The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 2nd November

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• Thywillbedone says:

  2 Nov2 November 17:25

  Question re Expresstest: have used once them before with no issue on a fit to fly test. Purchased two home tests for Day 2 arrivals but have not been able to use either as they don’t have the necessary QR code to scan which the new Expresstest app requires. An attempt to activate the test online failed as it asks for a dry swab barcode that doesn’t match with anything on the packaging sent. Unusually, the test is Hughes Healthcare whereas previous test was in Expresstest packaging.

  Am I wasting my time doing the test now (today is Day 2). Should I just chargeback the amount paid and forget it? I am not flying again for another 6 weeks but don’t want any issues with an uncompleted test (I have heard varying reports that this will/won’t be an issue).

  Thanks all.

• Pete1968 says:

  2 Nov2 November 18:02

  @Anna – OK, Jack Reacher has peaked? I suggest you try Elmore Leonard & Donald E. Westlake. Both superb.

  • Anna says:

    2 Nov2 November 18:30

    I will put them on the list, thanks!

    • Anna says:

      2 Nov2 November 18:49

      Daniel Silva is also very readable.

  • BJ says:

    2 Nov2 November 20:12

    Peaked over 10 years ago, been downhill since.

• Pete1968 says:

  2 Nov2 November 18:18

  Just switched to First Direct for the free £100. Switched-out donor a/c was Barclays, as I don’t need the cheap lounge passes these days, though the travel plus pack is great value if you can use all the bits (not just lounge passes: + travel insurance, + car breakdown insurance).

  Looking at the FD debit card: why is there a funny sort of half oval missing on the right hand side? https://www1.firstdirect.com/help/bank-accounts/debit-card/mastercard/

  • JDB says:

    2 Nov2 November 18:24

    It’s apparently to help blind/partially sighted people

  • Youllnever says:

    2 Nov2 November 18:30

    Isn’t it £130?

    • Pete1968 says:

      2 Nov2 November 18:34

      Looks like I messed up – £130 is for 1st Account, I just went for the basic current a/c.

      • Youllnever says:

        2 Nov2 November 18:37

        How do you apply for a basic account? I’m only seeing the 1st account on the website?

        • Pete1968 says:

          2 Nov2 November 18:44

          I did it through MSE, maybe I’ll get £130 but I’d be surprised.

  • Anna says:

    2 Nov2 November 18:33

    You don’t get many perks with FD but CS has been consistently superb for the nearly 30 years I’ve been with them, have current account, savings and mortgage with them. The new debit card is quirky!

    • Pete1968 says:

      2 Nov2 November 18:37

      It’s a case of I’m only here for the beer: I will switch out again for another bribe as soon as I get my £100.

      • Anna says:

        2 Nov2 November 18:52

        I had a FD joint account and a sole account, moved the sole account to M & S then to Halifax for the perks but keep the FD joint account for main banking.

    • BJ says:

      2 Nov2 November 20:24

      I thought the CS was rubbish and the need to do so much via telephone was painstaking. Perfectly legitimate grounds for me to take the cash for leaving too. Only conclusion I could reach was that customer satisfaction with FD was akin to skodas and ladas coming out near the top of Top Gear car satisfaction surveys year after year.

  • BJ says:

    2 Nov2 November 20:15

    Correct @JDB. Several of my cards have it already. FD just increased tne switching bonus to £130.

    • Pete1968 says:

      2 Nov2 November 20:23

      Probably too late for me – but at least we got (family) 4x £80-£85 on the LBG life insurance giveaway – which I am sorry to tell others has now ended.

      = £320-£340 in free Amazon credit.

      • BJ says:

        2 Nov2 November 20:28

        Did you get any email or postal confirmation of your policies Pete? I applied via Halifax app but no confirmation received yet. Four policies was a good haul.

        • Pete1968 says:

          2 Nov2 November 20:30

          No – but I wouldn’t worry – as soon as the first £5 goes out, you’ll know you’re in the money.

        • BJ says:

          2 Nov2 November 20:50

          Thanks, monitoring DD here too.

• J says:

  2 Nov2 November 18:22

  @Rob (or anyone)

  How typical is it for BA to open up I availability on flights that have 9+ seats in J or C class (i.e. NAS) closer to the flight time?

  Thanks!

  • Anna says:

    2 Nov2 November 18:37

    Presume you mean award seats? Before the pandemic it was very, very rare for more than 2 CW seats to appear on that route. I did a search recently just out of curiosity when we triggered one of the new BAPP vouchers and no extra availability showed. It will be interesting to see what happens if and when travel gets back to previous levels.

    • J says:

      2 Nov2 November 18:45

      Exactly!

      There’s practically an empty cabin on the outbound dates for J/C/R Fare class but I believe it has to be U or I with high seats for the companion voucher/avios bookings

      • Anna says:

        2 Nov2 November 18:55

        It’s also the GCM route so between there and NAS BA know they extract very high cash fares out of people as most pax seem to be residents or business travellers. I don’t think we’ve ever sat next another leisure traveller on that route, I usually end up being asked how we ended up choosing GCM as a holiday destination!

        • Anna says:

          2 Nov2 November 18:58

          Also – if you’re desperate to go in J, a decent option is to go via MIA and get a very short connecting flight.

        • J says:

          2 Nov2 November 19:20

          MIA would be a last resort as I am going with my older parents + the faff of going via the US and collecting all luggage + going through security etc again.

  • BJ says:

    2 Nov2 November 20:31

    Very untypical but sometimes strange stuff happens. HfP and FT is your best early warning system.

• Paul says:

  2 Nov2 November 18:30

  Re. the BA Accelerating Business Card, are the additional OnBusiness points earned on the BA purchase itself , and moved across with the monthly Avios transfer, or earned when the flight is flown, if booked on the BA Biz Card??

  • Memesweeper says:

    2 Nov2 November 22:38

    It *was* earned on the purchase , but it’s been a bazillion years since I made a qualifying purchase so things might have changed…

• Pete1968 says:

  2 Nov2 November 18:50

  Xmas we are Bristol Ryanair and recently have also been Luton Wizz, ie avoiding BA LHR because of the queueing coming back to UK. Despite the ‘free’ Avios tickets.

  Any indication Border Force will get its act together?

  • Anna says:

    2 Nov2 November 19:00

    Same here, both trips this summer were with FR and both times we were through passport control in a few minutes at MAN T1. Felt very pleased I made that choice, especially as I had an exit row to myself on the 4 1/2 hour flight to TFS!

    • Pete1968 says:

      2 Nov2 November 19:07

      No problems for us @ Bristol after a few months in the sun; my wife and 2 kids went backwards & forwards a few times over the summer but never had any issues/ delays coming back (Bristol & Luton).

      Beats the LHR horror stories – and the flights were only about £10 🙂

• Shaw West says:

  2 Nov2 November 19:06

  Re: Amex Travel. Does flight booking with Amex travel gives 2 * MR ?

  • Youllnever says:

    2 Nov2 November 19:19

    Depends which card you use – 2x for most cards, 3x for Gold.

    • Shaw West says:

      2 Nov2 November 19:20

      Platinum

      • Youllnever says:

        2 Nov2 November 19:22

        Yeah that’ll be 2x

        • Shaw West says:

          2 Nov2 November 19:22

          🙂 thank you

• John says:

  2 Nov2 November 19:28

  TXL charming, if slightly dilapidated in a few corners, friendly staff, a few minutes from the city centre.

  BER…

  https://beta.dw.com/en/berlins-ber-airport-coliform-bacteria-found-in-drinking-water/a-59699783

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