The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 9th June

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Rachel R says:

9 Jun9 June 08:55

If you have tesco Clubcard vouchers I think they’re worth 3x at Goldsmiths. Not aware of any others though.
Neil says:

9 Jun9 June 09:00

If you buy online via Goldsmiths you’ll pay list price vs going to a store (maybe try one or two) where you should get a discount + check online for discounts as you should get one for most TAG models
Andrew says:

9 Jun9 June 09:07

They have a shop at Bicester if it’s an older model you’re looking at.
Laura says:

9 Jun9 June 09:08

Anyone else get an email from Amex yesterday offering a bonus 5 points per £1 spent at The Hotel Collection via Amex Travel?
8 points per £1 seems amazing!
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  9 Jun9 June 09:29
  
  Rob ran an article On this.
  
  pre paid stays are very likely to mean no status benefits/points/nights
  
  Great for hotels that aren’t part of loyalty schemes though.
  
  Where do you get 8/£? You normally get 1 with plat and 2 with gold so that’s 6 or 7/£?
  - Laura says:
    
    9 Jun9 June 09:37
    
    So he did! Sorry Rob!
    
    8/£ from the email small print.
    
    “Basic Cardmembers enrolled in the American Express Membership Rewards Programme who book a pre-paid The Hotel Collection stay at travel.americanexpress.co.uk will earn, in addition to their standard earn rate plus the 2 additional online booking bonus point, an additional 5 bonus Membership Rewards points (for a total of 8 points) for every full £1 charged for the stay to their eligible Preferred Rewards Gold Card or American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card. “
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      9 Jun9 June 10:01
      
      ah counting the point you would get for spending on the card anyway.
      
      tbh I wouldn’t factor that in as id be using my AMEX to pay anyway.
      
      Potentially even better when it comes to hotels abroad as you’d pay in GBP and no 3% FX fees
      - Memesweeper says:
        
        9 Jun9 June 10:08
        
        Gain 5MRs per pound.
        
        Loose loyalty points and loyalty perks – usually worth >5% in my experience
        
        Unlikely to be worth it at any chain you have built status or a decent points balance with. I think this is a retrograde step by Amex, no doubt we’ll start seeing pre-paid only before long. 😔
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        9 Jun9 June 10:18
        
        Plenty of Hotel Collection/FHR which aren’t part of the restrictive loyalty schemes that wouldn’t treat you any differently though. thinking Aman Rosewood FS MO COMO Kempinski R&C Viceroy Anantara etc + many independents
Andrew says:

9 Jun9 June 09:14

Bicester Village if you aren’t too far away.
Aaron says:

9 Jun9 June 10:05

Has anyone booked the Day 2 and Day 8 tests with different providers? I have a Day 2 test booked with Atrucheks but now need to add the Day 8. Atruchecks is quite expensive for an add on Day8 test while Randox is cheaper. Can you “mix and match”? There is clearly no “laboratory reason” why not but will it work for the PLF?
PK says:

9 Jun9 June 10:11

Can someone explain the 300/500/700 rule to me please? And are these limits cumulative i.e. does the £500 include the £300?
Thanks.
- Genghis says:
  
  9 Jun9 June 10:13
  
  £300 per day, £500 per 3 days, £700 per rolling week.
  Yes, cumulative. So £300 on a Monday means you can only do £200 on a Wednesday (capped by £500 per 3 days) and then say £200 on a Thursday (capped by £700 per rolling week)
  - PK says:
    
    9 Jun9 June 10:32
    
    Thank you Sir Genghis.
    One last Q: Does this limit apply for all financial institutions or just Seagulls? The reason I ask is because my card doesn’t seem to be limited at Che and I can top-up Che by as much as I like, but it does seem to be restricted when paying off Seagulls.
    - Genghis says:
      
      9 Jun9 June 10:48
      
      It depends on the MCC (6012 vs 4829 – IIRC).
MJ says:

9 Jun9 June 10:31

Thanks everyone for the advice.