The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 29th September

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Damien says:

29 Sep29 September 05:00

BA holidays nightmare. Got a great deal a while back for 5 nights biz for 2 + car. Double tier should get 480 points. Initial booking was cancelled twice, but we rebooked. Finally went through. Flight to Istanbul was even club suite. 11pm in Istanbul, rental company says they’ve no record of a booking. Says it was booked on my amended mail from BA. But Budget say they only have record of the initial booking dates. Course I’ve been unable to contact BA. None of the numbers were working, and I dread to see my roaming costs. Never tried BA packages before, usually sort everything myself. Main thing is I want my damn double tier points.
- Andrew says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 05:25
  
  Have you tried the BAH 24-hour duty desk…
  
  “ In the unlikely event that your holiday doesn’t run to plan, we’re here to help get things back on track. You can call our 24 hour UK helpline on +44 208 707 4463. You can also find our number on your ‘non-flight’ voucher. You can email duty.office@holidays.ba.com or text +44 786 002 2933 while you’re away.”
  - Damien says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 05:47
    
    I tried that last night, but it literally just tells you to email or text. That only give an automated response. Tried every number I could find. One seemed to route to a bloke in America, who basically gave me a number to call after 8am UK. Really poor show so far. This hotel now was just too sleep for the night, next is to relax, and this is going to eat into that.
    - Andrew says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 06:04
      
      That’s a bit of a poor show from BAH Damien – the website gives the impression of support that’s more “involved”. Not sure what else to suggest but others may have better ideas! Sorry your holiday has got off to a shaky start…
      - Rosie says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 07:03
        
        On a night shift they only have 2 people working in the duty office covering all of BA holidays
    - Anna says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 06:04
      
      With a flight and car booking you usually get a voucher for the car hire element which you can see when you click on that section of the booking in your BA account. If you have this and Budget still won’t give you a car, I would hire another vehicle and claim the cost back from BA later. In the meantime I would email BA Holidays, they are quite good at getting back to you IME.
  - James says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 06:23
    
    I just emailed duty office and got a reply within 15 minutes, very impressed!
    - John says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 06:32
      
      If they can reply to an email surely they can pick up a phone. I much prefer emailing too but if I was standing at a car hire desk which said I had no booking, waiting an unknown amount of time for a response won’t do
- AJ says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:22
  
  That is unfortunate to say the least. With Budget and BAH, you will be able to see the Budget reservation number – as a precaution, I always check the reservation on the Budget website directly by inputting the reservation number. It will give you all of the details regarding your reservation including dates of course! Interestingly, it also gives you the actual price paid.
  
  Just a little tip to prevent something like this happening to anyone else, rare though it is.
  - Damien says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 07:45
    
    I’d never used BA holidays before. I’d assumed it wouldn’t be this bad.
    
    So they’ve gotten back to me to say the cancelled my booking. Which is strange, cuz the didn’t email me and it never left my BA bookings… Not to mention; actually being here now. Last email I have is from the 8th confirming my change of cancelled flight on the 25th to 28th. Nothing after that except mails saying to get ready for your journey.
    - Damien says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 08:00
      
      So I just got a call back, saying that they refunded the car on the 11th, without telling me. They’re saying they can book me 4 days with a car… I asked if this will still qualify for double tier points, but he says they don’t deal with that…. Now I’ve no idea what to do.
    - Anna says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 08:00
      
      So are they saying they cancelled the car element but changed the flight dates? Sounds like a shambles. It will be interesting so see what TPs you eventually get. I’d put in a complaint when you get back, being left without a car is unacceptable, especially at the moment when rental vehicles are in very short supply.
      - Damien says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 09:13
        
        Seems that way. What kills me is that when I asked to change dates, I kept confirming the car. I stayed on the call till the mail came with the car listed for the right dates. Seems mental that this is happening
- Jord says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:58
  
  I had something very similar, BA cancelled our flights so we moved them to a day later, however they never amended the attached hotel booking and we only realised on arrival.
James says:

29 Sep29 September 06:22

Been offered the chance to upgrade from CW Suites to First Class for £1377 pp from MLE to LHR. Never flown either so was just wondering if it’s worth it or do I stick with CW?
- Andrew says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 06:27
  
  That’s a very high price to pay for the upgrade one way. The seat won’t be much better as you’re in Club Suite. The food and service will be far superior (both are awful in Club World) but I wouldn’t say it’s worth £1400 a person one way. You’ll earn more Avios and tier points, so factor that in to the decision. And you’ll get a better amenity kit and you’ll get PJs.
  - James says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 06:30
    
    Thanks for that Andrew. I think it seems rather high, too. I’ll chance it at the airport and see what they can offer there. There’s only about 10 people on the entire flight so hoping service won’t be too naff.
    - Andrew says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 07:13
      
      I wouldn’t confuse the number of people who have paid to allocate a seat in advance and the number of people booked on the flight.
- Damien says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 06:31
  
  The CW suites are your pretty good. I’ve taken them to Mle last November. Doors do give a greater illusion of privacy, and separation from other passengers. Don’t know the first seats though, it if the package would be worth the upgrade.
- John says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 06:40
  
  It’s BA, I wouldn’t pay £1300 extra and risk being disappointed
- Harry T says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 06:56
  
  Not a good price IMO.
- BJ says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 08:20
  
  No way, BA First is no where near worth that, not even from regular CW.
- MD says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 09:20
  
  @James
  
  Heck no, it’s not worth that much. Did that route in December. Was fortunate enough to get it as reward flights in First, but we actually downgraded to Club on the way back as they had put on extra flights and that let us stay an extra day.
  
  Barely noticed the difference. It’s the new/slightly upgraded First and was perfectly pleasant on the way out. Nice crew. Champagne wasn’t LPGS though, still just the basic Nicolas Feuillatte. Business was the new Club Suite. Certainly a bit more compact but other than that, minimal difference. Better goodie bag, but hardly the level of the ME3. Food was actually better in Club but that could have been just my taste.
  
  Depending on how desperately you need tier points I’d consider £2-300 for the upgrade, no more.
  - meta says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 09:56
    
    That was almost 10 months ago… LGPS is back as are proper meals… However, the price is still too much.
    - meta says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 09:57
      
      *LPGS
- TicknBash says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 10:57
  
  That’s not a good price IMO and there isn’t a decent lounge in MLE outbound.
Maciek says:

29 Sep29 September 06:30

If FCDO no longer advise “against all but essential travel”, is there much point getting separate travel insurance (e.g. BattleFace) or is the consensus that AmEx Platinum is sufficient for most needs? I’m looking at European countries, UAE and USA.
- Harry T says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 06:57
  
  Well, obviously it depends on the specific country and the particular FCDO advice for that country…
  - Maciek says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 07:01
    
    Yes, I’m specifically looking at the ones without an advice to avoid non-essential travel. Europe is less of a concern – UAE and USA are where I intend to spend most of my holiday. Platinum insurance should be sufficient in my mind – unless I’m missing something.
    - Andrew says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 07:09
      
      I certainly don’t plan to take out extra cover for those destinations.
    - Sandgrounder says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 07:12
      
      I am satisfied as long as I don’t book when no travel advice is in force, or travel against it. But you should consider your own needs against the Ts&Cs.
      - Cat says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 07:40
        
        Silly question, but I’ve been a bit out of the loop recently: if I make a flight booking when the FCO is advising against all but essential travel at the time of booking, but then by the time i travel, the restrictions are lifted, does that invalidate my AMEX Plat insurance?
        
        Thanks all!
      - meta says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 10:01
        
        As others said above, Amex (Axa) will tell you that you’re not covered. However, in reality it depends. I know many people who have claimed it and all fine, but I also know many people who didn’t succeed.
      - Cat says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 22:47
        
        Thanks Meta. Much appreciated.
Oxfordshire Paul says:

29 Sep29 September 07:00

IHG’s points pricing seems all over the place (and overall looks like the have devalued the scheme when I look back at what I used to get…just saw a Holiday Inn Express in NY priced at 95,000 points!). Q: Are they now sometimes pricing different nights of the week at different points levels? (dynamic pricing). If so, any downside for a multi-night stay of booking each night individually, so that one can cancel a particular night and re-book it at lower points if their pricing improves? More hassle of course, and unsure if the hotel could technically ask me to check out/vacate my room and check back in later if the nights are all individual bookings.
- Guernsey Globetrotter says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 09:58
  
  Yes – consensus is that you should book IHG stays as individual days so you have the flexibility to change if dynamic pricing moves in your favour. It is more hassle, as you say, so you will have to decide if it’s worth it for you.
  While a hotel could move you from one room to another etc that is a lot more work for them too, particularly with COVID cleaning protocols. Call in advance and have them link the bookings and it is very unlikely they’ll have you moving.
Zoe says:

29 Sep29 September 07:18

How quickly can you get your 2nd jab (phizer) is it possible in 2-3 weeks?
- Phil W says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:28
  
  It’s 8 weeks.
- PMG says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:36
  
  There used to be some places that offer the vaccine at less than 8 weeks. Most of them I believe would do it at 6 weeks or so.
  
  Have a look at Reddit r/GetJabbed.
  
  Think that 2-3 weeks is pretty optimistic though…
- Tracey says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:37
  
  Theoretically possible after 21 days, it’s not licensed for earlier than that. That said we know that it is far better to wait longer, greater immunity lasting for longer with an 8 week gap. If you are determined Reddit r/getjabbed is the place to look for centres that will vaccine you (too) early.
  - Zoe says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 08:25
    
    If for example you get your 2nd before 8 weeks, will it be an issue on the nhs app certificiate?
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 08:36
      
      Yes it will
      - Crafty says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 10:28
        
        TGLoyalty, what’s the reason behind you asserting something so clearly untrue without explanation? Not helpful when somebody is making a health decision.
      - Zoe says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 18:39
        
        Why is this?
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 20:30
        
        Sorry I misread. I meant yes it’ll generate the NHS cert just fine.
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        29 Sep29 September 20:31
        
        @crafty it’s obviously not a health issue but if it was they’d be waiting 8 weeks as the evidence says you get a better immune response.
    - Stephan says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 09:15
      
      No issue. Got mine after 4 weeks and App works fine when travelling
    - Sarah says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 09:54
      
      No it won’t, I got mine after 5 weeks and all was fine with the NHS app and covid certificate
    - Tracey says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 14:31
      
      I work in a vaccine centre. It won’t be an issue at all. All vaccines are recorded and that is reflected on your NHS app. If you are in a rush for travel purposes, then go somewhere where they load the data onto the systems while you are at the vaccination centre, rather than do paperwork and then load it – some pharmacies only load their data once a week.
  - Zoe says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 15:19
    
    Thanks would like to get out in 3 weeks time
- Paul says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 08:30
  
  I got mine done last week 26 days apart. I got told 8 wks from first place but 2nd place I tried were more than happy. Pfizer. If I didn’t need it for travelling wouldn’t have bothered. But travelling mid October to a place where double vax +14 needed.
- CB says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 09:51
  
  the reason it is 8w is to maximise your antibodies against the virus
  - Zoe says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 10:24
    
    Looking to maximise the chances of travelling to be honest. Funnily enough coming back to UK isnt a problem if your unvaccinated
- Andrew H says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 10:11
  
  It works a lot better further apart – Israel at 3 weeks has had a big problem with waning immunity.
  
  The UK made the right decision to space the doses.
ayearinmx says:

29 Sep29 September 07:30

has anyone had their tier point expiry updated (the last recent extension), when the expiry date is 8th March?
i still haven’t and i just phoned and they are apparently waiting for further clarification (?!)
- Andrew says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:34
  
  I’m 8 Feb tier point collection end, and my card was extended last week to 31 March 23. I thought the latest round of extensions was for Jan, Feb and March tier point collection ends. But maybe they meant card expiry for Jan, Feb, March, in which case you’d fall outside that with a 31 April card expiry.
Dave says:

29 Sep29 September 07:44

Got the BA Business card, hit the spend on the 8th September, Bill went through today with the annual fee. Still no sign of the 60000 bonus points though. Previous Amex cards I’ve had the bonus seems to post a day or three after hitting the spend but this has been a few weeks. Anyone had experience of the BA business card? Amex chat said it could take “90 days” which seems very long
- CB says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 09:52
  
  did you have a chat with them online? I’d try
- Memesweeper says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 10:44
  
  I’ve not had the usual fanfare after clearing the target. I’m going to call up I think, it might have been missed …
- CarpalTravel says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 10:58
  
  It took three chat chasers for my Plat Bus one to show. They do seem to be a bit slack with crediting the bonus points.
Tom H says:

29 Sep29 September 07:44

Quick check, to
Enter the Eurostar lounge at KXSP, the Amex plat card is just inspected not swiped?
- Nick says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:49
  
  Correct
- Andrew says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 07:50
  
  Correct. Just needs to be in date.
- Save East Coast Rewards says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 09:01
  
  There’s a Eurostar lounge in the tube station?
  - Mouse says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 09:22
    
    Yes, just off the Northern Line northbound platform, I’m surprised you’ve never noticed it
- Rob says:
  
  29 Sep29 September 09:05
  
  Yes. They have no swipe machine because they don’t sell anything.
  - BuildBackBetter says:
    
    29 Sep29 September 09:10
    
    So how do they know which country the plat is issued in?
    - Nick Burch says:
      
      29 Sep29 September 09:31
      
      They turn the card over and look at the country code on the phone number for customer services that’s printed on the back!