The HfP chat thread – Wednesday 27th October

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N says:

27 Oct27 October 08:41

flying from terminal 5 with no BA status but i do have a priority pass through my amex platinum card. what’s the verdict on the Club Aspire lounge in terminal 5?
- Blenz101 says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 08:47
  
  https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2021/06/21/review-club-aspire-lounge-london-heathrow-terminal-5/
  - N says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 09:54
    
    thanks!
- Rhys says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 08:52
  
  I see Blenz has beaten me to it!
- Lady London says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 11:16
  
  The answer to this question is Plaza Premium.
  The next answer is Gordon Ramsay’s.
  The next best answer after those, is Fortnum’s little cafe or Pret depending on your budget.
  - Lady London says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 11:18
    
    Plaza Premium using Amex Plat not pp btw
- A says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 13:27
  
  Aspire is awful. Head to plaza premium and show your platinum card (not PP – it isn’t accepted).
Paul says:

27 Oct27 October 08:42

I’m sure this will have already been answered within previous comments and apologies to start another “Bendy” thread, however I’m wondering what the situation is now with topping up Ernie? Is Metal or Fronted now required?
- Blenz101 says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 08:47
  
  Yes as per their recent communication. There are also limits, I think about 10k per month.
  - Paul says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 08:57
    
    So I need to get Metal now, although the maths still make sense? Not sure why but I assumed the changes came into effect in December. Thanks for clarifying
    - Blenz101 says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 09:06
      
      “We’ve clarified that payments to NS&I (National Savings & Investments) are Curve Fronted transactions when you use a credit card as your underlying funding card. If you make payments to NS&I by credit card, you need to turn on Curve Fronted in the app. Please note that a 1.5% fee applies to Curve Fronted transactions unless you are a Metal customer (which has a fee free limit of £10,000.00). We will be applying the 1.5% Curve Fronted fee to NS&I transactions from 7 October 2021.”
    - Blenz101 says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 09:08
      
      I doubt the maths makes sense in most cases given Curve is unable to support Amex.
      - Andrew H says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 09:16
        
        Still supports VACC+ I believe which is just about as good as Amex (assuming you want to be able to fly Virgin)
    - Jimbob says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 09:23
      
      1.5% charge after the first £10k which is fee free, on the metal card comes into effect from 1st December.
      Maths aren’t as great, but still works
      - BuildBackBetter says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 10:01
        
        Do the limits numbers in app show how much we used out of 10k?
      - Ambient says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 11:07
        
        Anyone with any recent info as to how long it is taking for Curve to investigate and re-enable your account, following the seemingly automatic suspension of your Curve card nowadays if you pay into Ernie with it? [For ref: Metal customer, no MS, but have regularly topped up this way until recent tribulations]
      - Paul says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 11:23
        
        I’m not Metal! If I upgrade to Metal now, will I be able to take advantage of the fee free limit through to 1st Dec?
- Char Char says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:50
  
  I hope they are going to give some warning as to what is fronted and what isn’t
- Cyril says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 12:34
  
  Her Indoors has 50k that she wants to transfer to Ernie. Plan is to open a Beardy+ and transfer the monthly credit limit to Ernie via Bendy Heavy. Presumably you’d need to throw in some traditional spending to prevent Beardy getting the hump?
  Unless I’m missing something obvious, the maths seems to work for us: £160 + (?12 months x £15) for 90k Beardys (with sign-up bonus) + the companion voucher.
  - Yorkie Aid says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 14:10
    
    Assuming Beardy gives you a high enough credit limit
Gtellez says:

27 Oct27 October 08:45

Good morning, a couple of unrelated questions:
1. Amex BA offer spend 5k get 10k avios, how long does it take to show? I reach the spending last week and nothing yet.
2. Virgin credit card: I recently apply for the premium card during the 30k bonus points. How long does it take to receive the first 15k points? Does virgin work as BA where the points are only posted once a month? Or do they post when the transaction happens?

Then, an unrelated topic, I apply for the Amex Marriott on Monday to get the 15 nights and renew Titanium (I know quite unfortunate just a day before they renew the status for everybody, although still worth the fee for the free 40k points night certificate) and yesterday, just a day after applying, got these nights deposited in my Marriott account.
- Reeferman says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:04
  
  Q1
  I reached the spend requirement last week too (can’t remember the day, but I got a message from Amex telling me so) and my points posted overnight – so imagine yours will post this week
  - Gtellez says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 11:42
    
    Thanks. I have not received the email from Amex yet, I’ll wait few more days.
- Gary says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:05
  
  1. Click “avios to be transferred” when you are at online account Home Screen, 10,000 bonus will show there if achieved. Transfer to BAEC will be at the next sweep when statement is generated.
  2. VA R+ points post once a month
- TedL says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 12:02
  
  Does spending on a supp card contribute to the £5k?
Gormlesstraveller says:

27 Oct27 October 08:45

On Business – if your account has no activity, do they close it after 24 months or 36 months?
- Christina says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 08:55
  
  Yes they do
  - Christina says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 08:57
    
    24 months
    - Gormlesstraveller says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 09:16
      
      Thank you. The HFP article says 3rd anniversary which confused me.
Dave says:

27 Oct27 October 08:46

Anyone know how long Virgin card cash back takes to show?

I made a Morrisons purchase on Monday and no cash back showing yet.

Thanks.
- Andrew says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 08:59
  
  Usually within 2-3 days, but not more than a fortnight.
- Andrew H says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:17
  
  Mine is showing from yesterday – but this is the portal, not the card (used Amex to hopefully stack). Showing the wrong amount though
- BuildBackBetter says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 10:01
  
  3 days
- Reney says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 11:25
  
  Usually the day or so after the transaction comes off pending, and then about 30 days before it pays out.
Sammy says:

27 Oct27 October 08:50

Data point – no issues with home PCR test at Etihad check in for Abu Dhabi.
Brian Leworthy says:

27 Oct27 October 08:51

Good Morning we are flying to US 16th Dec my Wife has recovered from Covid recently and we are concerned as we have been told that she could likely test positive for Covid for a further 90 days after her recovery. It is showing on her NHS app that she is double jabbed and also that she has recovered from Covid. Does she therefore need to test? and is her recovery from Covid on her NHS app good enough to allow her to fly to US?
- Rhys says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 08:54
  
  I took a PCR test approx. 1.5 weeks after recovering from Covid and it didn’t show up, but I admit it probably varies person to person.
  
  Not entirely clear what happens if you do test positive having recovered. You might want to do an NHS test and see what happens first.
  - A says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 13:29
    
    A letter from a “licensed healthcare professional” stating you have recovered is acceptable with a positive test.
- Andrew says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:22
  
  For the US you’re much better to take a LFT for this scenario and you can also do a home test before you go to get your proper one to check your status.
- Alison Day says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:35
  
  There is some guidance on the CDC website. The site states “if you recently recovered from COVID-19, you may instead travel with documentation of recovery from COVID-19 (i.e., your positive COVID viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the flight’s departure from a foreign country AND a letter from a licensed health care professional or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel”. Further down the page there is a FAQ section which states this travels American citizens and non-citizens. Unsure if the NHS App suffices? Hope your wife has recovered…
- Sarah says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:47
  
  I recorded a negative PCR test about 3 weeks after recovery but if you can take a lateral flow test I would go with that option.
- Lyn says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 17:19
  
  I can see that someone else has mentioned the CDC guidelines, but here is their current link, updated on October 25 in case it is useful.
  
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
Ant says:

27 Oct27 October 09:03

Morning, just checking can you take candles in hand luggage?
- Neil says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:07
  
  I’ve seen them taken from people at security before so I’d say its a risk
- Blenz101 says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 09:11
  
  Solid wax will be fine. If you have a gel type wax then this is going to be classed as a liquid so will need to be under 100ml and fit in a clear plastic bag.
  - Andrew H says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 09:19
    
    Once witnessed an argument at Luton Airport security with Marmite being confiscated as a liquid.
    
    Why would you take Marmite anyway – maybe I can just about understand that, but people take things like bacon abroad because they have to have their English breakfast.
    
    I bet the Marmite carrier since voted Brexit…
    - Sam G says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 09:27
      
      Stansted recently told me anything spreadable is a liquid. I find UK airports very strict on this vs elsewhere in the world & don’t get me started on it needing to be the right type of plastic bag!(though at least they are free there)
      - Soloflyer1977 says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 09:35
        
        I had a large Nutella jar confiscated at LHR a number of years ago. It was one of those personalised ones for Mother’s Day. My mother got an upgrade in the form of flowers that year!
      - Rhys says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 09:37
        
        Yes, I’ve had nutella confiscated before….
      - JDB says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 09:35
        
        I saw three security officers discussing with a passenger whether piccalilli was a liquid or a solid! He was eventually allowed to keep it.
      - Can says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 10:21
        
        I’d eat the whole jar of Nutella there!
      - Niall says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 15:01
        
        I had a disagreement at Heathrow because they confiscated course pate. He said anything spreadable as if this was the law. I googled it and expressed that this was made up, as well as the course pate really not being spreadable.
      - Niall says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 15:02
        
        *coarse!
    - Elguiri says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 09:37
      
      When I lived in Germany, I was asked by a lot of German colleagues to bring back jars of marmite, cadburys dairy milk, Xmas puddings, brandy butter and mince pies.
      - Pete M says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 10:38
        
        My case is full of Christmas puddings bound for Germany tomorrow – I am treating them to F&M this year!
      - JandeW says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 15:23
        
        Not to mention haggis for Burns NIght!! Once flew back to Moscow with 20 haggis in my case!!
    - Paul Pogba says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 10:06
      
      1. If it was a 125ml jar it should have been under the 100ml limit due to marmite being a higher density than water.
      2. What has Brexit got to do with yeast extract spreads?
      3. Vegemite is better.
      - Guernsey Globetrotter says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 11:56
        
        3 – This!
      - Tracey says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 12:47
        
        125g may be less than125ml, but a 125ml jar will be 125ml!
    - Lady London says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 11:46
      
      Seen that kind of thing a lot. Can be as bad in Europe. The machines flag it and can even flag, say a soft but not really soft cheese like Brie, as a liquid. Confiscation follows.
      
      If it was Marmite and not Vegemite, I wouldn’t worry 🙂
      - Lyn says:
        
        27 Oct27 October 17:32
        
        I once had to check in an otherwise empty foldable bag just to take some roquefort requested by a friend in England after it was rejected by French airport security.
        
        I had the opposite situation years before that with BA check-in at another French airport. They told me my hand luggage looked too heavy and asked me to take out some things and put them in my suitcase. When I started taking out the roquefort destined for the same friend their French gourmet sensibilities were very offended. They told me to put it back in my hand luggage immediately and and just make it look light!
- Paasan69 says:
  
  27 Oct27 October 10:33
  
  About a year ago I ended up in heated discussion at security in LHR where they wanted me to put all my contact lenses for a month into the plastic bag. Managed to argue my way out and explain that contact lenses are considered medication. Told the supervisor (that sided with his colleague on the spot) to go and check this but declined. Never happened before or since. Assume a very eager security guard wanting to prove they could do their job so they wouldn’t be made redundant when lockdown 2.0 started.
  - Anna says:
    
    27 Oct27 October 10:56
    
    They must have recently transferred from MAN security. I once had a clean and dry re-usable coffee mug pulled out and swabbed “because it may at some time have come into contact with liquid”. I managed to resist pointing out that all my clothes had also at one time, come into contact with liquid. But these are the folk who can miss a pipe bomb …
    - BP says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 11:47
      
      I got held up for 45 minutes at MAN security because I was apparently meant to take my laptop travel mouse out of my bag. No other airport cares!!
    - Lady London says:
      
      27 Oct27 October 11:48
      
      Anna I am speechless about that coffee mug!
      
      Couldn’t you move house to avoid Manchester Airport security?