The HfP chat thread – Monday 4th October

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Steve says:

4 Oct4 October 12:32

Just Passing through T5 galleries and spoke to lounge attendant who gave the impression that from next week drinks would be back to normal help yourself service and maybe a week later the food . They are doing a self service on pastries and coffee today . Let’s hope this comes about !
- Andrew says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 13:01
  
  Let’s hope that T5 arrivals also reopens!
  - Neil says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 13:59
    
    I think it already has ?
    - Andrew says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:31
      
      Apparently not – just that silly bag drop thing according to others on here (despite the One World website saying it’s open – which is where BA direct you to for information regarding lounge openings).
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 18:11
        
        Flyertalk suggests it’s open properly.
- Jord says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 18:20
  
  I used the arrivals ba t5 lounge about a week ago and they asked me if I had come off an inbound flight or was dropping bags. I dropped bags off, but plenty of people were in there who had just come off flights.
  - Andrew says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 18:39
    
    Interesting – Rob said last week it wasn’t open yet, so maybe he has slightly older information.
HAK says:

4 Oct4 October 12:49

Quick question, when cancelling an Amex does one need to ring Amex or can it be done online? Cheers.
- Sam G says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 12:55
  
  you can do it on chat. if you want a potential retention offer (e.g. for a Plat) then seem to need to do it during UK working hours – ask for transfer to cancellations/retentions upfront
  - HAK says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 14:17
    
    cheers.
  - Anna says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 17:49
    
    I got 50k retention via chat on Friday! It was a funny old day all round …
Dave says:

4 Oct4 October 12:56

Hi

Fly to Male on 2nd Nov with Club World, just checked from manage your seat, seems there are 76 J class seat, and it should be a Boeing 777.
Is that means the plane won’t have the new Club world seat? If this is the case, any particular seat try to avoi
Also, I know there is the where are the best seat on each aircraft series, but I can’t find one for the 777

Thanks
- Sam G says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 13:01
  
  76J is Club Suites – https://www.aerolopa.com/ba-type-77h
John says:

4 Oct4 October 13:15

Day 3, no closure letter from Creation for my IHG Card….
- Rachel Robinson says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 13:31
  
  Had you used it with Curve?
  - John says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 13:34
    
    Yes, fairly frequently over the last few years. No MS but a few cash withdrawals using IHG card through Curve. I mostly used it for Apple Pay transactions.
    - John says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 13:36
      
      Also today is 60 days until Dec 3rd, after today they are outside the notice period to notify me!
      - Youllnever says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 13:43
        
        Could be that your letter got lost in transit.
      - JDB says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 14:12
        
        They have sent the letters by snail mail as, even if it doesn’t reach you, it constitutes service under s7 of the Interpretation Act 1978.
      - Aston100 says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 17:20
        
        Just go all Prince Andrew and avoid the letter.
- Craig says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 13:38
  
  Nothing for myself or player 2 either. Both cards linked to Curve, spend generally just over £10k per year on each card and paid in full each month. No MS.
  - meta says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 13:42
    
    When are your card anniversary dates?
    - Craig says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 13:46
      
      July and December iirc.
- Paul says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 13:45
  
  Same for me. No letter. I have aggressively MS for 2 years. Also use it for thousands of other transactions too. Maybe they like it if used for normal stuff too.
  - Anna says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 14:04
    
    Are you Paul the Destroyer? This would be the ultimate irony!
    - Paul says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 19:39
      
      Ha yeah
- Oli says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 14:00
  
  Same here, no letter. I probably use my IHG card more for normal transaction than with Curve. I do Curve only for genuine payments abroad.
  - Sina says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 14:47
    
    No letter or SMS (the one for blocking curve!) to me either!?
    - Pete M says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:55
      
      My letter only arrived today…
      - andy says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 16:01
        
        I had letters turn up today for our four cards so it’s quite possible that a letter will be incoming! Only one of the cards has been used for MS but all four cancelled
      - Youllnever says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 16:20
        
        @andy were all four cards linked to Curve?
BH says:

4 Oct4 October 13:22

I was looking at the BA Exec Club Store yesterday as I’m looking to buy a couple of sofas from John Lewis. Rate was then 4/£, but needed to ask a couple of questions before proceeding. Logged in today to make the purchase and it’s dropped to 2/£.

Does anyone know if there’s a pattern to these ups and downs and if it’s possible to monitor a la seatspy?
- Paul Pogba says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 13:39
  
  It won’t change for at least a week, I’m not sure what the monthly cycle is. It might increase again when we get further from pay day.
  - Andrew H says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 13:56
    
    Che (I’m getting the hang of this) has 5% c@$hb@ck for JL (was 6%)
    
    Still says 6% in the blurb…
    - BH says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:22
      
      Useful to know. Thank you.
    - Dave says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:31
      
      What is Che?
      - Harrier25 says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 14:50
        
        Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution…..It pays to know your history here! 😃
      - Anuj says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 16:08
        
        Revolut
  - BH says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 14:23
    
    Thanks. I’ll keep checking and go down the Che route if it doesn’t change. The sofas are going to take 22 weeks to deliver, so waiting another month won’t hurt.
    - Toby says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 16:36
      
      It varies a lot! I’d also consider you’re coming up to black friday season, so you might see good deals, or added incentives around that.
Ant says:

4 Oct4 October 13:55

Apologies i know this question has been answered many times but I cannot find it. Maybe Meta or one of the other kind contributors can report.
Nov flights cancelled by BA, I want to move them to April but I am getting the “more than a year from ticketed date”. What are my rights?
Also we are a group of 5 but one is using a Lloyds voucher. Does it make any difference?
- Anna says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 14:08
  
  No difference how you paid for seats. You sometimes need to call to make changes (especially if you have a connecting leg on your booking). Some people have got amenable CSAs who agree to re-book beyond 12 months, as is your right under EU261, but others have found this not to be the case. If BA play hardball you can either try again and see if you get a better CSA, or take one of the options such as booking alternative flights and claiming back via MCOL/CEDR. You would need to show you have given BA every opportunity to comply and also possibly why you need to travel in April rather than November (e.g. this was the next time you could get time off work). You are entitled to re-booking, though, at no extra charge and regardless of avios availability, so don’t let BA tell you otherwise.
  - Ant says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 14:31
    
    Thanks Anna.
    And is it the same with a Lloyds voucher booking? my concern is that BA might say that i did not book directly with them
    - Sam G says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:50
      
      you could try via Twitter – a couple of people have reported success there (although takes a few days)
    - Memesweeper says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:55
      
      We’ve had pushback several times, not least in the case of a booking with an Avios voucher. It can be done, be firm, and escalate if required.
    - meta says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 14:56
      
      If you’re having a hard time to reach BA by phone then send them a letter giving them 21 days to comply. Then if still no answer, issue a letter before action giving them perhaps a week.
      
      Regarding Lloyds voucher, you can name both BA and Avios.com on the claim and they can sort it out amongst themselves or the court will decide for them!
    - Jonathan says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 15:02
      
      Yes, obligation for fulfilling 261 rights falls on the operating carrier. If your agent cannot rebook for the dates you want (they will stick to BA’s current policy visible by Googling BA Standard Customer Guidelines) then you pursue BA via CEDR/MCOL after an appropriate warning (letter before action).
      
      Whatever BA publish in their SCG cannot trump 261 provisions.
      - Jonathan says:
        
        4 Oct4 October 15:05
        
        Agent refers to the booking agent ie. Avios.com not CS phone agent.
        
        It is BA who are liable & should be respondent in your MCOL/CEDR.
- FatherOfFour says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 18:32
  
  Is the “more than a year from ticketed date” error happening online/in-app? Or is this the position of the agent on the phone? I was rather hoping to be able to do mine online, once tickets released. Frankly, getting an FTV and doing that by phone might work for me, but admittedly no good for you if all reward seats have gone. (Guessing that’s required for at least your Lloyds voucher passenger)
Rosie says:

4 Oct4 October 14:02

Any recommendations for cheap 2 day pcr tests for when back in the U.K.
- MiddleEngland says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 14:13
  
  Just had my Expert Medicals tests delivered by DPD two days after oerdering them. £28 each. worked for me before but some people didn’t get the results. Still, perfectly good for the PLF and you can test in good conscience even if you don’t get results!
  - Rosie says:
    
    4 Oct4 October 14:34
    
    Great do they take amex
    - Mikeact says:
      
      4 Oct4 October 15:57
      
      No, but Diners Club !
- Craig says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 14:25
  
  Same for me, two days for EM. Just do a backup NHS LFT in case the results are slow.
- Andrew says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 14:32
  
  Collinson
aDifferentSimon says:

4 Oct4 October 14:07

If Marriott take a EURO deposit from a virgin credit card in advance of my stay is there a currency fee charged? (I understand that for in person transactions there is definitely no fx fee)
Thanks
- Rob says:
  
  4 Oct4 October 15:00
  
  Seems not. In my head I thought (based on when this was launched) that it was person-to-person only. I went back to the credit agreement recently and there is no mention of this, so you should in theory be OK. If not, let me know.