The HfP chat thread – Sunday 8th August

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L Allen says:

8 Aug8 August 09:59

Does anyone know the current state of lounges at Gatwick? Flying to Grenada next month from North Terminal. Google returns an out of date article on HfP about BA lounges and I can’t find the more recent article that updated the info.

I didn’t think BA were flying from LGW yet so maybe there’s a chance of the airport changing to LHR (one can hope!)
- Rob says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 10:08
  
  No1 is open and I think Aspire is open.
  
  BA is using the North terminal and the BA lounges are in South so you won’t be using those. Your flight will go from Gatwick.
  - L Allen says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 21:28
    
    Thanks! Much appreciated
Joints&Piles says:

8 Aug8 August 10:12

I know Emyr/Virtuoso can get guaranteed lounge access at some Intercontinentals, but is there any way I could take advantage of that when booking with the Ambassador free weekend night BOGOF?

(I think this was asked recently but I can’t find it, sorry)
- Ryan Gill says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 10:21
  
  +1 Although I don’t think Emyr could do anything as you have to book ambassador reward Weekend through ihg/amb website
- Joints&Piles says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 10:35
  
  May be irrelevant anyway. When I booked my trip a week ago the exec room rate details said “includes access to club intercontinental”.
  Today it says “40 Euro F&B credit included” (this is IC Ljubljana), which makes it sound like the lounge isn’t open. Which is a bummer cos I really enjoy the lounges.
  - meta says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 10:52
    
    Having stayed at IC Ljubljana last month, I can confirm the lounge isn’t open. You get 40 euros F&B credit which can you can spend anywhere incl. room service.
    
    Booked two rooms for me and my parents.,I didn’t get the upgrade either as hotel was 100% full, but got 10k points instead. If you want an upgrade book a suite for cash. All the staff is mostly new hires post-covid, so they’re still learning about the hotel. Other than that if you can get a corner room, the bathroom is much 2x bigger than the junior suite. Hard product us really great. Welcome amenity was a meal in itself with parma ham, cheese, bread, fruit, cake and macarons plus a bottle of wine.
    
    The restaurant food is exquisite and has many choices. The service is so-so. Pool and spa are rather small. If the hotel is full, go either very early in the morning or an hour before closing. Otherwise you won’t be able to swim or use any of the facilities as each has space for 2-3 people max.
    
    Overall, okay hotel, but not for the price they charge. I think they should put the rates the same as IC Sofia or slightly more expensive…
    - Joints&Piles says:
      
      8 Aug8 August 11:41
      
      Very helpful, thank you. I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews of the place but I’ve got Ambassador and free night certs begging to be used somewhere so may as well be there. You sound much more positive than some, which is encouraging, and if I get the same welcome amenity I’ll be very happy – meat, cheese, bread and alcohol is my idea of perfect!
      
      Don’t suppose you also have any info on pre-departure covid tests in Ljubljana?
      - meta says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 11:58
        
        I took Qured one with me. I flew back from Croatia with BA and used Verifly, so no issues at the airport.
Waddle says:

8 Aug8 August 10:32

Any readers with a US credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred/Citi Premier and a UK-issued Curve card? Does MCC pass through work as it should allowing purchases to earn at the correct multiplier level?
- Josh says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 10:41
  
  I have the CSR + Chase IHG card but the issue is more about FX differences than it is about it working with C. I.e. a 3% drop in USD makes the cost of transactions similar to billhop. So for welcome bonuses etc, probably worth it.
  - Memesweeper says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 12:48
    
    Can’t you set Curve to charge your card in USD? I’ve not tried but I’m sure I saw that feature…
    - Lyn says:
      
      8 Aug8 August 12:57
      
      Many of the US cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred, don’t have foreign exchanges fees – they just use the Visa / Mastercard rate
      - Lyn says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 12:58
        
        so they work best when charged in the local currency
      - Sina says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 13:50
        
        I’ve found in many cases the Curve FX rate is better even with a no FX card! I’ve only used HSBC US premier card though!
      - Harrier25 says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 14:46
        
        Yes, on weekdays Curve’s FX rate cannot be beaten. Not the case over the weekend though with the additional 0.5% fee.
      - Josh says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 15:42
        
        But unless you hold mass amounts of USD, you’re going to need to pay off the CC debt on the US cards somehow since I assume it’s being used with bendy to spend in UK£
gary says:

8 Aug8 August 10:51

I would appreciate some guidance on a forthcoming trip and options please.

A while ago I managed to bag 3 first class flights to SFO leaving on 28 August and returning from LAX on 13 September. I doubt the rules will change by then and that the US will let us in, but I am keeping my fingers crossed!

If they don’t I am looking at options and my original plan was to defer this trip out to next June 2022. I thought I might be able to do this if BA cancelled the flights. But now that we are allowing travel in to the UK for vaccinated Americans I suspect BA will keep the flights operational.

Does anybody know if I will still get the opportunity to move the booking on the same terms to a later date on the basis that we are not allowed to travel?

Also I have pre-paid for a rental car with Avis via BA. I can’t find the cancelation terms and they are not on the booking documents. I need to know when to cancel to get some form of refund so if anyone has an ideas please let me know. I would phone BA but wait times are long and it seems trivial to block out a line when others have a more urgent need of it.

Thanks in advance.
- Sam G says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 11:06
  
  You don’t say cash or Avios but if it’s Avios then you can change if there are Avios seats available or take an FTV. Cash you can change for a fare difference or take the FTV.
  
  If you are on the BA280 from LAX then that hasn’t operated at all and could still be cancelled. Something to explore would be getting changed onto that now if it’s no/low cost to have more chance of getting a cancelled ticket that you can move out to June FOC
  - gary says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 12:18
    
    Thanks for this. I am on the BA 280 from LAX so maybe that’s an option for me, although the flight out to SFO is the one left operating.
    
    I am booked via a combination of Avios and a companion voucher and managed to get 3 first class tickets. So although I know that I can get a refund less the admin charge my preference would be to get the same seats in June 2022 if possible.
    
    Looks like its going to be complicated as I will have to wait for BA to notify me of the cancelation of the return flight from LAX before I can make enquiries.
    
    In the meantime Biden may wake up and allow us in of course- although that doesn’t feel very likely!
    - Memesweeper says:
      
      8 Aug8 August 12:50
      
      If any flight in the itinerary is cancelled you get insist on getting the whole thing rebooked.
      - gary says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 16:33
        
        Thanks for this, it could be useful for me.
        
        It does lead to another question though and that is how long have you got to get the flights extension (to next June) once you are notified of a cancellation?
        
        The reason being we would be happy to fly on the same day but another flight if thew Americans change their policy and let us in, so may need to leave it until the last minute.
        
        Dealing with travel plans in these coiled times is a bit like a complicated game of chess!
- ChrisC says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 11:14
  
  To be rebooked for free the flight needs to be cancelled.
  
  Not being able to enter the US isn’t a valid reason for a refund or free move,
  
  If you take the FTV then that’s basically a credit note for what you paid. It isn’t a voucher for the same flight at a future date. You’d need to pay any fare difference.
- Rich says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 12:22
  
  Was it Avis UK? It’s never easy to find, but this suggests prepay still gets you free cancellation as long as it’s more than 24h before collection.
  
  https://docs.abgcarrental.com/booking/avis/UK/en
- Eppleby Green says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 14:04
  
  Try BA.Bookings at ba dot com
VickyTM says:

8 Aug8 August 11:03

Does IHG have a history of extending their offers? Hoping the double and triple base points offer will be extended…
- Sandra says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 14:24
  
  Not generally. One offer ends and another usually replaces it fairly soon after although currently they are not as good as a few years ago, especially the points earning opportunities.
TOBIAS L says:

8 Aug8 August 11:09

Rehashing a question which was posted a few days ago by a commenter looking to exchange €1.5m to buy a London property. Someone challenged saying it might be better to leverage the cash.

Repasting the question: how would you approach it? Would you take 20% of that lump sum as a down payment, and invest the rest in some index fund outside an ISA? That way you minimise any potential further downfall in London property prices but also potential play gains in the market (though still exposed to tax)?

Genuinely curious as the property market these days is so insanely overvalued (and continues rising…) that I’m a crossroads myself.
- Josh says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 11:46
  
  Historically it would’ve been taking the highest LTV mortgage available to take full advantage of leverage and invest the rest of your cash into a passive global fund.
  
  If someone has a long time horizon, they can even try taking out a super long term mortgage using current rates (i.e. 10 years @ 2.2%), knowing they aren’t at risk of interest rate hikes causing any cash flow issues
  
  The main concern with maximising the mortgage is if there is a house market crash causing you to go into negative equity (however long term mortgages should hedge against that since you can generally stick it out).
  
  But the principle is as you said, maximum leverage and plough rest into passive index fund.
- Blenz101 says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 12:14
  
  My considerations would be around the tax, in the case of the 1.5m EUR assuming it has been earned outside of the UK and there is potential to avoid is becoming subject to UK capital gains etc. I would be looking at Swissquote or similar to get as much as possible into a passive tracker and keep it offshore.
  
  The equation is also very different if it is a BTL investment / second homes given the higher stamp duty thresholds making it pretty unattractive. There is also a real chance of negative equity as London becomes an increasingly less attractive place for office workers who now need to be in the city for perhaps 2 days a week. HS2 and the Elizabeth line will play a part also in allowing people to easily live further out and commute in when not WFH the majority of the time.
- Yorkie Aid says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 14:00
  
  How would you be minimising your exposure to the downside? You’d still be on the hook for any losses if they accrued. Leverage is wonderful on the way up but devastating on the way down. Most assets are very highly valued / over extended right now. That is the side effect of easy money and effectively negative interest rates.
  - will says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 17:11
    
    Agreed, it’s a brave soul that leverages in any market until the post covid financial world is clear, and by that I largely mean seeing what happens when money stops being printed.
    
    That said, mortgaging for 10 years at 2% (barclays will do 7 at 1.49%) and sitting on the cash could open up great opportunities in the next few years.
JanM says:

8 Aug8 August 11:20

Anyone know of any issues with the Amex website? A friend gave me a referral code for Amex. (Haven’t had a card 2 years now.) But all I end up with is a spinning wheel and then I don’t actually see anything. (Just top and bottom part of the normal Amex page.)
- Doug M says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 11:21
  
  Try a different browser.
  - JanM says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 11:22
    
    I did. I tried Chrome (normal and incognito mode) and Safari.
  - Rob says:
    
    8 Aug8 August 11:23
    
    It is down today (and was down last night too).
    - Eoc says:
      
      8 Aug8 August 11:39
      
      Just been on it with Safari on two logins so if it was its up now 🙂
      - Polly says:
        
        8 Aug8 August 12:41
        
        Tnx was about to phone, spinning wheel all morning
    - JanM says:
      
      8 Aug8 August 18:00
      
      Thanks for confirming. Still no luck. Unfortunately. Hope they fix it as I’d like the card soon.
Michael O'Donnell says:

8 Aug8 August 11:27

IMPORTANT UPDATE – (I think) may be worth posting somewhere Rob as this extremely stressfy week nearly put me off avios entirely and the info on Exec club app/website and BA website is WRONG

If booking an avios exec club open jaw flight you MUST phone BA – you cannot do this online.

The number the exec club, and the BA website all direct you to is 08444930747

TWO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THINGS

1) IT IS THE WRONG NUMBER
2) IT IS A PREMIUM NUMBER COSTING £100s of pounds

Key point – it directs to a call centre in Manchester which I have just been told IS NOT MANNED. One of 2 things happen – You wait in queue for an hour then they disconnect you ( ALL BA calls disconnect after 1hour even if talking to a human being so make sure to tall them to call you back at the start of the call) or they wont even put you in a queue – a pre recorded message tells you they are very busy and to try again later and they disconnect you.

I only found this out by calling BA (non avios non exec) direct on 03444930 787 (787 at end not 747). I spoke to two different staff and they confirmed this regarding the Manchester call centre. They said to either call the 787 number and asked to be transferred to a manned avios centre (which worked twice for me all beit after 16mins and 56minute waits but it worked) or to call the newcastle avios call centre direct which is manned on 08005977580.

2) Never EVER call an 084 number… change the 08 to 04 and keep the rest of the numbers the same… BA and exec sites still direct you you 0844 – this needs raised with them directly- Rob if you have any sway or influence or contacts please do something as yes some people might know about this but i can guarantee you Im not the only one who didnt.

After 6 days, 29 phone calls, 7hrs 40mins on phone, £148.90 additional phone bills I got an alternative flight booked.

Due to the delays in getting through to people I didnt even get the flight, date or time that I wanted – and thats me booking 355 days in advance to Shanghai/Tokyo

Due to the above experience I cursed the day I ever heard of avios and cursed everyone and anyone involved as to be honest- it has really ruined my week and changed my holiday plans – which completely defeats the purpose of a holiday.
- Memesweeper says:
  
  8 Aug8 August 18:18
  
  “ change the 08 to 04 ”
  
  You mean change 08 to 03 I think
  
  I’d definitely *write* to BA’s new-ish CEO about your experience and the brand-damaging impact of continuing to advertise 08 numbers where there are geographical alternatives if I were you.