Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 24th August

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Comments (511)

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

  • bafan says:
    24 Aug24 August 02:34

    Just in case this helps anyone else, I was trying to merge my e-vouchers after the weekends excitement by making bookings with as little change as possible, I found some nice LGW-FNC fares for around £230.40 (57.60*4) and did that again and again until my 20 vouchers became 6 vouchers…easier to manage now :). All came through as e-vouchers too.

    • Pablo says:
      24 Aug24 August 05:24

      I booked a flight using 2 e-vouchers yesterday morning. There was supposed to be a booking confirmation email and another email with a new e-voucher but none of them arrived. ☹️

    • Andrew says:
      24 Aug24 August 07:08

      I think I’ll wait a couple of weeks for the dust to settle before doing my consolidating.

  • Boi says:
    24 Aug24 August 04:14

    Thanks Anna, Dave, ChrisC, SteveJ and Yorkieflyer for replying my question on chat thread of 23 August about my sister’s marathon refunds. Only getting to reply now but as it is already 24th over there I am replying here.

    I also interpreted it the same way-services were technically not provided as they are now on a different date which doesn’t suit. But seems they are interpreting it differently.

    Berlin have said they can offer her a discount of €40 for 2022. But that’s not good as she paid over £100. She paid everything on credit card so I suppose no harm in trying.

    And Anna- Canada is all good. Going to Vancouver next week so kids excited.

    • Anna says:
      24 Aug24 August 08:11

      Good to hear re Canada!
      I forgot to ask what options your sister was given when the marathons were originally cancelled – I assumed she was given a choice of cancelling or deferring but that might not have been the case. If they didn’t give options originally (I.e. just told your sister her entry would be deferred for 12 months), then she might have a case for chargeback unless the Ts & Cs were incredibly strict and allowed the organisers to make any changes they want.

      • Boi says:
        24 Aug24 August 14:21

        She says they were just cancelled and they were not given an option to accept or decline the change

  • Boi says:
    24 Aug24 August 04:17

    And Anna….we now have 4 IHG free night vouchers plus 1.5M points. You got me intrigued about GCM. Please let me know when they are ready for visitors 🤣 I know you are following

    • Anna says:
      24 Aug24 August 08:15

      Will do. If it’s the U.K. Creation card free night, the Kimpton Seafire is an amazing use of them (got 4 nights provisionally booked for next summer – currently 70k points, 🤞not succumbed to “dynamic pricing” yet.
      Looking as though opening for tourists may be a possibility towards Xmas/New Year but they keep pushing the date back so as per HFP wisdom it’s advisable to make any bookings refundable.

      • Boi says:
        24 Aug24 August 14:20

        It is the U.K. creation free nights. I will book for summer too.
        Are the Hilton’s any good there? Got 2.5M HH and their attraction is free breakfast.

        Covid has made us accumulate so many points. Never thought I would have IHG, HH and bonvoy in the millions each.

        • Anna says:
          24 Aug24 August 17:00

          There is only a Hampton Inn which opened recently – chains aren’t massively represented as a lot of people stay in villas and condos. It’s 70k points per night and not on the beach so not the greatest option for more than a couple of nights.
          They were constructing a Curio when we were there in 2019 but that seems to have gone very quiet.

  • Zara says:
    24 Aug24 August 05:36

    Thanks to everyone’s help last night. I managed to do it once but then kids took over and had to put them to sleep as we had just got back from a stay at Hilton st Anne’s last night at about 8ish.
    I managed to use 40k avios for the £800 though I had 300k avios so maybe could have done more!
    But I also still have to transfer 2x 241s to FTVs and with this Evoucher too and eldest starting reception I wasn’t entirely sure if we would book anywhere in the next 2 years. Sounds bonkers but our holidays in the sun have usually been with easyJet in the past couple of years (long hauls have just been once a year, SH we have done maybe 7 or 8 each year) and I really don’t know how we will be holidaying now one of the kids is starting school!
    Kept thinking I should have done more evouchers but don’t know.
    Put this on the other board too. Thanks again all.

  • Jonty says:
    24 Aug24 August 06:03

    I’m sure there used to be a page on HFP with referral codes for Uber, gett, free now etc. Have all the offers gone?

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      24 Aug24 August 07:21

      No people just ask for for the ones they need, you can post any links except Amex. Although you risk your account getting suspended if any of the companies find out

      • Andrew says:
        24 Aug24 August 07:32

        Although I’m not sure any of those companies would care and not a great loss if the likes of FreeNow closed your account anyway.

        • Super Secret Stuff says:
          24 Aug24 August 08:37

          Very true. Although some of the shares trading companies might care as they are giving away up to £200 to both parties. Although the likely hood of them seeing it is very low

      • Jonty says:
        24 Aug24 August 15:35

        Thanks. Anyone have an Uber, gett, freenow code?

    • Mikeact says:
      24 Aug24 August 08:44

      I would appreciate an AwardWallet code….thanks.

  • BJ says:
    24 Aug24 August 06:35

    Time is fast running out! Might the generous amex BA offers launched yesterday be an effort to soften us up ahead of less desirable than anticipated card changes next week? Am I being alarmist – other than promotions, when was the last time amex introduced very positive changes to their existing cards and rules, and why would they do so now when the competition has never been weaker? In reality the direction of travel over the last three years has generally been the opposite! Consider also what is the difference between the voucher that will be issued now and that which will be issued next week, is the anticipated difference really worth the gamble? For those with decisions to make on upgrades, triggering vouchers, referrals and applications time is now fast running out to do so. We can bank what we know we have now or take a leap in the dark (twilight?) and wait until next week. Negatives of waiting could be changes in rules relating to card upgrades and downgrades which I think are more likely than not at some pont, and cancellation of vouchers on cancelling cards or more stringent card payment requirements, both of which I think are unlikely but not impossible. Positives of waiting apart from anticipated improvement in the voucher are most likely improved referral and sign up bonuses, and perhaps even upgrade bonuses, particularly if amex is concerned about impact of changes on card popularity. Bird in the hand etc… ? Given the interest in his Virgin miles, I am sure many of you would probably also wish to know and be guided by what Rob has done since these changes were announced 🙂 My guess is that he has triggered his voucher for his current year despite tge changes but then he is motivated by the need to combine vouchers for a family of four, and very likely still has a huge stash of avios which obviously colours the judgement too. Ultimately, this is a very personal decision based on our own circumstances and our attitude to risk. I’ve found this issue the most interesting relating to our hobby this year but I’ll say nothing further about it for now and look forward to the fallout discussion that will no doubt dominate the chat and articles for a while from the middle of next week 🙂

    • Andrew says:
      24 Aug24 August 07:12

      But haven’t we all just cashed out all our Avios this weekend anyway so whatever Amex have in store with 2for1 restrictions is quite immaterial for a couple of years as we’ll be booking cash tickets?

      • Mouse says:
        24 Aug24 August 07:27

        I didn’t use the 2p pet avios offer because all mine are earmarked for 241 redemptions

      • BJ says:
        24 Aug24 August 07:33

        Doubt it, good as it was I could not make it work for me given the 2y restriction, living in the regions with easy access to 3x 241pa, a large stash of avios at the moment and a preference for flexible bookings.

        • meta says:
          24 Aug24 August 07:46

          I didn’t cash out all my stash either. I only booked two tickets that I actually intend to fly. I checked some of existing bookings, but maths didn’t work cancelling and rebooking.

          I also don’t like having a large stash of vouchers which could at any point become worthless. It’s after all the same as a gift card.

          • Andrew says:
            24 Aug24 August 07:59

            Your Avios at any point could also become worthless. And all you were doing was creating a cash credit with a definable value from existing Avios you hold without a definable value.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:37

            They become useless in September 2023.

            If the vouchers become useless before then it’s highly likely that your Avios will be too.

          • Reney says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:52

            +1 I have still yet to use the one evoucher I had from the cancelled trip in March 2019. The fact that they can’t be used to pay taxes is a real down side for me. I don’t want another voucher with a deadline when I can’t envisage using them until more countries I need to go to remove their 14-21 compulsory hotel quarantine. I might regret not participating one day, or be really glad that I didn’t 🤷‍♀️

        • Andrew says:
          24 Aug24 August 07:46

          Ah I see, I thought everyone on here had jumped on the exceptional once in a lifetime value from the Avios over the weekend. Well for those that didn’t, you’ll certainly have the pick of the seats for the next couple of years as I think most here did cash out.

          • YC says:
            24 Aug24 August 07:59

            Given almost everyone here has 2f1s, I doubt all avios was cashed out. Also for those who took the 2p, the stash will likely be good for 1-2 returns in CW. So everyone will be back to hunting reward seats in no time

          • JDB says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:07

            I think you are talking in a relatively small echo chamber; I don’t think the wider Avios world was quite as active this weekend as you suggest. I don’t know if it is right or not, but the financial analysts (guided by the airlines) are anticipating good fares increases if and when traffic ramps up which has been the experience in the US and makes some sense.

          • BJ says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:08

            I’m certain you’ve got it backwards, likely most didn’t. However, I would not argue that it was a fantastic opportunity in the right circumstances. If I were a solo traveller with a preference for many shorthaul flights and lived within the LHR catchment providing access to direct flights it was a fabulous opportunity. For those in the regions, the need to connect on shorthaul was in itself sufficient to markedly reduce the attractiveness of the offer.

          • Rob says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:35

            I didn’t do any. We’ve got Barbados, California, skiing and Mauritius booked (all x4 people!) and our balances are very low.

            Ironically, last week, I bought the most expensive (on a pence per mile) basis BA cash tickets I have ever bought, because my wife wanted to stay in Spain a bit longer and there are no Avios seats for four on the day we needed. Not a lot of flexibility due to her job. We ended up with fully flexible tickets. I couldn’t cancel and rebuy them because the flight is now sold out.

          • meta says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:18

            @Andrew I have most of my Avios tied up in bookings over the next 12 months that I actually want to take and if BA cancels them I have full re-routing rights same as you would with cash bookings.

            Also ticket prices can go up significantly as well just like Avios/tier points can devalue. So nothing much to be gained from this unless you want to clear your balance and risk on routes where BA cancels flights so you can cash in your Avios or you want to use all your vouchers on flights in the next two months.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            24 Aug24 August 09:32

            Didn’t cash out anywhere near my full stash but still enough for my next few cash flights.

          • FFoxSake says:
            24 Aug24 August 10:16

            I took a balanced approach in the end.
            – Converted some for eVouchers to fund a few 160 TP weekends away for status building and avios earning (won’t book them until the next decent sale)
            – Also kept a good chunk to use with 2-4-1s.
            I didn’t want to keep all of my Avios eggs in one basket. Best of both worlds now – thanks BA 🙂

        • Guernsey Globetrotter says:
          24 Aug24 August 08:00

          I can see both POVs but it didn’t have to be a binary decision. BA were simultaneously selling Avios at a little over 1p so if you had available cash it was possible to keep some for the flexible booking / 2-4-1 options and still lock in a tidy profit from the offer- now all BA cash fares for the next 2 years are effectively on a 50% off sale rate for me too which should make status upgrade/retention easy. I’ll save the remaining miles and vouchers for an exceptional first class redemption when the opportunity presents. I think that’s the best of both (Club) worlds 😉

          • BJ says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:20

            Exactly, it was both a complex and personal decision. Initially I was very excited about it but I spend most of Saturday exploring my plans and options over the next two years and the conclusion became clear that I just had better options. Despite this I was tempted to speculate on a £600-1000 evoucher investment right to the end but ultimately resisted.

      • Paul Pogba says:
        24 Aug24 August 10:33

        What are the odds this offer is repeated? I was on a stag weekend and far too hungover to take advantage.

        • BJ says:
          24 Aug24 August 11:16

          Probably a bit longer than the odds of being taken advantage of while being far too hungover.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      24 Aug24 August 07:35

      Amex are more likely trying to use there cheap pre brought Avios to keep as many people as possible after the price rise. Cash is the main thing that grabs peoples attention, so need to make it worthwhile in the short term as well as long term

      • Rob says:
        24 Aug24 August 08:05

        And they will be doing more of it after 1st September 🙂

        • James says:
          24 Aug24 August 08:19

          Amex MR -> avios transfer bonus? I remember seeing this for US cards in the past.

          • Andrew says:
            24 Aug24 August 08:27

            Although that’s unconnected to the BA Card changes, so whilst that would be great, maybe unlikely at this time. More likely a temporary earning rate increase on the BA cards, alongside yesterday’s threshold bonuses. They need to give people more reasons than 2for1s to stay paying for BAPP – given that people are overrun with vouchers at the moment and they don’t work for everyone (solo travellers) and we can always rejoin in a couple of years once the 2for1s we have are used up.

        • Super Secret Stuff says:
          24 Aug24 August 08:28

          Defo need to apply for the card then!

        • Mikeact says:
          24 Aug24 August 08:50

          Rob..re your earlier….getting back from Spain. I guess you were locked to BA as there are loads of ways to get back..maybe four makes it more of a challenge but even so..

          • Rob says:
            24 Aug24 August 09:50

            Wife will only take a direct flight and I am not willing to risk Heathrow on a Bank Holiday as we can’t use egates, so actually a very small number of options!

          • BJ says:
            24 Aug24 August 11:02

            Cannot blame her, nothing worse than connections on shorthaul flights. Baggage reclaim comes a close second though.

      • Memesweeper says:
        24 Aug24 August 08:07

        Likely correct. Somewhere in the bowels of Amex towers there’s a spreadsheet showing by X date we should have shifted Y Avios… if it trends below the line, expect some offers to hit the consumers.

        Other negative changes from Brighton have not been accompanied by sweeteners. I’d not see this as a harbinger of doom, nor anything to be excited by either.

        Personally, I’ve got two long haul business 241 bookings in place, which ties up a large number of Avios, and these flights are 50:50 for going ahead at best. So the rest of my stash has been evouchered or nectared and I’m not getting a BAPP until I’ve flown the vouchers I’ve got, at which point I’m sure any rule or procedure changes will be apparent.

    • Rob says:
      24 Aug24 August 08:09

      Yes, triggered mine because I already had one (and booked for Mauritius for May half term).

      Amex wouldn’t tell us about upgrade / downgrade changes but we know all the headline details from 1st September and no-one will be unhappy.

      • BJ says:
        24 Aug24 August 08:25

        Reassuring 🙂

      • ChrisC says:
        24 Aug24 August 08:35

        Oh someone will be unhappy no matter what AMEX do!

        • Rob says:
          24 Aug24 August 09:52

          If you knew what we know, you’d know that Amex is not keen to annoy any BA flyer at this time.

          • BJ says:
            24 Aug24 August 10:59

            Well they certainly annoyed my partner yesterday. For whatever reason (I’m guessing because he previously upgraded) he got the Blue 2k offer instead of the BAPP 10k offer. He saved the Blue offer and when he told me I told him it should be 10k offer and got him to call amex. They refused to rectify it because he had already saved the 2k offer. A bit of a loss but he’ll spend another £98 next week yo trigger his voucher then cancel. Amex loses out too though as his anniversary is not until mid April, the 10k might have kept him as customer a bit longer.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      24 Aug24 August 08:40

      You’re reading too much into it.

      There’s always a points based offer for spend late summer.

      I imagine billings are well down so they are trying to encourage spend.

    • Harry T says:
      24 Aug24 August 09:11

      I doubt anyone is getting better real world redemption Avios value better than 2p per Avios, unless they would pay or are pretending they would pay for expensive peak premium cabin fares. Don’t forget that using these evouchers on revenue fares will earn you Avios back, which also needs to be factored into calculations. Plus you aren’t tied to scanty Avios availability on certain dates.

      • Anna says:
        24 Aug24 August 10:17

        Plenty of people pay those fares – it can make sense in terms of avios and TPs earned, sign up bonuses and BA Holiday payment options!

        • TGLoyalty says:
          24 Aug24 August 12:23

          Plenty of people may pay the fare but would you …

          Ie would you really fly to caymans for £3k each in business in august if there was no avios availability? If the answers no (and I’m sure it is a no) then you’re kidding yourself if you think you saved £2.5k for however many Avios you used.

          I’m happy to swap 50k Avios for £1k of credit for cash flights towards my silver renewal before May 2023.

          • Anna says:
            24 Aug24 August 22:14

            Not each, but until recently there were only ever 2 CW award seats so we paid for one ticket.

    • Terri says:
      24 Aug24 August 10:31

      Using some of the helpful suggestions from the chat on this site to give me inspiration to go looking I released some value from my avios pile locking in several bookings I hope to travel that I would not otherwise have booked. A CE return to Luxembourg during school holidays for £50 each plus the 5,000 avios seemed a good deal. Lux is a smaller airport. Also a short train trip across the border (covid permiting) where the kids can practice their german, so really pleased.

  • Mark says:
    24 Aug24 August 06:39

    Does anyone have the Virgin Atlantic plus card? I’ve apparently earned a voucher after spending 10k on it. Does anyone know where I can choose the voucher e.g. companion or upgrade? Also does anyone know what would happen to the voucher if I cancel or downgrade the card to the free one? Thanks in advance

    • Joe says:
      24 Aug24 August 07:49

      You choose when you use it.

      No effect on voucher of cancelling / downgrading.

    • Jonathan says:
      24 Aug24 August 09:11

      You have to wait 6 months before you can apply for a new Virgin Atlantic credit card after cancelling one of them, there’s nowhere near the flexibility with the Virgin cards like there is the BA Amex cards

  • Andy says:
    24 Aug24 August 07:32

    Am I still able to use Solihull for Ernie via bendy?

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