The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 28th September

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BJ says:

28 Sep28 September 08:28

Not sure if this is a new offer or not but noticed that my dad’s PRG referral bonus has been boosted to 18,000 MR points through 9 November.
- Polly says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 16:21
  
  Yep, all 3 of our golds have that offer now. Must cancel and re refer some v soon, as it ends Nov 9th.
elguiri says:

28 Sep28 September 08:33

Any hotel recommendations for a weekend stay in Portsmouth?
- Mikeact says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:19
  
  You need to lower your sights for a hotel in Portsmouth, be prepared for disappointment !
  - elguiri says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 10:11
    
    I had taken a look online and was disheartened that the top results were not actually in Portsmouth…
    - Harrier25 says:
      
      28 Sep28 September 10:29
      
      I stayed at the Premier Inn in Portsmouth a few years back. It was cheap and perfectly acceptable.
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 10:55
        
        There are now 4 from memory. The one by Southsea station is the newest and best
- MisterE says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:31
  
  Nothing very special, but I have always found the Portsmouth Marriott perfectly OK. Easy access off Motorway, good parking, places to eat within short distance
  - elguiri says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 10:12
    
    I had looked here, but the distance to Portsmouth centre looked too far
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:45
  
  Stayed many times, best place with a points angle is the Holiday Inn on Pembroke road or HIX in Gunwharf is also good. Both mainly because of the locations etc. Marriott is far out of the way.
  
  Premier Inn by Southsea station is good too, although i don’t stay there because it never has enough staff to evacuate disabled people when the fire alarm goes off. Learnt the hard way!
  - elguiri says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 10:14
    
    Thanks, was looking at the HI, as it also has ‘executive’ rooms that have space for 2 adults and a child, but a lot of reviews weren’t very complimentary.
    - Super Secret Stuff says:
      
      28 Sep28 September 10:54
      
      The rooms are boring to be frank, but then there is lots nearby so you don’t need to spend too much time in them. Not sure how executive the executive rooms are. Restaurant and bar are nice but lots of nearby alternatives too
      - elguiri says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 11:25
        
        The only bit of executive I wanted was the third bedspace…good to know the local area is good for food, as I envisage a long day of walking. Any tips for parking? I think HI has it but charged for
      - Super Secret Stuff says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 12:31
        
        I dont drive but I know the HI one gets full quickly and there are a few others around
  - Guernsey Globetrotter says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 12:36
    
    +1 for HIE Gunwharf – near naval dockyards etc, lots of parking, loads of retail therapy if that’s your bag and also plentiful F&B options in Gunwharf til late!
- admg says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 12:34
  
  HIX Gunwharf Quay is good. Discounted parking, near shops and restaurants. Short walk to the excellent historic harbour.
QwertyKnowsBest says:

28 Sep28 September 08:39

Just built up enthusiasm to call BA to yet again push back a 241 booking to the USA, this time to November, but looking at the BA availability chart nothing available to anywhere in the USA for November. Is it me?
- Pete M says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 08:52
  
  Are you surprised?
Craig says:

28 Sep28 September 08:41

Made a couple of overseas IHG Creation transactions in the last few days, they’ve appeared without a transaction fee. I didn’t get a message about the offer, does anyone know whether the fee gets added later or whether it’s included when the transaction posts?
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 08:50
  
  The fee is included in the rate itself. When your statement is generated it will show something like “20.00 EUR @ 1.1300 inc conversion fee of 2.99%”.
  
  The promotion offsets this by adding a separate “fee-saving” entry giving you the fee back.
  - Craig says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 08:54
    
    Weird then because it’s posted with a rate of about 1.16 €/£ which is neither one nor the other?
    - Phil says:
      
      28 Sep28 September 09:29
      
      That looks near as damn it the standard GBP/EUR MasterCard exchange rate.
Jaime says:

28 Sep28 September 08:46

Any 9ther way to contact BA holidays besides 0hone.
They rebook our cancelled flights to an earlier one and MMB does not allow to pick another one later in the day.
- Pete M says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:13
  
  I’ve been waiting for a reply on Twitter for 4 days now, so wouldn’t recommend that option. Not sure if the web chat is any better at the moment?
  - Jane says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 09:57
    
    web chat was good for me but it was a couple of weeks ago, took about 30 minutes to get to the front of the queue but then sorted my problem.
- Simon says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:56
  
  Try baholidays@ba.com
Tom says:

28 Sep28 September 08:46

Does chase credit check? got my code this morning to join but I just opened one current account with Barclays
- Ste C says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:00
  
  I didn’t get any alerts from the credit check sites I am signed up to
- DJ says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 10:04
  
  Just a soft check to confirm your identity 🙂 This has been confirmed by Chase. And I have also checked my credit profile as well.
Paul says:

28 Sep28 September 08:51

Now that ‘Bendy’ and ‘Solihull’s’ relationship has come to an end, is there any direct uses for the latter?
- Rui N. says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 08:52
  
  Surely the card can still be used. Cards work without Curve.
  - Pete M says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 08:54
    
    But it doesn’t do Apple Pay, it charges foreign transaction fees… I may keep it in a drawer for a bit, but can’t see much use for it longer-term – maybe for IHG Gold once the Spire days come to an end?
    - Rui N. says:
      
      28 Sep28 September 09:03
      
      You don’t need to take it out of the drawer to get IHG Gold.
      - Paul says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 09:15
        
        I’m more wondering re. past activities in their relationship that Solihull could still continue to enjoy directly on its own?
      - Pete M says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 09:25
        
        Presumably you can still pay Solihull off with other CCs, but can you generate enough spend on it to make it worthwhile?
      - Paul says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 10:07
        
        Exactly! I’m not sure now how to generate enough spend on Creation. On a slightly related note, how prompt do you think Creation would be at issuing a refund of a credit balance?
- Paul Pogba says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 11:17
  
  If you can get £10k a year through it the free hotel night is still worthwhile, you can get £200-300 of value out of a one night stay plus 20,000 points. If its staying in a drawer is Gold Elite worth £99??
  - Pete M says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 11:30
    
    I only have the white one, so no fee.
- Guernsey Globetrotter says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 12:39
  
  If you are ‘Paul the Destroyer’ from the Bendy/ERNIE thread earlier this month then I don’t imagine anyone will be keen on sharing tips on new routes with you!
  - Paul Pogba says:
    
    28 Sep28 September 15:07
    
    I have no idea who Paul the Destroyer is. There are plenty of reasons people on here may dislike me, but I doubt excessive MS is one of them. I’ve never done anything that couldn’t be explained as an innocent mistake to manage my cashflow (and has only once used NSI when I was legitimately depositing money) and in any case I don’t discuss much on here.
    - Guernsey Globetrotter says:
      
      28 Sep28 September 15:41
      
      Hi Paul Pogba – don’t worry – this comment was aimed at the other ‘Paul’ in this chain. Who doesn’t like Paul Pogba?? Except for Graeme Sourness that is !!
      - Paul says:
        
        28 Sep28 September 16:23
        
        I am not Paul the Destroyer, although worryingly this isn’t the first time I’ve been mistaken as. I am the less greedy and slightly better behaved Paul still keen to earn some IHG
Michael says:

28 Sep28 September 08:56

I’ve used Collinson at St. Pancras for the Eurostar a few times now. Not the cheapest option, but definitely most convenient.
- Rob says:
  
  28 Sep28 September 09:18
  
  Agree, used it last week. Was done and dusted in under 10 minutes from exiting the secure Eurostar area.