The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 6th October

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

We are running this daily chat thread on Head for Points during the coronavirus outbreak.

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the de facto repository for random comments and questions. With the news flow being lighter, we are running fewer ‘Bits’ articles.

The comments under this article are where you should post questions about travel and, indeed, anything else on your mind. At this tricky time, and given that many of you are at home, we want the HfP community to have a place to chat.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article. This has long-term benefits as it keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

Old chat threads are hidden from the HfP home page. If you want to look for something in an old thread, click here. This brings up all the articles in our ‘General’ category which includes the chat threads.

Category

General

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

Phat Finger says:

6 Oct6 October 11:35

Any idea how Amex and BA verify details for linking a BAPP ? If i fat fingered my first name on the BAPP application, will it still link to my BA account. Correct a/c number, but first name incorrect by one letter……
- Genghis says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:16
  
  Unlikely. Now, even middle names if present on one need to be present on the other.
  - Phat Finger says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 12:19
    
    thanks. will give them a call.
elguiri says:

6 Oct6 October 11:37

Paying car finance with IHG Prem card, whilst it’s still around.
If I do a test payment do I also need to pay off the card balance fully to prevent interest? And when would I see if any fee has been applied?
- Keely says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:03
  
  Check you can actually do this …can’t normally pay off a credit agreement with a credit card …as I found out to my cost!
  - elguiri says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 12:10
    
    There was a comment back in August around this, from @Anna, who it seemed to work for.
    When you say to your cost, do you refer to fees incurred?
    - Anna says:
      
      6 Oct6 October 14:49
      
      I’ve been paying Santander finance with IHG for a couple of years now, no charges. It depends on the finance company, but quite a few accept cc payments – Alphabet finance even accepts Amex payments, I have just found out how to navigate their system to pay the lease payments on a BMW, it’s not straightforward but it is possible!
      - elguiri says:
        
        6 Oct6 October 15:54
        
        And Creation haven’t imposed fees or interest?
      - Anna says:
        
        6 Oct6 October 16:14
        
        That’s what “no charges” means!
      - elguiri says:
        
        6 Oct6 October 16:54
        
        Teaches me for not reading more carefully. Will be able to provide datapoint for Hyundai Finance (backed by santander) in the next 30 days
John says:

6 Oct6 October 11:40

Best VPN providers keep coming up for discussion. Big London operator namechecked in this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/technology/personaltech/are-vpns-worth-it.html
Paul says:

6 Oct6 October 11:41

Need a reference for day 2 pcr test to put on plf. What is cheapest option for this at present?
- Rob says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 11:43
  
  When are you off? If its not until half term best to wait until they move to lateral flow is announced when prices will drop through the floor. Chromatics seems cheapest at present.
  
  Remember that you don’t put the kids reference numbers on the PLF, so if you are just doing a box ticking exercise only buy for the adults.
  - Paul says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 11:50
    
    Cheers Rob.. Off to faroes on monday.
    Still contemplating Barbados for half term.. May see you out there.
  - Rash says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 14:36
    
    Hi Rob, did you mean chronomics? Test seems to be 65 on there at the mo so not the cheapest. I’m in the same boat, looking for a cheap test to put on PLF so any suggestions would help
    - Anna says:
      
      6 Oct6 October 14:50
      
      Expert Medicals are supposed to be still selling them at £28. You will get a reference number if nothing else!
    - Eoc says:
      
      6 Oct6 October 22:12
      
      Used Expert Med twice now. Everything worked including test results on time. £28.
Zoe says:

6 Oct6 October 11:56

“approved” test provider named medicinesonline is offering + BONUS QR CODE Health Status Evidence (what the heck does that even mean) and they are charging for live operator support… makes you wonder how these providers are getting approved
- Zoe says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 11:56
  
  DESCRIPTION
  Unvaccinated – Day 2 & 8 Self Swab Unsupervised Lab PCR Swab Travel Test. Battersea Location.
  
  To reach this super low price for you:
  
  Without UK Approved Vaccination?
  We removed the Royal Mail costs
  We remove the Support Costs
  We removed the overhead costs
  So you can have the cheapest tests possible
  NOTE: This service is without our normal support. And is written support only from the pages of this website and the instruction sheet provided to you. If you don’t read instructions very well, we strongly suggest that you upgrade to the next service which includes live operator support.
  
  Test for the live Virus. Sensitive to all current variants.
  
  Battersea Unsupervised Self Swab Pick up Point at the address: 89 Falcon Rd. SW11 2PF. (Please see map for directions)
  Follow the instructions on the website and the instruction sheet
  If you miss your appointment time there is £20 emergency rebooking fee + £20 support fee payable before any rebooking can occur.
  This kit does not include any Telephone, SMS, WhatsApp or Clinic support
  You will be asked to pay £20 more for support if you ask for help
  Results in 1-2 Days from when the lab receives your sample*
  Drop both samples into the DropBox slot. DO NOT make contact with Lab Staff. The Address is, 89 Falcon Rd, SW11 2PF. (please see map for directions)
  No Refunds if you miss, cancel or change your appointment, as we reserve that time for you
  Not Flexible and not transferable.
- Rich says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 13:25
  
  Not for the first time, the ‘locked filing cabinet’ approach comes to mind.
  
  “But the plans were on display…”
  
  “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
  
  “That’s the display department.”
  
  “With a flashlight.”
  
  “Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
  
  “So had the stairs.”
  
  “But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
  
  “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’ “
Peggerz says:

6 Oct6 October 11:57

Good Morning.
I’m interested to find out the delivery timescale of a GHIC card, which I successfully applied for 12 days ago after finding my EHIC had run out. Insurance insist on it and I leave this weekend. Cheers.
- Genghis says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:18
  
  Applied for one for wife in mid Sep and still not heard anything.
  - Mark says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 12:35
    
    Mine took two weeks to arrive (applied end Aug, delivered start Sept)
    - Blair says:
      
      6 Oct6 October 13:19
      
      I had the UK EHIC issued to me and it was very fast. Popped up in my mailbox mere days later.
  - Genghis says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 14:24
    
    Update: it’s just arrived. So around 3 weeks from applying.
- Anna says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 14:52
  
  Ours in the summer were 3/4 days. Probably more people planning travel now.
- Peggerz says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 21:32
  
  Cheers everyone. Still waiting.
Phatbear says:

6 Oct6 October 12:02

Im going to take the plunge and cancel my trip to Japan for Mar ‘22, was supposed to go in March ‘20 but the world went bonkers then.

Anyway i have flights booked using avios back from tokyo and flights out to hkg with virgin points.

To cancel can i just hit “cancel flight” on the ba app as it seems to want to give me a voucher if i do, i want the avios back instead, and the same with virgin or does that require a phone call etc?
- Rhys says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:05
  
  You need to call.
  - Andrew H says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 12:54
    
    Or chat – just done it (with BA)
    
    Costs £35pp
- Andy says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:14
  
  Why cancel so far out? Still a fair chance Japan will open early next year, their vaccination rates were slow at first but speeding up now
  - Harry T says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 12:16
    
    Agreed, Japan is making good progress with vaccinations and I’ve heard they are planning to open up to double vaccinated travellers as soon as possible.
  - Phatbear says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 13:52
    
    Thanks for everyones input.
    
    The main reason i am looking at cancelling so far out is i have £2000 of credit with AA which i have to use by end March, thanks to two failed attempts to go to NY.
    
    And end march seems to be a reasonable time to go.
    
    We still intend to go to Japan but prob not until Mar 23, and we have to go via hkg because of the virgin points so we are hoping the world will be a bit less changeable then.
  - Yorkieflyer says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 16:44
    
    We are thinking of next autumn for Japan, spring seems a little soon in my view
- Harry T says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:15
  
  You need to call or use BA chat or Twitter. Doing it yourself online will only yield and FTV.
  
  However, there is a reasonable chance you’ll be able to visit Japan by the Spring. May be worth waiting a bit before cancelling, especially with redemptions you cancel for a nominal fee up to 24 hours before flying.
  - meta says:
    
    6 Oct6 October 12:39
    
    They are waiting for January before announcing anything as they first want to see how it plays out high vaccination rate vs cold weather and everybody inside. It’s still unusually hot in Japan and the cases have dropped considerably.
    
    I wouldn’t cancel anything until beginning of March unless you don’t have enough Avios.
Junior says:

6 Oct6 October 12:05

What are my lounge options for a flight from Toronto Pearson T3 tonight (10pm approx). Google seems to suggest they’re all closed unless I’m missing something.
- Nick says:
  
  6 Oct6 October 12:42
  
  Ignore google and go to the lounge operator website. Or oneworld website if you’re flying on a member airline. There’s definitely at least one lounge open at YYZ – and BA even pay for it for eligible customers!