Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

The HfP chat thread – Saturday 6th November

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.

Comments (255)

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

  • roberto says:

    Question on the Hilton Power up Promotion.

    I stayed 4 nights recently booked via Emyr on his Impresario rate which give 2 x Bonus points. I also paid with my hilton Card.

    So I got a Base Point 11066
    Diamond Bonus 11066
    Power Up Bonus 11066
    Impresario Bonus 11066

    Should I also be getting 11066 for using my Hilton Card? I can’t get my early morning head around what the promotion terms actually mean.

  • Mark says:

    Anyone knows if Amex will send a replacement card to an address outside of the UK?

    • Rich says:

      Yes, they pride themselves on it. I had one sent to the CP and SIN and it was waiting for me when I checked in.

    • Memesweeper says:

      Not sure if it’s still part of the service, but a couple of decades ago Player 2 picked up a replacement card from their representative office abroad. Very swift replacement for a stolen card and TCs.

    • AL says:

      Recent experience suggests no, or at least mine did. Lost my Gold abroad a few months ago – wallet stolen. Apply Pay updated instantly (as always happens) but physical card only available when I arrived home – did let me choose if I wanted DHL or RM to deliver, which was a nice touch!

    • A says:

      Yep. Sent a replacement platinum metal card via DHL to me in the US. Was in my hand within 48s at no cost to me.

  • mark2 says:

    Amex statement credit received for Morrison’s purchase on 26th October.

    • David says:

      Hope you double/ triple dipped. I don’t have AMEX at the moment but got RBS rewards (10%), Airtime Rewards (10%) and Virgin shop miles (8/£) for my Morrison spend buying Amazon vouchers.

      • mark2 says:

        I did not get Virgin miles this time and never seem to be offered anything on Airtime!

      • Andrew H says:

        I receive a random amount of Virgin points that are around 1.5/£ not 8/£…

        I queried this and they want a shop receipt – the credit card one was no good. They said vouchers don’t count… so there’s no point me trying to get the missing 6.5/£ ish…

        Nothing credited on Amex yet…

    • BuildBackBetter says:

      Same here. Happy days!

  • Sam says:

    I received the letter from curve asking for all my statements, etc within 10 days or else. I don’t really see the point when I am guilty as charged.
    However I upgraded monthly to curve metal a week ago (and have utilised). Can I stop the monthly debits or will curve revoke my minimum 6 month term? Any chance if I say no more ns&i from now on they’ll let me off. Thanks

    • John says:

      If your account is getting closed then stop paying

    • TGLoyalty says:

      If It’s just a KYC. Most of the time you hear nothing else.

      If it’s about cash recycling then yeah probably game over.

    • Andrew H says:

      NS&I didn’t work recently for me with VACC+/Metal. It used to

      (Only a few hundred £ for premium bonds to keep)

  • Mycity says:

    Are BA still extending the 241 vouchers from 2 years to 2.5 years or has this now stopped? Thanks

    • Anna says:

      For vouchers earned up to the end of this year.

      • Mycity says:

        Thanks Anna, my voucher needs triggering before end February, I may as well trigger it this year. and get 2.5 years instead of 2 then.

  • AnotherUser says:

    Need a day 2 lateral flow test for 2 people, which gives an instant number to enter onto the PLF. Any recommendations?

  • Paul Pogba says:

    British Airways threatens to move Heathrow flights abroad in fees row

    Luis Gallego, chief executive of BA’s owner IAG, said that he would be forced to cut investment in Heathrow if it presses ahead with plans to hike fees by as much as 90pc.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/11/05/british-airways-threatens-move-heathrow-flights-abroad-fees/

    Would this in practice mean shifting planes to Madrid? From an IAG perspective it would make sense since Iberia is doing better than BA irrespective of the fees.

    • Anna says:

      Madrid but not other UK airports like MAN?!

      • Paul Pogba says:

        That would make sense if BA were making the decision in isolation but it looks like Luis Gallego (IAG) is being set up as the bad cop in negotiations with HAL not “Sean” of BA.

        In the Paul Pogba hair brained world I would use low interest rates to go for vertical integration and buy Gatwick, (Luton or Stansted) as a Oneworld western Europe hub and bin Heathrow off. Coordinate all BA domestic, and BA, FY, QR, IB, AA international flights in one hub. Huge gamble as it would mean giving up crown jewels at Heathrow but it would allow the alliance to take greater responsibility for product standard and access all revenue generated by flights.

        • Richie says:

          How would they finance purchase of an airport that’s big enough?

          • Paul Pogba says:

            Its hair brained (I accept it would never happen) possibly not just for financial reasons but also due to monopolistic concerns. Anyway IAG generated profit of €3.2bn in 2019, in 2018 Vinci purchased 50.01% of LGW for £2.9bn – so you leverage some of that profit and you could have purchased a large stake plus get a *small* amount of buy in from other Oneworld airlines (AA, FY, QR, QF) for an alliance controlling interest. Also there should be a profit in selling LHR slots, and buying those already operating at LGW.

            But that is obviously the huge gamble, you’d leave a vacuum for Star or SkyTeam to park their tanks at Heathrow. That and a pandemic collapsing the revenue of a highly leveraged corporate structure.

          • John says:

            Rights issue?

        • Will says:

          I’m not sure the competition authority would be happy with an airline owning an airport.

          • AL says:

            And, if they bought Stansted, they’d have to pay MAG/MAGO off. Since they’re owned at least in part by LAs, not sure that will be an easy sale.

        • Memesweeper says:

          Stansted would need something crazy expensive like a maglev into central London to make it competitive with Heathrow.

          Gatwick is OK for lots of Londoners but significantly less attractive for flyers from elsewhere in Heathrow’s catchment.

          Do airlines ever buy airports? There’s nothing stopping an alliance paying an airport for their own terminal, better facilities and so on. But the slots themselves are subject to all manner of regulation, and you can’t just buy them, even if you do own the airport.

        • Lady London says:

          Poorer transport from those other airports. Gatwick has the train but apart from that it’s out in the sticks.

          Good idea though as a strategy by IAG to sort greedy Heathrow owners out. That’s exactly what Ryanait did with Stansted. Stansted used to be a quiet ex-military airport that hosted a few charter flights. (I know, because I was a ground courier meeting some of those flights). Then Ryanair moved in.

  • Optimus Prime says:

    £5 bonus on £15 spend at any of our retailers with code (first 5000 members only) @ Airtime Rewards

    Code BONFIRE

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