The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 1st September

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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.

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Category

General

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

@mkcol says:

1 Sep1 September 19:55

TravelZoo is your friend when it comes to achieving your £5k/10k Avios target.
- Grant says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 20:20
  
  Card switch if “your dates are not available”?
  - Mike says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 22:14
    
    I am guessing channel refund back to a different card to that which was originally used to pay
- Andy says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 20:32
  
  How?!
- Tom says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 20:53
  
  Intrigued as to how too!
- BJ says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 21:44
  
  Not only Travelzoo, another traveltoo 🙂
  - Peter says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 22:52
    
    Book £5k and refund to voucher? And then use later 🙂
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      1 Sep1 September 22:55
      
      Hardly an easy way to actually spend £5k
    - VerdantBacon says:
      
      1 Sep1 September 23:53
      
      This is not the way. Holding a £5k voucher you don’t want is not worth it. Try a different way before everyone works it out and the door gets closed
      - Josh says:
        
        2 Sep2 September 00:20
        
        Can you provide any more subtle hints? I get the jist of what needs to be done but I’m unsure how to force a redirect? Wouldnt it just automatically go back to original card after requesting the voucher to be refunded?
      - Andy says:
        
        2 Sep2 September 09:43
        
        i tried one way that I thought would work but all that happened was i got a refund on the card i used to pay even though i removed it so clearly there’s something better I can’t think of!
MQ says:

1 Sep1 September 19:58

I need some advice please on bonus points with AMEX. I currently have an Amex Platinum charge card which I want to keep. Can I still apply for the gold card to benefit from the 20,000 bonus points? And with the BA AMEX Premium card do you need to keep the card for a minimum amount of time for the bonus to appear, aside from meeting the minimum spend requirements? Which card should apply first to maximize the bonus points.
- Reney says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 20:07
  
  no you don’t qualify for the gold bonus by having the plat.
  
  If you have not had a BA card for 24 months you do qualify for the sign up bonus. No minimum time technically as long as spend requirement are met. But the account sweeps out the points into your BA account once a month, so you need to wait till the points sweep out before cancelling. So probably minimum one month of holding the account.
  - MQ says:
    
    1 Sep1 September 20:12
    
    Thank you 🙂 I will apply for the BA card in that case.
    - Tom says:
      
      1 Sep1 September 22:40
      
      Make sure you get a referral for the extra 2000 Avios for getting the BAPP.
Rob says:

1 Sep1 September 20:37

0.5%
Andrew says:

1 Sep1 September 21:58

Check your MBNA offers too. There are IHG offers kicking around on LBG.

There’s a 10% Holiday Inn one on on Virgin that’s got no definition as to maximum amount or where in the world. If this was a normal year, I’d be paying a £12,000 conference bill at a Holiday Inn.
TGLoyalty says:

1 Sep1 September 22:56

See my earlier comments. It’s highly unlikely the 0.5% fee makes any difference.

This is because curve give you spot while visa/MC still use a slightly loaded exchange rate (based upon prior days close)
- Harrier25 says:
  
  1 Sep1 September 23:20
  
  It’s also worth nothing that Che also give spot rate on weekdays too and can also work with Solihull if preloaded.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    2 Sep2 September 00:09
    
    Che charges the same 0.5% at weekends.
    
    You need to convert during the week to avoid mark up.
James says:

2 Sep2 September 01:01

Hello !

I have forgotten how this works and have done some reading but am still confused !!

My BA status year ends on the 8th May 2022. My card expires on the 30th June 2023.
My status is secured until June 2022 thanks to BA’s helpful pandemic status extension, I believe.
In order to keep my current level of status after June 2022 do I have to earn the necessary number of TPs between the 8th May and June 30th ?

Cheers.
- James says:
  
  2 Sep2 September 01:04
  
  Nuts……card expires 30th June 2022, not 2023 !!!
- John says:
  
  2 Sep2 September 04:51
  
  No, between now and 8 May 2022.
  
  If you don’t, you will drop to bronze in July 2022.
  
  From 9 May 2022 to 8 May 2023 you can earn status good to June 2024. If you manage to do it by June 2022, you won’t drop to bronze in July 2022 after all.