The HfP chat thread – Monday 14th June

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Michael C says:

14 Jun14 June 08:10

Slight sidebar for any Laaaandoner parents!
Any experience of BlueShift summer coding/daycamp courses for kids? Looking to do a week in Aug. in Notting Hill.
Oh – and they take Amex!
- Rob says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 08:38
  
  My son’s school uses them to run the afterschool IT clubs and never heard any complaints.
  - Michael C says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 09:33
    
    Perfect, Rob, cheers.
    
    Think we’ll camp out in the Hilton Kensington Mon-Fri: not “lovely”, and lounge is closed, but great prices, 10 mins. direct bus to N Hill, pleasant enough location for Holland Park, Kensington, Westfield…and I’ll make the most of all those prix fixes in town while the small one’s in class!
- Paul says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 10:00
  
  No, but under no circumstances ever use Camps International.
  
  See this review site. The first review is very much an outlier.
  
  My experience has been absolutely appalling. The stress they have caused has been extraordinary and at no time have they shown the slightest empathy with students or parents. Grasping, greedy and without the slightest concern for safety in my view.
  - paul says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 10:00
    
    https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/camps-international
Navara says:

14 Jun14 June 08:11

Just noticed Nectar connect points have posted
- mr_jetlag says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 08:17
  
  +1. Got 20pts/£ on a £50 Papa Johns order so happy with the tie up so far.
Optimus Prime says:

14 Jun14 June 08:27

Test to Release: can be done at any time of day 5? or if you landed at 16:00 you have to wait till that time to take it?
- Joe says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 08:50
  
  00.01 on Day 5 is the earliest (assuming landing 16.00 Day 0).
  - Optimus Prime says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 09:55
    
    Thanks!
    
    On the other hand Day 8 does require to wait till 16:00 if landing at 16:00 on Day 0, doesn’t it?
JM says:

14 Jun14 June 08:41

Upgraded from AMEX BA Free to PP last week, had already spent £10k… upgrade voucher came through straight away but only valid for 12 months, not 2 years… any ideas?
- Rob says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 08:56
  
  Common issue. Amex will adjust if you speak to them.
Colin MacKinnon says:

14 Jun14 June 09:00

Entry to USA. Understand you have to be outside the UK/EU/Brazil for 14 days first.

Is it 14 whole days, of do the first and last count too?

IE. Arrive in Mexico in evening on 1st of the month, can I go to USA on morning of the 14th, or would it have to be the 16th?

And how reliable are BA’s three flights a week to Mexico City – or should I allow an extra day in case of having to re-route with Iberia via Madrid (AA via Miami obviously doesn’t work!)
- Nick says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 09:35
  
  There’s a calculator on FT for this, but essentially your arrival in MEX is Day 0 (as you were in the UK that morning which counts).
  - Colin MacKinnon says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 13:00
    
    Fab, thanks Nick
- Frankie says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 10:04
  
  I believe BA243 LHR to MEX goes every day except Tuesday.
EdMo says:

14 Jun14 June 09:11

Upgrade Using Avios query:

I’ve booked a holiday for myself and partner. WTP outbound and Club on return. There is one Club redemption seat on outbound now (flights are Jan 2022). Can I upgrade my partner now with Avios? Or must we wait until (if) there are two seats before using UuA? Thanks!
- Tim says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 09:21
  
  I’d book it now for yourself if you can’t book in partners name. The cabin crew would likely allow your partner to swop with you after boarding if you ask nice. There might not be further reward seats released so depends if you don’t mind not sitting together
- ChrisC says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 09:29
  
  I’d speak to BA Hols about this.
  
  To upgrade just one of you would mean them having to split the PNR and that could cause issues down the line.
Philip says:

14 Jun14 June 09:21

Has anyone used BioGrad Diognostics for Covid day 2/8 testing? I sent my day 2 test back last Thursday morning and I’ve not had the result yet. They also don’t answer their phones. It’s soon going to be my day 8 test day!
- ankomonkey says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 10:01
  
  Similar experience. Day 2 postal test taken with them. I’m now on Day 12 and haven’t had the result through. e-mail and phone calls unanswered. Wife and kids have had their results back, on days 5, 6 and 10. All tests taken on the same day and posted together. Makes testing a farce as I could have been asymptomatically spreading Covid all this time.
- Philip says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 10:53
  
  Update: I got through to BioGrad by complaining on their Facebook page. As with Cathy Pacific (back on airline topic!!) when we had a huge delay last year, they replied quickly.
  
  It seems Royal Mail 24 is “Royal Mail We’ll Get Round to Delivering it When We Feel Like it Especially When the Sun is Out” and the package posted last Thursday about 11am still hasn’t arrived.
  
  Yes this Covid testing is a very flawed and expensive to the customer system. Testing in a local lab in Athens before flying back cost 20 Euros!!
  - ankomonkey says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 13:38
    
    Thanks! I’ll consider whether I bother chasing as I’ve been back quite a long time now…
  - Tomgold says:
    
    15 Jun15 June 13:52
    
    can you share info of the local lab?
Andrew says:

14 Jun14 June 09:40

Another quiet Monday on the Amex offers – businesses seem to have gone back into hibernation mode with their marketing spend due to all this uncertainty again, been nothing new of note all month. Although Co-op will writing service is back – perhaps Amex is trying to tell me something!
- Andrew says:
  
  14 Jun14 June 10:10
  
  The Armani offer is very tight indeed.
  
  It appeared on mine this morning £400/£100, and is valid for just 4 days.
  
  Bit of an attrition on my BoS offers too. Was up to 45, dropped down to just 33 now.
  - Andrew says:
    
    14 Jun14 June 10:56
    
    Yes, I got that one too, although I think my friend mentioned they had it a few weeks ago, so perhaps one of the offers that hasn’t had a good take up on the initial rollout and then they extend it to other cardmembers in the final days.