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Bits: World Travel Market, bonus PartnerPlusBenefit points, Ski & Snowboard Show

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News in brief:

Attending World Travel Market?

The 200-ton beast that is World Travel Market will be back at Excel in London next month from 7th to 9th November.

If you have never been (it is trade only, unfortunately) it is hard to understate the size of the event.  Pretty much every major tourist board, airline, hotel chain and intermediary is out in force.

HfP will be there on Monday and potentially on other days too.  If your company is exhibiting and you would like to meet us, please email rob at headforpoints.com and we can arrange a slot or simply put you on our list of stands to stop at.

Bonus PartnerPlusBenefit points to Japan

PartnerPlusBenefit is the small business scheme for the UK and Ireland run by 11 of the Star Alliance airlines.  This includes Lufthansa and Swiss.

I wrote about PPB in detail in this article.  It is a LOT more flexible than the British Airways On Business scheme which I reviewed here – although you’d be daft not to join On Business too if you have a VAT registered UK business.

There is even a sign-up bonus.  At present, anyone who joins by clicking through from Head for Points will receive DOUBLE the usual sign-up bonus – you will get 3,000 points instead of 1,500.  Click here to sign up.  You receive 1,500 points and a further 1,500 after crediting your first flight.

Until 31st December, you will earn double the usual number of BenefitPoints when flying from the UK or Ireland to Japan.  This is valid on:

  • direct flights with ANA
  • flights via Germany with Lufthansa
  • flights via Zurich with Swiss

The offer is valid from any UK airport they serve.  You need to register for the offer via your PPB account.

sn

Ski & Snowboard Show in London

The Ski and Snowboard season is about to start and, if that floats your boat, the Ski & Snowboard Show London at the end of this month is the place to be.

From 27th to 30th October Battersea Park will be bringing together a vast amount of exhibitors ranging from chalets companies to ski and snowboard gear.  There will also be a free ice rink, freestyle shows on a 50ft real-snow kicker and a late night Apres Party on the Friday.

Tickets are £20 for adults and £11 for children age 11-16.

Comments (20)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Mike says:

    I’m going on the Tues or Weds (the days you can blag easily)
    Just downloaded my free pass now.

  • Nadir says:

    Another OT post…

    Any suggestions for a quick way to generate activity on my Iberia account? It’s more than 90 days old but I realised I haven’t had any activity in it so I can’t transfer Avios from my BAEC.

    • Rob says:

      Amex MR points transfer? Obviously you could credit a flight etc. There was the wine offer we covered a few days ago. Hotel points transfer also works.

    • xcalx says:

      If you have any e-reward points they transfer over to IB within 24 to 36 hours.

      • David says:

        How do you add Iberia to an existing e-rewards account (which traditionally transfers to Avios)?

        • xcalx says:

          Some e-reward accounts have multi transfer partners. If the only partner is Avios then e-rewards can only be deposited with that partner. Another point worth noting is that the name on the e-rewards account can be changed at any time, then avios etc can be deposited into that named persons accounts. In some of my accounts there are 26 partners.

          • David says:

            21 partners on mine, though appears to have reduced recently. Still got Iberia, BAEC and Avios so still getting the 5k avios/month without much hassle.

          • Russell says:

            I have always had access to Iberia, BA and Avios accounts from e-rewards over the years, plus Virgin, KLM and others.

            But only thanks to HfP have I realised that I should always transfer to Iberia, as I get 50% more avios (750 rather than 500, for example) for 2 000 e-Rewards points to Iberia.

            I find that only one hotel partner is offered, but all the airlines, as well as other organisations.

    • Nadir says:

      Thanks everyone. Will probably go with e-rewards.

      I wasn’t aware that Iberia gave you more Avios for e-rewards points! Good to know!

  • idrive says:

    Morning, yes it is worth nudging them. Just yesterday they processed some stays from March on my account

    • Fenny says:

      They processed two of my claims from March. One is now actually showing at the 18% advertised, the other at 12%. Both were booked on the same day for stays in the same week. Of course, it’s the higher amount that has only tracked at 12%.

  • Coli JE says:

    For On Business being VAT registered is not enough. You need to be Limittd Co status too. I got chucked out because I was a sole trader, even though I was VAT registered.
    Unless this has changed?

  • Lady London says:

    Is there any sign of BA On Business even admitting in their t’s and c’s that they did a silent switch to requiring VAT and will block anyone earning who’s not VAT registered. I still didn’t see it in the t’s and c’s last time I looked although they are enforcing this new condition. We are not VAT registered for perfectly valid reasons. AA, for example, is not enforcing such a requirement in their scheme.

    Meanwhile it’s seriously annoying that we did some high-earning international flights that we could have done with other airlines, and then found out we wouldn’t get the On Business points because BA is sneakily operating an unfair rule.

  • Russell says:

    Ah, WTM. I remember well the first time I went in the early 1990s, when my tour operation business was still getting off the ground. Endless enthusiasm for the place.

    I also remember well the lasst time I went in 2013, and was absolutely delighted never to have to go again!

    • Rob says:

      I agree. It is not very relevant for us – the Business Travel Show is 10x more useful for HFP, especially as the key people are also there but are more accessible. Churlish not to go, though, given that I only have to hop on the DLR for a few minutes whilst most of the attendees will have flown in from all corners of the world!

      • Russell says:

        Sure, if you live only a few stops away from Excel you are free to get out and go home for an hour, then go back again. My early years it was still at Earls Court, which was far more convenient having overnighted with family a few stops to the west of there.

        DLR do seem to have got their act together these days, but I think it was 8 years ago, and on the Monday morning, that people had to be stopped from pouring onto the DLR platforms at Canning Town, as they were arriving far faster than the occasional two-car unit could move them to Excel. I went back downstairs and found a completely empty bus to take me to Excel. It was very strange seeing all the exhibitors in place, but hardly any buyers!

        TBH, I did not know that they let journalists in on the Monday these days!
        🙂

        But much les uncivilised than the Wednesday or Thursday, certainly.

  • xcalx says:

    “Don’t worry that the page only shows 1,500 points, your account will be manually credited with 3,000 points by PPB.”

    Raffles did PPB indicate when the account will be credited the extra 1500. Mine is only showing the normal sign up offer of 1500 points.

    • xcalx says:

      Raffles. I see you have updated the Information in the article to reflect the somewhat downgraded version of this offer. It now looks very similar to one of the previous versions from PPB as in getting the extra points after a flight booking. I saw in a story today that one reader did get the extra points.

      • Rob says:

        Yes, changed it. This was a genuine mistake between PPB and me, hopefully we will get it fixed for anyone who applied from that article on the day. Longer piece on this special deal coming soon.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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