The HfP chat thread – Friday 1st October

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General

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James says:

1 Oct1 October 09:27

Anyone else had any issues with the passenger locator form,doesn’t recognise my QR code and has a weird shaped scanning area to start with. Then when trying to upload a file it says it’s too small?
- MR says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:52
  
  Had same issues this week. Stupid considering the PDF is definitely within the size they specified. Only solution I found was…
  
  – Open NHS App -> Get NHS COVID pass -> Travel -> Show details
  – Swipe right to the second QR code for the 2nd vaccine details
  – Take a well-focused photo of this QR code with a second lhone
  – Display this photo on the second phone and present it to the PLF
  
  Absolutely no idea why is wouldn’t accept the 2nd QR code directly for me. Makes zero sense that the same barcode information wouldn’t be accepted from the better quality original vs. a potentially degraded photo. But after 30 mins of aimlessly messing around this was the only reliable method I found…
  - Dan says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:28
    
    This. I needed to do the same.
  - allycat says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 12:59
    
    Same here, but I just screenshotted the NHS Covid pass 2nd vaccine page, and when the plf asked for it I selected the screenshot picture and it worked OK. Then tried exactly the same for my mate travelling with me and the plf would not accept it. In the end he had to say he could not upload the vaccine proof, with our presumption he would have to show it at Faro airport (which we both did have to do), and at UK Border. No requirement to show the plf at the UK Border at LBA though!
Paul says:

1 Oct1 October 09:33

Has anyone received their bonus Avios (or MR points) for spending £500+ on a new supplementary?
- Rja says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 10:28
  
  Not an any of mine
  - Paul says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:36
    
    Maybe they are waiting until the promotion end date (if there was one)?
tom H says:

1 Oct1 October 09:37

Just received a letter from Creation – they are closing my Marriott Rewards Credit Card Account ☹
Anyone else had this?
- Paul says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:37
  
  Did they give a reason, or is the card itself coming to an end as a whole?
  - tom H says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:50
    
    No reason stated. Letter dated 30th September, closing date 3rd December. I use the card a lot, but all legit spending.
- Anna says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:44
  
  See @Bigmaggott’s comment on the previous page – is Creation leaving the UK credit card market?!
  - Doug M says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:48
    
    Isn’t it a when rather than an if. The website has nothing, loans for existing customers, one credit card, they’re looking very much on the way out.
- Bigmaggot says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:46
  
  My Solihull free card is closing too, see page 2. Did they give you a closing date and when was your letter dated?
  - Anuj says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:59
    
    Mine says 3rd December for the free IHG card
- LostAntipod says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 10:01
  
  Yes, I got a letter today from Creation about my IHG Premium MasterCard.
  “Thank you for your 15+ years of loyalty, but we are sorry to be closing your account on December 3rd”.
  Oh, I made up the bit about loyalty, and being sorry.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:19
    
    Do they mention a fee refund or your free night voucher if you’ve hit 10k spend?
    - stevenhp1987 says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:20
      
      Nope!
      
      Just a to the point letter written in a similar fashion to their “curve is blocked” text.
- Sc says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 12:17
  
  Just had one saying my IHG premium card is being closed from 3/12. I’ve only ever used it for purchases and not of the MS so I’m confused as to why.
- Ja says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 13:33
  
  I have just received letter closing mine in December. It comes 10 days after they increased my credit limit
asjglx says:

1 Oct1 October 09:43

Letter from Creation this morning. They are closing my IHG Rewards account from 3rd December. No reason given.
- Anna says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:46
  
  Black or white card – you’re the 3rd now?!
  But that doesn’t sound like a lot of notice.
  Better get spending 😬
  - asjglx says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:47
    
    White card
    - HughM says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 09:53
      
      I received a letter from Solihull giving 60 days’ notice of cancellation of the white ihg card (I only got it for the joining bonus). ‘Once your account has been closed, you will not be able to use your card or reactivate your account.’ I rang them and said I want to keep the card (following a disappointing free night redemption from the black card). They will send me a new PIN; on receipt, I am to ring them again. But this is only because I do not plan to renew the black after January. So the option to keep the white card is still open, in my case.
      - Dave says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 15:14
        
        Yes I got the same on my white card, I phoned them and was told the same as you
  - Bigmaggot says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:48
    
    Letter was dated yesterday
  - Tim W. says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:48
    
    I have the black card, and had the same letter.
    - Bigmaggot says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 09:50
      
      Solihull RIP
- Bigmaggot says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:48
  
  Me too, see page 2. I’m the same closing date, 3 December.
  - Harrier25 says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 09:51
    
    They are closing both my black & white cards on the 3rd December! IHG hotels will be empty when all our points run out!
- stevenhp1987 says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 10:05
  
  +1 same here.
  
  Creation either closing down or they’re cutting those who have cost them £££…
  
  If we’ve spent over £10k this year will we receive the free night voucher with this account closure? A pro-rata refund of the annual fee?
  - Guernsey Globetrotter says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:10
    
    Solihull exiting?! I foresee another 1,000+ post day !!
    - stevenhp1987 says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:24
      
      Solihull exiting is big news. Even without Bendy support you could double dip…
  - CH says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:17
    
    Nothing yet for me, but they have failed (after 2 requests) to send me a replacement PIN for the IHG Black card I lost on holiday in August. I have the replacement card, and have used it online, but have been unable to do any instore spending without a PIN.
  - Lady London says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 14:52
    
    You should be able to get both those if they’re not in a position tp bring up that you’ve breached any ts and cs.
    - Lady London says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 15:00
      
      In fact if you’ve spent pro rata according to number of monthsvin the year you’ve had the card and they cancelled you, you should be able to make a case to receive the free night anyway. Or at least a pro rata amount towards the cash value of the hotel night that you would have used it for.
      
      Before opening up that request I’d ask them to confirm do they have any particular reason to close your card and are they happy with me as a customer. In other words try to get them to say all OK as it is then much harder for them to accuse you of anything once you’ve asked them for the pro rata value of the hotel night you’d pro rata earned.
Duncan says:

1 Oct1 October 09:48

Frustrating BA experience… lots of changes to our flights to/from Vienna next month. Signed in today and the return flight has completely disappeared from the booking. In the app, many of the original (now cancelled) flights are shown. Can’t get through to BA, who won’t even let me wait in a queue!

Anyone experienced this? I’m not really sure what to do at this point. 😕
- Kwisstan says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 16:22
  
  Have you tried on the website rather than the app? Sometimes the app goes funny I find
Anna says:

1 Oct1 October 09:49

I was dithering over applying for the Virgin card, but it sounds like I may need a replacement for my IHG MC soon!
- Rui N. says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:52
  
  If they are closing all cards, they could at least us keep MS’ing on Curve until the stroke on midnight! Very inconsiderate of them, all of this circus caused by them and now they leave!
- Harrier25 says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 09:54
  
  I’ve just applied for the £160 Virgin Atlantic card, Anna. If nothing else it will certainly boost my Hilton Honors points balance.
  - Anna says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:04
    
    I’ve just applied and been accepted with a credit limit of £11,600 so maybe we were just destined to fly VS after our avios are used up!
    - Anna says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:05
      
      The £12k final payment on our car will be going on this!
      - Anna says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:06
        
        Hmm, suppose I’d better open a Virgin flying account as well!
      - Rui N. says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:08
        
        You can also pay Creation with it for a final bang out of the door. 🙂 (just try £100 first to make sure you have no cash advance fees)
      - Harrier25 says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:23
        
        My God, I shall wear my two Creation cards out in the next few months. No time to waste, LETS GO!!
      - Anna says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:27
        
        Well, there is a reason I have 1 million HH points 🤣
- Lady London says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 15:17
  
  If they close your card unilaterally you should defo get pro rata fee refund. Also pro rata cash value of the free night you’d pro rsya earned (see my post above).
  
  Where does this leave people were sippoosed to have been credited their IHG free nights earned and have been trying to get these credited? Some still outstanding free night credits overdue even 2 years now have bern reported.
  
  I’d suggest anyone that wasn’t credited a free night earned pursue this formally with Creation and IHG jointly now by sending a Letter Before Action addressed to both and giving 21 days to credit the night(s) earned failing which an equivalent cash amount of no less thsn the cash value of the night earned will be pursued.
  
  MCOL naming both as defendants might be more use than a FOS complaint against Crestion? Although each FOS complaint costs them about £700 I think.
Rui N. says:

1 Oct1 October 09:57

Well, if Creation is closing, VA card will become my main non-Amex card. Given that, I need a supp card for the Mrs. HOW ON EARTH CAN I DO THAT? LOL What useless company, they have a webapp saying how good a supp card is, and don’t say how to get one. Nothing I can see on the app. Can anyone help?
- Harrier25 says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 10:09
  
  If you’re talking about adding a supp card to your Virgin account, you can add the supp during the application process.
  - Rui N. says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:17
    
    Yes, that was it. Too late for that now. How about after I have the card? 🙂
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:19
      
      Phone them?
      - Rui N. says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:31
        
        I certainly won’t pick up the phone for such a menial task. I won’t reward their incompetence by spend 30 min on the phone spelling last names. I’ll just give my card to her and use mine via Curve.
    - Harrier25 says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:20
      
      Should be just a phone call or apply through app once your card has arrived and been activated, I suppose.
    - Mark says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:20
      
      I can’t see a way to do it in the iPhone app. Just try calling them.
- Wollhouse says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 15:11
  
  I have yet to speak to virgin customer service without holding for over an hour…. I had a quick look in my app and don’t see an obvious way but hopefully someone else will advise a way that DOESN’T involve 80 minutes of hellish hold music.
Mark says:

1 Oct1 October 10:08

I just got the same letter from Creation for my IHG Black card. Gonna miss it.

I hope IHG replace these cards as it sounds like the white card may be disappearing too. Then again, we’ve been hoping for a new UK Hilton card for years now…
- Mick S says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 10:24
  
  my IHG Black card is going also. Shame, that’s Spire Elite pumped now 🙁
  - Mick S says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 10:28
    
    only paid the annual fee of £99 in June. Pro-rata refund, nothing mentioned in the letter.
    - Mark says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 10:30
      
      Same here, no mention of a pro-rata refund, or wether I will be credited with the free night voucher for which I have spent £10k to hit already, but isn’t credited to your IHG account until the card anniversary, which for me is April.
      
      Gonna have to call them but I may wait until Monday. Their phones are probably ringing non-stop today.
      - Anna says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:35
        
        We’re in the same position, let us know what they say. I’ll be going to the FO if they don’t credit the free nights after £10k spend up to December.
      - EwanG says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 10:52
        
        I doubt waiting until Monday is going to make it quicker to get to speak to them, if anything it will be worse.
        
        FWIW these are my expectations of what Creation should be doing:
        Pro rata refund of the £99 card fee on the black card
        Free night voucher for anyone who has spent £10k on black card by the point of closure since their card year reset.
        
        I expect it was such a brief letter to give their required 2 months notice and I suggest we’ll have further correspondence to clarify / answer faqs. If they don’t do the above 2 items it’s grounds for a FOS complaint!