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The HfP chat thread – Friday 16th July

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We are running this daily chat thread on Head for Points during the coronavirus outbreak.

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Comments (383)

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

  • Mark says:
    16 Jul16 July 02:32

    Tapping on the vast knowledge of HFPers…

    1. How is Curve’s FX rate? Thinking if I should use Curve (HSBC WEMC) or just a typical Monzo in Europe.

    2. Dam Health offers a Rapid Antigen in central London for £29. Anyone found anything cheaper? Travelling to Portugal.

    • John says:
      16 Jul16 July 05:08

      It probably beats the Mastercard rate slightly but remember the 0.5% fee on weekends and the theoretical monthly limit if you have blue – but offset by points on the HSBC card

      • Dr C says:
        16 Jul16 July 11:32

        I thought Curve used Mastercards rate though

        • the_real_a says:
          16 Jul16 July 11:43

          No they use a wholesale provider CurrencyLayer. Blended average of various spot rates. Usually better than MasterCard, except when they load the price on a weekend.

    • Anuj says:
      16 Jul16 July 06:09

      Monzo is better on weekend, if you’re likely to be withdrawing cash in large amounts, get starling

    • Gustavo says:
      16 Jul16 July 22:09

      I use curve on weekdays as it converts at the time you spend versus monzo which takes a few days to settle and the exchange might change.

      Be weary of the weekend surcharge so I’d use monzo in the weekends plus there’s the spending limits on curve.

  • Mouse says:
    16 Jul16 July 05:17

    For Mel TS from yesterday’s thread on the most pleasant way to get to Nairobi & back for less than £2k per person. I have done Qatar Airways from Oslo and/or Gothenburg in business (with a BA economy connecting flight to the starting point) and found it extremely pleasant, very cheap and very rewarding avios and tier points wise. Would never have considered such an option without HFP so thanks Rob.

    • John says:
      16 Jul16 July 06:13

      I don’t understand why you would turn a 9 hour flight into an 18 hour journey with 2 stops unless you needed to do something in Norway or you really really want some tier points or it was extremely cheap (under £1000)

      • Mouse says:
        16 Jul16 July 06:36

        Good point – visited a friend in Oslo and got enough tier points to push me up to gold. Also just enjoy the lounges and experience of flying in business class so don’t really mind a bit of extra time.

        • Mel TS says:
          16 Jul16 July 08:17

          Thanks Mouse, I”m spending today looking at options. Interestingly when I looked at prices again last night, one flight had rocketed from £3566 for both of us KLM business class to over £7000!!! I also agreee I’m not changing from 9 hours to 18 hours, but 9 hrs to 11 hours isnt that bad. I too like the experience- it makes the holiday start at the airport. Slightly wish we had never done any business class redemptions – I’m too used to it now!!

          • WaynedP says:
            16 Jul16 July 11:21

            Always use incognito mode when researching, or regularly clear your cookie cache.

            I suspect that often the price change is driven by an algorithm that recognises you as a returning potential customer, written ostensibly for the seller by someone that usually overestimates their own intelligence and underestimates real-world consumer behaviour.

      • kitten says:
        16 Jul16 July 08:16

        You on the right website, John?

  • Stuart says:
    16 Jul16 July 05:50

    Anyone have a voucher code for Octopus Energy.

  • Liam says:
    16 Jul16 July 05:59

    It’ll probably end up being nothing more than a generic statement but Biden, as part of his joint press conference with Merkel, was asked about the current restrictions on tourists from Europe, and he said that he’ll have an update “in the next several days.”

    https://twitter.com/thomaswright08/status/1415793054716514305

    • Liam says:
      16 Jul16 July 06:00

      Should say “non-US travellers from Europe” as it’s not just tourists affected.

      • John says:
        16 Jul16 July 06:15

        Should say non-US travellers from the Schengen area as much of Europe is not affected

    • Andrew says:
      16 Jul16 July 06:13

      And depends if he includes the U.K in his definition of Europe

      • BJ says:
        16 Jul16 July 06:32

        US presidents rarely include UK in their definition of the UK, and that is especially likely to be true of Biden.

    • IanM says:
      16 Jul16 July 07:34

      It will be the ultimate irony when USA opens its borders to everyone except the plague island that is GB because of the ineptitude of Boris and Nicola who have let people die and infection rates get out of hand.

      • Dave says:
        16 Jul16 July 09:12

        No they have not, you are deluded and watch too much BBC/Sky News, I suggest you read more, mainly the ONS data and see for your self, watch GB News or listen to Talk Radio. The only inept one I keep seeing on TV is Keir Starmer, aka Captain Hindsight. COVID is not ever going away in our lifetime, it has a survivability rate of 99% to 99.5% yet were being kept locked up and some want it to continue.

        Hundreds of people a day die a day in road traffic accidents, these deaths are avoidable we could stop it by banning cars, or re-indroducing the Locomotive Act 1861 which limits cars to 5mph in built up areas and 10mph out in the open. But we accept as a society that some death is ok for the convince of being able to drive. We have been seeing single figure deaths from COVID since April, some days even zero. We need to stop mass testing, (other European countries are not or even reporting them like us which is why our stats look worse) and just go back to normal. An infection does not = hospitalisation, and almost all Adults have been offered a jab, there is nothing more we can do without completely screwing the whole country.

        • IanM says:
          16 Jul16 July 09:23

          “Single figure deaths since April”, are you on the sauce early today?

          Yesterday 63 deaths 257 last 7 days, best to check the numbers before you comment.

          • Crafty says:
            16 Jul16 July 20:51

            I think the “single figures” Dave means is the number of viewers GB News aspires to reach per day.

        • PerkyPat says:
          16 Jul16 July 09:29

          Hundreds of people a day? Nonsense on stilts. 1587 road deaths last year in the UK. Sets the tone for the rest of the post, I suppose.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            16 Jul16 July 10:05

            Last year was hardly a normal year.

            2018 was c1800 and 160k in hospital.

            Anyway dying WITH Covid (the stats you are shown) to dying because of Covid are two completely different things.

        • Happeemonkee says:
          16 Jul16 July 10:03

          I stopped reading at GB News/Talk Radio

        • Tim says:
          16 Jul16 July 11:15

          GB News for accuracy 😂

        • Rui N. says:
          16 Jul16 July 18:11

          GB News? Those guys that were against cancel culture and started to cancel people 4 weeks after they started? The paragon of reliability.

      • BJ says:
        16 Jul16 July 09:13

        Don’t overinterpret positive test numbers, they simply reflect number of tests carried out. It is the test positivity % that is a little more reliable when comparing countries.

    • James says:
      16 Jul16 July 08:41

      He didn’t specify Europe at all so indicates it will be a general update possibly to do with restrictions varying by vaccine. Canada non essential border ban also expires within the week so needs to update on that also. Further to that was interesting to see super cautious Justin Trudeau say he wants to open all vaccinated travellers by mid September

      • TGLoyalty says:
        16 Jul16 July 09:19

        Canada has done really well with their vaccine programme after a slow start. Now sitting only a couple % behind USA and U.K. for fully vaccinated people.

        Spain similar

  • Ben says:
    16 Jul16 July 06:20

    Morning – idiotically realised last night that I have roughly £50 left to spend of the £175 Amex promotion, and two days left to spend it (deadline 18/07). What’s the best way to ensure my card is charged in time, just buy off selfridges / Harvey Nichols? Should add i live in Italy so cannot pop to Waitrose.

  • Bagoly says:
    16 Jul16 July 06:46

    I have a BA Holidays booking.
    BA changed the flights some time ago and I never accepted the changes – keeping my options open.
    Now I need to cancel (government travel restrictions too uncertain, even three weeks out)
    Online the system only offers Review and Accept, or Contact Us (by ‘phone), and I am struggling to get through on the ‘phone.
    As they changed the flights I’m entitled to a cash refund, but for the amount involved I’m OK with taking an FTV.
    If I accept the changes, will that open up the ability to cancel to FTV online under BWC?

    • Mirp says:
      16 Jul16 July 07:46

      We clicked contact us and BA actually called the same day although the auto reply said they would be in contact within 10 days which was ridiculous.

  • Gtellez says:
    16 Jul16 July 07:09

    Today I received an email from POV Marriott (after I joined like a month ago), with a summary of what the e members have mentioned there during the last few months. Quite complete and accurate – now let’s see if they follow what their most loyal members recommend.
    It mentions lack of transparency for room upgrades as one of the things most people complaint about (and I understand why). It should be very easy for Marriott to implement something like Melia, when based on your status you can select the room you want during app checkin – so some hotels can’t play games as they do.

    • Rob says:
      16 Jul16 July 08:51

      When I was Hilton HQ three years ago they told me they were looking at this …. no dice. Of course it goes down like a lead balloon with the hotel management who are giving up control of room allocation.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        16 Jul16 July 10:36

        Allocation shouldn’t just be about status though should it? The personal relationship with that property regardless of your status should be the main driver behind an upgrade/room allocation.

        • Sam G says:
          16 Jul16 July 10:51

          & revenue considerations. Rather like an airline the hotel might have all it’s room types on sale but only a few rooms left. This needs close management of lengths of stay etc to fit the jigsaw together and really max out the last few points of occupancy during peak periods. That’s why you often get a better upgrade on a shorter stay.

          What they could consider doing is enabling it during lower occupancy periods perhaps

        • Gtellez says:
          16 Jul16 July 14:15

          But that is what is wrong when you are part of a bigger chain, at least in my opinion. I do whatever is possible to go to a Marriott, even at higher prices because I like the perks associated with my Titanium status. So I consider that I should be upgraded before someone with a personal relationship with the hotel that only goes to that hotel but does way less number of nights a year than me in Marriott properties.

    • Bagoly says:
      16 Jul16 July 10:54

      Is Melia integrated, i.e. they actually operate the hotels?
      Even if they don’t own the properties.
      That makes it easier to achieve better management from a guest point of view.

  • JohnT says:
    16 Jul16 July 07:28

    Amex BA 241 spend tracker is back in the app. (Went missing earlier this week).

    • TGLoyalty says:
      16 Jul16 July 10:37

      They come and go. I have 0 trackers across 3 players at the moment.

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

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