Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Sunday 24th 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.

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

Comments (455)

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

  • Anna says:
    24 Oct24 October 12:03

    Any readers with EU passports (@meta?) – if you now enter the EU with your immediate family who still have UK passports, can you all go through the Schengen entry point or only the EU passport holder. I know you’re allowed to take your close family in with you regardless of Brexit changes, but what actually happens at arrival?

    • Anna says:
      24 Oct24 October 12:04

      Actually I guess Rob should also know this!
      (Also setting aside any relevant covid restrictions, obviously)

    • Doug says:
      24 Oct24 October 12:19

      You can, but it depends on which country and airport you go. The queue managers these days tend to be quite strict

      • meta says:
        24 Oct24 October 12:34

        Had no problem so far, but last week my partner got EU passport and also proper eu covid certificate. It just makes it all easier and cheaper.

        • Doug says:
          24 Oct24 October 12:37

          Yes covid is the reason it has been strict, but I have EU passport and my partner not, but she has been joining me the EU queue for a decade now!

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 13:01

            Thanks Doug, that’s good to know. My Spanish passport is in the post; when I did the application I had to include names of OH and son so I’m assuming those go on the passport to show they are immediate family and therefore allowed in with me. Spanish bureaucracy is labyrinthine, though, so we’ll see what happens on our next trip!

    • George K says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:03

      Have been doing this consistently since January. Been taking everyone on the EU desks and no trouble so far. They get stamped (and checked that not in breach of the 90-day rule) and that’s it.

      • Anna says:
        24 Oct24 October 13:54

        If they are your immediate family, the 90 day rule doesn’t apply to them, surely?

        • Anna says:
          24 Oct24 October 13:56

          https://www.spanishpropertyinsight.com/2021/04/14/brits-married-to-eu-citizens-can-spend-as-long-as-they-like-in-spain-with-their-spouses

          • George K says:
            25 Oct25 October 01:03

            You may well be right, but I can tell you that there was a fair bit of excitement when one of the EU entry stamps was mis-dated (as a random date in the year 2159) and they were all questioned on when exactly they had entered the EU earlier in the year. Obviously still well below the 90-day rule so no action was taken, but both French and Greek border guards flicked through the pages of the passports and counted all the stamps before wishing everyone well.

        • John says:
          24 Oct24 October 16:11

          90 in 180 day rule doesn’t apply when travelling together with the EU/EEA citizen, or travelling alone to join the EU/EEA citizen who is residing in the EU/EEA. Holidays is kind of a gray area.

          Strictly speaking, only applies when going to a member state other than the EU/EEA citizen’s home state, unless the EU/EEA citizen has previously exercised their EEA treaty rights in another member state and is now returning to their home state.

          When the UK was in the EU these rules were applied quite strictly (though we don’t have the 90 in 180 thing, just 6 months on each entry at the discretion of the immigration officer).

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 17:43

            That’s not my understanding, as per the article the EU passport holder has the right to enter any Schengen country irrespective of the reason for doing so, and is entitled to take their immediate family in with them.

    • stevenhp1987 says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:32

      Depends on the airport.

      Most have been fine with with me joining my wife in the EU citizen queue (wife dual UK/EU national). They still stamp my passport of course.

      Spain (Malaga & Alicante) demanded we go into separate queues as they’ve simply put stamping stations the other side of some egates!

    • QFFlyer says:
      24 Oct24 October 14:09

      I hold an EU passport and I used to use the accompanying card as an alternative to my UK passport or the book to avoid the e-gates when everyone was being forced to use them (this was in Norway, if I remember correctly) – my OH (UK passport) was fine to come through the normal lane with me, and we were through in seconds compared to the long lines at the e-gates.

    • Harry T says:
      24 Oct24 October 14:54

      I guess leave doesn’t always quite mean leave 😜

      • ChrisBCN says:
        24 Oct24 October 16:19

        The hypocrisy of those who want nothing to do with the EU then immediately apply for an EU passport post-brexit is somewhat incredible!

        • Harry T says:
          24 Oct24 October 16:21

          Maybe certain people regret their decisions and want to jump ship back to the EU!

        • Anna says:
          24 Oct24 October 17:46

          Ah ChrisBCN I forgot it was Sunday! When did your HFP ban expire this time? Why is it so difficult to understand that being entitled to dual nationality doesn’t equate to wanting to be under the yoke of Brussels?

          • Doug M says:
            24 Oct24 October 17:58

            You voted to remove rights from the rest of us you’re happy to continue benefitting from. A completely defensible position, yeah right 🙄

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:07

            No, that was negotiated after the referendum took place. Freedom of movement could have been retained as per Norway and Switzerland. Bitterness seems to have completely blinded some people to the facts.

          • Ken says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:24

            Lovely that you can have your cake and eat.

            The rest of us can go and hang.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:37

            “Freedom of movement could have been retained”

            It was pretty clear from the brexit propaganda this was number 1 on the list to go.

            The hypocrisy is clear.

          • ChrisBCN says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:47

            No need for the personal attack Anna, keep it adult! Not sure who you think I am that makes you think I’ve been banned.

          • ChrisC says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:49

            ‘yoke of Brussels’

            Utter nonsense Anna.

          • Doug M says:
            24 Oct24 October 19:47

            The Freedom of Movement for Norway and Switzerland comes from adhering to the rules you were so keen to escape. I just don’t see how your position is anything other than hypocrisy and self-interest. It’s easy to speak of bitterness of others when you’ve created the the situation that led to the bitterness. If you really think of Brussels that badly why don’t you cancel your Spanish passport and further escape Brussels?

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 19:49

            So you weren’t personally attacking me, ChrisBCN, glad we cleared that up. I do wonder how you felt when the Spanish government was using tear gas and rubber bullets (contrary to international law) on your fellow Catalonians in 2017 and your beloved EU dismissed it as “an internal matter for Spain).
            As for this obsession with Freedom of Movement, to play Devil’s Advocate, how was it fair that the U.K. and other wealthy countries were free to drain the young, skilled workforces of the poorer EU nations? 5 million EU nationals have applied to stay in the U.K. since the referendum, whereas around 60,000 U.K. nationals move to the EU each year (and many of these will be economically inactive pensioners. All this whinging smacks of selfishness, frankly.
            I for one am heartily relieved that my taxes won’t be propping up any more non-existent plantations and other shenanigans. The EU is a basket case, economically and politically.

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 19:52

            Doug M, perhaps if Remainers had worked with the government to secure a better deal rather than attempting to sabotage the process at every stage, they might actually have been happier with the outcome.

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 19:54

            And you know there’s an Espexit movement, right? Then again, probably not …

          • ChrisBCN says:
            24 Oct24 October 20:42

            Wow, that’s a whole basket of issues there!

          • Doug M says:
            24 Oct24 October 20:59

            Classic whataboutery. Ignore points made and throw in random this and that.

          • Anna says:
            24 Oct24 October 21:20

            What is your actual point then, Doug M? I’ve always been a Spanish national and would be allowed to enter Spain as such regardless of whether either Spain or the U.K. was a member of the EU. If it were Spain which had left the EU, and not the U.K., it wouldn’t change this fact, so it’s completely illogical to conflate it with Brexit.

          • Doug M says:
            24 Oct24 October 21:32

            Always been a Spanish citizen, but your passport is in the post. My point remains your willingness to sidestep the difficulties you happily inflicted on the rest of us. You constantly bitch about the EU but rather than celebrate your Blue UK passport you go straight for the EU member Spanish version.

  • Will A says:
    24 Oct24 October 12:08

    Noticed a 10% off Morrisons offer on both my Amex Plat and Bus Plat today. Very surprised at the amount of Morrisons offers lately – there was one in September and now October too…. There is also 8 points/£1 spend at Morrisons on Virgin Shops Away but when I log in it says no active offer. I’m not complaining as I’ve milked it this year.

  • Roberto says:
    24 Oct24 October 12:16

    There have been some huge increases in all cash/points rates in Hilton Hotels around London
    Hotels that pre covid were basically 40% cheaper for similar dates in the lead up to Christmas 2019
    Is this down to demand?
    Prices are becoming a little bit ridiculous if you ask me.
    18 hours in a 4 star hotel for £375.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      24 Oct24 October 12:35

      People still don’t want to travel abroad, so are spending ridiculous amounts in the UK. Can you blame them? Particularly if they have acute health conditions?

    • meta says:
      24 Oct24 October 12:35

      It’s not just London, it’s everywhere. They are trying to make up for covid losses…

      • Sam G says:
        24 Oct24 October 12:45

        Yeh – I saw a review of a Britannia hotel in Manchester someone had paid £299 for a Saturday night & it was the cheapest room available! mental

        • Crafty says:
          24 Oct24 October 12:46

          Kimpton Clocktower was going at over £500 for a standard room the Saturday night we used a credit card voucher a few weeks ago. I was angry enough at the poor experience – can’t imagine how much more angry if that were how much I had paid.

          • Fm says:
            24 Oct24 October 13:22

            I too have had pretty poor experience at the Kimpton twice in the last few weeks – tried their contact form and emailing with no response. Standards seem to be dropping, debating whether I should actually stay with them again or move back to the Doubletree

        • ChrisC says:
          24 Oct24 October 14:32

          Ah the room with no window. Check out the Angry a people in Local Newspaper Facebook page.

          Friends don’t ever let friends stay at any Britannia owned property.

        • Ken says:
          24 Oct24 October 16:25

          It’s purely supply and demand, nothing else.

          Most Manchester hotels are full on a Saturday night particularly if United are at home that weekend.
          Stayed at Marriott V&A last night and it’s was full, as was the Aloft and the Salford Marriott.
          Last rooms in all 3 going for £300+
          If you want a room on a Saturday night book early, or have points.
          Fridays rarely as expensive though.

          • ChrisC says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:57

            Last weekend I booked Manchester HI for first weekend in October (Fri 30th Sept – Mon 3rd Oct) next year (not footy or concert related)

            Last weekend it 20k points per night. Now it’s 20/35/17
            Cash rate for the Saturday is already £150

            (and yes I booked them as 3 separate nights and yes I rebooked the Sunday to get 3k points back)

      • Anna says:
        24 Oct24 October 13:04

        Indeed – I have 3 nights booked in Edinburgh at the end of December and prices have shot up since I made the reservations. Conversely, prices in Europe and the US have dropped noticeably.

        • meta says:
          24 Oct24 October 13:14

          I’d actually wait now before booking. They’ll drop again if the measures are reintroduced.

          • ChrisC says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:59

            Book a refundable rate to lock in a good price then cancel if it drops.

            If it goes up then you’re laughing.

  • Voltron says:
    24 Oct24 October 12:32

    Has anyone ever claimed the extended warranty on the green charge card? Tempted to buy the new Dyson v15 on the card, expensive at £600 though…

    • Super Secret Stuff says:
      24 Oct24 October 12:36

      Get a Gtech, we love ours and no problems in the last 2 years

      • AJA says:
        24 Oct24 October 12:50

        +1 for gtech air ram , bought one for my mum to replace heavy old hoover which went bang. She is really happy with it as it’s light and cordless and battery recharges in 1hr. Enough charge to do a 2 bed flat 90sqm twice. Charge lasts 2 weeks.

        Alternatively buy an iRobot vacuum cleaner and let it do the hoovering for you. Ours is brilliant, programmed to go around twice a week, navigates back to the base when it’s low on charge, then sets off again when recharged and takes off where it stopped. Sends a message to the phone if it gets stuck (rarely) and when it needs emptying. Goes under beds and furniture. Sends a message when job is complete and you get a map of the house.

        • Sam G says:
          24 Oct24 October 12:54

          +1 for a robot! love ours! unfortunately not quite so automated since we got a dog who likes to leave his toys around for it to eat up but a quick visual inspection of the area and then send it on it’s way a couple of times a week, brilliant

          Wouldn’t get a Dyson personally, we have an Animal bought out of habit & I am not at all impressed with it for the money , I have a £40 Titan wet/dry that does a better job

        • Reney says:
          24 Oct24 October 14:08

          I need to buy a new vacuum too and was going to buy a Dyson, had one before and liked it but the new ones are too heavy. Thanks for the recommendation on a Gtech, I think I am sold! Has either of you brought the handheld too? The stick is too big to use for the car. It is much cheaper to buy the pair on the official website.

          • AJA says:
            24 Oct24 October 16:39

            Not bought the Gtech hand held version as my mum paid £20 in Tesco clubcard vouchers for a no-name-brand (probably Chinese) corded hand held machine to do the stairs about a year ago. Seems to work well enough. I agree prices for the pair on gtech website are good though.

    • JDB says:
      24 Oct24 October 12:46

      Hopefully you’re not daft as a brush or a complete sucker so buy a proper hoover not a gimmicky thing on a stick and save several £100s

      • BuildBackBetter says:
        24 Oct24 October 12:58

        Which one would you suggest?

        • TGLoyalty says:
          24 Oct24 October 13:12

          None of them are up to much these days however. Miele was decent and honestly the wireless shark is actually much better than Dyson.

          • Super Secret Stuff says:
            24 Oct24 October 14:19

            Gtech is also much better than Dyson. Basically anything is better than a Dyson, I know because we brought one with a cheap insurance policy, it broke 3 times and they gave us a full refund which we put towards a Gtech

        • JDB says:
          24 Oct24 October 13:13

          I’m no expert on hoovers and it depends exactly what you need it for, but I like to think we have a very clean house and we have 2 x Bosch ones that are super powerful and have lasted for ages. We have had Dyson in the past, but they have proved to be all flash looks and no suction and don’t last. I have never tried to tie the posts to the people but I still can’t get over the lengths people here go to in order to save tiny sums or complain about price increases, test costs etc. but others are willing to spend £600 on a hoover, let alone a seriously overpriced one along with other Dyson products such as his fan or hairdryer. We could afford a £600 hoover but wouldn’t dream of spending that on one…

          • Harry T says:
            24 Oct24 October 16:23

            I hate it when the flashy lookers just can’t suck hard enough to get the job done.

      • ChrisC says:
        24 Oct24 October 13:47

        I have a Vax ‘stick’ and it’s great as it’s much lighter than a ‘propper’ one.

        Works like a charm and suits me down to the ground and much easier to use on stairs.

      • Lady London says:
        24 Oct24 October 14:50

        Good one JDB.

      • Reney says:
        24 Oct24 October 17:19

        @JDB I had a Henry long time ago. I found vacuuming the stairs with a corded vacuum balancing on a step to be very difficult and often results in bruises or a less than perfect job as difficult to reach whilst holding a very heavy machine. Also getting out various extension cables just to vacuum a small car is a pain. My parents will soon get to an age where lugging a Henry up and down the stairs is a bit too much work. I do think there is a case for stick vacuum.

    • Nick says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:15

      Would recommend you look at the eufy stick cleaners too, almost as good at a much lower price.

    • BP says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:31

      I bought a Chinese brand cordless vacuum and it’s been brilliant for the price. Dreame brand.

      • Anuj says:
        24 Oct24 October 15:54

        Dreame/xioami/Roborock are all just as good as gtech etc but much cheaper and a better design.

    • the_real_a says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:33

      Are they on the “refurbished” section for Dyson store eBay? Bought multiple product from there – the only thing thats refurbished is the motor. All plastics, battery and accessories are brand new. The product essentially is brand new with huge savings.

    • Youllnever says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:35

      Interested in the extended warranty experience as well – seems like no one has actually answered that bit of your question.

      • Harrier25 says:
        24 Oct24 October 15:49

        Never claimed on the Amex Green extended warranty but did cover our new washing machine when we brought it in June. Quite a seamless process. You need to call a special department at Brighton, give them all the details of the product, price, where brought etc, and within a few hours you receive an AXA warranty certificate by email.

        • Youllnever says:
          24 Oct24 October 15:58

          Do you know if the full amount needs to be paid on the card? For example, if you partially pay by gift card, can you still get the item covered?

          • Harrier25 says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:43

            Don’t know, you’ll need to ask Amex. I paid the full amount on the card.

          • JDB says:
            24 Oct24 October 18:59

            The terms aren’t specific so you need to ask Amex, but realistically, they are expecting you to use the card; they just haven’t mentioned part payment by the card. “This benefit applies to eligible registered items that have a valid manufacturer’s warranty and we repurchased on the Card Account from a retailer operating in the UK with premises at a UK address, and will provide You with one additional year’s warranty.” (this is copied and pasted – the obvious typo is in the published terms)

    • Yorkie Aid says:
      24 Oct24 October 14:05

      We had a Dyson Animal in the past. It didn’t last long and never worked that well at all. Just get a Henry. There’s a reason why so many hotels, cruise lines, builders, etc use them. They pick up everything and they last forever.

      • Lady London says:
        24 Oct24 October 14:57

        I’ve had the Henry since forever and it seems indestructible. It’s body is large though. If I bought anything else, based on feedback seen in a few places it would be a Gtech.

        I once saw an ad in a marketing industry site and it looked awfully like a firm in Malmesbury was looking for a fulltime person to write positive reviews of their products across social media. I’d recently declined an invitation to apply for a role there after checking feedback on glassdoor. Jus sayin

        • JDB says:
          24 Oct24 October 15:55

          Very interesting @LL! The product was quite good to start with (and not at such a premium price point) when they were the first with the bagless technology but everyone has caught up now, so they rely on marketing (and, from what you say ‘managing’ reviews) and wacky design. You have to admire them for turning a mundane product (usually kept hidden away, so limited ‘boasting’ value) into a ‘designer’ one in many people’s eyes, so they are willing to pay a big premium over products that offer better functionality at a fraction of the cost.

      • Peter K says:
        24 Oct24 October 15:30

        Old Henry’s are very good, the new ones are awful, really awful. Not just my opinion but that of several people I know who used to swear by them.

  • BuildBackBetter says:
    24 Oct24 October 12:54

    Has anyone used SmartShop on iPhone? Tells me I need to turn on ‘precise location’ in settings. Anyone know how to do that?

    • Simon Miller says:
      24 Oct24 October 13:30

      It’s impossible as there is no such setting in iOS 15. I actually called up about this yesterday and was asked if I was using an iPhone running iOS 15. I was then told it was an issue on Apple’s end and to let them know about it.

      Presume it will be fixed in an update to the app but you can’t use it at the moment with iOS 15.

      • Youllnever says:
        24 Oct24 October 13:33

        Oh my – lucky that I haven’t upgraded then after the slew of bugs being reported early on!

    • Anuj says:
      24 Oct24 October 15:57

      There is, when it asks for the location permission, above the mini map there’s a button on top left that says precise you press that and it toggles between precise and rough.

      Right now just go to settings > privacy > location> scroll to smart shop > toggle precise. If you don’t see it, delete app and do it the way I say in the para above.

      • Anuj says:
        24 Oct24 October 15:58

        FYI I’m on iOS 15

        • Simon Miller says:
          24 Oct24 October 22:09

          Thanks, just tried deleting and reinstalling (which I’ve tried before I think). I never get asked to share my location on opening the app and it’s still not showing up in the list of apps under Location Sharing in settings.

  • meta says:
    24 Oct24 October 13:17

    @HarryT I replied to you very late about my experience at Sheraton Grand.

    • Harry T says:
      24 Oct24 October 16:24

      Thanks! Will see if I can find it.

    • Harry T says:
      24 Oct24 October 16:27

      I’m very sorry you had such an awful experience. Sad to hear the hotel has gone downhill. FWIW I have stayed at the London EDITION during 2020 and again a couple of times this year. The hotel has maintained its very high standards and continued to be excellent recently, even when at full occupancy. So that’s my number one choice in London.

  • Adam says:
    24 Oct24 October 13:53

    Hi All wanted to get some thoughts on my situation below and see if there’s any other option than having to take a refund.
    Bought flights LHR MSY on 29 September 2020. Flights were for 9th Feb 2021 coming back 24th Feb.
    BA cancelled this flight as they have been doing for the past year. I rebooked it for flighing out on 2nd May 2021 coming back 21 Jun.
    Then they cancelled my rebooked flight and I left the booking alone.
    I’m now trying to rebook the flight for 17th November 2021. I called up the contact center yesterday and was told since the booking has been purged/expired I can only get a refund or voucher. Not a rebooking.
    Are there any policies in my favour here or am I out of luck? Flights are about £150 more expensive now so would much rather the rebooking.

    • Richie says:
      24 Oct24 October 14:49

      You are entitled to re-booking at a later date subject to seat availabilty. Nov 21 is a reasonable later date. Their stance is unreasonable, follow @meta’s advice.

      • Lady London says:
        24 Oct24 October 15:05

        …yes, actually subject to seat availability of any type provided it’s in same cabin. Doesn’t even need avios seat to be available even if you booked with avios, any seat being sold to anyone ie coming up on website for cash, you have a right to be rerouted into.

        If BA can’t provide you reroute on date convenient to you or, for example, says they’re not flying the route then they are still responsible for putting you on another airline. If they still won’t then claim on mcol either before or after the flight.

      • Definitas says:
        24 Oct24 October 17:04

        What is @Meta’s advice?

    • Lady London says:
      24 Oct24 October 15:00

      Perfectly reasonable you might not have known for a while, when you wanted to rebook to.

      They are being ar$es. Take it as far as it needs to go

  • Yorkshire Rich says:
    24 Oct24 October 13:59

    Can somebody tell me the easiest way to make sure my 14000 Accor points don’t expire very soon please. I know you can go to one of the properties and spend some money in there but I’m sure I’ve read before there are far easier and convenient ways.

    TIA
    Rich

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Learn more on our About page.

VAA

Latest comments

Latest Forum Posts

Get 30,000 points bonus with American Express Platinum

Amex Gold

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.3 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

Get 20,000 bonus points and your first year free with American Express Gold

Amex Gold