark says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 13:33
  
  Aspire seems to be open from 7th June based on the Lounge Key app.
Rich says:

8 Jun8 June 12:30

IHG redemption cancellation – how long till I get the points back?

I had a points reservation at the HI Algarve for one night last week. Cancellation deadline was 1600 local on day of check in, I cancelled at 1505.

I thought points refund was instant? No reply from emails to IHG or hotel.
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:31
  
  Should be instant.
- Peter K says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:32
  
  Usually instant.
- SteveJ says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:32
  
  You cancelled at 1505 also local? Make sure you’ve not been caught out by GMT vs Summertime?
  
  Points refund is instant, log out and in and it’s usually there. Suggest something has gone wrong.
- Rich says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:50
  
  Thanks all. Thought it should have been instant.
  
  Reservation clearly says ‘4:00 PM (local hotel time)’ and I have the email receipt from my cancellation showing the time (actually, it was 1514, not 1505). That was Lisbon/ London time, which would have been 1414 GMT – but should be fine either way I think.
  - Lady London says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 14:55
    
    phone ihg they may run their site on an offset hours from a US timezone and could have got the site time miscalculated against local time due to timezones flipping over at different times.
    
    We always used to have to keep a watchout for example, for the odd week in a year when NY EST was only 4 hrs behind UK whereas people automatically think it’s 5 but very occasionally it’s not.
- kitten says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 13:03
  
  local time
Triath5 says:

8 Jun8 June 12:30

I made a reward booking via BA for a domestic Iberia flight (cheaper than doing it via Iberia for some reason).

I now need to cancel the flight (well, actually change it to another date, but BA showing all dates as full [though Iberia showing availability]). I paid 10k avios + £34 (2 pax).

I’m trying to price what the refund would look like, but BA keeps trying to get me to apply for a FTV through the website.

1) Is there any way to avoid getting a FTV? I want my Avios back…if done via the phone would I incur extra charges as a result?
2) Am I right in understanding I’d only get the 10k avios and not the £34? Or are there ADDITIONAL costs on top of the £34 to get the avios back?

Thanks.
- Anna says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:44
  
  You’ll have to call or use Twitter. I don’t know if it’s the same terms for Iberia flights but with BA it would cost you £35 pp to cancel’
  - Triath5 says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 13:48
    
    Thanks Anna. Just so I understand, if I call BA and assuming the same terms for Iberia, they’d charge me £35 pp to return my Avios?
    
    So effectively I’ll get the 10k Avios back but have to pay them another £35×2 for cancelling? It wouldn’t just be me forfeiting the cash element of £34? That seems crazy!!
    
    Is there any benefit cost-wise to taking an avios redemption as a FTV?
    - Anna says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 14:03
      
      You’d forfeit the £34 pp plus be charged an extra £1 pp unless you get an agent who just lets you forfeit the £34, this is still happening in some cases as I understand but obviously it’s not going to make much difference to you!
      Watch out as well for them trying to charge you £15 pp for doing this on the phone, I’ve had to argue the point a couple of times that BA has made it impossible to do these cancellations online so they can’t expect people to be charged for doing it over the phone!
      - Triath5 says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:12
        
        Thanks Anna! I must admit, maybe the heat has affected my ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner 😐
        
        The TOTAL cost I incurred for both passengers was 10k Avios + £34 (5k + £17 each). Based on what you said previously, I’d interpret getting charged £18 per passenger to reach the £35 per head cancellation fee?
        
        Again thanks everyone for prompt responses and insights as usual!
      - Triath5 says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:36
        
        The reason I keep asking this is because I’m confused about the forfeiting vs additional fee for cancelling.
        
        One of Rob’s articles states “Your taxes and charges payment will also be refunded, less a £35 cancellation fee per person. If the taxes and charges were less than £35 per person, you do not need to pay any extra.”
        
        Why wouldn’t this apply here? I cancel the flight, get the 5k x 2 per passenger back, and forfeit the £17 x 2 per passenger without incurring any additional costs…
  - kitten says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 14:56
    
    used to be 25eur for IB tix
    - Anna says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 16:03
      
      Actually I think it might still be, a BA CSA wouldn’t necessarily know that so it’s worth checking!
Jane says:

8 Jun8 June 12:31

Is there any way to see the expiry date of a 2-4-1 voucher that is already used when you haven’t got any others pending ? I always used to be able to see it when I had others yet to use by looking at a tab which I think was called ‘more info’ but as I don’t have any to use I can’t see that tab ! thanks.
- Anna says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:45
  
  Yes, go to your account on ba.com and there is a section called “my e-vouchers” or something like that, they’re all in there.
  - Jane says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 13:35
    
    Thanks, I had searched but to no avail but finally spotted it… 5 vouchers likely to be returned to me in the next few months when everything gets cancelled.
747_Brat says:

8 Jun8 June 12:34

40% off at Garmin watches today through PAW, in case anyone is looking to buy a fitness watch.
Laura says:

8 Jun8 June 12:39

Track and Trace contacted me an hour ago to say that I have to self-isolate for 8 days. Probably a good thing I didn’t book a trip to an amber country as I’m already going mad with boredom. haha
- Anna says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 12:47
  
  Oh no! Be aware that they have been giving out incorrect information recently; someone in my family was told that everyone they’d had contact with in the last week had to isolate (so they were all notified) instead of 2 days, which is actually correct. They had to challenge it via 119 to get all the notifications overturned. (There were some very annoyed people, not surprisingly)
  - Laura says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 12:59
    
    Nobody I know has the notification, which is very odd. I think the contact must have been on Sunday and the only place I went on my own on Sunday was a craft market, and I properly self-isolated.
    
    I just got the push alert on the app, nothing else. It’s my brother’s wedding on Saturday and I potentially could be the cause of about a third of the wedding party (including the groom and his future step-children) having to miss the wedding if I have a positive PCR.
    
    EEK!
    - Laura says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 13:00
      
      When I say it’s odd… I mean, I met my dad for breakfast, my mum for lunch, my aunt in the evening and nobody else has got the alert, which is why I can’t figure out where the contact came from.
      - Anna says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 13:22
        
        There are definitely glitches in the system. Fingers crossed for the wedding!
      - Simon says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 13:30
        
        Just ignore it and enjoy the wedding…. Anyone who is vulnerable will be jabbed now, anyone else will be suffering a “bad hangover” anyway.
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 13:30
        
        Remember it is based on proximity to people as well. Although it’s possible that one of the people you met forgot to sign in at a venue?
      - Laura says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 13:46
        
        @Simon, I’m double jabbed but my future sister-in-law is a massive stickler for the rules
      - Simon says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 13:53
        
        Annoying. I’d also delete that app. Especially if you are double jabbed. Why on earth should your freedom be curtailed because someone who stood near you in Tesco’s has a bad cold. Madness
      - Louise K says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 13:53
        
        I’ve been pinged from simply standing behind someone at the checkout in the supermarket. I know it came from there because that was the only outing i’d had in days.
      - Anna says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:05
        
        There are workplaces which have told staff to delete the app because they were getting pinged so often due to being sat next to someone in traffic etc.
      - David says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:12
        
        Why is Simon being allowed to post these dangerous suggestions?
      - Rob says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:17
        
        It is a sensible and realistic approach in many cases for many people.
      - David says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:35
        
        Sorry?! To just delete the app, ignore NHS Test and Trace and go to a wedding is sensible and realistic?
        It’s reckless at best and dangerous at worst. For the owner/editor of this site to agree and air that in public is reprehensible IMO.
        Madness.
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:45
        
        I’ve never had the NHS test and trace app, don’t trust the government to act sensibly with it, at some point they’ll outsource its management and then it might as well be plastered on the internet.
        
        Whilst I don’t agree with completely ignoring the rules, I do think it is better to bring your own pen and sign in on paper
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:46
        
        @Laura, do a Gove and join a trial! Lol
      - Simon says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:14
        
        Oh come one David. Laura will be in more danger in the car on the way to the wedding. Or from choking on a fish bone, or the liver damage from a couple of glasses of wine. We havent banned all those things yet have we? And ANYONE who is vulnerable to Covid has had 2 jabs and has great protection. So why should others have to suffer ?
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:28
        
        @Simon the glass of wine one is a bit far, long covid is really damaging many people, even those who had no symptoms and got over it in a few days are having serious side effects.
        
        My OHs mum is now on medication to manage her colon for life…
      - Laura says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:28
        
        @Super Secret Stuff Tempting… Off to google clinical trials
        
        @Simon, not sure I agree, sorry. An acquaintance is an ultra-marathoner and had covid before the first lockdown, no pre-existing conditions, and she still has the effects of long covid all this time later.
      - DT says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:39
        
        over 75% of adults have gotten their first jab, over 50% have gotten their second jab. If now isn’t the time to delete the NHS app, when is? When covid no longer exists in this world? If you are waiting for that day, you will be stuck at home for the rest of your life.
      - Simon says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 15:49
        
        Listen to the Mouse. Life is too short. @Super Secret Stuff…… and people get ill every day for a multitude of reasons. We must take risks in life, or lock yourself away forever? Millions of people take medication every day to control illnesses. It is sad, but thanks to science, many problems are manageable.
      - Anna says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 16:05
        
        David – nobody is suggesting Laura ignores the notification. It sounds like she’s going to have a PCR test. Test and Trace isn’t always right.
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 17:26
        
        @Simon there is being safe and then there is Australia “safe”. Just because half of people won’t immediately end up in hospital doesn’t mean the risk are acceptable yet. Mutations do happen and is more likely to happen very quickly if we “let it free” too soon…
      - Degsy says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 19:36
        
        Reply to Anna’s comment re workplaces who have been told to delete the app:
        Similarly in some parts of the NHS (not sure if this is general NHS policy) – a friend of ours who works in a hospital has been told to turn off the app while she’s at work…..
      - The Savage Squirrel says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 20:24
        
        Degsy, yes that’s official advice within healthcare to turn off the app. As you’re wearing PPE for all patient interactions it makes sense. Unless you want the health system to grind into an even slower gear every time a clinician forgets to turn off their smartphone at work? All our staff have just deleted it to be honest; they’re all double-jabbed and don’t fancy 2 weeks in home-prison because they sat the other side of a wall from someone for 15 minutes.
        
        Laura, The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 is the legislation that can compel people to isolate. Regulation 2 of that legislation is quite clear that notifications from the app are advisory, NOT MANDATORY. You are quite free to make your own decisision about whether and how long to self-isolate based on your own judgement of your own behaviour and risk.
- Mouse says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 15:36
  
  Ignore the ping, delete the app and get on with your life…
  - Navara says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 16:06
    
    That’s the attitude which will delay the road map and keep Anna in the Northwest
    - Matt says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 16:41
      
      It is entirely legal to ignore the app. It is also entirely sensible to do so, and to turn off the contact tracing bit, or just uninstall it. I keep it installed but turned off because some places insist on a sign in.
      
      Everyone at significant risk has either been vaccinated or chosen not to be.
      
      Navara – going along with this sort of ridiculous idea is now what will prolong the whole thing. If people start ignoring it then the government won’t have much choice.
      - Tracey says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 17:40
        
        If you are going to ignore it, why have it on your phone at all?
        I do have a concern that using it for venue check in runs the risk that you will be contacted if someone who also checked in at the venue turns out to be positive.
      - Rob says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 17:42
        
        You can cancel a check-in once you have done it …
      - AnotherUser says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 19:05
        
        Some immunocompromised people may have reduced protection from the vaccine (though it’s still well worth them getting it). There are arguments about how to balance different risks, but you can’t assume that vulnerable people will all have the option of good protection from the vaccine
  - Raveon says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 16:49
    
    +1
    - Anuj says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 17:16
      
      Why can’t people just wait until majority have double jabs ? Is it really asking that much? Hate this older people vibe of people getting bored of following the rules before younger people like me have even had the chance to get one jab let alone two. I’d rather not get long covid thanks
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 17:28
        
        + 1
        
        But the big picture is too big for many to understand and it is easier to follow your own emotions…
      - Matt says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 17:45
        
        We have already waited til the majority of adults have had 2 vaccinations. Way beyond just the vulnerable being vaccinated.
      - Stanley says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 18:43
        
        53.6% of adults HAVE had double jabs – the overwhelming group who are at any risk. If you are lucky enough to be young enough to have not been called for a jab yet, be grateful. And if you believe the risk is still too high until you are jabbed then you are free to stay at home as much as you like. I don’t believe the other 30 million of us should have to wait any longer though.
Brighton Belle says:

8 Jun8 June 12:59

Datapoint. Collected lots of AMEX MR points from the recent Sainsbury’s Gold promo. First time I tried to buy fuel at a Sainsbury’s garage they wouldn’t accept payment via gift card. Response here was they do. Tried again it worked. Tried today and staff said it’s not permitted as the T’s&C’s have changed.
Nick G says:

8 Jun8 June 13:02

I was about to pull the plug on 3 Biz flights to LAX on BA next April but something is just telling me hold off. I think I’ve gone COVID crazy and need to snap pit of it. In normal times with the deal on offer I would have snapped it up.

Anyone else get more reserved these days about booking just in case it doesn’t happen?
- Colin MacKinnon says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 13:35
  
  Me too.
  
  £900 CW return from Paris to Denver is a snip – love Paris too.
  
  And no risk with Book With Confidence – I think BA will survive this, although I am sure some other airlines won’t, so my cash will be safe..
  
  But all I can think of is the hassle of entry to Europe as a UK passport holder, entry from Europe (the Continent and the UK) to the US, and just general Covid hacked offness.
  
  So yes, no risk in booking – but just can’t be bothered!
  - Sandra says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 13:48
    
    Same for me, just can’t be bothered with the uncertainty at the moment and have 3 x 241s waiting to be used! I was speaking to someone today who is still going to Portugal next week but tbh I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle involved & it would not be a relaxing holiday for me. Good luck to anyone who keeps booking and re booking, Anna must have almost a full time job keeping track of all hers! I’ll just keep putting my money away ready for a splurge once I’m certain I can book and actually go without tests or cancellation risk.
    - Anna says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 14:07
      
      Lol Sandra – fortunately it IS actually the only full time job I have at the moment. I think of it as playing at being a travel agent, which is something I always fancied doing. 🤣
      - Doommonger says:
        
        8 Jun8 June 14:12
        
        From my February posting…..”Until there is relative uniformity in vaccination rates, international travel will be a very hit a miss affair. Keep your points and miles for 2022. Save yourselves the heartache of last minute cancellations and the subsequent battle for refunds, stop having to second guess everchanging govt policy, and roll a joint, get laid, crack open a beer or three, watch a box set, or whatever floats your boat”. Chillax people, your all going nowhere for a while.
        
        The Doomster
    - David S says:
      
      8 Jun8 June 22:49
      
      We went to Portugal and are not rushing back. The journey was fine and it feels much safer here. There are Covid safety rules and compliance is generally much better than in the U.K. It’s a real shame what the UK’s about face will do to their economy and we are already seeing evidence of a push to replace U.K. tourists with other nationalities, particularly the French
  - kitten says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 15:01
    
    +1 Colin
  - Nick G says:
    
    8 Jun8 June 19:52
    
    That’s the deal I was looking at….I don’t know why but sometimes I think sod it and book and other times I read stories on here and think take a minute before you part with your money.
    
    It’s not so much the risk (I think we all now take risks in some way or other) it’s more can I be bothered if the govt changes advice, can I be bothered with an unhappy family as they’re all excited then let down etc etc etc
    
    Only way I can see me booking this year at least is via points for the flights and hotel. Sadly still don’t have enough for my plans so might have to rethink that!!
- Louise K says:
  
  8 Jun8 June 13:56
  
  I bagged a couple of the CDG/Hawaii flights last week but I was dithering around and dates were disappearing but I booked in the end anyway. Didn’t sleep much on Thursday night though.
  
  I just think how much longer can we go on like this now we have vaccines? But hey ho, a year ago I thought we would all be travelling again. Fingers crossed.