The HfP chat thread – Saturday 9th October

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• meta says:

  9 Oct9 October 17:05

  Just received an email from BA legal department that they agree to my claim that they are liable for cancelled flights to Porto. I don’t have to go to MCOL. Plus because they failed to inform the agent and the cancellation was for commercial reasons, they are also going to give me EU compo.

  This is the second win on the same route (last year they did the same and I won!). Just confirms that it’s best to go straight to legal team. Saves time and hassle.

  • Anna says:

    9 Oct9 October 17:23

    Good result, @meta. Hopefully it means less people will need to go to MCOL/CEDR in future, but then again there may just be a note on your account saying to just give you what you want because you will win in a fight!

  • Harley says:

    9 Oct9 October 17:26

    How do you contact legal? I have tried multiple agents who refuse to give me the details

    • Anna says:

      9 Oct9 October 17:28

      I think @meta writes to them at their head office, is it Waterside?

    • ChrisC says:

      9 Oct9 October 17:29

      write to them at waterside.

      • meta says:

        9 Oct9 October 17:45

        Yes, Waterside address. Just a letter by post. A few pounds for signed for. I won’t recoup it this time, but I am up significantly.

        @Anna haha, yes you might be right.

        • Harley says:

          9 Oct9 October 20:37

          Thanks all

    • Oli says:

      9 Oct9 October 19:24

      This is the email of the legal guy I deal with on my MCOL claim: nishat.anjum at ba dot com

      His signature says:

      Customer Dispute Resolution Executive
      Legal Department| British Airways Plc | Waterside HDB3| PO Box 365 |Harmondsworth| UB7 0GB

• Deb says:

  9 Oct9 October 17:24

  Virgin reward seat help required with credit card 241 seat.
  Hi please can one of you knowledgeable members help- i have just booked 3 reward seats with virgin , one being a 241 credit card receipt, i need to go LHR to
  MCO but due to no reward seats i have to go to atlanta. No reward seats available yet from Atlanta to MCO however there is going home from MCO to Atanta, my problem is , the man i spoke to said as i have a 241 i am not allowed an onward flight so have to collect my bags and book on internal flight, yet i have plenty of reward miles and there are reward seats available! Is this correct? I have had different advice before?

  • David says:

    9 Oct9 October 17:28

    It’s a lottery with Virgin -different advice everything you phone – sorry.

  • Anna says:

    9 Oct9 October 17:34

    So are you saying you have 3 return reward flights booked from LHR to ATL? Or you have booked the outbound but are now having issues adding the inbound? Do Virgin TS and Cs say you can’t have a connecting sector on one leg of such a flight?

    • Deb says:

      9 Oct9 October 17:48

      Yes i have booked 3 rewards return LHR-ATL-LHR so now i need the domestic flights plus ive learnt i will have to pay extra baggage as it is not one journey, felt it was all rushed on phone and poor lad was. Slightly fed up, never had that before always have been amazingly helpful

      • Anna says:

        9 Oct9 October 18:18

        Unless Virgin specifically allows you to tag US domestic flights on to long haul from separate booking I think you’d just have to book the internal flights separately and be bound by their Ts and Cs. WIth BA, for example, I’ve always had to book award flights as standalone journeys then book domestic flights separately, e,g MAN-LHR-IAD on one booking then IAD-MIA on AA as a separate avios or cash booking (which you’d have to pay for checked luggage on as well).

  • davef says:

    9 Oct9 October 19:37

    Make sure you have 4 hours layover to pass immigration and collect bags/recheck them. Virgin booked my mum on MAN-ATL-MIA with a 2 hour and said it could be done…. not a scooby’s chance. Takes nearly 30 mins from Int arrivals to baggage claim on the train for starters.

• Vit says:

  9 Oct9 October 17:46

  Newbie question with Hilton please as spending “some times” here for isolation before joining a boat and disembarking. As a gold member, I’ve seen that you can either choose complimentary breakfast or 1,000 bonus points. Since I am staying here full-board. I am keen to get the bonus point. Front desk informed that this can be done on the app but I cannot seem to get to it. Anyone able to help please?

  Cheers,
  Vit

  • Anna says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:21

    If you go into “My Way benefits” in your account or in the app, you can change your preference, but it does vary by hotel brand so it would depend where you’re staying (and who it was booked through as benefits are only guaranteed on direct bookings). If you’re in a quarantine hotel, they’re unlikely to give the points as it would be a block booking by the government.

    • Vit says:

      9 Oct9 October 18:42

      Hi Anna, many thanks! I found it. Had to use the desktop version platform. No this is not booked by government but more like company policy before joining a boat. We are still within the UK / Norway water. 🙂

  • Rob says:

    9 Oct9 October 19:21

    It’a called ‘My Way’, should be under your profile.

• N says:

  9 Oct9 October 17:52

  Strange question, but I’m looking to transfer a fairly large amount of money from a Lloyds International account (Isle of Man account) to a direct relative in Germany.

  Does anyone know if German banks would take pounds sterling? I.e deposit pounds into a German bank and then the other person is free to withdraw it into euros whenever they want? Or is it better to use a currency transfer service?

  • Nick says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:05

    Yes they would. Your bank will also send euros if you prefer. But why wouldn’t you just use transferwise?

  • Cambridge Dad says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:09

    Your question assumes problems that don’t actually exist. You can easily transfer £s to your rellie and they can access the money in their preferred currency. No big cost. Try remitly/ fairfx/ worldremit, they all offer bonuses on top if you go via the Taekwondo sites

  • John says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:32

    Check the costs too. If you send as GBP the receiving bank determines the exchange rate (you’ll never know as it’s in the future – it may be good or it may not). Sending as Euros allows you to know the exchange rate used, also it should make your payment eligible to make through SEPA where fees can be low (or free with some banks).

  • elguiri says:

    9 Oct9 October 20:35

    German banks charge an arm and a leg for exchanging currency. Back when I lived there I had to take out the cash from the ATM, bring it on the plane and exchange here to save me a fortune.

  • Bill says:

    9 Oct9 October 21:23

    Get Revolut or Metro Bank account and use them to transfer

    • Bill says:

      9 Oct9 October 21:23

      Or Starling. They should allow you to open online

• Travel Strong says:

  9 Oct9 October 17:55

  GIB testing system was: Free test on arrival, £30 pre-dep test for return to UK…… Since UK no longer requires this this, GIB have swiftly changed the Free test on arrival … to £30 😂.

  • Anna says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:23

    So the moral of the story is fly to AGP and cross into GIB by land?

• Simon says:

  9 Oct9 October 18:09

  Does virgin Atlantic have a price promise guarantee like BA , seen some flights to the LAX in premium economy , price with a online company called travelup are £100 cheaper than VS ????

  • ChrisC says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:20

    I don’t think they do.

    At present I wouldn’t use an OTA to book flights. Getting refunds for cancellations is not always easy.

    I’d read some of the reviews as well IIRC it’s not an easy company to deal with.

    • Simon says:

      9 Oct9 October 18:25

      Ok cheers , don’t know how it works with travel agents but the price was £100pp cheaper which is quiet a lot

      • Clive says:

        9 Oct9 October 19:10

        OTAs are a nightmare to work with for anything these days. Go direct and use a site which will earn you some cash to offset the difference

        • James says:

          9 Oct9 October 19:38

          Avoid travel up. One of the worst companies I’ve ever dealt with. Wouldn’t reply to emails or answer the phone when covid hit. An utter embarrassment.

  • Jonathan says:

    9 Oct9 October 20:58

    Probably won’t be £100 cheaper. They’ll take all your details including payment info then contact you 3 days later to say fare no longer available & it’s now the same price as Virgin directly hoping that you’ll just agree.

  • Joe says:

    9 Oct9 October 23:08

    Avoid TravelUp like the plague!

• The Rooster says:

  9 Oct9 October 18:10

  I’m flying from the Maldives to New Delhi in January and I’m trying to decipher if we will be allowed in as UK citizens (to Delhi) even though we will have spent 3 weeks outside the UK before flying to Delhi. Is anyone able to help?

  • Anuj says:

    9 Oct9 October 20:27

    You should be able to figure it out using a combination of https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements and https://www.thomascook.in/travel-guidelines/maldives

• Tracy says:

  9 Oct9 October 18:12

  Just tried logging in to my IHG account. Got message, your account has been locked. Please contact customer care. I have had the creation letters, related or just coincidence? Anyone else?

  • Harrier25 says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:22

    Discussed on page 6, Tracy.

    • Tracy says:

      9 Oct9 October 18:40

      Just looked at page 6, was hoping it was just coincidence, maybe not 😱

  • ChrisC says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:23

    I don’t have a creation card and that “account locked” has come up to.

    Others have reported it as well so I think it’s a glitch.

  • Yorkie Aid says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:28

    Just checked – same here on websie “your account is disabled, please contact customer care” and the app just hangs on startup.

  • John says:

    9 Oct9 October 18:36

    Who in this thread had the letter from Creation about closing their IHG Credit Card?

    • Tracy says:

      9 Oct9 October 18:40

      Me

      • Harrier25 says:

        9 Oct9 October 18:46

        Me x2 for black and white cards. It was slightly annoying once received, now I just think, roll on the 3rd December and good riddance Creation, you unprofessional organisation! 🖕

        • Yorkie Aid says:

          9 Oct9 October 19:07

          Me too.

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