Chat thread – Thursday 4th August

[Rob]

This is today’s chat thread. We have moved the daily discussion from the main HfP news feed into the new forum. We hope you get used to it.

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.

[Bob]

Anyone noticed lack of Virgin availability this morning? Seems like they have (maybe temporarily?) pulled reward availability which was available yesterday and still showing as available on seatspy. On some dates this even includes no economy redemptions either. This is for JNB but can also see same for CPT. Hope it’s temporary!

• This reply was modified 52 years, 7 months ago by .

[Carlos]

Thinking of paying a bill (£720) with billhop, to hit a 3k Amex bonus…

If my calculations are correct that would be a £21.53 fee for BillHop and equivalent to paying £0.00718 per MR point

(Well technically if I am getting 3k bonus + 720 MR points thats 3,720 for £21.52, therefore £0.00579 per MR point in this case)

Is it worth it? Can someone have a second opinion??

Edit: It is a bill which will go to a bank account directly for a service

• This reply was modified 52 years, 7 months ago by .

[YC]

United/Azul redemption – Noticed that a specific flight (SDU-IGU) is available on United on points but I can’t see this flight being sold anywhere else (even on Azul site – it shows the flight but no price, assuming it might be sold out?). Any cause of concern by booking it? Will need to transfer some points from Marriott to make the redemption so its not opportunity cost free

[can]

Carlos wrote:

Thinking of paying a bill (£720) with billhop, to hit a 3k Amex bonus…

If my calculations are correct that would be a £21.53 fee for BillHop and equivalent to paying £0.00718 per MR point

(Well technically if I am getting 3k bonus + 720 MR points thats 3,720 for £21.52, therefore £0.00579 per MR point in this case)

Is it worth it? Can someone have a second opinion??

Edit: It is a bill which will go to a bank account directly for a service

Why don’t you just make a fully refundable hotel booking to hit the target?

[Carlos]

can wrote:

Carlos wrote:

Thinking of paying a bill (£720) with billhop, to hit a 3k Amex bonus…

If my calculations are correct that would be a £21.53 fee for BillHop and equivalent to paying £0.00718 per MR point

(Well technically if I am getting 3k bonus + 720 MR points thats 3,720 for £21.52, therefore £0.00579 per MR point in this case)

Is it worth it? Can someone have a second opinion??

Edit: It is a bill which will go to a bank account directly for a service

Why don’t you just make a fully refundable hotel booking to hit the target?

I @can do but was thinking since I will pay this bill anyway, give it a go via a new route
Not done that before, I presume that after the bonus its and the refund is cleared there will be no issues?

[Richie]

YC wrote:

United/Azul redemption – Noticed that a specific flight (SDU-IGU) is available on United on points but I can’t see this flight being sold anywhere else (even on Azul site – it shows the flight but no price, assuming it might be sold out?). Any cause of concern by booking it? Will need to transfer some points from Marriott to make the redemption so its not opportunity cost free

A phone call to United may clarify, it seems the airlines IT may not be syncing. Are LATAM flights suitable?

BTW there have been recent useful comments in these forums about accommidation at the falls, worth a search if you are undecided.

[Aston100]

Hello, regarding a BA companion voucher.
Is there any way for the cardholder to return a week earlier than the companion?
Obviously can’t be booked like that, but was wondering if there was some way to do it after booking the flights.

Thanks.

[Andrew.]

Don’t see anything on search, but had the JLP letter this morning to notify what is happening with the heritage Partnership card.

Essentially they are being switched off at 6pm on Monday 31st October, any transaction after that time will be rejected. Accounts closed if a zero balance is held, accounts closed when a zero balance is reached thereafter.

JLP Points will be converted to vouchers in 500 unit blocks as usual. Any remainder points will be forfeited.

Now, I’m technically curious what happens with people who use their JLP card to start a journey on public transport before 6pm but tap-out after 6pm. Also wondering what happens with off-line transactions after 6pm. Fill your boots with buy on board?

• This reply was modified 5 days, 16 hours ago by Andrew..

[NorthernLass]

@Aston100, people have said on here that if the 2nd person doesn’t travel on the inbound it doesn’t cause any issues (unlike it would for the outbound). Have you booked the 241 already? Just thinking you might be as well using the 241 for the outbound then making separate arrangements inbound if the “taxes” work for you that way. Then there’s the possibility of adding the “return” much later when you are both travelling together.

[Scottpat78]

My recent experience for anyone travelling just now via LHR:

We flew LHR to SFO on Weds and used AirPortr for our bags to be picked up from LHR hotel the night before. Worked like a dream and no issues. Tagged as priority when handed over to BA and our 6 bags were in the first 10 off the belt in SFO (which was only 5 mins wait after clearing 5 mins of CBP wait). I’d highly recommend if you live within the catchment are or are staying the night before at a hotel nearby. Dropping off the car and not lugging the cases was a stress free start to the holiday.

T5 South security & fast track looked mobbed, so we walked down to North and were through at 8am with 10 mins wait.

Lounge 5B was the normal quiet experience and was great to spend a couple of hours in pre flight.

Obviously tons of issues with LHR for various reasons still rumbling on but our experience this week couldn’t have been much better I reckon. Our flight did arrive late – combination of 3 folks being denied boarding and strong head winds but I lived with that in the CS seat.

[YC]

Richie wrote:

YC wrote:

United/Azul redemption – Noticed that a specific flight (SDU-IGU) is available on United on points but I can’t see this flight being sold anywhere else (even on Azul site – it shows the flight but no price, assuming it might be sold out?). Any cause of concern by booking it? Will need to transfer some points from Marriott to make the redemption so its not opportunity cost free

A phone call to United may clarify, it seems the airlines IT may not be syncing. Are LATAM flights suitable?

BTW there have been recent useful comments in these forums about accommidation at the falls, worth a search if you are undecided.

Thanks Richie, I’ll find some time to muster up the courage to call an airline. LATAM timing works too but is expensive and hard to get availability on points so far. I think that falls accommodation forum may have been one I started 🙂

[Richie]

@YC Ok. I see Gol is on the route aswell, am not sure if they’ve improved.

I’ve been to the falls many many years ago. It’s on my list to visit again at some point, but will stay at luxury accommodation next time.

[Peter K]

Carlos wrote:

Thinking of paying a bill (£720) with billhop, to hit a 3k Amex bonus…

If my calculations are correct that would be a £21.53 fee for BillHop and equivalent to paying £0.00718 per MR point

Is it worth it? Can someone have a second opinion??

Edit: It is a bill which will go to a bank account directly for a service

Billhop is okay, I’ve done it before to hit a target. The price you’re paying makes sense, unless you use the MR towards a lower value use (e.g. hilton – 0.6p return, statement credit – 0.45p return).

Be aware that you will need an official invoice to pay Billhop into a bank account and they will not pay off a financial institution. Might it not be easier to buy gift cards for the supermarket of your choice?

• This reply was modified 5 days, 9 hours ago by Peter K.

[can]

Carlos wrote:

can wrote:

Carlos wrote:

Thinking of paying a bill (£720) with billhop, to hit a 3k Amex bonus…

If my calculations are correct that would be a £21.53 fee for BillHop and equivalent to paying £0.00718 per MR point

(Well technically if I am getting 3k bonus + 720 MR points thats 3,720 for £21.52, therefore £0.00579 per MR point in this case)

Is it worth it? Can someone have a second opinion??

Edit: It is a bill which will go to a bank account directly for a service

Why don’t you just make a fully refundable hotel booking to hit the target?

I @can do but was thinking since I will pay this bill anyway, give it a go via a new route
Not done that before, I presume that after the bonus its and the refund is cleared there will be no issues?

I used billhop few times preCurve for hmrc payments with no issues at all