The HfP chat thread – Saturday 14th August

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

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

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the de facto repository for random comments and questions. With the news flow being lighter, we are running fewer ‘Bits’ articles.

The comments under this article are where you should post questions about travel and, indeed, anything else on your mind. At this tricky time, and given that many of you are at home, we want the HfP community to have a place to chat.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article. This has long-term benefits as it keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

Old chat threads are hidden from the HfP home page. If you want to look for something in an old thread, click here. This brings up all the articles in our ‘General’ category which includes the chat threads.

Category

General

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

Michael C says:

14 Aug14 August 09:56

IOM trip report: QR code for flying received overnight after uploading NHS certificate. Instructions for minors unclear on website, but sorted out. LHR T2 fully open shop-wise. No lounge, of course.

IOM Premier Inn: at GBP35/night – room far above that, service far below ;o)) No cleaning until requested second time on 4th day, + various other issues. In their defence, the waitress was also the receptionist!! Very overstretched, and apparently always has been the way. Still, great overall.

The BA-cancelled return flight turned into a slightly choppy force 6 boat…although the new trip-up-the-Liver-Building attraction in Liverpool was excellent!
- Bill says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 19:44
  
  The premier Inn are recruiting
Anna says:

14 Aug14 August 10:01

Excellent flying experience with Ryanair last night, prompt departure, plane half empty, landed 10 minutes early into a deserted T1 at MAN, decision to only bring hand luggage paid off as we got to our car 8 minutes after the scheduled arrival time! I could really be converted back to short haul LCC holidays …

Cabin crew were charming and exit row seats well worth the £9 pp extra, especially as no-one had taken the 3rd seat. Am I right to be concerned though that clearly the only cleaning between flights consists of cabin crew going round with a bin bag at regular intervals collecting rubbish? I know covid transmission from touching surfaces is rare, apparently, but weren’t all the airlines previously trumpeting about deep cleaning the planes to keep us safe?
- The Savage Squirrel says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:08
  
  Ryanair does what it says on the tin; not pleasant, but the plane (and you) will arrive at the destination….
  
  …. right until the point it’s not fine. Any problem that needs resolving, even a minor one, and you get the middle digit salute of their customer service.
  - Anna says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 10:10
    
    Yes, we have travelled with them in the past, all OK until we were diverted to Fuerteventura en route to Lanzarote – after 2 hours on the tarmac in boiling heat with no water we were handed ferry tickets and basically told we were on our own from that point!
  - Yorkieflyer says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 18:05
    
    Same as BA then !
- Anna says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:08
  
  Covid tests and PLFs were checked in the queue for boarding, none of it was checked on arrival at MAN.
- Harry T says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:20
  
  Ryanair don’t clean, enforce mask usage, or otherwise provide customer service that isn’t directly linked to you paying them. You can have as many Heinekens as you want and shout at people for the the whole journey with your mask off, as some of my fellow passengers on my Dublin flight yesterday nicely demonstrated 😊
  - Blair says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 12:51
    
    From which origin airport Harry?
    - Harry T says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 23:10
      
      Newcastle!
Matt says:

14 Aug14 August 10:02

If I pay more than the minimum deposit for a BA Holiday before the deadline, can I get a refund of that excess in cash, or just as an FTV/e-voucher?
Can an FTV from a holiday booking be used against a flight only booking?

I’ve got a credit card bonus or two to hit….
- Jonathan says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:04
  
  If you’re aiming for a credit card spend bonus, you can always buy a fully flexible plane ticket
  - Matt says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 10:13
    
    It’s an ongoing bonus for a card that I’ll be keeping, so I don’t really want to do that. Plus I have enough money that I need to pay BA a few weeks after the card deadline, assuming this holiday actually happens!
- Harry T says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:23
  
  If you cancel the holiday, any payments you make will be contained in the voucher you accept (assuming within BWC period). If BA cancel your holiday, you will receive all of the money you’ve paid as a cash refund.
  
  As far as I know, holiday vouchers can only be used on holidays. Worth double checking Flyertalk though – things change.
  - Matt says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 10:38
    
    Thanks. The first part of that at least is what I expected.
Ls says:

14 Aug14 August 10:09

Just signed up gor a new HSBC WE card. On the letter that came with the card, it says annual fee £0. Have they been generous, made a mistake, or given the first year for free, due to COVID affecting travel?
- Harry T says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:24
  
  Probably the latter but the middle one is always possible with HSBC.
  - meta says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 10:29
    
    Yes, no fees this and next year.
    - Harry T says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 10:31
      
      So no fee in 2022 either? Did you ask HSBC?
      - meta says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 10:59
        
        Yes, they refunded me the fee for this year and told me no fee in 2022. But my fee is due in early January, so maybe that’s why.
- SteveJ says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:49
  
  Is it really worth the fee?
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 10:50
    
    Is it worth £0? Yes
    - SteveJ says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 12:47
      
      Is it worth £195 though?
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 15:00
        
        Atleast for the first year. I’ve already hit the required spend. Ongoing…. Time will tell.
- Reney says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 11:28
  
  If it is free, are you still eligible for the sign up being bonus? When I asked about it a couple of months ago I was told no to the fee being wave and only for existing card holders.
  
  I might just sign myself one up shortly, been reluctant to pay 195 plus fee for sup card.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 11:29
    
    Well I haven’t been charged. But YMMV.
  - Ls says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 11:34
    
    Given both TG and I haven’t been charged, I would say worth a punt. In my case the letter with the card confirmed £0 fee. You would therefore have a good idea as soon as you got the card – you could cancel under 14 day off cooling off period if you were charged.
    I fully expect bonus as well, and this still appears on the website.
    - Reney says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 11:38
      
      I was just thinking there is always the cancellation policy to fall back on. Need to sit down and do some maths re how much spend i have to swing it in the next few months. Currently working on a BAPP 2 for 1.
  - Harry T says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 11:52
    
    I also signed up to HSBC WE last month and my letter says my annual fee is £0. I have not been charged.
    - Rob says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 12:02
      
      I signed up this month and I’m sure the letter said I was being charged, because it referenced the fee being refunded because I am HSBC Jade. Perhaps they are only charging those of us who get a refund?!
      
      That said, two weeks in, no fee has appeared on my card. It is meant to be charged and then later refunded for Jade members.
      - Axel says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 12:15
        
        Jade refund takes about a month. I think they have stopped giving refund on supplementary card.
        
        Jade offers are getting more and more embarrassing, think the marketing is being run by Megan Market.
      - Rob says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 14:21
        
        I agree, useless. The only ‘VIP partnership’ that was vaguely useful was Dunhill. Filled in all the forms on their website …. and never heard from them.
      - JDB says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 12:16
        
        Rob, did you see the Jade eligibility (at least for new customers) is going up from £500k to £1m from 23 Nov.
      - Rob says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 14:20
        
        Is it? No, not heard anything. Slightly bizarre move since Jade literally gets you nothing except a snazzy debit card and the free WE credit card.
      - Harry T says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 23:11
        
        @Rob when I applied, it said the annual fee was £195, as expected. But the letter with the card said that the annual fee was £0. Suppose it is free for you either way!
      - Johnny5a says:
        
        15 Aug15 August 21:43
        
        Useless fact: My son and I appear in HSBC Jade’s marketing material
        
        https://internationalservices.hsbc.com/jade/
      - Rob says:
        
        15 Aug15 August 22:05
        
        Fantastic. Hope you got paid for that!
    - JIm says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 12:06
      
      Had a different experience, applied in June, the letter said £0 but a statement was created within 2 days, just for the £195 fee.
      - Matt says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 12:15
        
        What’s the best way to sign up for HSBC Premier currently? I have a (not really used) HSBC account, and I meet the income requirements.
      - Luke says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 21:29
        
        Same happened to me
    - Reney says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 14:38
      
      I have applied, will report back. Can someone pls tell me how I add supplementary card holders pls?
      - JDB says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 16:30
        
        You have to download a form and post it to them. I did this in February and the supplementary card arrived within two or three days. If you can’t find it online they will send the form via chat.
- Mouse says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 12:53
  
  Cna anyone remind the churn rules on the HSBC WE?
  - Genghis says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 13:20
    
    No WE card for 6 months
    - Mouse says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 15:48
      
      Thanks Genghis
- Luke says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 21:27
  
  My letter said £0 but they deducted the £195 from my card as advertised
ankomonkey says:

14 Aug14 August 10:18

Anyone here been to The Azores? Recommended?
- M says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 11:51
  
  I’ve been to Sete Cidades in February 2016.
  
  Pros:
  – great nature, hiking trails, magnificent views, no crowds
  
  Cons:
  – a little colder than ideal (around 20 degrees, sometimes a little below, sometimes a little above)
  – it was pretty hard to find restaurants anywhere other than Ponta Delgada (definitely fewer places to eat compared to, say, Canary Islands)
  - ankomonkey says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 17:28
    
    Thank you!
- bafan says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 14:28
  
  I went to Ponta Delgada right before COVID and had a wonderful time!
  - ankomonkey says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 17:28
    
    Thank you!
Robert says:

14 Aug14 August 10:34

If I have to commute between say LHR and BCN (sunday out / friday back) for a number of weeks; as a fully vaccinated person do I still need to take day 2 test when actually I will be going back to BCN having arrived 2 days (say around 48 hours) earlier?

What happens to EU lorry drivers and person frequently entering / exiting between UK and say other Amber list EU country?
- Rob says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 10:38
  
  Yes, because it is a Day 0, 1, 2 test. Day 2 is the deadline.
  
  Drivers are exempt but are subject to strict rules on when they can leave their cabs.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 10:52
    
    There are other frequent travellers who are exempt
    
    OP you are best off reading all the advice on gov.uk back to back.
    - Robert says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 11:23
      
      Yes, thanks for the information….It is all there on GOV UK website.
      Need to have necessary documents in place to claim exemption.
      - Jonathan says:
        
        14 Aug14 August 13:04
        
        My understanding is the exemption only applies if your job requires regular travel as part of your role (HGV driver, air crew, engineer travelling to work sites) not as part of the commute. You can also be exempt some of the time (air crew on duty) but not others (air crew on holiday).
  - Tracey says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 13:54
    
    End of day 2 is the deadline.
- Tracey says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 13:53
  
  I would think not. You arrive in LHR on Friday, so that is day zero. You leave on Sunday, so that is day 2. You are obliged to take the test by midnight on day 2. So if you leave before midnight you don’t need to take the test. However, you do need to have bought it and enter the code on your PLF. whether whoever will be irked by you using the same code every week is anyone’s guess.
  You will however need to take an antigen test before you leave BCN to come back to LHR.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 15:01
    
    Buy 1 and keep using the reference. Since you’ve never legally had to take it.
GHT says:

14 Aug14 August 11:00

Another classic interaction with the liars/wilfully inaccurate information providers at BA customer services.

Booked 1st, aircraft swap, no first available, so involuntarily downgraded to business. They tell us that we’re not entitled to any downgrade refund, as it was a flight cancellation. Except the flight number has, of course, remained the same, so it’s not a cancellation, and you can bet your bottom dollar that others on the flight who haven’t been downgraded weren’t told there’s been a cancellation with the attendant rights that’d bring them!

Anyone else tired of their repeated lies to consumers? See it every day on comments here and on flyer talk. wondering if there’s scope for a group action relating to their wilful (fraudulent?) misrepresentation to consumers on this and other topics (right to duty or care and rerouting when they cancel, e.g.). It’s clearly a calculated policy to mislead about rights designed to cause consumers not to exercise their full rights and so get a gain for BA…
- StillintheSun says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 12:48
  
  The Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 could apply here as it is a criminal offence for a trader to knowingly or recklessly engage in a commercial practice which is likely to materially distort the economic behaviour of the average consumer. Of course there are all sorts of caveats etc but a quick read of the Regs to me suggests to me worth a look to see if there is an arguable case for a breach to be made out! Would need trading standards to mount a private prosecution or other enforcement body (CMA). Maybe Which could do a super complaint. There seems some scope for an individual to obtain redress as well under the Regs!
  No idea as to the feasibility but maybe someone with time on their hands fancy taking BA on!
  - Lady London says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 14:59
    
    Knowingly engaging in a commercial practice which is likely to materially distort the economic behaviour of the average consumer….
    
    Does BA deliberately removing customer access to the refund request button on their website count? BA did this once trapping many customers wanted and had a right to a refund into having to accept vouchers. Then when HfP anf other media published a workround for this that alloweda refund to be requested, BA blocked this too on their website.
    
    Guilty, guilty, guilty BA.
    
    And yet the CAA regulator (aka the wet teddy bear so far as consumer rights regulation is concerned) is sitting on its hands.
    - Anna says:
      
      14 Aug14 August 17:38
      
      Right now BA has lost us to Ryanair. Wont be using them in future apart from long hauls where we can use avios/241 to avoid high cash fares. QR will get our money if we travel east. Disabling online functions and not answering the phone for the past 12 months is completely inexcusable.
- Pierre says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 15:15
  
  We’re back at CEDR again for the 2nd time this year, after being involuntarily downgraded from BusCl. In our case, it was a flight cancellation, as well as an aircraft swap which had no BusCl, but I don’t see how a cancellation is relevant to your rights in the event of an involuntary downgrade. Granted, this was a shorthaul flight so the amounts are not huge, but BA has refused all the way to pay all but a measly gesture in response – certainly nothing like what is due under EC261. CEDR has accepted our case, so now we are waiting it out – the previous time BA caved on the very day of the deadline.
C says:

14 Aug14 August 11:05

Interesting discussion with BA this morning. I had a cash booking that had been cancelled (by BA) and moved several times. I finally gave up and [online] requested a cash refund about 10 days ago. Moat of the cash refund showed up this morning (90%), but BA claim that the balance is only an e-voucher. As BA cancelled the flights, my understanding is that I’m entitled to a full refund. Even if not, I don’t understand how BA would allocate 90% cash and 10% voucher on a cash booking. Following my call has been sent for ‘repricing’ – I’m just minded to send a stern email to customer service.

The only unusual element is that I booked ET, but almost immediately afterwards took advantage of a paid offer in MMB to upgrade to CE.

Has anyone else seen this apparently random effort to retain a portion of a cash refund? The amount here is only ~£32, but I don’t want BA retaining any amount that is due to me.
- Harry T says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 11:57
  
  I’ve not experienced this particular issue, which sounds like total hogwash. My advice is to fill out the complaints form on their website. BA once owed me a large stack of cash for a cancelled 241 that they screwed up the refund for. After I submitted for the form, the next call led to a refund rapidly. My Gf called multiple times before that and being told we would have to wait. Took well over a month. When I called after the official complaint form was submitted, it was all sorted. So either, the form made a difference or I am particularly charming (or lucky with my agent). Either way, it can’t hurt to put in a proper complaint detailing the issue.
  - Harry T says:
    
    14 Aug14 August 11:58
    
    I should add that you are entitled to a full cash refund. I suspect that the upgrade made this a “complex booking” and they have just screwed up the refund.
- Lady London says:
  
  14 Aug14 August 15:02
  
  Utter hogwash. Demand every cent back promptly and don’t tolerate any delays.