The HfP chat thread – Friday 17th September

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

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

PJJ says:

17 Sep17 September 13:59

Called in to the nearest BP station this morning and picked up a card

Notice the BP station was backed by Morrisons

Couldn’t resist going back in to see if they took Morrison’s Gift Cards UNFORTUNATELY NOT

Registered the card and immediately got the 500 bonus points

The cost of diesel there was 1p dearer than Morrisons but much closer
PJJ says:

17 Sep17 September 14:03

Anyone know what’s going on at the Crowne Plaza The City in London ?
All dates blanked out until March, surely not that long for quarantine

What about the CP Albert Embankment ?
As good as the City or problems
- bill says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 14:43
  
  The HIEX in Antrim is blocked until the end of the year for quarantine. The CP LPL is also blocked and used for Aghans. Seems IHG are the goto chain for government agencies
- Mark Peterborough says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 14:54
  
  I work near the Crowne Plaza City of London and I noticed the other day that it was still in darkness with nobody coming in or out.
- AL says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 16:39
  
  Closed for renovation until September, the last I heard. But, of course, we’re nearly out of September and not looking likely on re-opening. Personally, not a huge fan of the City one – feels dated, so desperately needed its do-over.
  
  Albert Embankment is okay; it’s more modern, and some rooms have good views over the river. It is weirdly small, though – everything feels pushed in. Staff are good. Only downside is that it’s a bit out of the way and not an awful lot nearby…
Den says:

17 Sep17 September 14:25

Question? If I want to change an Antigua Reward Flight booking (This Nov, 2 adults, Bus out, Eco back with 2-4-1 voucher) to later next year (up to 354 days) Can I do it online or must I call the BA Exec Club? At the moment it seems impossible to contact them! Also I know I can cancel (£35 per adult) on line (as long I can request a refund) but if I shift it, is it currently free of charge or do they charge me for changing it. If so I might as well cancel and rebook! I expect the answer is somewhere in previous articles, but may be easier to ask the question here. Thanks in advance!
- Sarah says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 15:00
  
  I called up and my flight was cancelled for a FTV which the agent then used immediately to book me a different flight. Didn’t cost me any charges, only the difference on taxes and the extra Avios I used.
AndyGWP says:

17 Sep17 September 14:25

Marriott Moments for NFL (London) tickets are now available folks…

https://moments.marriottbonvoy.com/moments/collection/837

Redemptions are:
45k for 2 x tickets
60k for 2 x tickets + man of the match award

Bid for events are much better with the highlight probably being the one that includes:
Exclusive NFL locker room tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, 15 Oct. 2021
VIP Hospitality Tickets to see the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Miami Dolphins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at 2:30 p.m. (BST), 17 Oct. 2021
Pre-game pitchside passes to watch the team warm-ups
Appearances by NFL Executives & NFL Cheerleaders
2x £100 vouchers for the NFL shop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Access for two (2) people

Not many packages available (overall) to be honest, but I’m not surprised this year
idontflymuch says:

17 Sep17 September 14:40

Is it really 28 days now? I thought it was 14 days hotel then 7 days at home. Going to try to apply for a visa soon to visit family who need support, in which case it would be with KLM on their LHR-AMS-CTU. I thing Chengdu is acting as a hub for foreign arrivals. I know things are worse if you try to get to Beijing.
Memesweeper says:

17 Sep17 September 14:45

Hotels.com extra night stamp:

RWD1921

completely changes the maths on several of my upcoming bookings so I will be cancelling and rebooking…
- Rich says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 15:06
  
  Does it also increase your total spend/ value of the few night? Or does it just get you there sooner?
  - Rob says:
    
    17 Sep17 September 15:28
    
    Yes, it’s another 10%.
- Memesweeper says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 16:14
  
  One booking per account says the small print. Use wisely 😉
  - KBuffett says:
    
    17 Sep17 September 17:08
    
    Is it worthwhile having an extra night across multiple accounts? Are the mergeable?
    
    Assume you don’t chase status/nights on direct schemes?
    - John says:
      
      17 Sep17 September 18:20
      
      No you just stop using an account every time you get to a reward night. Depends if you care about hotels.com status or if you exceed 30 nights in a 12 month period
DJ says:

17 Sep17 September 15:10

Hi,

Staying at Indigo – Manchester Victoria Centre this weekend. Is it worth it to have the breakfast there? Or any other nearby recommendations?

Thanks
- Aston100 says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 15:31
  
  I tend to have breakfast at Moose Coffee.
- AL says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 16:40
  
  Koffee Pot will do you a cracking fry-up. Ezra and Gil for your traditional hipster brunch. Federal, too, which is more antipodean in nature. I love Another Heart To Feed. The Northern Quarter is a two minute walk — and a massive shame to accept the hotel breakfast (which, admittedly, isn’t bad) when you’ve got loads of ace places a few streets away.
  
  https://www.manchestersfinest.com/eating-and-drinking/restaurants/best-breakfast-and-brunch-spots-in-manchester/
- John says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 18:21
  
  I enjoyed it before covid but it was a cold buffet and a choice of hot options from a menu
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 19:01
  
  I stayed there about a month ago, breakfast (and dinner for that matter) is lovely at the hotel. Service was a bit slow one morning but hopefully they’ve fixed it. It was table service sadly, but all freshly cooked to order.
  
  Annoyingly, when the menu says sausage, they literally mean 1 unless you ask for more
  - Super Secret Stuff says:
    
    17 Sep17 September 19:01
    
    I really enjoyed it so hope you have a lovely stay too!
Shaw West says:

17 Sep17 September 16:05

Does points booking with virgin earn tier points? Planning to book a trip to Moscow with virgin points flying elm
- AL says:
  
  17 Sep17 September 16:42
  
  Yes. VS started this in September last year. Economy (A) is 25 TPs, Premium (P?) is 50 TPs, and Upper (G) is 100 TPs.
  - Andrew M says:
    
    17 Sep17 September 19:21
    
    Aren’t points earning redemptions only on VS operated flights? Shaw seems to be flying KLM though there’s a bit of a typo there I think.