Don’t forget IHG Rewards Club ‘Friends & Family’ rates for cheap hotels

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• rams1981 says:

  17 Feb17 February 12:06

  seems like you should still use supercard to withdraw cash abroad but can now use Curve to gain AMEX points and withdraw cash in the UK. Signed up for £75 card hoping their points system is worth it.

• Ck says:

  17 Feb17 February 12:11

  I have an android phone, but I also have an iPad. Can I use curve with my iPad?

  • Rob says:

    17 Feb17 February 12:12

    Good question. They text you a verification number but I assume that could go to any phone?

    • Ck says:

      17 Feb17 February 12:37

      If it won’t, I’ll borrow my friend’s phone just for the text. Rob, can you recommend the more expensive version? Or the cheaper? The cash withdrawals seem too good to be true.

      • Rob says:

        17 Feb17 February 13:24

        The only difference between the £75 and £35 versions are that you earn more points in a loyalty scheme that is not yet launched! It is impossible to know if it is good value or not.

      • James says:

        17 Feb17 February 13:59

        To use the card I believe you need the phone to be in reasonably close proximity, i.e. your pocket or handbag. I don’t imagine you will be able to use the card without an iOS phone close by, linked to your card. Besides, the point of the app is that you can change the card selection, so if you use an Amex as a standard card to make purchases but you encounter a place that doesn’t take Amex, you will need to change the card that is linked to the Curve card. Or, carry all your cards, which does defeat an object. In any case I’m willing to bet you need an Iphone nearby at all times.

        • Callum says:

          17 Feb17 February 14:18

          That would be absurd if true. If there’s some sort of wireless link between the phone and the card (seems unlikely) then that would mean the card becomes useless if your battery dies. If it’s done via the internet/sms, not only would you have the hassle of additional verification when you’re trying to buy something, you have to either be in an area with free wifi or pay for data and/or sending an SMS.

          And one the of main selling points of this card seems to be you can use Amex in places that don’t take Amex – so why exactly would you need to log in to the app to remove the Amex card when you’re shopping in places that don’t take it? Surely that defeats the entire point of that feature?

        • Rob says:

          17 Feb17 February 14:20

          No, you don’t. If the transaction failed then, yes, you could whip out your phone, change the linked card and then try again. In reality, abroad, you wouldn’t do this anyway because it would trigger roaming charges. As long as you have a back-up credit card it wouldn’t matter.

• ahop says:

  17 Feb17 February 12:33

  Did anyone else get a confirmation email beyond the standard ‘confirm your email address’ one?

  • Robin says:

    17 Feb17 February 12:43

    i did not receive any other confirmation, other than the “confirm your email address” one.

• Liz says:

  17 Feb17 February 12:38

  What happens if you draw cash out at UK ATM with your Supercard – is there a fee from Supercard per transaction and does it go through as a purchase – so you just back it off as normal?

• Ck says:

  17 Feb17 February 13:04

  I can’t seem to get past the ‘choose which card’ page. Tried on my laptop, my android phone and my friend’s iPhone 5. Can anyone help?

  • Liz says:

    17 Feb17 February 13:11

    I had that first thing this morning – just kept trying and eventually got it to work on my iPad

    • Ck says:

      17 Feb17 February 13:12

      You just kept refreshing the page and clicking again?

      • Liz says:

        17 Feb17 February 13:39

        The iPad wouldn’t open the page properly but I just kept trying – the iPhone said page not found – computer using IE wouldn’t allow me to get past the choose card page like you. Eventually the iPad page opened and allowed me to select the card and proceed to payment – although it bombed me out at the payment page first time but it worked the next time. Keep trying!

• jtz says:

  17 Feb17 February 13:19

  OT But really need some help on this….

  Got about 8000 ish HHonours points, am on fast track to gold, but that expires on Feb 29.
  Had a Hilton stay booked in Jan that i had to cancel and have the barclaycard Hilton visa- got the free night around dec/jan (still waiting for a proper e-mail/letter though)
  Still think I’m a newbie to all this, but can someone tell me the quickest/cheapest way I can do those 4 stays, preferably before I use the certificate.
  I know Hilton Newport is the only 5000 points hotel in the UK now, but can’t really work that out into 1 stay, based in London and not sure if other half will like a break in Newport.
  Really doubt I can achieve 4 stays by Feb 29, can I sign up to another fast track now, to set off another 90 days, or should I wait for after Feb?
  Am on a tight budget too so struggling to find cheap destinations that would allow even a a trip of 7 nights (4 Hiltons, separating days with another hotel) or even 4 night trip that involves 2 different Hiltons.
  Even the certificate, was hoping to use it in Conrad koh Samui, but other additional costs of more nights, flights etc will add up quick.

  Thanks in advance.

  • luke says:

    17 Feb17 February 17:42

    jtz…unfort read below re the voucher…these are excluded properties, includes koh samui

    All Inclusive Properties:
    DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Central Pacific -Costa Rica
    Hilton Bodrum Turkbuku Resort & Spa
    Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa
    Hilton Hurghada Long Beach Resort
    Hilton Hurghada Plaza Hotel
    Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian Resort
    Hilton Puerto Vallarta
    Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa
    Hilton Sharks Bay Resort

    Distinctive Properties:
    Conrad Koh Samui Residences
    Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk
    Kingston Plantation Condos
    Hilton Surfers Paradise Residences
    Royale Palms Condominiums
    Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Hotel-Center Strip
    Grand Waikikian Suites by Hilton Grand Vacations
    Hilton Club New York
    Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Craigendarroch Suites
    Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites – Las Vegas (Convention Center)
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites at Hilton Hawaiian Village
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites at SeaWorld
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites at South Beach
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites at the Flamingo
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites on International Drive
    Hilton Grand Vacations Suites on the Las Vegas Strip
    Hokulani Waikiki by Hilton Grand Vacations Club
    Kings Land by Hilton Grand Vacations Club
    Parc Soleil Suites by Hilton Grand Vacations
    Park City Hilton Grand Vacations
    Valdoro Mountain Lodge by Hilton Grand Vacations Suites
    West 57th Street by Hilton Club
    Ho’olei at Grand Wailea
    Las Casitas, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
    Qasr Al Sharq, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel

    • Waribai says:

      17 Feb17 February 20:53

      AFAIK The Koh Samui Residences is different from the hotel. You can never (please correct me) redeem points at the residences but you can at the hotel. Likewise, I would’ve thought the free night voucher would work at the hotel.

      • jtz says:

        19 Feb19 February 15:22

        I’m sure I’ve ready many posts on FT and blogs about CKS being a good redemption for the free night?!
        Please can someone let me know about this?
        Thanks

        • Rob says:

          19 Feb19 February 15:33

          CKS?

        • harry says:

          19 Feb19 February 15:34

          C*** Koh Samui

          Conrad?

        • Rob says:

          19 Feb19 February 15:37

          Ah yes!

          If you search HFP there is a review of it which one of the readers submitted.

• Adrian says:

  17 Feb17 February 13:34

  As a lowly consumer and an android guy I will wait for the consumer card (obviously) but one immediate advantage that comes to mind is churning. My wife and I have frequent conversations about which card she is using, then which one if they don’t take AmEx and this causes a little stress. To be able to give her the curve card and everything goes on that card looks good to me. Also being able to hit AmEx spend on purchases that traditionally would not have been possible, so I’m cautiously optimistic.

  • Genghis says:

    17 Feb17 February 13:48

    I think going forward it’s best to ask your wife to use Amex where Amex is accepted (for the Section 75 protection on purchases £100+ as mentioned above) and use this Curve Card where Amex is not accepted. I know how you feel though as Mrs Genghis gets confused when I ask her to use different cards but I take cards off her that she no longer needs to use to keep things simple.

• Liz says:

  17 Feb17 February 13:41

  Roberto do you know what happens if you draw cash from a UK ATM — ie. Fees and is it a purchase – or should it just be for abroad withdrawals ?

  • Liz says:

    17 Feb17 February 14:04

    I meant with Supercard not curve – I’ve already signed up for curve

    • RTS says:

      17 Feb17 February 14:31

      If you read the FAQ on Supercard.io….. that’ll telly you… for the lazy..:

      Are there any ATM fees?
      Supercard charges no international ATM withdrawal fees. The ATM provider may charge a fee for using the service, this is usually made clear before the transaction is processed and you will be given the opportunity to cancel before incurring any fees. Note, because Supercard is a travel product, small fees do apply when using Supercard in the UK – see FAQs below for details.

      • Liz says:

        17 Feb17 February 14:57

        RTS – I did read the FAQ and I’m not lazy – I was asking someone who had used their Supercard a lot if they had used it in the UK and if/what the fees were and how the transaction posted

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