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The HfP chat thread – Monday 22nd November

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Comments (429)

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

  • Js says:
    22 Nov22 November 11:23

    Hello
    Does anyone know what covid checks are like when crossing land border from italy to Switzerland?
    Thanks

    • Billyk says:
      22 Nov22 November 17:02

      Came through in late October at Lugano and we were waved through just like per Covid. We travel to Greece twice a year (return trips) .

  • Mouse says:
    22 Nov22 November 11:38

    This has maybe been mentioned over the last few weeks – I haven’t been keeping up to date – sorry if old news – but I noticed today that the six month status extension promised by Virgin Atlantic in September is now showing in my account. Hopefully same for others.

  • Super Secret Stuff says:
    22 Nov22 November 11:43

    Funny how people can change within 3 days, me and the OH are trying again. Still got a pile of annual leave to use and want to go abroad. Any recommendations for places in Oman?

    Still like the sound of Sharm in Egypt but open to all sunny recomendations

    • Rob says:
      22 Nov22 November 11:46

      Alila in the mountains, see our review of Al Bustan on the beach, new Jumeirah beach resort about to open.

      • Super Secret Stuff says:
        22 Nov22 November 11:52

        Thanks

      • pauline says:
        22 Nov22 November 12:11

        when is the Jumeirah resort opening? Is it bookable yet?

        • Rob says:
          22 Nov22 November 12:13

          Dunno! Date has obviously been slipping given the long lockdown in Oman.

          • pauline says:
            22 Nov22 November 12:27

            thanks Oman is on my list for next year

          • Super Secret Stuff says:
            22 Nov22 November 13:09

            Oh I had no idea Oman was in lockdown! Damn it, there goes any prospect of a December getaway

          • Rob says:
            22 Nov22 November 14:00

            I didn’t say it IS in lockdown, I said the hotel was delayed due to the long lockdown.

          • blenz101 says:
            22 Nov22 November 13:26

            It has reopened its borders. You can get in currently from the UK subject to completing the relevant PCR tests, being vacinated and having insurance.

            Obviously entry from the UK/EU could well stop at any point or other restrictions introduced similar to the actions taken by Qatar who are a closely aligned to Qatar.

          • blenz101 says:
            22 Nov22 November 13:26

            Oman*

    • Jonathan says:
      22 Nov22 November 13:27

      Chedi is a bit more low key luxury than Al Bustan & would be my choice as child free couple but obviously no points potential.

      Definitely head into the mountains. The colours are beautiful at sunrise/set.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        22 Nov22 November 13:35

        While I liked the look of The chedi itself the surroundings really weren’t the best. It was also looking a little run down in parts, the Indian restaurant was great though.

    • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:
      22 Nov22 November 16:03

      Certainly get a 4×4 and get out exploring. Very easy county to drive in, good roads and almost no traffic outside Muscat.
      Anantara or Alila in the mountains for luxury. Worth getting out to Jebel Shams too. A desert camp is good fun. There are interesting forts and wadis to explore too.

  • stevenhp1987 says:
    22 Nov22 November 11:46

    Creation Data Point:

    Did a DSAR.

    It was processed after they Section 12’d me without giving a reason. The DSAR response never listed anything regarding my Section 12.

    I complained citing that the DSAR was incomplete.

    Got a letter telling me that the DSAR was complete and I have all the information and that I wouldn’t be receiving anything else. This letter doesn’t give me my FOS rights despite raising it as a complaint though…

    Complete joke.

    Also, on a side note, my local Co-Op closed on Saturday :/

    • JDB says:
      22 Nov22 November 12:33

      @stevenhp1987 – any complaint re the DSAR has to be directed to the ICO not the FOS. I think the ICO will confirm that the information you apparently seek is exempt as confidential business information. There is also no statutory requirement under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to provide any reasons/information about your account closure. Even if you did receive the info, where would it get you?

      • stevenhp1987 says:
        22 Nov22 November 12:59

        Not sure how it would be exempt? The reason for the Section 12 must be on my file somewhere. They cannot just claim a breach and not substantiate it. It’s not confidential information to restrict access to said information. I didn’t even have any notes on my file saying I was Section 12’d!

        I simply would like to know why they closed the account.

        • JDB says:
          22 Nov22 November 13:29

          You can complain to the ICO, but if you look on the ICO website you will see within the long list of exemptions that it is the type of information, like credit decisions, that they don’t have to provide.

          • stevenhp1987 says:
            22 Nov22 November 14:41

            It’s not a credit decision though. They are saying my account is closed under Section 12 (breach of contract). Therefore said breach must be on my files, even if just very vague.

        • blenz101 says:
          22 Nov22 November 13:34

          Are you sure they used section 12? The letters didn’t give any reason for the closure just the required notice under S14. i.e. two months notice and you are out.

          Any reason for closing a swathe of cards is going to be commerically confidential. Could be they changed their lending criteria, could be customer level of profitability, could be using the card for services they are unhappy with etc.

          Like JDB I fail to see where this is going to get you. You have been told you are not wanted, they have given you the required notice and now your DSAR.

          They are open for new applications, perhaps come back in 12 months time.

          • stevenhp1987 says:
            22 Nov22 November 14:30

            Yup. I was given a notice under Section 14. A few days after that my card was closed citing Section 12. The Section 12 letter is as informative as the Section 14 one was!

            They zero’d my balance by giving me a “goodwill compensation” of £63.35

        • JDB says:
          22 Nov22 November 13:46

          By the way, if you are planning to go to the FOS about something other than the account closure, have you expressly rejected the goodwill payment they gave you on closure? If you haven’t, that might be deemed tacit acceptance/settlement.

          • stevenhp1987 says:
            22 Nov22 November 14:31

            I did actually tell them on the phone it was odd & to add to the complaint that they simply cannot add a goodwill compensation to close the balance and that I don’t accept it as an appropriate amount for the account closure or any of my open complaints.

          • stevenhp1987 says:
            22 Nov22 November 14:36

            * You make a good point about ensuring that’s on record, as Creation have been known to lie, so I’ve just emailed them back saying I see there is a goodwill compensation on the account but this doesn’t cover the costs of what I am owed and that I do not accept this as settlement for any of my concerns/their wrongdoings.

        • Andrew says:
          22 Nov22 November 14:33

          Keep plugging away at it, request a face to face meeting, and make the formal complaint to the ICO. Despite JDB’s hand-wringing support of Creation, you’re not asking for anything unreasonable.

          As a finance professional, albeit not in the trade anymore, I’d want to know the detailed reason for account closure and would be making a real nuisance of myself. Even if that meant stalking their directors or Data Guardian and hammering on their front doors at 6am. (I don’t have a Creation Card, but I have done the stalkery bit with other organisations.)

          You may find yourself complaining to the FOS that Creation aren’t responding to your complaint to the ICO.

          • Rui N. says:
            22 Nov22 November 15:57

            Steve, in additional to what Andrew said, please also note that under the DPA (the UK version of the EU GDPR) if they withhold any information under a DSAR they need to tell you as much and provide a reason. They cannot just withhold information and let you guessing if it’s all in there or not.

          • David says:
            22 Nov22 November 16:33

            Some of these responses are becoming like the Daily Mail swivel-eyed comments section. At least they have their own unique entertainment value.

          • Blenz101 says:
            22 Nov22 November 19:31

            It can’t be long before we get our first vexatious litigant on the site.

          • Lady London says:
            22 Nov22 November 23:00

            Or indeed our first really vexatious card provider.. ie Creation. Still taking £99 fee from people they’re closing in 2 months? Really?

  • Duncan says:
    22 Nov22 November 11:52

    If redeeming an AMB free weekend night, do you get qualifying points for the room rate for the night(s) that weren’t free?

  • Anon says:
    22 Nov22 November 12:12

    For travel to Singapore (terrified now after reading Polly’s story), what mandatory insurance cover is best. Have people just been purchasing from the recommended list of providers given to you with your VTP or is there a UK based insurer that works out better? (I checked HSBC Premier and didn’t seem to meet the cover requirements, but I also have Amex Platinum)

    • Richie says:
      22 Nov22 November 12:37

      What exactly do you want cover for? Is there an opportunity for some self insurance?

      • Anon says:
        22 Nov22 November 14:00

        As part of travelling to Singapore as a non-resident / citizen you must have COVID-19 insurance (that immigration will ask to see) covering up to SGD 30,000 I think. They provide some options to buy that are not too expensive but I wanted to know if any travel insurance I already had would cover this

        • Polly says:
          22 Nov22 November 15:55

          Good luck with your trip..we just took a copy of our bank insurance paperwork with us. Didn’t ask to see it.

  • n_g says:
    22 Nov22 November 12:22

    Apologies as this question has probably been asked numerous times over the past few weeks but I have not been very active here:

    Has anyone found any restaurants within the Amex £200 deal where a voucher can be purchased. It’s looking less and less likely that we’ll be in a position to utilise the deal prior to the end of the year so trying to see of there’s an alternative option.

    • Simon says:
      22 Nov22 November 12:32

      why dont you call the restaurant where u want to go. explain the situation. and ask for a credit note for future booking. even better if you book the table at the same time….. dont know many businesses that will not take early payment if you ask nicely.

      • n_g says:
        22 Nov22 November 13:17

        Not having any immediate plan on where and when to go is part of the problem but this could be a last resort.

        • TGLoyalty says:
          22 Nov22 November 13:37

          But obviously you need to make that choice if you’re buying a gift voucher …

    • APPL says:
      22 Nov22 November 12:46

      There were reports of people being credited ok for vouchers bought in Ivy and Hawksmoor (in restaurants, not online).

      • Rob says:
        22 Nov22 November 12:59

        I’ve not seen any of these reports.

        • APPL says:
          22 Nov22 November 13:18

          Sorry, I should’ve said it wasn’t here, but there is a recent post on FB UK Platinum cardholders group. If I don’t end up using the offer anywhere in the next two weeks, I’ll probably end up buying vouchers too, so will report.

          • blenz101 says:
            22 Nov22 November 13:42

            Almost all reports on here from the same venues are that the resturant process gift cards via a separate system rather than the PDQ machines.

            This would make sense as otherwise one resturant would end up banking the GC money and another just gives away product. Holding it all centrally on account also will presumably allow them to more easily track how much is expiring and can be banked as profit for the group.

      • n_g says:
        22 Nov22 November 13:19

        I might be able to squeeze in a trip to an ivy for brunch in the next few weekends and enquire about adding a voucher to the bill.

        I assume there have been no reports of this offer working in the Wimbledon branch that isn’t listed

      • Neil Spellings says:
        22 Nov22 November 15:50

        Has anyone had the offer work at any of the other Hawkmoors? I notice that only one is listed on the Amex site, despite there being a selection of them.

    • Gavin says:
      22 Nov22 November 13:22

      Hawksmoor and Gaucho should be OK if you buy a voucher in person (make sure the branch is on the list though). I’ve done it at both for previous Amex offers and it all went through fine.

  • Michael C says:
    22 Nov22 November 12:30

    Manchester airport pre-flight hotel night: bearing in mind they all look a bit grim, should I just go for the GBP39 Prem. rather than paying a hundred quid more for room & b-f at the slightly more conveniently-located but no cheerier-looking Doubletree?!
    We have a long-stay park in T3 booked and hope to go into Manchester centre for the evening, also making the Hilton location better…but I’m guessing we can just Uber from the Premier Inn into town?

    • Anna says:
      22 Nov22 November 12:50

      Hi Michael C – we usually stay at the Doubletree (as it is now), it’s actually less grim once you get inside. It’s usually available for 30k HH points and a 5 minute walk to the terminals (now they’ve pulled the shuttle bus permanently). The breakfast is decent and you’ll get plenty of bottled water and cookies as a HH member.
      Also – I’m gold and always managed to get upgraded to a family room when I book a standard room on points, if you call or message them before your stay they are very responsive and accommodating, don’t think they see to many status members.

      • Anna says:
        22 Nov22 November 12:55

        Though having said all that, if you haven’t got a really early start and you’re driving to the T3 parking anyway the morning of your flight, yeah I’d probably go for the £39 PI 🤣

      • DarrenS says:
        22 Nov22 November 14:19

        We used the Doubletree shuttle bus about 3 weeks ago. Has it been pulled since?

        • Anna says:
          22 Nov22 November 14:38

          Well that’s interesting! I was told in the summer they weren’t going to re-instate it after lockdown because they couldn’t afford to run it. Maybe they had so many complaints they changed their mind. That’s good news for us if that’s the case as we have quite a few night-before stays booked for next year.

          • David says:
            22 Nov22 November 16:37

            I thought you lived in Manchester/Greater Manchester? Why on earth would you need to stay at the airport the night before?
            We’re 35, 40 mins from the airport out in the shires and would never dream of it.

          • Anna says:
            22 Nov22 November 18:05

            We’re about an hour away, and I hate early starts!

      • Michael C says:
        22 Nov22 November 15:10

        Thanks, Anna, had a feeling you’d have it all sussed!
        Btw any plan B for Berlin…?

        • Anna says:
          22 Nov22 November 16:04

          Chester! Just over an hour’s drive, no mask requirements, as much shopping as we can fit in the car, got the Doubletree Hotel and Spa just outside the city for 40k points pn on a weekend when cash prices in most cities are well above £200. Spa access free for golds & platinums. So not too unhappy!

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