The HfP chat thread – Friday 1st October

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General

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Ross Parker says:

1 Oct1 October 11:20

If you have an Amex “Spend £5,000 by 30 November and get 10,000 Avios” offer saved to your BAPP, does anyone know:

1. Does the bonus trigger immediately if you hit £5k spend
2. Does spending on a supplementary card count?
3. Does the offer disappear into “used offers” when you’re good?

Short of manually totalling transactions, it’s hard to isolate spend on the main (rather than supplementary card) over the exact period in question. I think I’ve hit the target, but still no movement on the offer.
- meta says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:25
  
  Supps don’t count. It’s easy to separate as it shows under the transaction which card spent what. It also separates on statements. Foreign transaction fees (if you have any) also don’t count apparently.
- Froggee says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:28
  
  The bonus does trigger immediately and I got an email. I cannot see it in my saved offers or savings tab now.
- Rob says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:37
  
  1-yes
  2-no idea, best to assume not
  3-on my card it disappeared entirely once hit
  
  Note that it doesn’t seem to have counted Amex’s 3% FX fee in the £5k spend.
  - rmjs says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 18:37
    
    When is the start date for calculating spend?
    - Rob says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 21:36
      
      Day you registered
- CD says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:39
  
  As soon as I hit the £5,000 the other day, I received an immediate notification from AmEx on my iPhone.
- Mattb says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:41
  
  Just login via browser, export transactions to excel filter out the supp spend. Should only take a few mins.
  - Ross Parker says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:41
    
    Forgot that was possible – good idea.
  - CarpalTravel says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 13:25
    
    +1
    
    Do this regularly, so easy.
- Ross Parker says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:41
  
  Thanks all
- EVE says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:52
  
  Has anyone had their IHG card cancelled for no reason by Creation?
  Out of the blue this morning I received a letter from Creation giving me 2 months notice of cancelling my card!!! No explanation, no nothing!!!…..I pay my card in full each month….I am a high spender so not profitable to them….but can they do that?
  Any suggestions?
  - PM says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:58
    
    Same here – no explanation, no phone number to call, very harshly worded letter and without and IHG branding.
JSemity says:

1 Oct1 October 11:23

Virgin Atlantic last night cancelled my inbound MIA-LHR flight at peak time (early January). It was a rescheduled cancelled milage flight from earlier in the year (only rescheduled last week).

This is quite strange as demand should be high for these flights. They’re also still selling these tickets on their site.

The cynic in me wonders if this is a ploy to boot milage customers off these flights so they can sell the upper class tickets at $$$$ (which they are).

Also, at the time of rescheduling these flights last week, I was told the in-demand, Saturday night flights were ‘fully booked’ which turned out to be totally false as to this date you can still book UC cash tickets.

What is going on in Crawley!
- Anna says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:28
  
  You have re-routing rights so they would have to put you on another carrier if they can’t find you a satisfactory Virgin flight. I would take screen shots showing they are still selling theses seats in case you need to put up a fight.
  - JSemity says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:37
    
    thanks, I’ll do that
    - AndyGWP says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 14:32
      
      The email mentioned that the flights will only be formally cancelled this weekend (that’s when it will show in manage your booking). The $14k tickets for upper are trying to dissuade anyone else from booking them over the next few days.
      
      They’ve also cancelled services from JFK
      
      Agree, all seems odd but load factors mustn’t make it worthwhile… I can’t think of any other reason
Javier says:

1 Oct1 October 11:23

Is there a way to know the expiration date of the free IHG night if I cancel a redemption?
Thanks!
ledcran02 says:

1 Oct1 October 11:28

If I fly the outbound 2 parts of a 4-leg BA trip and the first part of the inbound, can I cancel the 4th and final leg for a voucher? If so, how do they determine the value of the voucher? Looking at good CE/CW prices for BA flight CDG to NYC in December via LHR both ways, but as based in London want to end the trip at LHR on the way back without no-showing on the final leg.
- JDB says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:36
  
  BA will reprice the trip which may result in you owing them money.
- Anna says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:37
  
  Well, every cloud. Anticipating the letter re the IHG cards I applied and have been accepted for the Virgin card and also just managed to get a 50k MR platinum Amex retention offer via chat. I was genuinely going to cancel and wasn’t expecting this at all!
  - Anna says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:37
    
    Wrong thread!
- ChrisC says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:43
  
  If you’re going to drop the last leg just drop it and forget about getting a minimal value voucher for it.
  
  Of the last leg the same day as you arrive from NYC into LHR? Because if so they won’t short check it to LHR and it can take some time for them to extract it for you from the system.
  - ledcran02 says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:47
    
    Thanks, so no problems no-showing? Have never done before. I’d book the itinerary so the LHR-CDG leg was a day or two after NYC-LHR.
    - Sam G says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 12:01
      
      usually better to book something like NYC-LHR / LCY-AMS if you do more than a 24hr stopover this will cost more in taxes & maybe fare. Your bags will get returned to
      Heathrow belt and you’ll be free to get lost finding your way to LCY
      
      At the moment you could in theory FTV the last leg but I’m not entirely sure what voucher if any that would produce & since you’d have to call in to use it I wouldn’t recommend it!
    - ChrisC says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 12:34
      
      Just don’t make a habit of it.
      
      Have you priced up ending the trip at LHR rather than CDG? Might not me but much more expensive than ending on CDG
      - ledcran02 says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 14:13
        
        The itinerary is about £1070 ending at CDG; but about £8500 ending at LHR! Go figure. The onward leg to CDG is just under 24 hours after arrival – though interestingly playing with it can do LCY – Milan for that last leg and it’s even a few quid cheaper than straight back to Paris! Thanks for the advice. Ultimately looking for a cheap fare, just wanted to make sure they weren’t going to fine me / take away Avios/TP for skipping out the last leg.
- Colin MacKinnon says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 12:19
  
  Coming back from Denver at the start of the Covid pandemic – had return booked DEN-LHR-CDG, with 23 hours between the London arrival and departure to Paris.
  
  As it turned out, it was the last BA flight out of Denver and BA then cancelled the CDG flight, so instead of me skipping it, they did.
  
  My Club Europe refund was £29 and a few pence!
Lula says:

1 Oct1 October 11:31

Has anyone who has received a closure letter from Creation called them?
- Daniel says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:32
  
  Trying. Been in a queue for 1 hour and 5 minutes so far.
  - Daniel says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:48
    
    After 1 hour and 20 minutes in a queue should I cut my losses and give up, or hold out after all this time……
- Reney says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:32
  
  See page 4, Rachael’s comment around 10.47.
  - Reney says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:34
    
    i meant page 5
    - Rachel Robinson says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 11:40
      
      I haven’t received a letter (yet) though.
- IanM says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:34
  
  Is there a thread on this subject? I just got a letter through the door and a bit of a shock, only spend about 800 a month on average.
  
  Intend to call them today but the letter doesn’t even have a customer services number on it – pathetic.
  
  That’s gonna kill my IHG membership as well, only thing that kept me using IHG was the free credit card night bonus.
  - Harrier25 says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 11:46
    
    The phone number is on the back of the credit card, but it may take you a while to get through over the next few days. I’ll call them later next week when the excitement ‘s calmed down a bit and everyone is back queuing outside petrol stations 😂
    - Paul Pogba says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 12:02
      
      You could get in the call centre queue while queuing for petrol. Multitask 🙂
- David says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:34
  
  Read the previous page.
Peter Taysum says:

1 Oct1 October 11:34

Hi all,

A(nother) 2-4-1 question.

I have two “old” vouchers, and planning on getting my “new one” to get the extra six months.

I want to use the two old ones together to fly me and three friends to Boston CW but my voucher runs out Aug 2022. I think I can “book” with ANY of the friends going; then cancel get voucher and then can book (via call centre) when dates come up (just outside the cut off).

Use the “new one” probably BEFORE the two old ones as I can’t combine nee and old.

Sorry if this is glaringly obvious but head hurty!

Thanks for any guidance!
Jody says:

1 Oct1 October 11:34

Expert Medicals – husband and I did our day 2 test on Monday, and posted it in the local priority postbox. Must have got there Tuesday, as husband got an email late Tuesday night with his negative result. I’ve heard nothing.

I’ve sent them an email just now, no idea if I’ll get a reply or not. Is that enough to do a chargeback? They can obviously claim it didn’t arrive, but it would seem pretty unlikely given that my husband’s test did.

I’m not bothered about the actual result (have done lft tests at home), but seems wrong to have paid for a service that they’ve not delivered. I know other people on here have done chargebacks, hence the question.
- Reney says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:37
  
  I think it look 6 days for my results to arrive after posting, keep waiting and check your junk box mine landed there.
  - Jody says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 12:00
    
    I’ll wait a bit longer then. Junk box isn’t turned on, so everything comes into my inbox. I definitely haven’t missed it, even went back and checked my deleted items just in case!
Anna says:

1 Oct1 October 11:38

Well, every cloud. Anticipating the letter re the IHG cards I applied and have been accepted for the Virgin card and also just managed to get a 50k MR platinum Amex retention offer via chat. I was genuinely going to cancel and wasn’t expecting this at all!
- Ste C says:
  
  1 Oct1 October 11:47
  
  For the AMEX, did you ask to speak to someone about cancelling? last time i tried that they said i had to phone.
  - Sam G says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 12:04
    
    do it during UK working hours & start by asking to be transferred to retentions / cancellations
    - Ste C says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 12:05
      
      thanks, with no travel planned for a while i am thinking of cancelling my plat and just holding my MR on a free card
  - Anna says:
    
    1 Oct1 October 12:04
    
    That’s been my experience previously and I just couldn’t be bothered calling so requested cancellation via chat. They asked what I liked about the card and I said collecting points but that being refused entry to airport lounges with PP was putting me off. They then came back with the 50k offer, total surprise. They will be going to Bonvoy as I’m a bit dubious about what’s going to happen with avios in the long term.
    - mike says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 12:11
      
      Anna – what makes you “dubious” (about AVIOS not everything that makes you dubious as that might be a long list) !
      - Anna says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 12:45
        
        I just think BA will be looking to cut costs (understandably) and avios are an easy target as BA pretty much has total control over what it does with them. As soon as availability starts coming up for winter 22/summer 23 I’ll be calling to use my FTVs and burning through most of my stash.
    - Sam G says:
      
      1 Oct1 October 12:37
      
      out of interest do you have any uses in mind? I’ve looked into using my bonvoy points a few times recently and I just can’t make it make sense! Cash rates are usually too low vs points prices. You can get “value” out of them on vs Rob’s valuation say for London on NYE but then I likely wouldn’t be staying at those hotels at those prices anyway. At least Avios I know I get value on flights and can always cash out to Nectar
      - Anna says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 12:43
        
        Yes – the Westin GCM is a case in point and is somewhere we will definitely stay for 5 nights at some point (last 3 trips cancelled). Also 5 nights at the Trump Turnberry looks like a great redemption. We’d go back to the Langley for a couple of nights as my OH was extremely taken with it for personal reasons!
        Also RC Abama is tempting.
      - Sam G says:
        
        1 Oct1 October 13:23
        
        Trump Turnberry does look good! Thanks for the ideas!