The HfP chat thread – Thursday 21st October

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• Njb says:

  21 Oct21 October 07:50

  Was in Exeter yesterday and saw that a Hotel Indigo will be opening on the old House of Fraser site. Great location and stumbling distance from The Ivy.
  https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2021/05/24/ihg-to-open-hotel-indigo-in-exeter/

  • Andy says:

    21 Oct21 October 09:52

    They mentioned this conversion on Grand Designs a couple weeks back – Guy who was doing it was building a house too

  • Gavin says:

    21 Oct21 October 10:31

    That’s good news, Exeter could do with a hotel of that level

  • Super Secret Stuff says:

    21 Oct21 October 11:26

    Nice, might have to go check it out and have a weekend away!

• Hotinnewcastle says:

  21 Oct21 October 07:59

  Just want to check my working/thinking, just checked in for my flight to Vienna at the weekend and it mentioned passenger locator form but my reading of the regulation state just need to show covid vaccination certificate which I have via my NHS app….so according to my thinking don’t need to complete any more forms/plf. Is that correct?
  Would appreciate if anyone has been to Vienna recently can confirm. Thanks

  • H says:

    21 Oct21 October 08:01

    Yes – that was correct for my visit. Make sure you have the right type of mask as well. It is followed much more strictly in Vienna!

    • Andrew H says:

      21 Oct21 October 08:18

      FFP2 I believe? About £15 for 20 on Amazon? Hopefully off to Austria in December…

      … but becoming increasingly worried that other countries will start to refuse us entry seeing as our government doesn’t seem to be bothered about re-introducing basic measures. Morocco has just banned the UK (and Germany and the Netherlands)

      • H says:

        21 Oct21 October 10:59

        Yes and they are actually worn by 99% of people. I don’t think too many countries will ban us but we might find some start asking for a test as well as vaccine proof.

  • GeorgeJ says:

    21 Oct21 October 12:10

    Yes, you are correct, currently no need for a PLF if you are vaccinated (I entered via Vienna ten days ago), you will be asked for proof of vaccination at immigration plus at any hotel, bar restaurant, club or cafe (and fill in contact details). NHS app is accepted.

• Anna says:

  21 Oct21 October 08:32

  Breakfast/brunch recommendations for Berlin? Preferably near to the Regent – I’m considering changing our December points booking to cash as rates are currently very reasonable but don’t include breakfast AFAIK.

  • Allan says:

    21 Oct21 October 08:49

    Hotel de Rome very nearby and very nice

    • Harry T says:

      21 Oct21 October 09:06

      I had the breakfast buffet when I stayed at Hotel de Rome in 2019 – was very good.

  • TJ says:

    21 Oct21 October 14:08

    Don’t forget to try Emyr if you are looking at cash rates. Breakfast, $100 F&B spend, and upgrade included for many hotels. He’s secured the Grand Hyatt for me in early Dec which will work well with the Amex offer I have on multiple cards.

• Simon says:

  21 Oct21 October 08:45

  IHG black card annual fee due tomorrow. Decided I can’t be bothered with the aggro of fighting for my free night, cancelled the account and walked away quietly. Done well enough out of MS all thing considered.

  • Colin MacKinnon says:

    21 Oct21 October 08:51

    Shame. I’m keeping mine in the drawer for a bit – hopefully get the night and then a refund of the £99.

    But night worth much more than £99 to me.

    • simonbr says:

      21 Oct21 October 10:27

      They don’t intend to give the free nights or a refund.

      • Lady London says:

        21 Oct21 October 14:05

        Who cares? Do we not have even one person here on HfP whose account has been run clean enough to sort Creation out on this?

        They really, really can’t refuse any free nights earned, and as closure is involuntary any sensible judge is going to order Creation to pro rata refund annual fee as well. This regardless of any terms to the contrary as would be an unfair contract.

        So why are we still looking for someone on HfP whose account was run clean enough to challenge Creation and get this (them) sorted?

        • James says:

          21 Oct21 October 19:02

          I have two clean-ish accounts, each with around 30k of normal spending. Curve was used on both but not much – cash withdrawal here or there and mainly FX spending outside U.K. One account is November and one July. The November account ‘earned’ the free night before the letter was received. I will definitely be challenging Creation for the free night on that account and if the £99 fee is applied in November, the £99 fee for the 2021-2022 card year too. The July card – I’ll be challenging for the free night (after hitting the 10k this month). If nights not awarded, I’ll be going for 2x £750 instead.

        • Simonbr says:

          21 Oct21 October 19:08

          I agree. Their section 14 in the T&C’s make no mention of rights to refuse earned rewards or refund of unused subscriptions if they decide to cancel the card.

        • JDB says:

          21 Oct21 October 19:18

          @Lady London – as has been discussed on here previously, there is ample precedent to the contrary, even when it is the card provider that cancels the card. Creation, Amex and Tesco, amongst others, all have anniversary bonus benefits in different forms that the FOS has agreed could be withheld. The court will take a strict reading of the T&Cs so that is even less likely. Nobody has yet pointed to anything that is unfair in the legal sense and the inequality of bargaining power mentioned is a complete red herring in this case. The best hope is Creation caving.

      • JDB says:

        21 Oct21 October 19:21

        @simonbr you are looking at the wrong terms. Para 14 gives the right to cancel your card without reason. The issue re anniversary night voucher is in a different set of terms that are fairly clear and very standard for ‘anniversary’ bonuses across many types of card.

  • Anna says:

    21 Oct21 October 10:37

    To paraphrase Richard Rodgers, I’m gonna rinse that card right outta my hair – till 12/3 anyway.
    I emailed them enquiring about the fee/free night and they have logged it as a complaint even though I didn’t request it at the time so that saves me another email!
    Will be going all the way to the FOS with this as I think the way they are going about it looks abysmal even if they are technically within their Ts and Cs.

    • Anna says:

      21 Oct21 October 10:38

      3/12 – I am not American!

    • H says:

      21 Oct21 October 11:00

      I don’t think the fee refund refusal is within their terms and conditions

    • Genghis says:

      21 Oct21 October 11:04

      I’m taking effective cancellation being as 20 November or so. One of the key benefits of the card is the accrual of points. These will sweep across to IHG for me on around 22 November. It takes a few days for charges to clear and points to be earned. Their terse letter (not exactly “clear, fair and not misleading”) made no reference as to what happens to points accrued between the last sweep and 3 Dec.

      • Yorkie Aid says:

        21 Oct21 October 12:49

        They might not sweep across as you expect. Mine from 14th October have not landed at IHG yet and they are usually there within a couple of days of the statement. Am going to give it 10 days before chasing.

• Andrew says:

  21 Oct21 October 08:45

  10% Rebate at Morrison’s is live now on Barclaycard.

• JohnT says:

  21 Oct21 October 08:46

  Data point Virgin+ Credit card received just over a week from application!

  Shame BA refunds (from part using voucher) can’t match that..

• James says:

  21 Oct21 October 09:06

  Has anyone ever stayed at AnaYela in Marrakech? Its a Marriott property and the reviews seem really good.

  • Colin MacKinnon says:

    21 Oct21 October 09:43

    Were you going to take the new Ryanair flight from Edinburgh…..

    announced yesterday morning just as the Moroccan govt closed the borders to the UK!

    “Ryanair will launch a direct service from Edinburgh to Marrakesh, which will start from December 18.” said the Edinburgh Evening News.

    • Peggerz says:

      21 Oct21 October 10:59

      Ryanair had this route in 2010 and pulled it within the year. Hope it lasts longer this time.

• Stephan says:

  21 Oct21 October 09:07

  Is there another way to get a refund for a flight booked in the last 24h than going over the phone? Just can’t get through even though I called when they opened at 8..

  • Sam G says:

    21 Oct21 October 09:10

    Live chat ?

    • Stephan says:

      21 Oct21 October 09:21

      I keep getting disconnected but will try again.

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