The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 14th September

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• Ant says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:33

  Virgin credit card – how do I raise a claim? I can’t find anywhere to do this on the app. Does it have to be done by phone?

  • CarpalTravel says:

    14 Sep14 September 13:55

    Good luck…

    https://uk.virginmoney.com/vmforms/credit-card-dispute

    • Magic Mike says:

      14 Sep14 September 21:15

      You write to them. Then wait 3 months and make a formal complaint.

      • AL says:

        14 Sep14 September 23:22

        +1 – Clydesdale customer service is a farce. Only reason I have VAA+ is for the VS points, and even then I’m half-tempted to switch to something Avios-y… unless Biden re-opens his borders…

• N says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:34

  Anyone here had experience with a Founders Card before? $595 for the year but you get gold status at a few hotel programmes (and fast track to Marriott platinum) and silver status on Marco Polo and Virgin Atlantic
  https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/founderscard-review/

  • Mouse says:

    14 Sep14 September 13:39

    If you fill in the form on the Founders Card website for more info they will start spamming you but eventually offer you the first year free. I didn’t bother as the perks look pretty useless to me.

    • Rob says:

      14 Sep14 September 13:49

      The free first year has limited benefits though – none of the statuses.

  • Rob says:

    14 Sep14 September 13:50

    None of the statuses have real value. The discounts have small print, eg the BA flight discount is only on ex-US departures.

    • N says:

      14 Sep14 September 15:11

      gotcha! though marco polo silver effectively gives you oneworld silver right? not too bad if you get to recoup a lot of the value through hotel discounts etc. but point taken

      • Fair Dinkum says:

        14 Sep14 September 15:31

        Marco Polo Silver is Oneworld Ruby so the same as BA Bronze.

        The BA discount says: “FoundersCard Members receive up to 10% off most roundtrip airfares between the US, Canada, and UK” I read that as fares between North American and UK (and vice versa) but “the discount is applied to base fare only and is not applicable to any fees, taxes and surcharges”. The discounts on QF, SQ, CX are explicitly for either fares starting in the US or to from their hubs to US. It does mention an 8% discount on UA all online UA fares booked for yourself if you click a corporate button.

        It would be tempting as an alternative to Amex Plat if travel were a little more normal but no sale from me with coronawinter coming.

        I signed up to have a nose at the website and the email offered the first year for $395 (£286).

  • Kai says:

    14 Sep14 September 14:02

    Complimentary first year if you have a third-party issued Amex card.

    • Tarmohamed says:

      14 Sep14 September 14:31

      I’ve been getting the ads for the founders card as well. Is there any other way to get the 40% discount at UPS?

      • Char Char says:

        14 Sep14 September 15:24

        The UPS discount will likely be over rated and based on extortionate pricing, I doubt it would be better than the upstoday website

  • KZ says:

    14 Sep14 September 18:44

    I’ve tried the first year free option with promo code “viptrialrun12”. Very restricted so not much use, but the paid version does come with some interesting statuses, such as Caesar’s Diamond. The Stripe and AWS credit may be useful to small businesses as well, though I don’t know if that works in the UK. Their hotel flat rates are genuinely cheaper, though only useful if you often stay at top luxury hotels.

• swifty says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:35

  thank you everyone who has taken time to help, they will be refunding the extra charge in 7 days. Taken a WHOLE hour to sort though. Really poor service and if I wasn’t so mad I would have probably given up. Get some decent training in, Amex, they’ve gone downhill.

• YC says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:38

  Thoughts on an additional 25k avios for RJ in J vs Y? 5hr day flight. Read the HfP review, and main advantages for me is a flat bed + better f&b

  • lumma says:

    14 Sep14 September 14:32

    Do you value a flat bed at around £250 of avios for a 4 and a half hour flight? The Royal Jordanian lounge at Amman is accessible via priority pass et al too

  • Rich says:

    14 Sep14 September 14:42

    Would you hand over £250 in cash at check-in? That’s the test I always use.

    • YC says:

      14 Sep14 September 16:36

      Thanks both. 5hr is sort of pushing being comfortable in Y. I’ll try to find out if RJ are back to full service on board and might just do it. I would probably pay £200 but its avios so sort of quasi money

• GaryE says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:39

  QQ: We have flights booked in December to Barbados. BA have now gradually changed the departure time on both flights to the extent that at the time of the original booking the flight out was meant to be at 10.35 and it is now 13.40. The inbound flight was meant to be 17.05 but has now moved to 20.10.
  TBH unsure if we want to travel, as the current quarantine rules in Barbados if you or anyone nearby you on flight is tested positive is far from attractive.
  Do I have any option to claim a refund, rather that a FTV if we cancel based on the change in time from original booking to now is over 3 hours ?

  • Sam G says:

    14 Sep14 September 13:42

    No – BA changed their rule to be +/- 4hrs before they consider it significant enough to get a refund. If the flight number has changed at any point then that counts as a refund and you can get a cancellation

  • Lady London says:

    14 Sep14 September 19:53

    Check the t’s and c’s as at when you booked. It’s just possible a shorter time would be stated.

    Keep watching esp through all of Oct and first week of November. That opens the new season and sometimes by then there are big or small reschedulings.

    Unless FTV’s look like disappearing I’d hang on to within a week of that flight before I took any action. Although Barbados will be a rich route for BA so less vulnerable to changes than some others there are still forces at work that could force a more radical reschedule or cancellation. Noting that any different flight number makes it a cancellation.

• Roberto says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:40

  British Airways are driving me crazy.
  They cancelled my Avios flight for September 24th ( Tokyo purchased in the half price Avios sale) I have seen availability in various months next year and when I try to rearrange the flight for any of the available days the dates are not available even though I can see they are available when I search for Avios seats.
  I don’t want a refund and I don’t want a voucher but when I call them to change the seats they keep putting the phone down.
  Does anyone have any idea what’s going on?

  • Memesweeper says:

    14 Sep14 September 17:17

    No idea

    I would try through manage my booking a few times over several days. One day it just might work !

    And try the online chat, available on the help page.

    • Michael C says:

      14 Sep14 September 18:50

      Another vote for online chat: changed some random Boston flights to some for actual Easter week, no probs.

• mr_jetlag says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:46

  @Reney yes I’m still getting points from bendy/che but 80% of my hk spend is ernie. Use Che only to repay seagulls and for legitimate Fx transfers.

• VerdantBacon says:

  14 Sep14 September 13:51

  Is the BAPP enhanced referral rates (12k for you/42k for card applicant) targeted?

  Considering opening a BAPP for my wife as I’ve hit the 90k cap and have a handful of new refers to do.

  Don’t want to bother opening a new BAPP if there’s a chance she won’t get the increased rates.

  • Reney says:

    14 Sep14 September 14:05

    why not open a plat and refer from that? Twice the amount of referral points (24k) assuming that is also not targeted.

    • VerdantBacon says:

      14 Sep14 September 14:30

      Have maxed out refers on both our MR accounts and my Avios account

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