Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 28th 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

Comments (515)

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

  • Grant says:
    28 Sep28 September 10:57

    Anyone got a Bulb referral code?

    • Rich says:
      28 Sep28 September 11:00

      https://www.bulb.me/richa5175 for what it’s worth, but I believe they’ve temporarily suspended referrals.

      Was £25 per fuel.

      • Rich says:
        28 Sep28 September 11:02

        Well that’s interesting. Clicked on my own link – they’re now offering a whopping £2.

        When I checked yesterday, the were offering nothing. May be worth holding off a day or two to see if they increase it.

        • Harrier25 says:
          28 Sep28 September 11:06

          Why would anyone want to move to Bulb when they’re on the verge of going out of business?

          • Rich says:
            28 Sep28 September 11:13

            I wouldn’t say on the verge – no more than any other supplier, anyway. Octopus was looking at buying them, I believe.

    • The Rooster says:
      28 Sep28 September 11:04

      Why would you not move to octopus out of cruisouty?

      • Harrier25 says:
        28 Sep28 September 11:28

        Bulb are most certainly on the verge.

      • Rui N. says:
        28 Sep28 September 11:30

        Why would they move to Octopus? When I changed suppliers (in August, which I know I was a long long time in this current market) they were the 4th cheapest (after referal bonus) only in the ~10 that I looked into detail.

        • Rich says:
          28 Sep28 September 11:34

          Not everybody goes for the absolute cheapest. The race to the bottom is partly why we are where we are.

          • Rui N. says:
            28 Sep28 September 11:40

            But that doesn’t explain why The Rooster is so surprised that anyone would go to any supplier rather than Octopus.
            I doubt the race to the bottom in terms of prices has anything to do with the wholesale prices of electricity, which is “whe we are where we are”. It has everything to do with the number of failures, of course. But the prices of electricity/gas arecaused by global gas prices and the decision to get rid of virtually all gas storage capacity in the country.

          • The Rooster says:
            28 Sep28 September 11:45

            Because octopus did offer (they still might) that is 15.2 and 5.5 for electricity which s the cheapest on the market?

          • Rui N. says:
            28 Sep28 September 11:53

            Assuming that’s the unit rate for electricity/gas, for me they don’t offer those prices (and for electricity not even close). The cheapest tarrif is 24.50 for electricity and 6p for gas. When I changed suppliers in August their cheapest tariff for me was 18.8/3.5.
            If that’s the Octopus Go rate, also not the same here (24.1p during the day, 5p at night)

          • Rich says:
            28 Sep28 September 11:59

            It’s a bit pointless quoting the unit rates for gas/ elec without also factoring in the different standing charges, what region you’re in, whether it’s fixed and for how long. Let alone comparing August with now!

            This is what price comparison sites are for.

          • Rui N. says:
            28 Sep28 September 12:02

            I wasn’t exactly the one first bringing unit rates to the conversation, was I? *rolled eyes emoji*

        • John says:
          28 Sep28 September 12:15

          Prices are different around the country so the 4th cheapest for you may be the cheapest reliable supplier for someone else

          • Rui N. says:
            28 Sep28 September 12:19

            Maybe you should explain that to the person that thinks Octopus is the cheapest around and is surprised anyone chooses any other supplier?

      • Aston100 says:
        28 Sep28 September 12:12

        I got a quote from Octopus yesterday.
        Was really bad – unit charges were pretty much what Rui N is saying.

        • Rui N. says:
          28 Sep28 September 12:22

          I don’t know if for the current market conditions these values are bad or not 🙂 I was simply saying that not everyone can get the prices The Rooster mentioned and that they were not the cheapest for me just last month (maybe today they are, I haven’t checked).

  • Kevin says:
    28 Sep28 September 10:58

    Talked to IHG CS but go no way. Thought better to ask for HFP expert opinions here.

    May i know if the UK free night voucher can be used on Kimpton hotel. Trying to move the booked with voucher at intercontinental paris to kimpton paris for this weekend as quite like kimpton (stayed for last few nights) style etc. Unfortunately intercontinental free night reward had no longer available now and thus a bit risky if cancel first and not able to book at kimpton with the voucher. TIA

    • YC says:
      28 Sep28 September 11:49

      They can. I used one here. Whether there is availability is another question

    • Anna says:
      28 Sep28 September 12:09

      Do you mean the credit card free night? You can use that at any IHG property, subject to availability.

      • Anna says:
        28 Sep28 September 12:11

        Though on closer examination it looks like you may mean Ambassador 2nd night free. In which case, you don’t need to cancel the first booking before you make the second as the certificate is only deactivated after you stay. It’s valid at Kimptons till the end of the year, but again there needs to be availability.

      • Tw33ty says:
        28 Sep28 September 12:43

        You can use the free night credit card voucher at any ihg hotel except six senses and regent brands.

    • Kevin says:
      28 Sep28 September 13:13

      Thx to all with confirmation. Got it rebooked so that 4pm check out is great (finger cross based on my last weekend stay experience) as Intercontinental seems rather busy and no guarantee late check out for a free night booking.

  • Scott says:
    28 Sep28 September 11:08

    Any half decent JFK hotels?
    Flying in around 9:10pm, and next day flight at 11am.
    Most hotels seem to be dodgy, be in dodgy areas, and/or mixed reviews.
    Something easy to get to and from.

    Originally thought the TWA Hotel for its proximity and novelty called, but not enough time to take advantage of it, and the latest reviews aren’t great especially for $250+ a night.

    • AL says:
      28 Sep28 September 11:13

      The Crowne Plaza is okay. My other go-to is the TWA, but it seems to be full of rooftop selfie takers the last two times I’ve been.

    • The Savage Squirrel says:
      28 Sep28 September 11:25

      It’s one night at JFK. It’s not going to be great; just set your expectations accordingly 😀 . If you don’t want to leave the (somewhat unlovely) area then just stay at the Hilton or Crowne Plaza or whatever and take your medicine.
      If you don’t mind travelling just one mile away, the shiny new Hyatt Regency is likely to be more interesting than a predictably bland bunch, and you can lose all your money in the casino to pass the time 😉

  • Rich says:
    28 Sep28 September 11:08

    A whopping 50 Avios wys £1 has just appeared on my BA Amex. Don’t all rush at once!

  • mark2 says:
    28 Sep28 September 11:10

    I applied for Amex Nectar card a few days ago to get last referral on wife’s Plat before cancellation. I was declined on the spot; I then received an email:
    ‘Thank you for your recent application for an American Express® Card. As a responsible lender, we continually review the maximum number of cards we offer to our customers to ensure both parties have a service that is appropriate and manageable.

    Currently, we only accept applications from customers who have less than four credit products with American Express®. Our records show that you do not meet this criteria and we are therefore unable to continue with your most recent application.

    If you would like us to reconsider your most recent application, you will need to close at least one of your current credit products. In order to do this, please call 0800 032 7404 quoting your application reference number at the top of this page and we will be happy to help.

    If, however, you would prefer to maintain your existing arrangements, then no further action is necessary.’

    This was surprising because I had cancelled an old card before applying and it was clearly shown as closed on online account.

    I rang the number and they still claimed that I had four cards; back office to sort.

    I only report this because there has been previous discussion about card number limits, but it may vary according to income.

  • Dave says:
    28 Sep28 September 11:11

    Hilton properties in Bristol – all three are 30,000 points.

    Garden Inn, Doubletree, or Hampton? Any thoughts on which one is best?

  • StevieKicks says:
    28 Sep28 September 11:16

    With Creation:
    What happens if my statement is generated, points transferred to IHG, and then I receive a refund onto the card. I’d assume negative points balance on the card, but would they actually get clawed back from IHG?

  • Ryanfozzie says:
    28 Sep28 September 11:19

    London Hotel Pricing….

    Morning all, any idea why hotel in London are priced at the highest I’ve seen for Sat 2nd to Sun 3rd October (this weekend) in the last 18 months? Several big IHG/Hilton hotels are actually sold out (and yes, they are open).

    Tourists returning or a massive event I don’t know of?

    Thanks!

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Learn more on our About page.

VAA

Latest comments

Latest Forum Posts

Get 30,000 points bonus with American Express Platinum

Amex Gold

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.3 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

Get 20,000 bonus points and your first year free with American Express Gold

Amex Gold