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• Mr. AC says:

  24 Jul24 July 06:32

  OT: we were planning a full family holiday (7 people) since it might be the last one we can do together, but my dad got worse faster than expected and won’t be able to fly. We had 2 club world seats for my parents and the rest is economy, everything booked with Avios (no voucher). Is there a way to put my wife into the club world seat instead? These naturally no reward availability left, and as I understand it cancelling my Dad’s ticket won’t necessarily add one CW back into the Avios inventory on the flight. Is this something the call center can do for us?

  • BJ says:

    24 Jul24 July 07:04

    I think only option is to take a chance that the seat will become available, or call BA to explain the situation and request they open another CW award seat. There seems to be a procedure whereby CSA can request/force open award inventory but do not get your hope’s built up because it is obviously extremely rare for them to do so otherwise we would see more comments about it.

    • Shoestring says:

      24 Jul24 July 08:01

      If your dad doesn’t check in & fly, then you have no right to use his Club World seat. So you might as well cancel his booking and whilst there are no guarantees, there is a pretty good chance his redemption seat goes straight back into inventory.

      But you won’t be any worse off, as his old seat won’t be available to you, anyway. The call centre staff can’t change the availability of reward seats (in theory) but you might as well do the cancellation on the phone & grab it immediately if it goes back into inventory.

      • BJ says:

        24 Jul24 July 08:32

        In practice they definitely can. Our flight to BKK in June was originally exINV but when INV schedules were changed meaning a layover in LHR of over 7h they agreed to change our departure to EDI. This required them to open two CE seats for the domestic connection which they did. Might be easier on shorthaul routes with multiple departures per day than on longhaul routes with only one or two but it is possible.

        • Shoestring says:

          24 Jul24 July 09:27

          Of course they can, as Golds can force open reward seats for double Avios

        • BJ says:

          24 Jul24 July 12:45

          That’s a little different though as BA has an incentive to open gold seats.

        • Lady London says:

          24 Jul24 July 14:31

          Did you fget hit for the extra APD on the change to EDI BJ?

        • BJ says:

          24 Jul24 July 16:23

          @LadyLondon, no they let us off with it 🙂 ISTR somebody from NCL reporting the same issue and getting the same result so BA not all bad news, they come good from time to time too.

  • Crafty says:

    24 Jul24 July 07:06

    Sounds like they should, bit of compassion goes a long way and I can’t imagine the agent wouldn’t show some.

  • Mr. AC says:

    24 Jul24 July 08:28

    Thank you everyone, I’ll try to see if it works with the call center.

    • The Original David says:

      24 Jul24 July 14:22

      Why don’t you just do a name change on your father’s booking? There might be a £150-ish fee, but potentially better than losing the seat.

      • Shoestring says:

        24 Jul24 July 14:42

        Because that’s not a permitted option. I thought about changing the name to Mr Stradivarius & double checked. You can make simple spelling mistake changes but can never actually change the full name of a passenger after 24 hours of making the booking.

        • The Original David says:

          24 Jul24 July 23:11

          Good point – every day is a school day! It looks like name changes are only possible on BA Holidays, not flight only (or Avios redemption, therefore).

      • Albert says:

        25 Jul25 July 00:52

        or temporary change own name by deed poll to match that on the reservation

• A270 says:

  24 Jul24 July 06:39

  OT: Any promo code or way to get discount on Emirates flight? I have 4 x economy tickets to book but each is working out at around £400 despite it being a 4 hour flight within the Middle East region. I know I will get 1-2% via the site we don’t mention here. Any other way?

  • BJ says:

    24 Jul24 July 07:12

    Does the flight need to be on Emirates? Can you not cut price by using another carrier or miles? 4h suggest flight is probably under 2000 miles so there could be scope for miles. Have you tried a skyscanner search? If you shared the route folks might be able to advise you better on cheaper options.

• s879 says:

  24 Jul24 July 07:02

  OT: Is the Dubai Stopover Programme hotel rates heavily discounted? I might be stopping over to meet some family for 2-3 days in December. The 5 star list looks good but am wondering if worth my while to book through them or book myself, avail status with Hilton/ IHG and earn points.
  Anyone used their programme?

• Harvey says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:21

  OT Amex Plat Insurance
  I just booked a trip in March paying with amex plat.
  If I cancel the card by then I obviously won’t have any cover?
  But if my wife then has a amex plat or any amex and I am supp, would we be covered?
  TY

  • Genghis says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:25

    Not for stuff where there is a requirement to pay on the card. That is why I never relied on Amex Plat insurance when I was doing all this churning.

    • pauldb says:

      24 Jul24 July 11:59

      I’ve tended to assume/hope that this would be ok. The charges went on to “your amex cards” where you includes “you/your” includes Harvey, insured in their own right as a supp cardholder.

• Tony M says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:33

  OT. If I’ve cancelled BAPP card 7 months ago after earning a companion voucher, can i take out the card again, spend 10k and earn another one? I am aware I won’t get any sign up bonus as less than 24 months but I would like to try and earn another 241 voucher.
  Thanks

  • SimonW says:

    24 Jul24 July 08:35

    Yes, my wife earned 2 vouchers last year doing just this. (While the old 6 month rule was still in place, so she got the sign up bonus too).

    • Tony M says:

      24 Jul24 July 10:05

      Great. Thank you

    • The Savage Squirrel says:

      24 Jul24 July 11:26

      Is there anything to stop high spenders repeatedly cancelling and re-applying to earn 5 or 6 two-for-one vouchers per year? Apart from eventually potentially annoying Amex enough to get kicked out….

      • BlueHorizonuk says:

        24 Jul24 July 13:36

        I think BA limit the number that can be used at any one time to 2.

        • MarkH says:

          24 Jul24 July 14:01

          But in theory you could earn more than 2 as long as the applications are accepted – no idea if they would be though

        • Genghis says:

          24 Jul24 July 14:08

          I’ve had 3 in my acct before.

• Gary says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:42

  OT: Amsterdam. Any tips for things to do with kids in Amsterdam in August. Flying LTY-AMS easyjet – any tips?
  Can you recommend any day trips from amsterdam.
  many thanks hfp

  • Harry T says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:06

    I don’t have kids but I visited Amsterdam for 36 hours recently. We stayed at the W, which is very central so can only recommend stuff that’s in the centre. Having said that, Vondelpark is gorgeous, especially in the summer and should be popular with kids. Depending on whether your kids are old enough, a trip to the Rijksmuseum is a wonderful experience. The Anne Frank Haus is a humbling, fascinating experience but would only be suitable for older children, I think. The Van Gogh museum is good but not on the same level as the Rijks or Anne Frank Haus.

    If you’re going to do the Anne Frank Haus or Rijksmuseum, book online directly on the official website. Anne Frank is especially busy and you can queue for hours to buy a ticket on the day. I bought tickets for my gf and I online and we got in immediately at 9pm (the last available slot) when it was less busy. For the Rijks, it’s best to turn up when it first opens in the morning before it gets overrun. When you get there, make a beeline for the Night Watch by Rembrandt before a mass of tourists almost obscure it from view.

    TL;DR: Vondelpark probably great for all ages and is free – take a picnic. Anne Frank Haus and Rijksmuseum great for older kids, I should imagine, and always worth doing for adults. Just walking through the centre and around the canals is a wonderful experience.

    • Rob says:

      24 Jul24 July 09:33

      Van Gogh Museum does not actually sell tickets now, as I found out earlier in the year. They send you to an independent kiosk near the Rijks BUT it opens later than the museum itself. It also seems to sell out frequently. Book online in advance, same day may still be ok but still do it.

      • Harry T says:

        24 Jul24 July 10:24

        Yes, I booked my Van Gogh museum tickets online and had to select a specific time. I chose the early morning, which enabled me to look at a few popular pieces before the hordes arrived.

    • The Savage Squirrel says:

      24 Jul24 July 11:36

      Vondelpark is wonderful. NEMO Science museum is cool and spectacularly located. Other suggestions all good A small boat trip is a great idea (I’m still bitter about the St Nicolaas Boat Club being closed down).

      How old are they? Travel is about experiencing different ways of life in different places and a walk round the red light district is nothing if not educational at a certain age…

  • Genghis says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:29

    We’re going to Amsterdam (we go about once a year) with a baby in Sep as it’s an easy get away. Have a look at Zaanse Schans for a nice walk. We rented a boat once for 4 hours and had a picnic en route while avoiding the big cruisers – this would be good with kids (I’d imagine) https://www.boaty.nl/

    • Genghis says:

      24 Jul24 July 09:33

      I’ve wanted to go to Giethoorn for a while but really requires a car.

      • marcw says:

        24 Jul24 July 10:49

        Giethoorn is nice,,, but def too crowded in summer. There’s no fun or enjoyment, there are just too many boats. Maybe shoulder season.

  • Gerry says:

    24 Jul24 July 13:14

    Nemo is fantastic for kids. Science fun, but very interactive.
    Get the train to Den Haag (Hague) and then the tram to scheveningen for a beach day.

• meta says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:45

  O/T Just got an email from Amex about increased referral points of 18k avios on BAPP until 18 August.

  • meta says:

    24 Jul24 July 08:49

    Reading more closely it’s only for first referral. So once only.

    • LewisB says:

      24 Jul24 July 12:50

      Shame! I can only do one more referral on my BAPP this year, a 18k referral would’ve been a tasty one. I definitely agree with the consensus on holding onto the cards, instead of waiting for the 2 year clock. Works well with couples, rotate every 2 years.

  • BJ says:

    24 Jul24 July 08:50

    Ouch, just done two in past week 🙁

  • Harry T says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:08

    Just got a BAPP – looks like my Mum or OH are getting an Amex. Thanks for the heads up – I normally refer from Platinum.

    • BJ says:

      24 Jul24 July 09:12

      Might be targeteddepenfinh on duration card held and number of referrals made, I didn’t get an email and it’s not showing on my account.

      • meta says:

        24 Jul24 July 09:20

        You might be right I did all my referrals from Platinum earlier this year and I think never from BAPP, so that might be it. It seems targeted though and it is valid on the first referral only!

  • Anna says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:55

    Hopefully Amex are starting to feel some pain from the recent changes!

    • BJ says:

      24 Jul24 July 10:20

      Always felt it was better to hold onto the cards than start the clock ticking again. I am currently running four cards and have no intention of reducing them, who knows what the landscape will look like in two years. Good for couples though, my partner restarted the clock so we’ll see what happens.

      • Harry T says:

        24 Jul24 July 11:08

        I agree, BJ. With the targeted offer for 30k sign up bonus on BAPP, targeted 18k BAPP referral bonus and the spend targets for bonus MR on other cards, I think we can see a trend of Amex pushing for retention of customers by offering more incentives to keep the cards. I’m choosing to maximise the benefits of the cards at present, rather than bank on benefits that may not exist in two years, after a break from Amex. I believe in making hay whilst the sun shines.

        • BJ says:

          24 Jul24 July 12:53

          Changes to churning just motivated me to work harder on referrals. So long as I can keep doing so it might mean little difference to me at the end of the day that they brought in these changes. Still, we could do with a big avios promotion somewhere soon to keep things interesting. Maybe Black Friday 🙂

        • Harry T says:

          24 Jul24 July 16:53

          Referrals are the future, though I try not to be too annoying. My OH and family are definitely fair game though!

• Diydegsy says:

  24 Jul24 July 09:03

  I have just booked a flight to Mexico City, travelling on to Los Cabos, any recommendations on hotels for 2 nights in Mexico City and what the best lounge is for return journey T!. Thanks

  • Reuben says:

    25 Jul25 July 10:46

    We stayed previously (10 years ago) in the Hilton Reforma (the big black one, you can see it in the scene in the Bond film). We’re not fancy people and we LOVED it (and the fees then were a bargain). The restaurants are amazing – EL Cardinal!, the garden one if you – like us – randomly get the acoustic electric guitar guy playing!) the location is fab because it’s Centro and everything is walkable and Parque del Bosque is lovely. The pool upstairs is also instagrammable and the gym is filled with (minor) Mexican celebrities, newsreader et al. This is still probably the benchmark for best hotel ever for us.

    We stayed most recently (last year) in the Hampton Inn and that one has lovely rooms, is closer to things like Churreria El Moro and Pasteleria Ideal and the (original EL Cardinal) but it also has an amazing sea-food restaurant on the ground floor (Sea snails etc). Rooms are bigger and the location is closer to the Zocalo and apart from a one-off smoke issue in the vents we loved it there too. It’s also a bit of a steal on Hilton Points. It is a bit noisier but again we loved it.

    If you’re going to Cabo you probably don’t have kids but if you do then the Planetarium and Children’s Museum is an amazing (full) day out. If you don’t have kids a (full) day in Polanco is great for the people watching and seeing how the Mexican elite live (very well). If you can’t tell I’m somewhat partial to DF! 😉

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