Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Friday 27th 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

Comments (536)

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

  • KBuffett says:
    27 Aug27 August 03:04

    Spend £1 get 100 MR points (once only) on my American Express Charge Card (main card holder only)

    Spend £1 get 50 Avios (once only) on my BAPP

    I’m actually insulted by these offers considering the high fees on both cards. I hope they are not a sign of things to come.

    Offers expire in a month!!!

    • George K says:
      27 Aug27 August 03:34

      I almost prefer this to the arbitrary targets I got in the past – spend £5300, get 2000MR…

      • KBuffett says:
        27 Aug27 August 03:47

        If the offers are daily, or very frequent, then fair enough. But, for example, 100 MR a month would be a joke.

    • Andrew says:
      27 Aug27 August 04:06

      Agreed – one of the most bizarre offers I’ve seen from Amex. It’s almost Nectar style – ‘buy some apples, get 40 points’. Speaking of which you can get 25 nectar points by watching the Avanti Trains advert (under partner offers in the app).

    • Youllnever says:
      27 Aug27 August 05:18

      Doesn’t look like the offer is fee-paying card targeted, so you shouldn’t be insulted: got the 100 MR one on the ARCC and 50 Avios for the free BA.

      I do agree that this is probably one of the weirdest offer I’ve ever seen.

    • Amy C says:
      27 Aug27 August 05:36

      Yep £1 for £100 on my BAPP. Very weird. And I spent £4K on that this month :/

      • WaynedP says:
        27 Aug27 August 12:39

        +1

        Not going to look a 100 Avios gift horse in the mouth for an inevitable £1 spend though.

    • BuildBackBetter says:
      27 Aug27 August 06:04

      Got it on my ARCC that I use rarely, so makes sense. But OH got it on gold that’s used frequently. Strange.

    • BJ says:
      27 Aug27 August 06:47

      I wonder of it’s just an error or something more. Could they be doing this to identify accounts that save rubbish offers and how many of them do so? Hope you didn’t save it.

      • John says:
        27 Aug27 August 07:16

        What’s wrong with saving rubbish offers?

        • BJ says:
          27 Aug27 August 07:30

          If a huge number of people save offers as bad as this then amex may perceive that they can scale back on the generosity of their incentives in general.

          • Andrew says:
            27 Aug27 August 07:43

            I don’t think so. And remember that the majority of offers are driven by the retailers not Amex anyway – so if Betty wants to offer 12% or 90% back that’s not down to Amex.

          • VerdantBacon says:
            27 Aug27 August 07:59

            Amex barely do any offers except for shop small, doesn’t seem worth their time to load poor offers and have someone do data analysis and reporting on this just to weaken shop small, considering they have already weakened it without needing to test people’s offer saving habits

          • TGLoyalty says:
            27 Aug27 August 08:19

            How’s it bad? It would take £100 spend to get 100 MR

            It’s just a little incentive to buy your next coffee/sandwich/whatever on the card. Don’t knock a gift horse …

    • Nick says:
      27 Aug27 August 07:46

      Just used my spend £1 get 50 MR on my platinum. Meh, I quite like it but clearly not the most exciting of offers. I guess more of a ‘Here’s some points’ very nectar like. I’ll take it.

      • Andrew says:
        27 Aug27 August 08:03

        Seems there are different versions then – my Platinum was spend £1, get 100MR and my BAPP is spend £1, get 50 Avios.

        • Illuminatus says:
          27 Aug27 August 13:15

          It’s really weird – offers like that are hardly worth the effort to save them to cards, bring 0 additional loyalty – more likely, client frustration – and still take hours of Amex time to send the email, run it past compliance etc

    • Harrier25 says:
      27 Aug27 August 08:36

      What is there to be insulted by? It’s virtually 100 free points which normally you’d need to spend £100 to receive!

      • Reney says:
        27 Aug27 August 08:48

        better than not having the offer at all. i got nothing on either cards, will check family’s

    • Justin says:
      27 Aug27 August 08:47

      I got the following last night/early morning:
      Platinum – Nothing
      Gold – “Spend £1 get 100MR Once”
      Business Gold – “Spend £1 get 50MR Once”
      BAPP – Nothing

    • Andrew says:
      27 Aug27 August 09:35

      The rules don’t say £1 or more. It just says £1. So does it trigger only on a £1 purchase?

      I’m going past Poundland tonight, will get myself a box of Cornettos.

      • Colin MacKinnon says:
        27 Aug27 August 19:22

        Wow! You can get a BOX for £1? Need to stop moving my avios to Sainsbury nectar!

    • Tracy says:
      27 Aug27 August 09:42

      I’m insulted I have 3 cards in my name and 2 supps and I don’t have any offers.
      OH has 2 cards in his name and 3 supps and he got one offer on the green charge card only…

    • MW says:
      27 Aug27 August 10:03

      Data point – got a spend £1, get 50 on my BAPP card (£195?pa). How generous of them!

    • stevenhp1987 says:
      27 Aug27 August 10:06

      Just got an email from Amex on this.

      Appears to be part of a new monthly “wins” promotion.

      This is being highlighted as August Wins, with a future September & October version.

      • Liz says:
        27 Aug27 August 11:52

        I have the email but not the offer !

        • vol says:
          27 Aug27 August 12:20

          Looks like cardholders have snapped the offer up – first 10k only or something

          • Lee Brown says:
            27 Aug27 August 12:56

            Doh! Agreed. Got the offer by email for my BAPP from Amex 10.04 this morning (first 10,000 members to save) but it was gone by time I looked about 20 minutes ago.
            (At least I did get the 10k avios for 5k spend by end Nov)

    • The Savage Squirrel says:
      27 Aug27 August 13:32

      Only on HfP would someone be given points for (basically) free and complain and be insulted :D.

  • Boi says:
    27 Aug27 August 04:20

    From next month you all don’t have an excuse not to visit me 🤣

    Canada is green!!

  • Cal says:
    27 Aug27 August 05:14

    Anyone recently traveled to Sweden from the U.K.? Sweden just extended their travel ban for non EU citizens and I have family who would like to come to Sweden but not sure on the rules if you go via another EU country? Or even direct between the U.K. and Sweden if you have an EU passport?

    • Sandgrounder says:
      27 Aug27 August 07:12

      Sweden applies the rules for the country you arrived from, regardless of length of stay or nationality. There are no restrictions on travel from another Nordic country. Norway recently started accepting the English, Welsh and NI digital Covid passes for entry. It SHOULD therefore be possible to travel to Sweden from the UK via Norway with a UK passport and digital vaccination certificate, with no need for additional tests or pre registration.

      • Cal says:
        27 Aug27 August 07:46

        Does this include if you just transit in Oslo or Copenhagen? Or is it better to actually leave the airport?

        • Pete M says:
          27 Aug27 August 08:30

          Denmark is fully open to the UK double-jabbed too. I’d book the trip on two tickets to be on the safe side (and hence you’d probably want to leave a decent buffer for the connection).

        • Sandgrounder says:
          27 Aug27 August 09:03

          It does specifically say transit is OK, but you will need to pass immigration and enter Schengen/Nordic Passport Union area before you fly on to Sweden. This is normally required anyway when transiting from non-Schengen to Schengen, so a single ticket should be fine.

          • Cal says:
            27 Aug27 August 14:23

            Yeah saw that bit about transit but then at check in they might ask about Sweden entry requirements? Thanks for your advice

    • Pete says:
      27 Aug27 August 09:47

      Entering direct from the UK for non Swedish citizens requires a negative covid (antigen is fine) test within 48 hours of arrival.

      Proof of close family ties to Swedish residents or citizens is required and you are not able to get pre-approval, the decision is made by the Swedish police at the border after an interview. There is a long list of confusing requirements and FAQs at https://polisen.se/en/the-swedish-police/the-coronavirus-and-the-swedish-police/travel-to-and-from-sweden/

      The check-in staff going through the rules asked to see a visa at that’s what their guidance said. They stated that Sweden and the US has the most confusing set of requirements and exemptions.

      As others have stated entry via another Nordic country is possible if you meet their requirements for entry then Sweden will allow entry, you should pass the border. Finland for example does not require covid test for vaccinated UK travelers.

  • Tom says:
    27 Aug27 August 05:19

    When flying Virgin UC does anyone know if there are any time restrictions on when you can check in? If you turned up at the airport several hours becore the flight would you still be able to check in bags and head to the lounge?

    • Cats are best says:
      27 Aug27 August 06:26

      At LHR T3?

      Always used to be that on day of the flight, you can check in early as you and lounge to your heart’s content, I’ve seen people reporting 6-7 hour stays.

      Think I was in there four hours once, bagged a comfy area, had a shower, snacks, did some calls and emails, full meal, then relaxed until it was time to stagger to the plane.

    • Carol says:
      27 Aug27 August 06:44

      You can check in as early as you like and use the lounge for as long as you like.

    • Jonathan says:
      27 Aug27 August 07:58

      Even though it’s meant to be one the best airport lounges you’ll ever visit (varies on who is asked, and what other lounges they’ve visited on their travels) wouldn’t several hours get a bit boring after a while? I mean fair enough if you’ve flown in from elsewhere, and you then have some time to kill until your next flight, but leaving home numerous hours before your flight for the sole purpose of sitting in an airport lounge for all that excess time? Surely there’s got to be better things you can do with yourself

      • Carol says:
        27 Aug27 August 08:07

        It is a far more personalised experience than a BA lounge for example and a great place to while away a few hours. They serve afternoon tea and have a great cocktail bar. The staff have always been very friendly and are happy to help wherever possible. I find this with their cabin crew too.

        • Jonathan says:
          27 Aug27 August 08:25

          Yes, I agree with you on the cabin crew part, I haven’t been to one of their lounges yet, so I can’t take any sides there, but that among other reasons are is why I generally prefer Virgin over BA

      • Andrew says:
        27 Aug27 August 08:23

        I used to arrive mid morning at T3 for a late afternoon One World flight all the time and have meals throughout the day with endless champagne at the various lounges. To be honest I can’t really think of anything I’d rather do with a Saturday.

      • Tom says:
        27 Aug27 August 08:26

        Agree entirely but it’s a case of getting a free drop off to the airport early or spending about £70 on a cab. Can take my work laptop with me and crack on. Would getting there 6 hours before your flight specifically just to maximize time in the lounge be a bit sad… yes, probably!

        • Carol says:
          27 Aug27 August 10:37

          I would do the same! I would choose Virgin over BA every time, and this lounge is fabulous. Hopefully you will have time for afternoon tea, cocktails and dinner too 😀

        • Mel TS says:
          27 Aug27 August 14:45

          100% go early… we have been known to get there at least 4 or 5 hours early. You can’t beat the people watching, the food is decent (or at least was a couple of years ago when last visited), you’ll get some work done…. And save £70! Add some cocktails….What’s not to like!

  • Frankie says:
    27 Aug27 August 06:01

    BA 289 – Heathrow to Phoenix is showing on BA.com as flying next Friday (3rd September). This flight hasn’t flown since March 2020. As it’s only a week away does this mean it will definitely fly next Friday? ( I am booked on it two weeks later (17th) on a BA avios Amex 2 for 1 and was really thinking and hoping it would be cancelled so I don’t have to take a voucher)

    • Paul says:
      27 Aug27 August 06:14

      It was announced in the travel press beginning of the week that PHX will resume at the end of this month, although BA did cancel my 16th September outbound flight a week ago… return still seems ’live’ for 28th… perhaps there won’t be a full daily service to start with?

    • Lyn says:
      27 Aug27 August 07:48

      Phoenix shows as starting on August 31, running only 3 days a week for most of September – Tue, Fri and Sun.

      It shows as operating those days on BA’s flight status and IAG is selling cargo on the 31st. So you should know in a few days.

  • Mjshort says:
    27 Aug27 August 07:11

    How can you stack Morrisons BAPP and Virgin offers?

  • Tazzy says:
    27 Aug27 August 07:14

    I know I’m not the only one hoping that BA cancel the second daily flight to LAX. Due to travel 11th sept but wonder do people think there is much chance that BA will cancel or do I bite the bullet and go for St Lucia in September instead?

    • Andrew says:
      27 Aug27 August 07:45

      Well if you have something you want to move the flight to then do that. If you want the money back in you account and not book anything else then wait until the day of before cancelling for a voucher in the hope they cancel it so you can take a refund.

    • Louise K says:
      27 Aug27 August 09:37

      I just cancelled my 17/9 LAX flight. I think they are operating.

      Was booked as a holiday and had to be cancelled today.

  • aviosnewbie says:
    27 Aug27 August 07:19

    Is there somewhere on H$BC to check the rewards points statement or activity for the premier elite card? I am very sure I had 300k+ points yesterday, when I redeemed 45k as a test transaction to check the bonus avios. And this morning, it shows only 246938 in the account. So some points have gone missing. Any idea what it could be?

    • Luke says:
      27 Aug27 August 07:53

      Maybe you redeemed 45k Avios which is 90k hsbc points ?

      • aviosnewbie says:
        27 Aug27 August 07:55

        No, I didn’t actually. Checked the BAEC statement, and 56250 avios have dropped in (45k + 25% bonus). Seems very strange!

        • Mike says:
          27 Aug27 August 08:02

          As Luke says above, it appears you’ve redeemed 45k avios, which is equal to 90k HSBC Premier Reward points.

        • aviosnewbie says:
          27 Aug27 August 08:22

          I was just being thick! You’re completely right, Luke 🙂

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Learn more on our About page.

VAA

Latest comments

Latest Forum Posts

Get 30,000 points bonus with American Express Platinum

Amex Gold

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.3 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

Get 20,000 bonus points and your first year free with American Express Gold

Amex Gold