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The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 14th September

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General

Comments (647)

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

  • Rat says:
    14 Sep14 September 18:03

    I’ve currently got a BA booking from London to New Orleans whose flights are cancelled (it was meant to be in 3 weeks). I spent cash and 52000 avios. I can’t rebook online (there are AA flights running that i can’t select but no BA ones) and can’t seem to get anyone on the phone. Should I claim the refund or voucher? What happens to the avios?

    • AJA says:
      14 Sep14 September 23:15

      Do you want to fly? If so do not go for a refund. EC/UK261 gives you the right to be rerouted to your destination on the dates you want. If that means being rerouted on AA that should be fine especially with the tie up between BA and AA on transatlantic routes. If you can find flights for sale for cash on AA then phone BA and request rerouting on those flights. You do not need reward seat availability. You can try chat function or twitter to get through to BA or just try phoning at 8am.

  • Jack says:
    14 Sep14 September 18:15

    Been charged £250 fee on BAPP even though my anniversary date was early August, the statement date was at start of September. Is that right or should I dispute with Amex and it should be £195?

    • SJ says:
      14 Sep14 September 18:27

      been discussed a few times today, should be able to call them up and they will adjust.

      • CarpalTravel says:
        14 Sep14 September 18:35

        This one may well deserve a brief article. Can see it being asked a lot over the next week or so.

    • lev441 says:
      14 Sep14 September 18:36

      Same! Was assured in Aug that i would be paying the lower fee

    • Jack says:
      14 Sep14 September 18:44

      I just tried on chat and they wouldn’t budge. I mentioned I had read that upgrades before 31st Aug were being charged the lower fee (and I put it to them that I could have downgraded and upgraded to achieve the same outcome), but no luck. Maybe I will HUACA. They still insist that the fee is charged on the statement date and not the card anniversary date. I think that is a bit misleading.

      • Jack says:
        14 Sep14 September 18:44

        Sorry I should say the fee amount depends on whether your statement date is pre/post 31st August and not the card anniversary date.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        14 Sep14 September 19:04

        That’s true. And it’s the same think I said when it was asked earlier on.

      • Babyg says:
        14 Sep14 September 20:32

        +1 “I checked the account and it was opened on 17-Aug-2021, and the fee was charged in next statement which was 13-Sep-2021
        –
        £250.00.
        As it was charged after 1st Sept, the fee is correctly billed on your account as per the new terms.” May have to ring Brighton tomorrow i guess, online chat seems to have a “computer says no” type answer

  • DI says:
    14 Sep14 September 18:33

    Broker fees optimisation

    I remember seeing an article (on monevator?) talking about a strategy to optimise broker fees – something along the lines of often investing into a broker with no trading fees and then rarely moving the whole balance into another broker (with large trading fees, but low management fees). I cannot find this article now. Anyone knows which one I mean?

    Thanks!

  • Fazzy Bear says:
    14 Sep14 September 19:33

    If you have Amazon Prime, you can now get Deliveroo Plus Family for free. So if you spend £25 at a takeaway you will get free delivery. A bit niche but better than nothing.

    Usually £3.49 a month.

  • TM says:
    14 Sep14 September 19:59

    I am trying to cancel an Avios booking made within the last 24 hours – BA keep asking me to enter details for a voucher. I thought that you can cancel with 100% refund within 24 hours – am I mistaken?

    • JDB says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:01

      Doesn’t the 24hr free cancellation only apply to cash bookings?

      • TM says:
        14 Sep14 September 20:03

        This is what they say on their website: “If you have booked directly with British Airways and you notice a mistake with your booking after you have paid for your ticket(s), you can cancel your flight booking and claim a full refund without penalty, up to 24 hours from when you make the original booking. Refunds under these circumstances can be requested by calling our contact centres, with the exception of Avios bookings, which can be managed online.”

        It has been a few years since I last did this but it worked properly with a full refund when I did

    • ChrisC says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:09

      You need to call.

    • Harry T says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:24

      You can cancel any flight booking within 24 hours of the time you booked, but you’ll need to call. Chat are mostly useless.

    • Babyg says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:41

      believe you have to phone up now…. the ability to cancel an avios booking online has gone…

      • Anna says:
        14 Sep14 September 20:49

        I used Twitter to cancel and get everything back minus £35 a couple of months ago. Slow but preferable to the on hold music of doom.

    • TM says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:48

      Thanks guys – will call first thing tomorrow

      • Anna says:
        14 Sep14 September 20:50

        See above re Twitter.

        • SteveJ says:
          14 Sep14 September 21:08

          Within 24 hours it shouldn’t cost the £35

          • JDB says:
            14 Sep14 September 21:41

            Are you sure that is the case with Avios bookings? I think they apply the £35 cancellation fee. No fee for cash booking cancellations within the 24hr period. Others have also confirmed this recently including Anna (above) today.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            14 Sep14 September 22:30

            Avios bookings have been covered for me within the 24 hour window in the past

            I did have to say it’s free within 24 hrs the last time

          • Lady London says:
            15 Sep15 September 01:34

            Free inside 24 hrs for avios bookings too

  • Degsy says:
    14 Sep14 September 20:00

    Has anyone ever bidded (bade?) for an upgrade with Virgin? And how much was it for if so & was it successful?
    I’m flying to Antigua next month and currently PE – in the absence of any Upper reward availability I’m toying with putting one in for the minimum they will accept – £385 one way. There are still 20 seats available in the Upper cabin. Mrs Degsy is already safely in U.

    • Travel Strong says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:32

      Bid. I used to many years ago, always minimum, never successful.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      14 Sep14 September 20:50

      It’s just “ever bid”

    • JDB says:
      14 Sep14 September 21:47

      Bid is the past participle of the verb ‘to bid’

    • Degsy says:
      14 Sep14 September 23:20

      Thanks. Every day is a school day!

    • AL says:
      14 Sep14 September 23:46

      Never worked for me; and I believe you’re only getting seats after they’ve taken the FC points from those wanting to upgrade, the cash from those on the spur of the moment decisions, upgraded the Golds, upgraded their DL friends… so, that 20 will soon whittle down. Not sure if the bidded seats need to be in reward buckets, too?

  • BJ says:
    14 Sep14 September 20:10

    Anybody here stayed at the Washington Hilton? Is it really as shabby as it’s reputed to be or worth it for only $112/night while most others are $250-450?

    • KBuffett says:
      14 Sep14 September 21:39

      I wouldn’t……

      • BJ says:
        14 Sep14 September 22:27

        Sounds ominous 🙁 However, with a very early flight booked I think we would be better all round by tge Irpirt Crystal or Alex which is where I always stayed in the past..

    • KZ says:
      14 Sep14 September 23:29

      The one with the conference centre? It’s a pretty average Hilton imo… nothing great about it, nothing bad. Rollaway bed was one of the worst I’ve ever seen though so avoid that.

    • Andrew says:
      15 Sep15 September 10:11

      I prefer being in Crystal City area and flying in and out of DCA.

      If you haven’t been before, it’s very walkable, head down to the Mt Vernon trail and it’s an easy walk into DC.

      Bit further out, but Alexandria is the 2nd stop from DCA metro station and still a relatively short metro ride into central DC.

  • Lady London says:
    14 Sep14 September 21:07

    They cancelled so you shouldn’t be asked to pay any fare difference regardless of bucket availability. Plus it’s your choice not theirs, which alternative flight you take. EU261.

    A shift to following day is a cancellation no matter what they’re calling it. Check if your flight number changed as well.

    I’ve had Qatar offload me from a flight with a good shortish connection in Doha to one following day with much longer sh1tt1er connection too. I was on a promo ticket. The second time I checked and found out my original booked flight was still running so I phoned and they reinstated me onto that.

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

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