The HfP chat thread – Saturday 27th November

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• Mick S says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:07

  For info only – I’ve noticed BA have meddled with the points balances in our family account. My wife has lost 55 points, and my son has lost 7. My account has gone up 62. Perhaps that’s why the upgrade took so long – there were just moving points about for no good reason. 🙂

  • Andy says:

    27 Nov27 November 13:36

    If you have a household account and booked an Avios redemption then they would have taken points out based on the balance of each. It happened to me last week

    • Mick S says:

      27 Nov27 November 17:27

      I get that Andy, but Ive not done an Avios redemption for quite a while now, and doesnt explain why they put the points back.

• Lammy52 says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:09

  How long are BAPP Avios taking to post on BAEC? I have usual transfer on 22nd from Amex but still not credited. TIA

  • JimmyJimmy says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:23

    I was just about to ask similar, do the points transfer automatically and when or have I missed something, do I need to set something up? I’ve had nothing transfer since opening late sept.
    Ta
    J

  • Reeferman says:

    27 Nov27 November 13:05

    Am in the same situation – I have a large balance (thanks to the spend £5k get 10,000 AVIOS deal) that also left BAPP on 22nd Nov but has yet to appear in my BAEC account.
    Hopefully will turn-up in the coming days – or weeks!

  • Scott says:

    27 Nov27 November 15:14

    It normally takes 1 or 2 days, but over the IT down period, my automatic monthly transfer took 5 days to arrive.

• Tom says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:10

  Odd question, but are the showers any good at LHR T5 in the standard BA club lounge? (Not first lounge since I’m a lowly Silver!).

  Having been in the lounge a hundred times, I’ve never needed and therefore noticed the showers. Have a flight at 20:00 on Xmas Day and will have been out since early that morning so a shower would be appreciated prior to boarding…

  • J says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:16

    If they’re anything like the toilets, you’ll probably feel dirtier afterwards than when you went in 😉

  • Phil W says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:24

    I used them a couple of years ago and they were fine. Nothing special, but not unclean. I certainly felt better for having had a shower.

    • Tom says:

      27 Nov27 November 09:26

      Thanks Phil (and J, very true!).
      Are you able to pre book or do you just put your name on a waiting list?

      • Anna says:

        27 Nov27 November 10:06

        As I recall you tell them on arrival and they call you when one’s free. Worth having after a long flight.

        • SimonM says:

          27 Nov27 November 12:14

          I tried to put my name down at the shower reception last week and was just stared and told “We have no free showers”. I explained I was trying to put my name down and the lady just repeated the same phrase. Not particularly helpful! I think you now have to check via the table ordering website in the lounge to see if there is a shower free then you can reserve it.

        • SimonM says:

          27 Nov27 November 12:14

          Stared at!

        • Simon Schus says:

          27 Nov27 November 13:50

          Use them fairly regularly. The Club and F share the same showers in LHR T5, as they do in T3 too. They’re not unclean, but they are a little run-down with similar furnishings at the toilet complex. Perfectly fine though and serve their purpose, but the Cathay Pacific showers in T3, the United showers in T2, and the Plaza Premium showers in T2 are all significantly better looking.

          Now, you book them using the menu that you can also order food/drinks from. I’ve seen various people turned away for not booking, and told to book via the website instead even though multiple showers were cleaned and empty. Sometimes they let that slide though, for example at LHR T3 the other day when I completely forgot to book and just went straight to the shower complex.

  • Tazzy says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:58

    Does the plaza premium lounge have showers?

    • George K says:

      27 Nov27 November 10:08

      It does

      • kitten says:

        27 Nov27 November 11:41

        Paid, on most entry types now I think

• Mark says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:10

  Istanbul. Where is good to stay for the first time? Solo trip so don’t want to spend too much and only got Hilton status but not fussed on sticking to it. I guess around Sultanahmet.

  • Yorkieflyer says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:22

    We love the Hilton Bosphorus, a grand old lady with style walkable to Taksim square where the vintage street car through Beyoglu and down to Karakoy.
    Sultanamhet is more day time siteseeing in my view

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:24

    The T1 tram line is great if you are predominantly sightseeing. DoubleTrees Old Town and Sirkeci are conveniently located but won’t themselves be memorable. Conrad is the nicest Hilton option and has some rooms with sensational Bosphorus views, but is a bit out of the way of the tourist spots. Haven’t been myself, but I believe the Four Seasons has the best reputation amongst the Sultanahmet hotels.

  • Can says:

    27 Nov27 November 10:24

    I’m also for Hilton Bosporus. I always thought Sultanahmet is too touristy and grossly overrated. There is also Pera Palace. Haven’t stayed myself but it is in my list.

  • Graham C says:

    27 Nov27 November 11:02

    Don’t stay in Sultanahmet. It’s much better over in the Taksim area. It’s not Hilton but I’ve stayed at the Novotel in Karakoy. Loads of bars and restaurants around and well placed for the trams etc.

    Hope you have a great time, it’s a fantastic city.

• Paul says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:22

  Re. the Amazon trick for a potential £20 credit, does it need to be Visa Credit attached only or would Visa Debit work also?

  • Yorkieflyer says:

    27 Nov27 November 09:24

    Visa debit will still be accepted going forward so assume Credit only

    • Mark says:

      27 Nov27 November 09:39

      Sorry what is this ‘trick’?!

      • SteveJ says:

        27 Nov27 November 09:55

        Remove all cards, add a Visa credit card. Buy something with it. Get a banner offering you £20 voucher to remove the Visa and replace with another card as they’ll no longer accept Visa soon

        • StevieKicks says:

          27 Nov27 November 10:28

          Worked for me without even having to remove other cards, just set the visa credit as default and then go to make a purchase

        • Mattb says:

          27 Nov27 November 15:39

          Is the banner to look out for in app or browser?

        • Alex says:

          27 Nov27 November 16:57

          What does the banner look like / say and where does it appear? After adding a Visa CC as a payment method to my account and making it default, I got a notification of the change coming in Jan on the checking screen, but no 20 quid coupon…

        • Louie says:

          27 Nov27 November 22:21

          I’d like to know the answer to Alex’s question if anyone can help.

  • Duncan says:

    27 Nov27 November 12:06

    I tried this yesterday. Removed all cards. Have now made a couple of purchases on the Visa Credit but no prompt at all. Ah well!

    • David says:

      27 Nov27 November 14:04

      You might need to wait more than a day?

  • Rich says:

    27 Nov27 November 13:37

    I added a Visa credit and made it default last week, and made a purchase.

    Removed all my other cards yesterday, and the £20 banner appeared immediately. Thanks

• ExEDI says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:49

  Anyone else getting “Oh dear! Something went wrong” error when trying to convert Nectar to Avios?

  • John says:

    27 Nov27 November 11:08

    Try again? Often took 2 or 3 tries even before the avios platform migration

    • ExEDI says:

      27 Nov27 November 11:50

      I’ve tried about 15 times 🤣

    • ExEDI says:

      27 Nov27 November 11:52

      and my partner has the same issue.

  • AJA says:

    27 Nov27 November 12:58

    How are you trying to do the transfer? Are you doing it in the Nectar app pushing to BA or in BA trying to pull from Nectar?

    I do it in the Nectar App and just tried it. I got a message saying “oops your accounts are unlinked.” i followed the instructions and successfully re-linked accounts. The link opened a BA website asking me to enter BAEC details and sign in. Then was able to manually transfer 400NP in exchange for 250 Avios. Instantly transferred and Avios balance increased.

    • ExEDI says:

      27 Nov27 November 13:22

      I’m doing exactly the same process as you. In the Nectar iOS app, re-linked my accounts after the maintenance window, manually transferred, then I get the error message. Same for my partner.

      • AJA says:

        27 Nov27 November 13:33

        Oh that’s weird. I use Android. I guess it might be an iOS app problem. When in the Nectar App on the BA page can you see your Avios & NP balance?

        Have you tried unlinking and re-linking (bearing in mind you can only do this 4 times per year). I wonder if that could be the issue i.e. you’ve used up your unlink and re-link quota.

• Colin MacKinnon says:

  27 Nov27 November 09:58

  On the BBC, but down at the fourth paragraph of the story:

  Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers arriving in Amsterdam from South Africa were tested for the new variant.
  Some 61 people on two KLM flights tested positive for Covid-19 and have been quarantined at a hotel near the airport while they have further tests, Dutch officials said.

  Sixty one people on two flihts testing positive? Wow!

  • Anna says:

    27 Nov27 November 10:09

    I saw that – and pax complaining of no mask enforcement!

  • Super Secret Stuff says:

    27 Nov27 November 18:31

    Many examples of contagious diseases infecting a high proportion of people on a long haul flight, some examples even get examined by scientist

• Char Char says:

  27 Nov27 November 10:07

  So we can assume thats 61 who had no symptoms and were probably fine

  • Anna says:

    27 Nov27 November 10:09

    But still potentially contagious …

    • Andy says:

      27 Nov27 November 10:18

      No proof new variant yet though. Could also be connected to each other I.e tour group.

      It’s concerning but we don’t actually know if this variant is worse yet. It may if we are lucky be more contagious but less deadly!

      Presume it is here already in the UK but might not take a hold due to Delta prevalance and high vaccine rate

      • Yuff says:

        27 Nov27 November 10:29

        Do they need pcr’s to board flights from SA?
        We have had to take 3 pcr’s to get to Dubai, thinking of complaint about mrs Yuff’s treatment at east Mids, same lady that did mine last month except she virtually assaulted mrs Yuff!!!!!! She wasn’t too careful with me but yesterday was much worse.
        The swab was up her nose, both nostrils, or epiglottis for several minutes……meanwhile at the clinic in Mallorca the nurse did not go near either of our epiglottis and up one nostril only…….

        • Harry T says:

          27 Nov27 November 13:47

          Do you know where the epiglottis is?

  • Colin MacKinnon says:

    27 Nov27 November 10:27

    Seriously? How many people do you think would voluntarily sit in a metal tube – albeit with the finest air filters money can buy, so they say! – for half a day with 30 people who have tested positive for Covid?

    Since tourism is a voluntary activity – unlike refusing to go on a work trip which might cost you your job, or job prospects – then it looks to me that the balance of go/won’t go on Christmas holiday is rapidly swinging away from the airlines’ favour.

    Maybe there will be a rush of last-minute cheap fares, miles redemption and hotel availability?

    For me, now looking at cash for my summer trip to Tahiti – can get AMS-Tahiti-Edinburgh for under £3k. (The AA miles tickets via Helsinki and Tokyo area points bargain but are just too much stress – extra countries to worry about – and the miles tickets, LAX-Tahiti are dear, and I still have to get to LAX.)

    Can also get Mad-LHR-LAX-LHR LCY-Dub for £1k in CW for August!

    • Clive says:

      27 Nov27 November 10:49

      There were $500 or less tickets SFO to PPT available last week

  • Tracey says:

    27 Nov27 November 10:58

    Or just wanted to get home….

    • Tracey says:

      27 Nov27 November 11:00

      In reply to:

      “ Char Char says:
      27 November 10:07
      So we can assume thats 61 who had no symptoms and were probably fine”

  • Rui N. says:

    27 Nov27 November 11:53

    Do you know the symptoms of the new variant?!

  • Lady London says:

    27 Nov27 November 13:42

    Perhaps the Netherlands has just upgraded to the same tests as used by Singapore, as experienced by Polly?

    • Polly says:

      27 Nov27 November 16:12

      Interesting point there, LL…

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