British Airways drops plastic cards for Executive Club status members

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• meta says:

  13 Mar13 March 11:09

  Croatia now imposes mandatory 14-day self-isolation if you’ve been to UK. This is until further notice! Awaiting official BA policy as my mum has a non-refundable flight for mid-April.

• Alex M says:

  13 Mar13 March 11:10

  OK, now I got an email saying that my flight in 18 days with non-EU airline from Ukraine to UK has been cancelled. They offer to move me to another their flight (the closest being 11 hrs earlier). But they don’t offer a refund! None of their alternative flights work for me in terms of timing therefore I would like to cancel and get refund. Do I have right to do that? PS Paid on non-Amex cc. Thanks!

  • meta says:

    13 Mar13 March 11:13

    You’re at mercy of the airline in terms of EU protection. I would ask them. You can claim S75 I would think if it was paid on a credit card.

    • Alex M says:

      13 Mar13 March 12:05

      it’s non EU-airline flying from non-EU country, so no EU protection.
      All I want is a refund, not a compo.
      Do you think I can/should get it from the airline?
      Re S75 – I paid 160£ for 2 people – does it make me eligible?

      • meta says:

        13 Mar13 March 12:17

        The question is did you ask for a refund? Since it is non-EU airline they can also refuse. No harm in asking. Only then you could go and claim for S75 in any case. You need proof that they refused. I guess if it was as one transaction of £160 then you’re covered, if two separate lines on your statement then no.

        • Alex M says:

          13 Mar13 March 12:28

          I haven’t asked yet but I will.
          Just checked – it was a single transaction and it turned out I paid with my BAPP and I also have AMEX Plat, so I should be covered.

        • Mark says:

          13 Mar13 March 14:41

          My understanding in this case is that it needs to be at least £100 per ticket for S75 cover to apply. That doesn’t stop you disputing the charge though through the charge-back process. Depending on what you decide to do, Amex Plat includes travel inconvenience benefit of up to £150/person, which may cover an extra night in a hotel if you had to fly back the following day (appreciate though that may not work for you).

        • Lady London says:

          13 Mar13 March 20:45

          Check MSE iirc I was pretty surprised to see about one year ago there that in fact 160 would be covered as it’s 2 travelling together and over 100 and that’s apparently eligible for s.75 even if you paid as one transaction for 160 total and even if the airline system books it as 2 separate transactions 1 for each ticket. I think the example on MSE might have been BA which was quoted.

        • Shoestring says:

          13 Mar13 March 20:54

          Ukraine has opted into EC261

• BJ says:

  13 Mar13 March 11:22

  OT: amex Shop Small is back for Mother’s Day.

  • fivebobbill says:

    13 Mar13 March 11:33

    Not sure it is actually, at least not sure there’s anything in it for cardholders?
    Just got the promo email from Amex myself and although it mentions shop small it says nothing about getting any cash back.

    • BJ says:

      13 Mar13 March 11:40

      I found that curious too but it does refer to “more rewarding” and by definition it is £5 on £10+ spend. Hopefully the dust will settled and it’ll be budiness as usual, probably once per card though.

  • N says:

    13 Mar13 March 11:38

    It isn’t.

    No mention of any offer in the email, they’re just using the phrase “shop small” to get people out there and using their Amex.

    • BJ says:

      13 Mar13 March 11:48

      If so then it’ll kick up an unnecessary stink with their customers who understand Shop Small to be something quite specific.

  • Peter K says:

    13 Mar13 March 11:39

    Where did you see that? Not on any of my/Mrs K’s cards.

    • BJ says:

      13 Mar13 March 11:41

      A very vague email.

• Princess says:

  13 Mar13 March 11:51

  OT/ cancelled flight…sorry a bit long
  some months ago I managed to get flights with Ryanair to Jordan for around £500 return in total for 4 people with stop in Warsaw. (London – Warsaw – Amman) at Easter time
  Yesterday ryanair sent me 2 emails because the leg Warsaw-Amman and return are cancelled.
  I checked the website and seem they cancelled all flight connecting to Jordan until end of may (they usually fly from 13 different cities).
  their standard email offer refund or re-routing.
  -1st question: am I entitled to rerouting even if the cancellation is communicated more than 14 days in advance?
  In case I can ask for re-routing, here my question:
  -Ryanair doesn’t have any flight to or from Jordan until June, and no other airlines have direct flight to Warsaw. Off course my final goal is to start/get home in London, can I ask to be re-route from/to London with Ba or royal air Jordan?
  -Of course a flight with any other airline would cost at least £1500 for the 4 of us, would they accept it?

  I know that by the time that Easter will arrive we maybe be under lock down but it makes sense to me to make a plan in case things unexpectedly get better.
  Any advice welcomed!

  • Princess says:

    13 Mar13 March 12:05

    forgot to add that I have a Platinum card for the travel insurance…

    • marcw says:

      13 Mar13 March 12:16

      Jordan is slowly closing entry for travellers. its likely than in the next couple of days/week they’ll restrict travellers from uk.

      • Shoestring says:

        13 Mar13 March 17:21

        but yes: you are 100% entitled under EC261 to re-routing/ re-ticketing with a competitor airline

        bit difficult if nobody’s flying, you would probably win if you tested it in MCOL something along the lines of ‘get/ fly me to a nearby place then refund me for transport to my contracted destination’

• Russ 😷 says:

  13 Mar13 March 12:00

  Was just thinking that if you didn’t want to stay in the UK whilst the ‘herding’ thing is going on, a trip to these countries which enforce 14 days isolation may be worth considering. You could then go to somewhere else for another 14 days and so forth until this is over….ish.

  Lighten up folks and keep it real. It’s possible that we may lose some of our members so let’s be kind and give them a break. Have a good weekend!

  • BJ says:

    13 Mar13 March 12:20

    “It’s possible that we may lose some of our members”

    Thanks Russ, I wondered when somebody was going to say it. It is so annoying when some keep going on about keeping the numbers in perspective…they are not numbers, they are real people and each one is important to many more.

    • Anna says:

      13 Mar13 March 12:43

      +1, well said BJ. We are not a “herd”.

      • Anna says:

        13 Mar13 March 13:19

        Sorry, should have said BJ & Russ!

        • Cat says:

          13 Mar13 March 18:11

          Indeed BJ and Russ, 8 just found out last night that a close friend’s mum is one of the UK cases currently deemed serious.

          We all have loved ones that were worried about right now.

          Shoestring – pneumonia and/or sepsis is exactly what happens to the 19% of serious or critical cases.

    • Shoestring says:

      13 Mar13 March 15:26

      yeah but try & stay rational/ keep things in perspective (as in: seasonal flu/ sepsis/ pneumonia etc also carry off a lot of older people every year & I don’t see you mentioning them)

      [The coronavirus epidemic is causing inreased stress and anxiety…Reactions to the crisis can include feeling overwhelmed, fearful, sad, angry and helpless, according to experts. Some people may have difficulty sleeping or concentrating. Fear of contact with others, travelling on public transport or going into public spaces may increase, and some people will have physical symptoms, such as an increased heart rate or upset stomach.]

      • iamfugly says:

        14 Mar14 March 15:41

        I don’t understand why people continue to compare it with flu cases and fatalities. The common strains of influenza are a known commodity. Covid-19 is unknown, the experts have never come across anything like it before and they still don’t understand its behaviour or chances of mutation. People are dying even with receiving the best and most diligent health care, and those that survive have been told they will suffer life long effects. Sure this could be for a minority and with luck, most people will recover without further symptoms.
        The point is, glossing over the danger just because people are scared is not going to help the situation. The danger is real and the “we will prevail” attitude will not help. People have to be scared of this so that we all change our ways and apply better hygiene practices and common sense when around other people. The “I am not going to change my ways and carry on” routine is what is adding to the spread.

• memesweeper says:

  13 Mar13 March 12:11

  OT: Q. for Monese users … I’ve been asked by their documents team about source of funds for top ups made by Paypoint (and some other questions too). I’m inclined to just tell the truth and provide copies of matching transactions from credit card statements in my name. Can I expect my account to be closed as a result? This would be inconvenient to say the least — most of my standing orders and DDs are now with Monese…

  • BJ says:

    13 Mar13 March 12:32

    Yes, just be honest with them, even if it does result in your account being closed down. That would be a better outcome than a CIFAS note on your file. I was a bit surprised that they are being this heavy handed even on an account that you now appear to be using as your main bank account. It’s beginning to look like Monese themselves might be under investigation by the regulatory authorities given the increasing frequency of these comments.

  • kevbar says:

    13 Mar13 March 13:02

    I answered them honestly and got immediately shut down. I sent bank statements and tax return, didn’t send amex statements. Still have not received balance but they are supposed to be transferring it (only £5).

    If they shut your account you have no access to statements or transactions or anything, so be prepared 🙂

    • BJ says:

      13 Mar13 March 13:21

      How do they refund you, did they request alternative account details for the transfer? I have a four figure balance in mine so I think I better reduce it today.

      • Secret Squirrel says:

        13 Mar13 March 16:36

        Yes,
        They asked me for an account to refund back to as PO top up system did not allow refunds back to card.

        • BJ says:

          13 Mar13 March 17:39

          Thanks, reduced my balance to just over £10 in the event they want to close me down too.

    • Secret Squirrel says:

      13 Mar13 March 16:38

      Keep chasing them until they refund you.
      Mine took 3-4 weeks in total to get funds back.

  • memesweeper says:

    13 Mar13 March 15:16

    Thanks for the feedback — here goes nothing as they say…

  • ash says:

    13 Mar13 March 16:25

    you are topping up large sums weekly amex you can expect

    • Secret Squirrel says:

      13 Mar13 March 18:00

      Not even large amounts get you banned. I was only doing £500 a week for about 6 weeks when I got blocked.

    • memesweeper says:

      13 Mar13 March 18:19

      I completely battered it for a couple of months. Then stopped. Then just a few a week.

  • the_real_a says:

    13 Mar13 March 18:39

    Answer honestly and you wont get referred for fraud / money laundering (sensible) – but why would any commercial company want people who load-up and cash out? You get closed down for commercial reasons. You amateurs need to understand that you must use the product as designed whilst at the same time maximizing points opportunities. Oh, and at the same time keep your mouths shut on forums 🙂

    • TTt says:

      13 Mar13 March 19:35

      How do I know if I’m being referred to a further investigation?

      I had the same e-mail a few days ago asking for details – I sent them a redacted payslip with only my company’s logo and address on it but everything else blacked out in PDF. They then asked me again the source of the funds for the paypoint topups and I kind of harshly answered that I had already covered this in the previous e-mail, and haven’t heard back since.

      Is there anyway to check for a CIFAS note? Or avoid it? I’m now concerned.

• Jack says:

  13 Mar13 March 13:18

  OT

  Has anyone got any data points on what Virgin Money (VA Rewards card) classes as a cash advance for transactions through Curve, if there are any?

  • The Urbanite says:

    13 Mar13 March 15:41

    Any merchant with MCC 6051.

    • stevenhp1987 says:

      13 Mar13 March 15:56

      MCC 6012 is also fine

      • jack says:

        13 Mar13 March 16:15

        what are the best places you have found to use it?

      • Jack says:

        13 Mar13 March 16:17

        Is that to say you would pay cash advance for transactions with these MCCs, or that both of them are exempt? Thanks

        • ashish says:

          13 Mar13 March 16:27

          try monese first – this is a good one.

          revoult will charge you

      • ashish says:

        13 Mar13 March 16:29

        kindly I would like to know if we can use Amex and google pay for Starling or other top up?

• Mark says:

  13 Mar13 March 14:51

  Cue lots of cancellations though until 30th June….

  • Shoestring says:

    13 Mar13 March 14:56

    [The period proposed covers the four-month period between March 2020 and June
    2020 for all flights. ]

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