Kimpton Hotels now bookable with IHG Rewards Club points

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• Jason says:

  12 Jan12 January 10:41

  I’m not sure what the change is for GUF? I could always call BA GGL after booking flights (including via BA Holidays) and request the GUF upgrade if Avios reward space was available. Also I haven’t received any correspondence from BA (yet). Is it a case that this was always an undocumented benefit maybe?

  • Rob says:

    12 Jan12 January 11:20

    This is for flights booked via proper 3rd party travel agents, not BA Holidays, where the GUF2 had to be applied at time of booking.

• simon says:

  12 Jan12 January 11:01

  Dark times – One of my staff just cancelled his Amex Platinum… was told on phone that in the next month they are bringing in a new rule for people who cancel platinum – Can not reapply for 1 year if you want another sign up bonus….. Churn while you can maybe….

  • Scallder says:

    12 Jan12 January 11:18

    No… my wife and I are both due Platinum cards at the start of March… :'(

    • Lady London says:

      12 Jan12 January 11:41

      I take it dogs and fish can’t get these and no child under 18? Still sounds a lot better than the US situation.

  • Rob says:

    12 Jan12 January 11:18

    Wouldn’t surprise me. There is also a rumour that the free BA PP Amex is being removed for long-term Platinum cardholders who still have it.

    To be honest, a move to a 1-year rule would be good to the extent that it would still be a lot better than the US rule and, once changed, you would expect it to stay where it is for a few years.

    • JamesB says:

      12 Jan12 January 12:12

      When calling yesterday an agent told me that it was not possible to get more than two sign up bonuses per year. At the time I thought nothing of it as I thought she just meant we can only have a bonus every six months. Given the comments here I am now not sure that is what she was saying at all. Could it be she meant one bonus per card per year with a maximum of two bonuses per year across all their cards?

      • Genghis says:

        12 Jan12 January 16:09

        Not ideal if all this is true as it’s where I earn most of our points but i completely understand the business decision – Amex paying out less cash buying points for bonuses and I would likely keep my cards a lot longer (therefore more revenue). Whatever the case, I’ll (try to) maximise the benefit.

      • JamesB says:

        12 Jan12 January 16:55

        Agreed, I would not like it but I could live with it. Not juggling so many cards and tracking schedules constantly might be something of a relief.

  • Scallder says:

    12 Jan12 January 11:19

    I would assume it would count for Gold too (or perhaps dreadfully all Amex cards) but if only Platinum could have a Gold card after 6 months (with upgrade bonus potential)

    • simon says:

      12 Jan12 January 11:21

      That upgrade bonus would also have to wait a year i presume

    • Anna says:

      12 Jan12 January 11:33

      If they bring this in for Gold it will seriously restrict referrals if you don’t want to start paying the 2nd year fee, i.e. you will have to hang onto the card a lot longer if the person you’re referring also has to wait a year between new cards. Hope they aren’t taking away the fee-free year as well though!

• Alan says:

  12 Jan12 January 11:27

  Must admit I couldn’t figure out any benefit on Gold Card Upgrade when I read the e-mail. I was hoping for some real change as the whole scheme is pretty useless, 1 Year validity only and never any availability when I try! Surely a better reward scheme is called for (Qantas used to send out high quality wines). Avios would probably be better, at least they have no expiry date.

  • Lady London says:

    12 Jan12 January 11:45

    MR points can be kept as MR points until you need them for something in a wife variety of programmes not just Avios. That’s why they’re so useful and why any negative news about Amex is so important to know about

    • Alex W says:

      12 Jan12 January 13:01

      Think he was talking about GUF2 vouchers

  • Alan says:

    13 Jan13 January 01:41

    If you’re referring to GUV2 then you can almost guarantee a 6/12 extension by requesting it from BAEC.

• Chelseafi says:

  12 Jan12 January 11:39

  O/T looking to refer OH for SPG next month but just churned mine recently. I know things have changed recently with referring from any amex but I’m still unsure, can I refer for an SPG from my Platinum? If so how many referral points would I receive? Or is it the same if my son refers from his gold? How many points would he receive? Thanks

  • Scallder says:

    12 Jan12 January 11:48

    Yes you can (from either Plat or Gold). Plat referral would be 18k, your son would get 9k from Gold.

• MansNotHot says:

  12 Jan12 January 11:46

  I have a CW flight to SFO next week (cash ticket) – if I use my GUF2 voucher to upgrade to first for which class would I get tier points/avios?

  • mike says:

    12 Jan12 January 14:16

    The rules say you should get the miles and TPs for the cabin you paid for.

    In practice BA’s IT sometimes cocks it up, and you get the upgraded cabin TPs. Especially if you use a travel agent and it goes into A class (revenue) rather than Z (redemption).

• Artem says:

  12 Jan12 January 11:48

  OT: if I’m approved for IHG credit card – how soon will my status be updated?
  Thinking of getting IHG Gold that way for my stay tomorrow.

  • Rob says:

    12 Jan12 January 12:01

    That is so not happening! If you got it in a month I’d consider it lucky.

    • Genghis says:

      12 Jan12 January 12:11

      lol. No chance. Creation are not the best at customer service, v slow, and they put someone else’s statement on my account. Cowboys

      • Artem says:

        12 Jan12 January 12:14

        Thanks for the quick replies. I probably confused it with some other card giving immediate status boost.

      • Genghis says:

        12 Jan12 January 12:44

        You get status with the card, I think just not so “immediate” for a stay tomorrow

      • Waribai says:

        12 Jan12 January 21:56

        Cowboys….I hear you there Genghis. Once I cancelled a refundable booking to the tune of £2k which meant my Marriott card was £2k in credit. I asked for this to be credited to my bank account. It must have taken a good month of phone calls before they did this. Another time, I cancelled my car insurance halfway through the year and was due a £350 refund. I assumed that the insurance company had just been slow paying it back. 3 months later I phoned the insurance company up. They had indeed refunded it straight away but Creation had linked it to another card!

  • Ryan says:

    12 Jan12 January 13:11

    I took the Card out early November. Had my account upgraded from Gold to Platinum before the Card even arrived so was only 3-4 days…

    …the Ambassador pack on the other hand I have been waiting for since October…any idea of the best way to chase up?

    • Michael Jennings says:

      13 Jan13 January 00:20

      My experience was that I got the Gold status two days after I made the card application – well before I got the card.

      (It wasn’t a particularly positive experience otherwise, though. I applied on the Creation website, clicked “submit”, and it told me my application was being considered for a minute or so. I was then returned to the submit page, without any information as to whether I had been accepted or not for the card. After thinking about it for a few seconds, I hit “submit” again, and after a minute or so I was told I had been declined. Two days later, though, I was upgraded to IHG Gold, and the card came in the mail a few days after that. Clearly the first application was accepted, but for some reason it then took me to the wrong page. A subsequent check of my credit file showed two hard searches rather than one). However, I did get the IHG Credit Card and the Gold Status promptly.

• ahop says:

  12 Jan12 January 13:43

  2 months after getting my plat card through and enrolling hotel statuses and I am still awaiting Hilton Gold.

  Made even more frustrating as I’ve had a week stay last week and due another in a couple of weeks.

  Has anyone else experienced the same or is this an anomaly?

  • Tom Cook says:

    12 Jan12 January 15:17

    Same here – Hilton and Club Carlson just haven’t happened for me and it has been about 2 months. SPG took 3 1/2 weeks. Avis won’t let me get past the final page, annoyingly.

    • ahop says:

      12 Jan12 January 15:44

      I’m tempted to ask for my first two months worth of fee back from amex. Their service has been atrocious in applying for the plat card.

      Repeatedly told that I couldnt be referred by a partner on the BAPP card and then offered 2k MR as a goodwill gesture has also been somewhat infuriating.

      • Tom Cook says:

        12 Jan12 January 16:01

        Touch wood, I haven’t been hit with any charges for the plat card yet. Just waiting for a couple of things to clear and then I will probably look to cancel it by the end of Jan I would think. IT is annoying re the hotels but I’m kind of focussing on SPG to be honest so I’m not too upset about Hilton and CC.

  • Harpo says:

    12 Jan12 January 17:05

    First time I had the plat I found applying for Hilton Gold online a bugger – I don’t know why that was but I had to phone in the end with my (H)Honors number and it was sorted straightaway.

  • Rob says:

    12 Jan12 January 17:35

    Did you have existing accounts? Updating existing accounts is usually faster than getting Amex to open a new one (and it will take an age to find out the number anyway).

    • ahop says:

      12 Jan12 January 18:11

      I didn’t have existing accounts unfortunately Rob. This is the first occasion where I’ve had such bad service from Amex.

      I do wonder if it’s worth pursuing the bonus – I was repeatedly told over chat (I saved the transcripts) that it is only possible to refer Plat – Plat.

      • Genghis says:

        12 Jan12 January 18:16

        Amex agents don’t always give the most accurate info. They always insist 241 vouchers will disappear from BAEC accts on BAPP cancellation

    • Waribai says:

      12 Jan12 January 21:59

      Funnily enough though, with my exisiting Club Carlson, my gold match via amex plat has taken nearly 2 months and still hasn’t been done. I might phone up and finding what is going on. My wife on the other did not have a Club Carlson account and opening a new account straight to gold for her took 3-4 days.

• Artem says:

  12 Jan12 January 14:16

  O/T: Reminder – today is the last day to pay your taxes to HMRC using your credit card.

  • Rob says:

    12 Jan12 January 17:33

    Did a last hurrah this morning …. got a surprisingly good £4k off MBNA with no rejection ….

    • Alex W says:

      12 Jan12 January 23:07

      Yep, £3500 for me.amd Mrs W too.

      • Michael Jennings says:

        13 Jan13 January 00:21

        About £1500 on my Hilton Barclaycard…

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