The HfP chat thread – Saturday 14th August

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• Anuj says:

  14 Aug14 August 15:23

  Does anyone know if there’s anything I can do with or anywhere I can transfer 8000 krisflyer miles? With the hard expiry I will never accumulate enough for a flight especially with never ending covid. Thanks

  • Harry T says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:05

    Can you use them on short haul flights in Europe? Failing that, is there some kind of estate you can earn KrisFlyer miles on? Can always transfer from HSBC, Amex or Heathrow Rewards.

    • Harry T says:

      14 Aug14 August 16:06

      Estate should mean an online shopping portal

  • AJA says:

    14 Aug14 August 17:02

    I thought Singapore Airlines extended expiry to at least Apr 2022? As for the amount you’ve got you can use them to part pay against airfares or part pay on krisflyervrooms.com against hotels or car hire. Not sure how competitive the rates via that website are.

• StillintheSun says:

  14 Aug14 August 15:28

  Frankly, there is a lot of BA behaviour that leaves much to be desired and I suspect leaves them open to Consumer Law issues. You are quite right that there has been a complete dereliction of duty by relevant regulators but ’twas ever thus. Incidentally, if anyone wants a recording of a phone call with BA then search “British Airways Privacy Notice” and under the tab “How can you exercise your legal rights and change how we use your data” tells you who to contact to get a copy. Do note that this is not generosity on BA’s part but a requirement of the GDPR regs.

• DK says:

  14 Aug14 August 15:32

  Considering a week in Costa Rica next August. Would be interested to hear others experience.
  Any recommendations for family friendly hotels?

  • Jas Gill says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:04

    Personally don’t think that a week is enough to even scratch the surface of Costa Rica unless you just want to go and lie on a beach. We were there for three weeks a couple of years ago and even that didn’t feel like long enough.

    • DK says:

      14 Aug14 August 16:10

      I would like to hear about your experience. Any recommendations?

      • Jas Gill says:

        14 Aug14 August 16:28

        Hi
        What would you like to know ?
        During our trip we visited San Jose, Monteverde for the rainforests, Arenal for hot springs and volcanoes. We then moved onto the Pacific coast and spent time in Tamarindo, Playa Samara and the Osa peninsula. We rented a 4wd car and drove ourselves which was an experience in itself. Please advise which areas you are considering to visit and I’ll try to help further. We are looking to go back next Xmas.

      • Jas Gill says:

        14 Aug14 August 16:54

        Hi
        I’m happy for Rob to release my email address if you’d like to discuss this in detail.

  • Lyn says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:46

    Here’s a review from HfP’s favourite reader hotel series that might give you an introduction to the biodiversity in Costa Rica

    https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/07/25/review-yatama-ecolodge-costa-rica/

• Cats are best says:

  14 Aug14 August 16:14

  Noticed this on a local news site…

  “Hilton Grand Vacations, part of The Hilton Hotels Group has entered the market in The Canaries by buying nine hotels across the islands. The two in Lanzarote are Jardines del Sol and Club del Carmen, and there are six other hotels in Tenerife and one in Gran Canaria.”

  • TGLoyalty says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:29

    Hilton Grand Vacations has completed the previously announced acquisition of Diamond Resorts International, creating the largest upper upscale and luxury timeshare operator in a stock-based transaction with an equity value of approximately $1.4 billion, according to a press release from Hilton Grand Vacations.

    • Anna says:

      14 Aug14 August 17:57

      We just spent 2 weeks in a Diamond Resorts property in Tenerife, loved it.

  • Rob says:

    14 Aug14 August 18:34

    I thought Hilton Grand Vacations WASN’T part of Hilton Hotels?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      14 Aug14 August 23:08

      It’s a separate public company I think they don’t participate in Honors but are still marketed via the website/app?

    • @mkcol says:

      16 Aug16 August 00:34

      Correct, was spun off a while ago but is retaining the Hilton name, ability to exchange HGVC points to Honors points & get elite recognition (FWIW) even when using HGVC points for a stay.

• Mco says:

  14 Aug14 August 16:43

  My day 2 test from Randox just got delivered. I landed back on Wednesday. DX couriers they use are closed till Monday. Can I get into any trouble as they won’t get my day 2 test till Tuesday which is 6 days later.

  • Harry T says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:46

    No one checks you’ve taken your test.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:57

    No but the swab is only valid for 70 hours so don’t take it yet! Otherwise use a drop box.

    • Mco says:

      14 Aug14 August 18:15

      Thanks Harry T and TGLoyalty

• David says:

  14 Aug14 August 16:45

  Has anyone received their spend bonus Avios for the supplementary Amex offer?

  The initial 3,000 Avios posted but the bonus 3,000 are a no show and the Amex call centre denied any knowledge of the offer…even after reading them the url of the still live promotion!

  Thanks

  • The Streets says:

    14 Aug14 August 19:20

    Did you do the require spend?

  • Alan Todd says:

    14 Aug14 August 19:22

    No, although some have noted in previous days that Amex CS have reported that the points would be added after the offer ended, up to 120 days IIRC. So… who knows?!

• Ming the Merciless says:

  14 Aug14 August 16:47

  A mini review of Kimpton Fitzroy london.

  I’m IHG spire and had booked 2 interconnected rooms. No interconnected rooms available but we’re given neighbouring rooms. One was tiny, one massive.

  I’ve stayed on redemption previously and been given complete breakfast but no such joy this time. Having had the hotel breakfast before I didn’t feel like I was missing out eating at Pret first thing or the caffe in the centre of Russel Square.

  £30 room credit (£15 per room) was provided.

  They have a text concierge service that was very useful (had sheets changed daily, additional bottled water and popcorn).

  Great location for Waterloo/Southbank (10 min bus) Covent Garden shopping, (2 stops) British museum, O2 forum Kentish Town (music).

  Social hour is going strong with loads of free drinks between 5 and 6.

  All in, a great redemption at 48k per night which works out at 3 night a month via my IHG premium card…

  I’m also using the hotel as a long term store (3week future booking) to keep my ihg balance below 1m after comments that IHG have previously cancelled accounts with high balances.

  • SteveKicks says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:51

    Perhaps it would be better to just give the MS a rest if you want to keep your balance below 1m

    • TGLoyalty says:

      14 Aug14 August 16:58

      What happens at 1m?

      • Swiss Jim says:

        14 Aug14 August 17:41

        Mine’s way over….

      • Ming the Merciless says:

        14 Aug14 August 18:41

        I’ve heard reports of ihg cancelling accounts with very high balances

        • ChrisC says:

          14 Aug14 August 19:10

          I read of one case on flyer talk which to be frank the account holder taking the mickey by repeatedly booking points + cash rates then cancelling the booking to have the cash element returned as points so circumventing the annual limits on buying points.

    • Ming the Merciless says:

      14 Aug14 August 18:29

      😂😂😂 good one!

  • TGLoyalty says:

    14 Aug14 August 16:59

    @Ming is the social hour just red/white? Or any other drinks offered?

    • Ryan Gill says:

      14 Aug14 August 18:00

      I was there last night. It was beer, prosecco, wine and soft drinks. I think we were told as we checked in at 5.50 that it was just 1 free drink. Our glasses were refilled. I got the impression that the drinks were free until 6pm, judging by the exodus at this time.

      • Anna says:

        14 Aug14 August 20:39

        Are you sure the free drink was a voucher given for status (usually a cocktail for Spire), if that applies? This is in addition to the wine hour.

    • Anna says:

      14 Aug14 August 18:00

      Red, white, beer & soft drinks when we were there in May. Served in Burr & Co so we combined it with an early dinner one evening!

  • StillintheSun says:

    14 Aug14 August 17:22

    Love the Kimpton! I managed to get Zurich to put me up there when my upstairs neighbour flooded my flat. The bar staff were really lovely, in fact the staff were all really good. One of my fave UK hotels. The Manchester Kimpton is good but does not rival the London one!

  • BP says:

    14 Aug14 August 22:30

    150k a month via one IHG card? I thought I was extracting the urine doing £70k some months.

    • BP says:

      14 Aug14 August 22:31

      Ohh and booking SSDV was a good way to keep the balance below 1m. 450,000 points for 5 nights!

      • TGLoyalty says:

        14 Aug14 August 23:10

        Unfortunately I had to cancel mine because my friend had the cheek to get married that day

  • The Urbanite says:

    15 Aug15 August 02:26

    Is this 1m points thing a myth? What people don’t tend to disclose is the behaviour they exhibit they feel is unnoteworthy that IHG may not like. So abuse of points + cash, excessive blocking out of availability only to cancel, patterns that suggest selling of rooms etc, those sorts of things might be contributory factors. There are people with balances higher than that who don’t abuse their accounts and go unhindered.

• RakishDriver says:

  14 Aug14 August 19:56

  Rang Amex to cancel my gold card after my annual 10k bonus posted – got to hear lots of reasons for keeping my card for the fee, but rejected the args as no use of deliveroo, lounge etc. Got offered 10k to stay but decided that was not enough and cancelled.

  Is 10k what everyone else is being offered to stay for gold? She wasn’t prepared to offer anymore.

  • meta says:

    14 Aug14 August 20:12

    You should have taken 10k and call the to cancel as soon as they post and you transfer them out.

    • RakishDriver says:

      14 Aug14 August 20:37

      Thought did occur, but amassed plenty of referral points and preferred to preserve via ARCC card – didn’t feel right to bag the retention offer to only cancel a week or month later.

      Just interested to see what retention points others got offered for gold.

      • Andrew says:

        14 Aug14 August 21:32

        10k is £80 of nectar points – worth taking them.

  • Crafty says:

    15 Aug15 August 09:53

    My wife wasn’t offered anything, we cancelled anyway as can’t be bothered with the rigmarole of sequential HUACA.

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