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This is today’s chat thread.
If you have specific questions about Avios, hotels or credit cards, please ask them in the appropriate forum and not here. This thread is a good place to post interesting deals you have spotted or your general thoughts on travel and all things miles and points. Thank you for contributing.
Walked into a packed blues bar tonight and the bartender that I befriended (and tipped of course) a couple of nights ago slid a beer across to me whilst he was serving someone else. I hadn’t said a word, barely even made eye contact. It was like something out of a movie.
Tip your bartenders folks but not self service tills!
I love this town
@davefl – That made me smile, I am just picturing you now, with the phrase, “A man walks into a bar”
Walked into a packed blues bar tonight and the bartender that I befriended (and tipped of course) a couple of nights ago slid a beer across to me whilst he was serving someone else. I hadn’t said a word, barely even made eye contact. It was like something out of a movie.
Tip your bartenders folks but not self service tills!
I love this town
Used to be par for the course at a bar I used to hang out in in NYC. Tip every time, and every fourth drink would be free. And if you didn’t tip, you just wouldn’t get served a second time.
Mind you, years ago, when we had local pubs with tenant landlords, a good landlord would also look after his regulars.
Used to be par for the course at a bar I used to hang out in in NYC. Tip every time, and every fourth drink would be free. And if you didn’t tip, you just wouldn’t get served a second time.
Indeed it did. Had one of my worst ever sessions in NYC, 16 bottles of Bud, I think I only paid for 10 and 2 day hangover as a result
Walked into a packed blues bar tonight and the bartender that I befriended (and tipped of course) a couple of nights ago slid a beer across to me whilst he was serving someone else. I hadn’t said a word, barely even made eye contact. It was like something out of a movie.
Tip your bartenders folks but not self service tills!
I love this town
Used to be par for the course at a bar I used to hang out in in NYC. Tip every time, and every fourth drink would be free. And if you didn’t tip, you just wouldn’t get served a second time.
Mind you, years ago, when we had local pubs with tenant landlords, a good landlord would also look after his regulars.
There are still pubs in England with (owner or tenant) landlords/ladies that look after regulars and visitors alike so do a great trade without having resorted to being food led. Our village pub has been owned by the same family for over 150 years and is very much the centre of village life.
@davefl – enjoying your Windy city stories, but “16 bottles of Bud”?! Good lord, that’s where you went wrong!
@davefl – enjoying your Windy city stories, but “16 bottles of Bud”?! Good lord, that’s where you went wrong![/quote
I was young, the US had no clue what a decent beer was back then, and honestly neither did I 🙂
It’s a cute story. Was the first week of the smoking ban inside bars. The very hot red head bartender was on the front page of the NY Post being interviewed about how it would affect trade. Anyway I got talking to her, and the guy next to me. He walked away leaving around 30 USD on the bar
She says, your friend left his cash, I responded that I had no clue who he was and that must be your tip.
My beer bottle magically refilled itself for free until 4am when the bar closed
My first experience of this was (having) to tip a bartender in the AA lounge (airline!) in JFK back in the noughties. Thankfully I was with my much more experienced and well travelled boss who taught me everything I needed to know.
I just wanted to also say that it looks like Melia have launched their periodic wonder week promo. I’ve been tracking a couple of hotel rates and even with the Gold / Amex Plat promo being applied before sale and today with sale, the new prices effective today are heavily reduced.
Bartender just gave me 5 CDs for free as he did last year. Honestly I don’t really have the words to express my emotions tonight
I just wanted to also say that it looks like Melia have launched their periodic wonder week promo. I’ve been tracking a couple of hotel rates and even with the Gold / Amex Plat promo being applied before sale and today with sale, the new prices effective today are heavily reduced.
Seems it launched early
Booking period: 09/06/2025 – 16/06/2025
Travel period: 09/06/2025 – 20/12/2025
Urban hotels: 09/06/2025 – 20/12/2025
Leisure hotels: 09/06/2025 – 20/04/2026
I just wanted to also say that it looks like Melia have launched their periodic wonder week promo. I’ve been tracking a couple of hotel rates and even with the Gold / Amex Plat promo being applied before sale and today with sale, the new prices effective today are heavily reduced.[/quote]
Cheers for the heads up – have rebooked a Madrid one night stay for October 2025 and created £20 for the paella fund 👍
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/07/john-lewis-points-credit-card-purchases
From the beginning of August customers will earn fewer points on purchases made with other retailers. Instead of a point for every £4 spent, it will be for every £10.
Thanks for the Melia tip – just saved 100 euros on my booking for next Easter!
@davefl I don’t comment often on the daily thread, but I will today – just to say keep your US travel anecdotes coming! USA gets a lot of negativity on here (a fair bit of which is justified, to be honest) but your travels there are far more frequent than mine and you remind me what I love about the place and the people.
Lived in Chicago for two years. The travel stories are making me jealous and with the improving FX rate and mess taking place these last day I am almost tempted to book a jump to my favourite places (Chicago and NOLA).
Re Melia – glad it is helping.
I posted elsewhere but is anyone booking non-ref on the basis of using the £75 off £300 Amex deals currently running?
One of my bookings is for Feb next year and whilst I’d ordinarily retain fully flex, non refundable saves £150 on the flex rate then of course £75 Amex cashback which would trigger now.
Thank you All 🙂
Question for the experts. My partner will lose her BA silver this month.
She has just booked a trip for November (flying with BA) and selected her seats so I suppose now she needs to avoid checking MMB or will be kicked out of them?
Is this correct?
@ukpolak – My hotel isn’t included in the offer, but if I had paid up front the Amex cash back would have been less than what I just saved by re-booking.
If you know you’re definitely not going to cancel, it would make sense to use the offer. I generally use the cash back offers on IHG and Hilton for pre-paid stays I intend to complete.
@yonasl, I’m not aware that just checking MMB will have any effect (this didn’t happen to me when I dropped to Bronze for a couple of months last year). She needs to not move the seats after losing silver, of course, and if there’s an equipment change she may well get kicked out of them.I literally booked Gran Meliá Isla De Isora yesterday morning, using a 20% off code. I thought it was a good price.
This promo has sliced another £90 off it@davefl Buck a beer has always worked for me too, placed under the glass when ready for the next drink.
This also reminded me of my first trip to the US back in my RAF days. We were in Washington DC, we’d had a few bottles in the ‘party room’ and headed out to a local bar that someone recommended. It was my first experience of needing ID, I had my military ID in my pocket, I was 20! Tough luck said the rest of the crew who headed in, back to the hotel for me. I tried to avoid trips to the US until I was 21 after that.
@The-Savage-Squirrel and @yonasl Thanks, I’ll keep posting if people are enjoying. It’s 2.30 am, more free beer.
Honestly, 3 of my american friends told me not to come this year but I’ve found it as welcoming as ever. Met some Canuks today who were blues festival virgins and some more lovely locals, introduced by a guy i met here in 2022.
Had the chance to chat to a bass player i’ve admired for years, now it’s time for sleeps and recovery before I resume the music in 10 hours.
Did I mention this is the best “free” you can buy 🙂 If anyone wants to see exactly what I’m rambling on about look up Rosa’s Lounge and Dcase channels on Youtube.
I had my military ID in my pocket, I was 20! Tough luck said the rest of the crew who headed in, back to the hotel for me. I tried to avoid trips to the US until I was 21 after that.
Lol, yes this is the crazy thing about the US. Can’t even get served a bottle of wine in a supermarket by a cashier whos is under 21, but hey, they’ll sell you a gun and some ammo if you or they are 18.
I did go drinking once with a 22 year old when I was in my 40s. She got to drink and I didn’t as I had no ID with me.
Thanks @NorthernLass – fully flex was never a thing for us before we got in to the points game but appreciate your tips and will proceed to trigger the Amex cashback. Thank you
Used to be par for the course at a bar I used to hang out in in NYC. Tip every time, and every fourth drink would be free. And if you didn’t tip, you just wouldn’t get served a second time.
Indeed it did. Had one of my worst ever sessions in NYC, 16 bottles of Bud, I think I only paid for 10 and 2 day hangover as a result
Goodness, 16 bottles of Bud, I’m not sure if to be totally impressed, or start worrying about your liver – maybe both!
Another one here who is thoroughly enjoying your holiday update’s, sounds like you are having a fantastic time.
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