The HfP chat thread – Thursday 7th October

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vol says:

7 Oct7 October 11:16

Hi there, I bought something from The Cotswold Company a couple of weeks ago through BA shopping portal – got my points – happy.

I wanted to buy something else this week – and The Cotswold Company is no longer there 🙁 does anyone have any idea where this has moved to (or even, why it is no longer there?)

Thanks

vol
- CarpalTravel says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 11:40
  
  Companies come and go, just as they often vary their return rates. Direct Line Car Insurance is a great example, they often aren’t about but last month I was able to get £50 for something I was doing anyway.
  - vol says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 11:45
    
    ah, thanks for explaining! 🙂
    
    vol
BJ says:

7 Oct7 October 11:16

Datapoint: Hilton-Hilton points transfers are instant and processed via points dot com. A while since I last did one before this but I seem to recall it taking a few days unless I’m confusing it with something else.
- Travel Strong says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 11:28
  
  In august it took the full 48 hours for my points dot com Hilton points purchase to land in my Hilton account. Which was indicated at checkout…. But I’ve had IHG points from the same site land instantly in the past!
  - Travel Strong says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 11:29
    
    Sorry – it was june, not august.
- John says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 13:08
  
  The pooling (which is pulling; transfers are pushing) used to take 24-48 hours when it was first introduced and transfers were still charged. Later on transfers became free. Not tried it recently.
  - Ikaz says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 20:16
    
    I have done a few this year, the instant transfer is a recent development
JM says:

7 Oct7 October 11:25

Amex to BA points transfer – is it always 3 days? Just realised I’m 1k short for a redemption so hoping it doesn’t take too long!
- Rob says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 11:38
  
  Usually overnight.
- Mark says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:04
  
  I’d buy them for a top up to make sure you get those seats. Your call though.
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 13:03
  
  My first ever transaction went through in 3 days, connected accounts should be quicker
Rich says:

7 Oct7 October 11:44

Datapoint for whoever was asking about passport renewal yesterday.

9 days for them to acknowledge receipt of old passport
a further 3 weeks to send out the new one

If it arrives this weekend, that’s a full 5 weeks from application.
- ee says:
  
  8 Oct8 October 07:31
  
  This sounds bang on. Looking at passport wait tracking websites, it’s about 1 week for ‘documents received’ and then 3 weeks from then to application approved. Does seem to vary marginally between offices.
Roberto says:

7 Oct7 October 11:51

Hi all, Ive been charged my card fee £99 on the 11th of September by IHG.
Ive not used the card for the 3 months prior and only just checked in as I received the letter saying that everyone’s getting saying they are cancelling my account.
How can they take £99 for the up coming card year but in the same month cancel my account?
Does anyone have any experience in how they would deal with this?
I don’t want to pay £99 if I can’t use my card?
Thank you
- Anna says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:00
  
  Read through the relevant posts for the past week. There’s been a lot of discussion on this & people have been giving conflicting info so you need to decide what strategy you’re going to adopt.
- JDB says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:10
  
  In your particular situation, if you haven’t used the card, are less than a month in and aren’t in the fight for the free night as you haven’t spent the £10k, it may be worth calling to ask for a refund as long as you accept they close your account now. I think waiting under 3 Dec reduces your chances. It’s worth a try.
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:45
  
  They are taking the proverbial and I’d make a formal complaint.
  - Jill (Kinkell) says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 13:10
    
    I’ve not had any letter re: closing accounts in December. However, did get an email telling me how easy it is to pay without having to wait ( never had an issue anyway). Are some accounts spared from closure?
    - Andy says:
      
      7 Oct7 October 13:30
      
      My friend still hasn’t had her letter for her white card despite using curve for MS the past few months. She’s on tenterhooks!
      - CH says:
        
        7 Oct7 October 15:06
        
        I also haven’t had a letter. Of course they also haven’t managed to send me a new PIN for my replacement card, despite three requests over the past month.
FatherOfFour says:

7 Oct7 October 11:51

Requested an FTV for a BA Holidays (2 x hotels only) booking, which sits alongside some cancelled reward flights. The email says I should hear within 7 days. I expected this to be much quicker (based on submitting for a flight booking and getting a near instant response).

We are now on day 7… how long before I escalate?
- Simon says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:19
  
  give it another 15 minutes
- ChrisC says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:57
  
  BA Hols operates under different policies than normal BA.
  
  Flight only is much quicker for normal BA to deal with.
  
  The Holiday side just takes longer as it’s more complex.
  
  Patience is a virtue.
Degsy says:

7 Oct7 October 11:55

Looks like the nectar Christmas challenge targets stack nicely with the weekly offers. Just spent £7 on chicken (200 points) & pineapple (180 pts) which then triggered my first target (collect 300 points and we’ll give you 100).
What with the welcome bonus y’day, it feels like the old days.
(For the record, I did actually want both the 🐓 and the 🍍)
- Youllnever says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:02
  
  They also stack with nectar prices so you can triple-stack them on some stuff like I’ve done!
  - PJJ says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 14:01
    
    Quadruple stack if using the Sainsburys Bank Nectar Card for which you get 2 points per £ on Sainsbury’s spend
- Rich says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:09
  
  I don’t see Christmas challenge anywhere. Is it on the app somewhere?
  - Degsy says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 12:29
    
    Yes it’s on the app on my phone – I needed to update it though to see it.
    (Interestingly, I can’t see it on my wife’s account on our iPad even though I’ve tried updating that.)
    - Rui N. says:
      
      7 Oct7 October 13:42
      
      On HUKD they were saying that the xmas promo was targeted. My OH has it, I don’t (she uses nectar much more than I do, don’t know if that’s relevant).
      - Peter K says:
        
        7 Oct7 October 15:24
        
        Wow, Sainsbury’s know how to annoy people don’t they.
GFlyer says:

7 Oct7 October 12:04

I’m excited to fly again after 18 months of being grounded! But just realised I no longer have Travel Insurance – Does anyone have a recommendation for good annual policy?
- Andrew H says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:12
  
  Staysure was the cheapest comprehensive one I found, but I had to do pre-existing condition (atrial fib, that has been corrected by cardioversion but which I am told always reverts…just a question of weeks, months, or years)….
  
  And I included cruise cover, winter sports and hire car excess – was just over £300 for a couple (Aged 60 and 51) for 15 months
  
  Check shopping portals for sign up (as I did)
  - Jody says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 13:48
    
    My husband has the exact same condition, but I also have many conditions including complex reconstructive bladder surgery. Staysure was over £100 more expensive than Cover For You was, including cruise cover etc.
    
    As JDB says, what’s cheap for one isn’t for the next, and you really have to shop around.
    
    We’ve done 4 staycation cruises this summer, and I really liked the coverage Cover For You gave. It was easy to do/understand, none of the faffing you had to do with Staysure where you took out the policy then had to contact them to get the staycation cruises added to your account (no charge, but still a faff). We also got zero excess by going direct rather than through a comparison website (wasn’t any cheaper either way, but zero excess was good to have in case of claim).
    
    Problem is, you only really get to know how good an insurance company is when you have to make a claim.
    - Andrew H says:
      
      7 Oct7 October 14:02
      
      Just checked Cover For You and is a bit more expensive than Staysure even before I put the atrial fib in, so I guess it’s pot luck depending on exact details. When I did Staysure, cruises and worldwide cover was an easy option to select. I have a small excess, but that’s usually worth doing to bring premium down.
      
      Lots of sites seemed to use the same “engine” to generate the quote (same questions, layout etc) – such as Avanti. They all came in more expensive than Staysure (one was double the price).
      
      OH and they were offering 15 months for the price of 12…
      - JDB says:
        
        7 Oct7 October 14:29
        
        @Andrew H – it sounds like you have a pretty good deal. The Nationwide FlexPlus works well for us, because the premium doesn’t increase with age as it is a fixed monthly price of £13 for the bank account. This means a couple and dependant children pay the same as a single 21 year old! They have also covered ‘non essential travel’ countries which suits us and why we moved to them. PS I hope your cardioversion lasts; I used to take an elderly relative for them; not fun. She was resistant to having a pacemaker until they wouldn’t do any more cardioversions, but the pacemaker resolved the issue completely.
- JDB says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:15
  
  There are dozens of good policies, but the suitability / price depends entirely on your personal circumstances, age, health, which part(s) of the world you want covered, level/type of cover etc. so it is difficult for others to research that for you.
  - Andrew H says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 17:31
    
    @JDB – thanks: The cardiologist said that cardioversions ALWAYS revert, just a matter of time. 50% of people don’t make 4 weeks. Been 10weeks for me now. He says some people he treats every 3 or 4 years. I haven’t actually got a “condition” right now…nothing wrong seen on a scan; it’s a latent condition, that may happen… but it’s on all the insurance pre-existing conditions so I had to do it.
    
    The next step now would be ablation, not pacemaker. Up through the groin and burn or freeze certain paths in the heart…
    
    He says I have youth on my side – being called young is great…I am 60! Knee specialist last year similarly called me young…
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  7 Oct7 October 12:55
  
  Use money super market, you usually get “free” something out of it too
  - Andrew H says:
    
    7 Oct7 October 13:14
    
    Use Money Super Market.. then check the c@$hb@ck portals…
    
    25% on Staysure
    - Super Secret Stuff says:
      
      7 Oct7 October 13:37
      
      True, hence the quote marks, nothing is truly free
      - Andrew H says:
        
        7 Oct7 October 13:52
        
        Good point. A stuffed meerkat is way less valuable than the c@$hba@ck that you can get.
        
        The only time I’ve actually bought directly through Compare the Market is (I am sure like many do) £1ish one day UK travel insurance to get the cinema tickets and meals…