[dundj]

Gordon wrote:

It’s not been windy in London today! The BBC did put out an article, saying there was a fault at their end!

BBC Weather fault forecasts hurricanes across world https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kjrp2rngzo

Obviously Florida excluded!

The track was for this one to reach over the Bay of Biscay and run through France to Belgium and Germany around 70mph and weakening

Gordon wrote:

It’s not been windy in London today! The BBC did put out an article, saying there was a fault at their end!

BBC Weather fault forecasts hurricanes across world https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kjrp2rngzo

Obviously Florida excluded!

[dundj]

NorthernLass wrote:

I hadn’t even read about Kirk, apparently France has been quite badly affected as well.

I follow a large volume of weather systems as a hobby, especially in the North Atlantic. What has been surprising over the last two years is the sheer strength of the storms like Milton starting up off the Yucatan Peninsula as well as the general direction of storm tracks which start up off the coast of Africa like Kirk and Leslie as they have more regularly turned North far earlier than they used to.

A Post Doc meteorologist, if not doing so already could have some excellent research opportunities from the variations to understand why it is occurring.

[dundj]

Gordon wrote:

can2 wrote:

That’s a first: Amex app doesn’t show my balance. It says n/a.

Should I worry?

This App falls over sometimes, not an issue as it revives its self eventually.

What’s more worrying is that we are expecting hurricane strength winds in London today, I know Milton is a big one, but didn’t think it could stretch as far as the uk! Unless the BBC weather app has also fallen over!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0efDbBgO6QLwS-K3LYV8kvnRw

@Gordon the wind will be from what was named as Hurricane Kirk, which turned up into the Centre of the Atlantic before heading towards Europe. I think it made landfall in Northern Spain yesterday from what I briefly caught on TVE news yesterday.

[dundj]

Escape Lounges are expanding to Edinburgh Airport in 2025.

[dundj]

BA Flyer IHG Stayer wrote:

MBNA smart rewards not showing again!

It’s been taken down for the foreseeable future. Any active cashback rewards selected will be valid. Just good luck knowing what you have selected and when they expire.

[dundj]

Try it via the Hilton website instead as the app can be troublesome when switching cards.

[dundj]

AndrewT wrote:

Halifax cashback rewards have disappeared again this morning, having gone awol then returned earlier in the week.

If you click on “More” then scroll down to Loyalty Rewards, it has been taken down and I think they were also the Cashback Rewards administrator hence why it is down.

[dundj]

NorthernLass wrote:

Got the Hilton one on BAPP and supp, also Millennium, though a much smaller list of properties. The Hilton ones need to be displayed from the Ts and Cs, the first link just goes to the HH website.

The Hilton list is a bit haphazard, I think they go by post code but that means that the different countries are split up all over the place!

Just had a look, it seems a number of the newer hotels have been tacked onto the bottom for example Graduate Oxford and Mainpoort Rotterdam (nice top floor function room in there with a wraparound balcony).

[dundj]

Richie wrote:

Are there Eurostar trains to Paris CDG airport?

Thalys trains, now part of Eurostar do call at CDG. Also, have Thalys trains calling at AMS.

[dundj]

ToffeeTom wrote:

For those interested in hotel points, this is a rather interesting addition to the iphone app store. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hilton-honors-debit-card/id6479882982

Also available on Android. Up to 4.5 points per £1 spent. Instant Silver status with standard card and Gold status with Plus card.

Data scraped from the net is as follows.

Hilton Honors Debit Card

This card offers a competitive foreign exchange fee and Hilton Honors points. There are two versions of the card:

Hilton Honors Debit Card: This card has a £60 annual fee and a 0.5% foreign exchange fee. Cardholders receive Hilton Honors Silver status and can earn a welcome bonus of 3,500 points by spending £1,000 abroad.

Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card: This card has a £150 annual fee and a 0% foreign exchange fee. Cardholders receive Hilton Honors Gold status and can earn a welcome bonus of 12,000 points by spending £2,500 abroad.

[dundj]

AndrewT wrote:

craigacton wrote:

My Smart Rewards (cashback) offers have disappeared from my MBNA and Halifax apps since yesterday. Chat says to call. Anyone else missing them?

Slightly strangely they’ve disappeared from Halifax, but not Lloyds. While they operate as separate legal entities, Halifax is fully owned by and part of Lloyds Banking Group. Apart from the branding the apps are identical, as are/were most (but not quite all) of the offers.

Still showing for me on Halifax app in the first account held as a button to click.

[dundj]

Another option is to go to GLA from Manchester by train and bus, or drive up and park, and use the GLA-LGW flight if you must. Still some luggage lugging, but easier than from LHR to LGW.

[dundj]

A few new offers this morning have popped onto the cards.

10% off days out, seems to be across all card types. Includes Merlin, Viator and Turo (stackable today only with a 25% off £150 spend if you have it). To 14/11

Emirates £100 off £800 to 14/10. That was on Platinum.

Amex Travel £75 off £300 to 16/12. That was on Platinum. Likely to only be on the Primary cardholder account.

Enterprise rent a car £75 off £300 to 31/12. That’s on Platinum too.

[dundj]

Leading Hotels of the World offer on my Platinum today. Slightly different to previous versions.

Spend £600 or more, collect 15,000MR points.

Expires 10th December.

[dundj]

The airlines keep popping up on the Platinum.

Today it is United and £350 off £700 spend until 23/10/24.

[dundj]

@occasionalranter do check current rates versus your rate in case prices have risen.

If you have a refundable rate, you can book again with the voucher and in app discount, then cancel the old booking.

As far as blackout dates, I’ve never seen one in operation which includes New Year’s Eve. That’s not to say there are none at some properties.

When you sign up, you should receive 2,000 points too, so see how much that changes the overall price and consider if it is worthwhile. Anything over and above £30 difference would be better than their for spend at a hotel now the hotels are dynamically priced.

[dundj]

PeteM wrote:

PeteM wrote:

PeteM
849 posts
dundj wrote:
20% off Amex dining to 31/12/2024, good to double dip with a UK £150 credit.

They’re being generous with you, it’s only 10% on my Platinum and Platinum Cashback 🙁

I misread – it’s 10% on the Platinum Cashback and 20% on the Platinum, you’re right!

Thank goodness for that. As my supp card also has the 20% too, so had thought something may have been up.

[dundj]

20% off Amex dining to 31/12/2024, good to double dip with a UK £150 credit.

£100 off £700 spend with Turkish Airlines to 0212/2024.

Both on Platinum, plus a couple of other less enticing offers today.

[dundj]

You can earn outside of flying on Flying Blue as well with the Flying Blue e-store for online shopping (admittedly rates are not as good as the BA e-store), or using the double dip with Accor hotels if you use them regularly too.

[dundj]

Its a one night stay in Paris with VIP tickets at two sessions of the Paralympics in sports we all like (Swimming and Athletics) so the rest of it should be fine, touch wood/cross fingers and toes etc.

Just hoping they enjoy ET as much as CE for the Paris hops.

[dundj]

Right Ladies and Gentlemen, please don’t shoot the messenger on this one. My partner and I had the discussion with the “in-laws” yesterday in the end and they had been looking up a number of the hotels in the vicinity of the Heathrow area, you can possibly guess where this is going already.

They are aware of mine and my partners newly minted Radisson Rewards VIP status, and had been looking at 1 room bookings for 4 people. They saw the Radisson Blu available with a Family Room of two connecting rooms for £135, and using my points to bring that down fairly significantly so that is booked for the 30th.

They also wanted to utilise our Hilton status too, especially after stays at other Hilton hotels with us around the UK and Europe in the past, so decided that Hilton T5 hotel which is not at T5 would be a good option too on the way back, and so that was booked as it was a decent price for them .

I’m looking forwards to the moaning from them on arrival to both, but we can see what VIP status gets at the Radisson Blu and enjoy a cab/Uber to and from the terminal.

Thank you very much for all your help, and apologies that I have not been able to persuade them to agree to anything recommended by all of you.

[dundj]

As a fellow Scottish Flying Blue member, and close to Platinum for Life as well as Flying Blue Ultimate this year. If you are able to reach Flying Blue Gold or Platinum before the honeymoon choose Flying Blue.

Be aware, you need 280XP to reach Gold and 580XP to reach Platinum in that time.

Do not discount GLA-AMS-CDG return as an option in J to help with that. Or a couple of EDI-CDG-AMS-KRK returns too.

Virgin Atlantic won’t necessarily credit all AF/KL flights due to the fare buckets some of the connecting flights will come under.

Also, and TBC, SK are joining Skyteam from 1st September and if SAS Plus on short haul meets Flying Blue business categories then one connection returns will meet 60XP for around £350 lowering your cost to meet the number of XP required for Gold or Platinum.

Once you reach silver after 100XP, you will be silver and reset to zero plus any excess XP. Then you need 180XP less any excess XP from your flights previously (for example, two returns in business short haul with one connection each way which would give 120XP, leaving 20 excess XP, therefore requiring a further 160XP), would get you to Gold over a new 12 month period. Same for Platinum, but once reaching Gold you need 300XP less any excess.

If further information required please ask.

[dundj]

For as long as I can remember, this hotel has not allowed under 18’s in the lounge during “happy hour”.

[dundj]

hake-tfc wrote:

If they do revoke this and you’ve made a booking do you not get the benefits? Do you need to be VIP as of the date of stay?

You would almost certainly only receive the benefits as per your membership level as at the time of stay.

[dundj]

Linking in to @Peggerz preference chart, the quietness version would be as follows.

1. Aspire Gate 4
2. Aspire Gate 12-16
3. Plaza Premium

Plaza (no longer so) Premium has lowered the quality ever since they accepted Priority Pass again, as well as once more people started booking this lounge over the two Aspire lounges.

@Ade long haul airlines are now using the lounge with departures around your timings, pre-booking may be essential too. I can never remember which airlines are definitely using Plaza Premium now but sure that Delta is one of them.