The HfP chat thread – Friday 1st October

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

• Super Secret Stuff says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:19

  Not sure if it’s the creation news which means the black card is never coming back or my PT session thats making me feel dead inside. At least my sainsbury offers are good again!

  • Anna says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:58

    Get on Amex chat and see if you can get a retention bonus. I was genuinely cancelling Plat and got 50k. It made me feel a lot better!

    • YC says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:16

      Useful to know – how long have u held the plat for? And any other retention offers previously for this card?

      • Anna says:

        1 Oct1 October 13:39

        Had it 6 months now, not had a previous retention offer.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:

      1 Oct1 October 14:29

      Only problem is I have had 4 since the start of Covid hehe

      • Super Secret Stuff says:

        1 Oct1 October 14:30

        Might finally pull the trigger on BAPP though and then ring to cancel Gold CC

        • Super Secret Stuff says:

          1 Oct1 October 15:50

          Update: gone and applied for BAPP. Will put all my Christmas spend on it. Got my gold cards credit limit added to the BAPPs. No offer of retention offers, unsurprising really but 42k avuos here I come!

• Char Char says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:20

  Who knew that having a credit card you lose money with customers spending and then allowing them to use another credit to pay it off without Curve being involved would end up being closed!

  Good while it lasted but literally a flawed business model for them from the start.

• FFoxSake says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:28

  Sad day… finally losing the old Marriott mastercard.
  If I get a similar letter about the old HHonors barclaycard that will really ruin Xmas…

  It seems like any Curve usage should now be considered dangerous if you want to keep the underlying credit card. Even if your spend is 100% non-MS.

• PM says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:31

  The significance of this mess is not to do with Creation but with Curve. I would suggest spending any curve rewards balance you might have sooner rather than later.

• Rob says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:32

  It seems that 1,800 cards have been closed, consisting of anyone who ever made a transaction with Curve. No-one else is impacted.

  • Voltron says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:34

    Were you affected Rob?

    • Rob says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:12

      Closed mine a few years ago.

      • Jonathan says:

        1 Oct1 October 13:24

        Interesting. I thought you were a big fan? Didn’t IHG Black win editors choice award? Was it the card or the bland nature of IHG hotels/redemptions that pushed you to cancel?

        • Rob says:

          1 Oct1 October 13:49

          Purely tidying up. Regretted it later as other cards got closed.

  • Maciek says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:35

    What a bunch of clowns. I expect the annual fee to be refunded.

  • IanM says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:35

    Really? Surely the Financial Ombudsman would take a dim view of that clear discrimination?

  • Voltron says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:36

    1800 also seems like a small number no? I would have thought the HFP crowd would be alot bigger numbers

    • TGLoyalty says:

      1 Oct1 October 12:38

      Or had multiple cards. Just closed my White anyway free up £10k limit for something else

      Nonsense to close just because you used curve for any reason.

  • stevenhp1987 says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:36

    Would other providers do this?

    Many were using Curve for Google/Apply Pay support?

    This sets a dangerous president that using Curve with any provider could lead to a ban, even if it is legitimate use.

    • Char Char says:

      1 Oct1 October 12:38

      Yes exactly their own fault for not providing Apple Pay

  • Char Char says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:38

    So they block all curve cards and then cancel them, rather than let people continue to use them without Curve.

  • Harrier25 says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:38

    How can they justify closing 1,800 accounts just for using them with Curve? Surely that can’t be right or fair? I’m sure other card providers are watching with interest on how this controversial decision plays out.

    • Rob says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:12

      They can do business with who they want.

  • Mattb says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:38

    Quite a few comments here from non curve users that were closed

  • Craig says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:41

    So they’ve gone for the nuclear option then? I’ve never done any MS but am now expecting a closure letter. I’m a couple of months in so am expecting a refund of the fee in this case.

  • Sididdly says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:44

    I am one of the 1800 and don’t even have a Curve. Customer advisor just stood behind Section 14 which states that they can close an account with 60 days notice.

    • John says:

      1 Oct1 October 12:48

      They must be making that up then. 1800 seems a rather small number

      I have the free card which I’ve only used at IHG hotels and the odd ebay purchase (via curve though), spent less than £1000 total since getting the card 3 years ago. Guess I will get shut down too anyway

    • FFoxSake says:

      1 Oct1 October 12:59

      Sounds like Creation haven’t given the full message to their own Customer advisers yet then… and they haven’t joined the dots for themselves that it’s the end of all Creation credit cards (and sadly their own jobs too).

  • jack charlton says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:46

    Rob, it appears you are saying that using curve with creation is the reason for the closure. If that is what you are saying, isn’t there some liability for curve here, Their (in many cases paid-for) service has result in some people losing a line of credit ? and hence being materially worse off.

    • ankomonkey says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:08

      I would agree!

      I have had the Creation Marriott card for longer than I can remember. I also have an IHG card. Both used with Curve, both accounts to be closed in Dec. So I’m 2 of the 1800! I’d like to keep at least one of them open, even if it means I have to avoid anything remotely MS on it.

  • Anna says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:59

    But there are people here saying they never used Curve.

    • Rob says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:10

      Potentially once many years ago?

    • ChrisC says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:44

      I’ve never used curve or revolute or anything else like that.

      I have an MBNA (ex virgin Amex) card and use it like normal people do. Been in credit a couple of times due to flight refunds last year but no problem. I also round up my monthly payment as well but only by a few quid and again never a problem.

  • David says:

    1 Oct1 October 13:01

    Interesting, Samsung Pay (not that I use it) has and pushes use of skinned Curve card as well as ability to add other card direct, like Google pay. Any use of curve could be felt widely

• Maciek says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:43

  Speaking to Creation now. Card closed under section 14, which is business decision they can take while giving 60 days notice. I’ve said the letter does not outline how I can make a complaint or contact a FOS and I was told I’d have to lodge a complaint first. So here we are, lodging a complaint as we speak.

  • Lady London says:

    1 Oct1 October 15:37

    Claim partial value of free night credit even if you’ve only spent part. So if your free night was going to be spent on a hotel worth cash £350-500 and you’ve only spent 10% of that then claim cash 10%. Even if they’ve got a clause saying they won’t do this it’s probably throw-outable as an unfair contract term.

    The admim to sort all the claims might annoy them though.

• BP says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:49

  Can a HFPer write us a standard complaint letter template? May be very useful!! I want my free night and pro-rata fee refund.

  • Paul says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:56

    Well volunteered BP!

    • KBuffett says:

      1 Oct1 October 12:59

      The Financial Ombudsman Service will charge curve around £600 per complaint…….probably worth NOT using a template and hit them hard.

      • KBuffett says:

        1 Oct1 October 13:00

        I meant to say Creation, not Curve.

      • Char Char says:

        1 Oct1 October 13:05

        Yes let’s do it, they have always been useless anyway and one part of the complaint can be not refunding the annual fee

  • Voltron says:

    1 Oct1 October 12:57

    Dear IHG,

    How dare you close my account, don’t you know I was using bendy to pay seagulls via beards so I could earn miles and points.

    Regards

    • John says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:02

      It’s not IHG that is closing your accounts. IHG is probably quite happy because they sold millions of points to Creation

  • Andrew says:

    1 Oct1 October 13:04

    Standard letter complaints are dealt with in bulk.

    I’m very much in favour of knocking on doors, why not pop round to Solihull and complain in person?

  • JDB says:

    1 Oct1 October 13:13

    First you need to identify the basis of your complaint. I haven’t seen any comments here yet that have any sound basis. You also wouldn’t expect a pro-rata refund if you cancelled the card. Any complaint to the FOS will result in your transaction history being exposed which may not suit everyone. If people get too clever with them they might just slash your credit limit which requires no notice. Unfortunately, I am sure that there are some totally innocent people caught up in this, and that is the gift from the MS players. Otherwise, people might be better to keep a low profile and move on.

    • KBuffett says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:25

      Why would one not expect a pro rate refund of an annual fee if you are not receiving a service for a year?

      In any case, one can raise a complaint about to Creation about anything. If they do not uphold the complaint, you can refer it to the FOS. Creation and FOS can both decide the complaint is baseless. Creation are still charged £750.

    • Char Char says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:39

      If you voluntarily cancelled the card that said no pro rata refunds based on being able to use the benefits, fair enough but clearly then cancelling on you is a different matter and you will not be able to use the benefits

    • TGLoyalty says:

      1 Oct1 October 13:51

      “You also wouldn’t expect a pro-rata refund if you cancelled the card.“

      No I wouldn’t but it’s them not the customer closing the card.

      I’ll wait for the dust to settle then expect confirmation of my free night and a pro rata refund in writing.

    • r* says:

      1 Oct1 October 14:55

      So youre saying they should be allowed to just pocket the annual fee without redunding it after they take the decision to close it? Thats absurd imo. If I cancel it, sure, no refund but if they cancel it then Id expect a refund.

      I think my year starts either oct or nov, so I’d be getting 1 month out of the £99?

• bill says:

  1 Oct1 October 12:49

  I have received a cancellation notification for an Avios redemption next May. It’s LGW-SVQ 17 May. I have been rebooked on LHR-SVQ 31 hours earlier. Can I get rebooked onto Easyjet LGW-SVQ 17 May ? Or can I get rebooked on to LHR-MAD-SVQ 17 May at no extra cost to me ? The latter has Avios availability however it ‘costs’ more Avios

  • Anna says:

    1 Oct1 October 13:03

    Don’t accept the cancellation. BA have to re-route you at YOUR convenience, and I imagine they would rather put you on Iberia if you want that (assume that’s what you mean, though it’s a lot of faffing about to get to Seville).
    If you want to go with Easyjet you will probably have to rebook yourself and claim it back via CEDR or MCOL but you should be on solid ground here as your flight has been moved by 31 hours.

  • ChrisC says:

    1 Oct1 October 13:13

    Please read through the thread as this had been asked and answered several times already today

    • bill says:

      1 Oct1 October 14:50

      BA chat rebooked me on my suggested reroute of LHR-MAD-SVQ with IBon the same date as the original travel

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