The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 14th September

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rosie keeper says:

14 Sep14 September 07:06

Booked Dixon autograph London via marriott for today deluxe room , checking app I have been upgraded to superior , exec rooms and suites available however they won’t allocate me one of those even though a plat member

Not holding high hopes for this stay infact maybe I have been unlucky however last 3 trips only been given 1 room category higher room upgrade which i normally got when gold anyhow , annoying when they have higher room types for sale or they say you can pay for an upgrade at check in
- Graham says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 07:41
  
  So you’ve been upgraded but still aren’t happy. Just go and enjoy yourself.
- Chrisasaurus says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 07:41
  
  If you’re only Plat you should be happy with the upgrade you have shouldn’t you? Or am I missing something?
- Paul says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 07:45
  
  Blimey this comes across excessively over entitled. You’re already getting more than you’ve paid for. Maybe next time consider booking a higher room category? I consider myself lucky if I get any sort of upgrade, I find it surprisingly rare even with status.
  - Harry T says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 08:11
    
    I get junior suites and suites 80-90% of the time when I stay as Titanium, and I book base room. Just ask nicely in the app before you stay. If that doesn’t work, thank them for the upgrade when you check in in person and ask if they have anything even nicer available.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 07:51
  
  Ask again at checkin
  
  Stayed once the rooms are quite compact
- Gareth says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:02
  
  Just pay for what you want, upgrades aren’t guaranteed with that status so need to be prepared to accept what you book rather than pre empt a poor stay.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 08:35
    
    We’ll do our best to upgrade your room (including Select Suites), based on availability at check-in. Upgrades are subject to availability identified by each hotel and limited to your personal guest room.
    
    1 category upgrade when all cars are available for booking isn’t their best.
Chrisasaurus says:

14 Sep14 September 07:44

Eugh. Fit to fly test options get asked about daily but is there a resource anyone is aware of with a listing of options? First thing Sunday morning flights were a poor choice :-/
- blenz101 says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:02
  
  There is a list on .gov.uk, MSE also maintains a list of cheap providers, many airlines have deals with providers to offer discount codes if you look on the covid pages of their websites (inc BA, EK, Ryanair etc).
  
  Where is it you are flying from and what sort of test do you need? PCRs for example can generally be taken 3 days in advance for most destinations requiring them.
  - Chrisasaurus says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 08:51
    
    From LHR T5 but challenge is I’m travelling for work the week before so limited choices logistically. The rapid PCR at Heathrow (Collinson) would have been perfect except it shuts at 5pm.
    
    Entry requirements (Croatia) say Antigen test is ok 48hrs ahead of flying so It appears an antigen test the day before at a regional airport drive through centre is the safest best and gets it done but it’s a couple hour round trip from here.
    
    I’ll check out the list – thanks. If there’s something nearer it’ll work for me (and is the consensus here that good enough is good enough eg don’t do PCR unless it’s mandatory, go for Antigen if poss?)
    - John T says:
      
      14 Sep14 September 10:33
      
      Qured test via video? They’re very convenient.
    - fw says:
      
      14 Sep14 September 14:48
      
      For travel to Croatia they accepted our Chronomics tests, which you do yourself and report a picture of the completed test. No appointment needed.
      - Jonathan says:
        
        14 Sep14 September 17:15
        
        Agree. Did Chronomics yesterday & accepted without any issues in Dubrovnik today. Just tell Chronomics you’re flying 2-3 days earlier as bizarrely they only dispatch them to arrive 2 days before you’re flying which doesn’t leave much slack.
      - Chrisasaurus says:
        
        14 Sep14 September 18:43
        
        Thanks all will look at booking chronomics!
JC says:

14 Sep14 September 07:46

My BAPP anniversary month is August and instead of charging the old membership fee at the beginning of the month, they’ve charged me the new £250 at the beginning of September (still the same statement month). Is there anything I can do about this?
- Number9 says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 07:53
  
  I’m sure this has been mentioned before phone them up and they will adjust it.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 08:00
    
    Will they? If you signed up for a new card or an upgrade before 1st September then I can see why you would pay £195 (as advertised)
    
    If your first statement after your year anniversary is in September then you’d expect to be charged £250
- JDB says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:02
  
  Your anniversary month may not be the same as your billing year cycle, so they may be correct if the fee was billed on or after 1 Sep. There was quite a long thread saying the same à week or so ago. If that is the case you need to be asking for a goodwill gesture rather than correction of an error.
YFP says:

14 Sep14 September 07:58

Morning all,
Planning to route to gold on BAEC, and wanted to check it this plan was viable. My year resets on the 8th of March 2022, so have the following plan.

15th March: 480TP using BA holidays double tier points from ABZ-LHR-ATH return (gets me silver with reduced tier points)

May: Random 10 TP trip

end June – 15th July. 560 TP Qatar Airways flight to BKK (should have gold at the end of this).

The question is, is it likely the reduced tier points will still apply by the time of my return Qatar airways flight on the 15th of July 2022?
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:02
  
  My understanding is that the reduced trier points will be applicable depending on when your TP year resets for the whole for the new TP year
  
  However I have no idea if you’ll be eligible for reduced TP with an 8th March 22 reset as I haven’t kept up with the changes.
- AJA says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:26
  
  My understanding is that the reduced TP requirements are up to 30 June 2022. That’s what it says on BA’s website. So I’d make sure return by 30 June to be safe.
  - YFP says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 09:05
    
    Thanks Aja (and TGLoyalty),
    
    I was going off what Rob typed here which seems to show the reduced TP period extended for cards expiring 8th Aug 2022. But the ba website shows 30th June 22 as the cut off, so maybe it might not be possible after that. Maybe i’ll just stick to Silver then..
    
    https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2021/08/28/british-airways-extending-reduced-tier-points-targets/
- WaynedP says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:50
  
  Agree with advice to complete travel by 30 June 2022, given our better understanding of how BA seems to be interpreting their own ambiguously worded policy.
  
  I thought BA Gold required 1125 TPs under the reduced TP policy.
  
  Your mid March (480) + June (560) = 1040.
  
  That leaves you 85 TP short to make up in your random May trip, unless I’m missing something ?
  - YFP says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 08:56
    
    Thanks WaynedP,
    
    Yeah, my math was poor this morning, seem to have misread that. Yes, i will need more TP in May, so need to adjust my plans.
    
    I might ring up BA to confirm myself in that case, the wording is quite ambiguous. The trip to BKK is quite fixed as it covers an anniversary and a birthday, so just have to see if possible to get reduced TP if trip completed by 15th of July
    - Rich says:
      
      14 Sep14 September 10:40
      
      A CE return would get you 80, plus a cheap Y to anywhere for the final 5.
      
      Or Iberia business to somewhere 1-stop via MAD or BCN would get you 40 + 20 + 20 + 40
- Mouse says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 09:11
  
  Other issue is whether Thailand will have opened up by then…
  - Rhys says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 09:15
    
    Bangkok is due to open to tourists next month so it is getting there.
    - Jeff Greene says:
      
      14 Sep14 September 09:27
      
      “ Under the sandbox scheme, tourists have to stay within a certain area for seven days after arrival and take covid tests.”
      
      Doesn’t sound like a particularly enjoyable holiday experience. I’d rather just go somewhere else than have to stay within a “certain area” for 7 days
      - Rob says:
        
        14 Sep14 September 09:28
        
        The areas are quite big, to be fair, eg all Bangkok.
      - Jeff Greene says:
        
        14 Sep14 September 09:38
        
        But you’re still only allowed to stay within Bangkok. What if you want to explore and see other cities?
        
        Sounds too much like a “restricted” holiday to me.
      - Rhys says:
        
        14 Sep14 September 09:41
        
        YFP isn’t there until the end of June!
      - YFP says:
        
        14 Sep14 September 09:47
        
        Lol yeah, not planning on a COVID holiday, been waiting 2 years for this, so if i have to wait longer I will. June is 9 months from now, so I’m hopeful things will be much improved by then. If not, there’s always Cornwall 🙁
Jonny says:

14 Sep14 September 08:03

Hi all, is there a bonus for adding a supplementary cardholder to the Marriott Bonvoy Amex at the moment? Thanks
- VerdantBacon says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:24
  
  https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/benefits/supplementary-cards/
  Doesn’t look like it
- Blindman says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 09:07
  
  Mrs B and I did not get one when we added each other a few weeks back.
  
  Amex chat said “No”
Gtellez says:

14 Sep14 September 08:06

I just called Amex in Spain to downgrade my Amex platinum to gold, as I have removed to the UK recently and wanted to apply for the platinum here. However I was offered 5900 points a month for 6 months, so I keep it. Just mentioning because I recall that few days ago someone posted a suggestion that Amex in the UK should do something like that instead of offering retention bonus as one off without minimum spending and/or time with them; so maybe this is implemented in the UK soon, who knows.
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 09:55
  
  Hope they do it sooner.
  The way people are abusing it (look at page 4), won’t be surprised.
Steve S says:

14 Sep14 September 08:11

Two of my BA “household members”received this email 20,000 Avios on the basic card

To celebrate the relaunch of the British Airways American Express® Credit Card we are offering Executive Club Members our largest Welcome Bonus yet. As a new Cardmember you can get 20,000 bonus Avios when you spend £1,000 in your first three months of Cardmembership1 – that’s enough to fly to over 100 European destinations2. Just be sure to apply via the link in this email.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:37
  
  Forgo any referral bonus though which might be more lucrative.
Ant says:

14 Sep14 September 08:11

Morning anyone has any thoughts on travelling to South Africa in the coming months? Assuming it goes Amber. Have a holiday booked to Cape Town and Garden Route with my healthy 75yr old parents and not sure if we should go or cancel.
- Harry T says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 08:13
  
  Good chance if it’s still on the red list that your airline will cancel for you, which gives you more options. My BA holiday to Cape Town has been moved twice already after BA cancellations.
  - Blindman says:
    
    14 Sep14 September 08:48
    
    Virgin are still flying to SA and they did not cancel my flight.
- WaynedP says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 09:02
  
  I think you will struggle to get insurance for your parents.
  
  I don’t see uk FCDO advice against travel to SA changing soon, even if restrictions are eased for double vaccinated travellers in the next month or so (which isn’t guaranteed either).
  
  Hospitalisation in SA or emergency evacuation back to UK in event of any medical needs will be very expensive without good comprehensive insurance.
- Den says:
  
  14 Sep14 September 09:03
  
  We go to SA(Garden Route) every year in Jan. However, with the current vaccination rate of 12%, I cannot see us going back until at least Jan 2023 and more likely Jan 2024! We are in our early 60’s and I suppose we could be criticised of being too cautious! Also another factor would depend on when your parents are going to get the booster jab!