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The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 11th August

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General

Comments (395)

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

  • SteveJ says:
    11 Aug11 August 18:21

    Is there a minimum amount of Amex membership rewards points that can be redeemed for statement credit? About to shut down Player 2’s membership rewards card and have nothing other than Avios (in 1,000 multiples) to transfer the residual to.

    • Harry T says:
      11 Aug11 August 18:27

      Transfer them to nectar and cash out for Sainsbury’s groceries?

      • SteveJ says:
        11 Aug11 August 18:34

        Bulk gone to Avios (from where may go to Nectar), 400 odd left and player 2 does not have a nectar account. Just cashed them out for a few £££ statement credit.

    • Sukes says:
      11 Aug11 August 18:31

      1,000 Membership Rewards points = £4.50. You must use a minimum of 200 points each time.

  • Crafty says:
    11 Aug11 August 18:35

    When did the Spire Elite snack alongside drink get enhanced away? I used to quite enjoy my random Nobby’s Nuts.

    • SteveJ says:
      11 Aug11 August 18:45

      Some are more generous than others on the drink. Recently stayed at the HI Bristol Airport, they gave a whole bottle of wine as the welcome drink, which was a nice surprise. No snack though.

    • Aston100 says:
      11 Aug11 August 18:46

      This is a good point.
      The voucher from my last three hotels only applied to a drink.
      There was no longer a mention of a snack.

  • Anon says:
    11 Aug11 August 18:52

    BA Data Breach claim amount just arrived. Low hundreds. Not that great but it’s something at least.

  • Chris Heyes says:
    11 Aug11 August 19:05

    Wow, Hadrian’s Wall, discovered in Newcastle at last something to visit Newcastle for, well very briefly if passing through would be good if it was a large, long structure then it would really be worth a visit
    Walked along the Great Wall China, a good few years ago, impressive, had to get special permission was restricted, because of repairs
    Don’t know if you still can ?
    Not an easy trip, but worth every worrying bit lol

    • TGLoyalty says:
      11 Aug11 August 19:09

      Isn’t it underground and near some waterworks? Doesn’t sound too appealing to visit.

      • Chris Heyes says:
        11 Aug11 August 19:13

        TGLoyalty Yes I’m sure I’ll never visit, but good that they found it at last
        I’m just as sure I’ll never visit Newcastle either lol

    • ChrisA says:
      11 Aug11 August 19:43

      I made the mistake of going to the Badaling section (in China) and felt a bit like Karl Pilkington as I ducked and dived round the selfies.

    • Genghis says:
      11 Aug11 August 20:22

      We go to Newcastle just to have brunch at Palace Garden on a Sunday. Recommended if you’re still around then.

      We went to Jinshanling at sunset and had the Great Wall almost to ourselves.

    • Jonty says:
      11 Aug11 August 20:31

      We had a great time in Newcastle a couple of years ago with small kids. 1 bedroom suite at Staybridge suites (pleasant, friendly, no pool), Beamish open air museum nearby, nice stroll along the Tyne past iconic bridges old and new.

      • Yorkie Aid says:
        11 Aug11 August 20:43

        I really don’t understand why Newcastle gets such a bad wrap. We had never been before and tbh weren’t really expecting much but we went for two nights last week and it was excellent. Some of the architecture is stunning if you take the time to explore. We had great food too. The locals are the friendliest bunch you’d ever meet. I’d definitely go back. Way nicer than places like Bristol imho.

        • Rui N. says:
          11 Aug11 August 20:50

          Also liked it a lot when I was there a couple of years ago after my visit to Hadrian’s wall.

        • BJ says:
          11 Aug11 August 21:18

          I love Newcastle, much better than Bristol IME. I get that Bristol might be a good student town but apart from that I don’t think it has that much going for it. Amongst English cities I have took a short break Bristol and Oxford come out bottom of my list. I’m not rubbishing them, I had nice visits but they just fell short on my expectations.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            11 Aug11 August 23:01

            Cambridge > Oxford but it’s really not that bad

          • Tim says:
            12 Aug12 August 00:32

            My local two cities are Newcastle and Edinburgh. Like most cities, both have good and bad. And I’m a firm believer that if you visit a city when it is sunny with a bright blue sky you’ll leave with a better impression than if the sky is grey (which is a bit more frequent in Edinburgh and Newcastle – maybe a bit of global warming will change this :-)). I spent my student days in Bristol for 3 years and Oxford for 4 years, both are great cities. Oxford in particular, is pretty. But you don’t see anywhere the superb architecture of Newcastle around Grey Street. Plus arriving by train at Oxford or Bristol is nowhere near as impressive as arriving into Newcastle from the south.

      • Harry T says:
        11 Aug11 August 21:26

        Newcastle is a decent city – some very good food and drink to be found in up and coming areas like Ouseburn.

        • Jonathan says:
          11 Aug11 August 21:56

          Whitley Bay is probably one of the best examples of how to bring an old seaside town into the 21st century. Plus Riley’s Fish Shack on the beach at Tynemouth is amazing on a sunny evening.

    • BJ says:
      11 Aug11 August 20:43

      I’ve got a soft spot for the walls at Berwick, dating back to my childhood 🙂

    • Alex says:
      11 Aug11 August 21:39

      Can’t even read this. Someone translate this pls

      • Sandra says:
        11 Aug11 August 22:59

        Alex – Basically it’s been reported that Northumbria Water were repairing a burst water main off a roundabout in Newcastle & found a length of Hadrian’s Wall actually in Newcastle itself (as opposed to where there are already bits in Wallsend where, well that name is self explanatory…). It’s believed to be one of the earliest stretches of Hadrians Wall and of archeological interest because of this & also the way it is built differently to later parts. This started the discussion about the merits, or not, of visiting Newcastle.

        • Chrisasaurus says:
          12 Aug12 August 08:42

          Just for clarity I had actually never connected the dots on the name of wallsend (yes I know) – but add led to that the history of the name NewCastle it just makes me like the region more, No nonsense just names that make sense

        • Alex says:
          12 Aug12 August 10:12

          Thank you Sandra! I thought the Great Wall of China was found in the UK for a moment.

  • Zara says:
    11 Aug11 August 19:14

    Has anyone done 1 night conrad st James via Emyr benefits?

  • Justin says:
    11 Aug11 August 19:33

    Booked flights to Nice for the end of August, returning in middle of September.
    Can I check that if I’m following the current guidelines and am double vaxxed.

    1) I don’t need to take any tests before I go or when I get there. I just show my NHS app??

    2) When returning, I need to take a test up to 72 hours before I leave France. (This is referred to as a pre-departure test)

    3) When I arrive back in the UK, I need to take a test on arrival or day 1 or day 2 (This is referred to as a day 2 test)

    4) That is all I need to do?

    5) Can I order the tests now? So that I know I have them in my posession before I leave? I’m assuming if I’m in France for two weeks, the tests don’t have expiry dates?

    • Harry T says:
      11 Aug11 August 21:27

      Broadly correct. You also apparently need to sign a statement of honour when visiting France – form can be found online. You can actually take your day 2 test as soon as you get back to the UK. Tests shouldn’t expire and you can order them now.

    • Jonny says:
      12 Aug12 August 08:20

      Yes. You will need your Pass Sanitaire for restaurant access. The TousAntiCovid app (which is in English will scan your NHS letter 2nd dose QR code) has been required at every restaurant in/around Nice. Others have said they can scan your NHS QR directly but have not tried.

      On Saturday I fly home with the Chronomics pre-departure up to 3 days test.

      A friend had a Qured one rejected by BA check-in agents at NCE a few weeks ago and had to do an urgent at airport test. Hope that was an aberration.

  • Benilyn says:
    11 Aug11 August 20:08

    If applying for a credit card whilst on maternity (full pay for now), do you just tick employed full time? Any experiences? Thanks

    • Zara says:
      11 Aug11 August 20:12

      Yes. You’re still categorised as “employed” whilst on maternity. It’s classified as continuous employment.

    • Rui N. says:
      11 Aug11 August 20:13

      Yes. No issues here for me or the Mrs. while on parental leave.

  • Tom says:
    11 Aug11 August 21:05

    JDB is the same person who thinks asking Amex for a retention offer is fraud…

    • JDB says:
      11 Aug11 August 22:53

      I think you must have misunderstood. Asking is fine, lying about your intentions is not. There were a number of people on here who were clear they did not want to cancel or intend to do so, but pretended this was the case to get some points. When they failed on the first attempt, they even asked on here how better to spin the lie. If you are OK with that, so be it. Try it on a parent, boss, professional person etc. and see if they agree with me or you.

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