Here is the latest edition of our fortnightly weekend feature which summarises offers that are ending soon. It pulls together the different deals mentioned on our Avios Promos, Hotel Promos, Credit Cards and regular article pages.
The key offer closing TOMORROW is the 50% – 100% bonus when you buy IHG Rewards Club points. This offer was meant to close last Monday but got extended by a week at the last minute.
Monday is also the LAST DAY to get 240 Avios (and save £10) when you pre-order the new Harry Potter book – which is actually the script from the new play – for half price from Tesco Direct. It is released next Sunday.
Deals closing soon:
Monday 25th July
Last day for a bonus of up to 100% when buying IHG Rewards Club points. Article.
Last day to get 240 Avios via Clubcard and save £10 when you pre-order the new Harry Potter book from Tesco Direct. Article (Shopper Points).
Sunday 31st July
Last day to convert TopCashback money into Tesco Clubcard points. Article (Shopper Points).
Last day to get 1,000 Avios by signing up with taxi app Hailo and taking a ride. Article.
Last day to transfer your hotel points into Etihad Guest for a 25% bonus. Article.
Last day to earn 100 Heathrow Rewards points for downloading the Heathrow app. Article.
Last day to complete a Club Carlson stay for the current bonus points promotion. Article.
Last day to earn the Iberia, Finnair or American bonuses for flying BA transatlantic. Article.
Tuesday 2nd August
Last day to book Official Heathrow Parking and get a 500% Heathrow Rewards bonus. Article.
Sunday 7th August
Last day to book a BA Avios redemption to the Middle East for 25% fewer Avios (travel by 11th December). Article.
About Head for Points
The hailo offer doesn’t appear to have worked for me. Has anyone actually received the 1000 bonus?
It worked for me, but points were slow posting. I think it was 60 days for the points to arrive – whatever it said in the T&Cs (points within X days) it was on the last day of the time frame they gave.
Mine was booked at 18%, but has come through at 8%. I raised the claim in April and it’s now gone beyond the 2-3 months they say. All I get back is that they’re waiting for the retailer. I think they lie deliberately to get the sales and then flannel for months until we get fed up.
Exactly.
How does anyone keep track of these offers? I have a Tesco clubcard bonus outstanding for nearly three months, a Tesco wine bonus outstanding, just signed for a work related “The Economist’ subscription for Iberia rewards etc.
Short of printing all or diarying it on my phone, does AwardWallet or any other app keep track of this. I’ve previously also had nightmares with Avis hires worldwide – ‘Avis’ which seems to consist of multi worldwide private companies as franchises have a third party customer relations outfit that agree with the problem, state ‘i hope it won’t stop you renting with Avis again’ and never deal with it. I’ve now given up trying to claim the Avios on two hires in SA in October last year, one in CPT, the other JNB. Pointless literally.
TM
I keep track of all cash back, points offers etc in a spreadsheet. Sad but it seems to work
It depends what it is. Things like wine deliveries, I have to put in my calendar, so I remember to be at home to receive them. But I just checked my clubcard account and spent several minutes trying to remember what I’d ordered as a direct or wine order for £110 and 110 points. It’s actually the Harry Potter script (Elder Adorable Niece will be over the moon) that I ordered last week.
I do keep screenshots of orders for things, just in case I need proof when following up a claim. When I’m booking holidays, I keep a spreadsheet of dates, times, prices, prepayments or pay at hotel, etc, just so I know what I’m doing.
Hmmm..maybe I’m seeking too complicated a solution. I think the spreadsheet idea is the way to go. Since ‘heading for points’ at the back end of last year, we’ve swapped ‘historic’ bank accounts with credit cards attached and john lewis type shopping for Amex, Tesco and so on. Mrs M goes nuts swapping around but the Avios total is climbing. It’s a pity that the ‘offers’ and ‘bonuses’ need watching but I suppose it’s no different to reconciling your bank and credit cards as we’ve always done – it’s just more work!
Mrs Genghis used to complain about getting new credit cards all the time but seems to have now accepted it given I activate the cards, change the pins, ask her to sign and then place them in her purse.
Agreed. It’s hard to track each purchase now. Perhaps that’s what they want – people to not really know what’s going on and forget about cash back due
Agree – old layout was clearer
If it ends up as a final no (I’m still hopeful they might pay out) then I’ll be taking it up with Diamond Desk and trying to get some HHonors points in lieu!
Let us know and we’ll start a class action!
Hi Raffles, I am just writing to say thank you for the advice on this site. I am just back from an ex EU trip to the US and have gone from Blue to Silver as a result. I was always bronze, earnt from travelling PE where possible but last year I travelled on a redemption flight and with the new earning rates, it was looking more difficult. For the benefit of any new readers, this is how I reached silver:
CE flight to Marrakech (£150, 160 TP earned)
CE flight to Verona (£60 and 7500 avios, 80 TP earned)
CE/CW flight from CPH to JFK (£400 and 30000 avios, 360 TP earned)
Spent 37500 avios, earned 20542. I only have a Lloyds credit card to earn avios and from previous flights.
I am not tied to visiting a certain place at a certain time of year so took advantage of the low prices offered during sales. I know there was a lot of criticism in yesterday’s comments but, right now, I am happy at being able to choose a seat for free at time of booking and the 50% bonus on future flights. The long haul option from my local airport (Bristol) is AF/KLM. I travelled with them twice and both times there were problems.
Just a few points from my trip to the US which might help some other readers:
The hotel hoppa at Heathrow (H57) did not arrive in the morning (3, possibly 4 buses did not arrive). Don’t rely on it if you have an early morning flight. I won’t be using it again, my general opinion is that the drivers are rude, impatient and drive carelessly.
Before my flight from Copenhagen, I stayed in Malmo. The train was some minutes late and, just before CPH airport, announced it would not be stopping there. Everyone had to get off at the next stop and take an overcrowded train back to the airport. I had plenty of time and don’t know if this happens often or not but best to leave plenty of time.
I stayed at the Holiday Inn Brooklyn Downtown, booked as a redemption after the 100% bonus when buying points was mentioned on this site. The hotel is ok, but the metro station, Hoyt-Schermerhorn does not have lifts/an escalator and it is 3 flights of stairs to exit the station. If you have luggage, better to walk to/from Atlantic Terminal.
Thanks Doodles, glad it is working out well. You may have been at HI Brooklyn Downtown at the same time as Anika, there is a review lined up for next week. It is now up to 35,000 points per night but, on the upside, the pool opens on 1st August.
I was in Malmo last weekend and due to the refugee situation at the moment, to cross into Sweden you need your Passport/IC. It means that the trains which used to run direct from Copenhagen, through the airport to Malmo now all stop at the airport, you then have to get off train, go through the passport check to get on the Malmo train. Its not too inconvenient but adds a few mins on to journeys. Going from Malmo – CPH – Copenhagen city centre its one train and no checks.
Malmo is a great place for a quick weekend break and the hotels are much cheaper than in Copenhagen. We stayed at the Raddison Blu using the Golds 2 for 1, so nights for 99 pounds, including breakfast!
I was in Copenhagen for 48 hours last month. I would have nipped over to Malmo, but just didn’t have time. I shall definitely be going back and will make time for the trip over the bridge. The public transport system is very easy.
The Øresund Bridge really is impressive
I also stayed at the Radisson Blu. I am able to book discounted travel agent rates so, it really was good value for Scandinavia and I liked the hotel. I also stayed at Park Inn Copenhagen airport, again at a discounted rate. Location is very handy. I would stay at either of those again.
The Crown Plaza in Copenhagen is 2 stops on the train from the airport and about 200 yards from the station/ metro. Excellent location and great views over to the city.
Yep, excellent property. Also gave Exec Lounge access as IHG Plat when I was there a couple of years ago.
Do Etihad miles have a hard expiry date, or will a transfer in from another programme reset the expiry for all miles? The assorted bonus points I got when I enroled expire in March 17. If a transfer will reset the date, I’ll bung a few in for now.
Etihad miles have a hard expiry of 24 months from when they’re earnt. Earning more miles in the mean time doesn’t extend the older ones
Thanks. I used some for a draw for F1 tickets, but I’m not really likely to use the others in the time available. No point wasting HR points on a transfer if it makes no difference.
Plus one. The new layout makes things obscure.
It’s an optimal strategy when firms want to make the product more complex so that customer understand what they are paying for less. And it works!
Sorry that this is so off topic but I couldn’t find even a slightly related post to add it too.
Has anyone had issues using the Priority Pass recently? I signed up for Amex platinum almost entirely to get the PP but it is almost becoming worthless. Tried to access the Nbr 1 at Gatwick on two different occasions this month only to be told they were full and I would have to try back later, as there are three lounges on the scheme at Gatwick I wasn’t worried but the Mylounge then told me that they no longer accept the Priority Pass (Although it still says accepted on the door) the first time I got into Aspire which only had a couple of people in it, the second time I was turned away from there as well. since then I have had to swallow the cost of the £5 booking fee for the Nbr1 lounge but this seriously affects the affordability calculations I did before getting the pass.
In Barcelona I am normally able to get into the lounge (I fly home on an 11pm flight on a Friday so it isn’t normally too busy) but last weekend I was again turned away.
Is anyone else having these issues? I am fed up with having a very expensive bit of useless plastic in my pocket! And in the next three months I will be travelling through Heathrow (T2), Helsinki, Beijing, Shanghai and Glasgow so have no idea if I should be looking to book lounges or not!!
Gatwick is a temporary problem. With the BA lounge closed, all the BA pax are using MyLounge and No 1 Traveller. This means that No 1 has zero spare capacity at all and has de facto stopped accepting PP customers except at very quiet times.
You won’t find the same issue elsewhere. And in T2 you get the great Plaza Premium lounge.
Gatwick will return to normal in January when BA moves terminals.