[occasionalranter]

Thanks both. Very helpful. Noted re the % for short haul. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing indeed.

[occasionalranter]

This was the top Google result for “bumped Avios compensation” so I hope it’s ok to, erm, bump this thread to add my own query.

Have read the posts above. Son just got bumped CE to ET on ba951 muc-lhr today, on a booking I made via BAEC using 7250 avios plus £47.50 (deliberately increased cash element as better value overall).

Am I right in thinking we should claim 75% of the cash equivalent of the fare and that for these purposes we should look at the current cost of buying 7250 Avios without any discount schemes we may actually have used such as boost or subscription ?

And does the passenger or the account holder make the claim ?

Thanks.

[occasionalranter]

In case useful, I can say the voucher was available as soon as I got upgraded to gold.

[occasionalranter]

philuk wrote:

@RV Yes, it goes back to your account when you cancel. Tried it yesterday!

Just following up on this. The voucher t&c’s say the voucher is not given back to you in these circumstances, though of course it is great news if they do give it back in practice.

(can’t link to the terms as it generates a unique URL for me when logged in, but it says:)

“Discount neither cumulative, nor compatible with other promotions, or with other discount vouchers.
You have a code to use independently in 3 different reservations.
Discounts cannot be combined with each other.
The voucher will only apply to reservations made with cash or points + cash, not to reservations confirmed with points only.
The voucher is personal and non-transferable.
Should the reservation be cancelled, the voucher applied will not be refunded.
You must be logged in to your account to benefit from the discount.
You can use your code by booking on melia.com, the App or through our Contact Centre.
Enter your code, available in the My promotions section, in the “discount code – promotional code” box when you search for your hotel or destination on the web and the app. If you make your reservation through the Contact Centre, you will have to provide the code to the reservations agent.
The voucher is redeemable only for the duration of your MeliáRewards loyalty tier. Should the level be maintained, 3 new uses will be assigned, with those not used in the previous period of validity expiring.”

[occasionalranter]

Thanks. Yeah, I’ve actually got the Presidential Suite booked (!) for the 4 of us as it was same price as 2 decent rooms. It’s refundable but not sure how to figure out if the new price on rebooking will be the same, or at least not so high as to negate the benefits, as obviously there’s only one of those suites and I suspect there’s only one time in the whole year that Chiang Mai is so crazy busy.

This must be the most first world problem ever. I feel like I’ve become one of those people whose flight is ruined if they haven’t loaded a second bottle of Krug or whatever !

[occasionalranter]

Bumping as I have just booked Melia in Chiang Mai during lantern festival for a hideous amount of money, then read this thread and realised I might be able to save if I rebook it:
– through the app to save 5%;
– as a Gold (application for upgrade through Amex Plat just made) if I get discount vouchers.

Does anyone know if there are blackout dates or other restrictions on these vouchers that might stop me using them at a very popular time for a particular location ? My google skills haven’t flushed out any Ts and Cs.

Also, thanks to HfP and contributors for the existence of this thread. Hopefully will save me some cash 🙂

[occasionalranter]

My wife has this card and her year runs to February. It would make sense for me to apply for one now, right, so we can basically alternate spend every 6 months to get a companion voucher from each ?

<rant>Will probably be rejected as Amex seems to still hate me, possibly for taking cash out on a Halifax Clarity credit card abroad about three million years ago, WHEN THAT WAS WHAT THE BL**DY CARD WAS PROMOTED AS BEING GOOD FOR ANYWAY, AAAARGGGGHH.<end rant>

(I also like Amex Plat but strategy at the moment is to get our adult children to apply for it and make me supp card holder)

[occasionalranter]

Thanks everyone. All useful. Will report back afterwards…

[occasionalranter]

For QR, and for BA seats except additional ones opened up by a 2-4-1, you might want to use an aadvantage account to hold seats for 4/5 days while you search around for return seats and/or put the rest of your plans together (then cancel the aadvantage hold at same time as logged into BA account with relevant search ready to go in another tab, the seats should reappear within a few seconds….)? Have found this useful in the past, as I was an aadvantage junkie before switching to avios.

[occasionalranter]

I would be seriously tempted to try to do this with QR, ideally DUB-DOH-PER. Whole route booked as a single transaction, more direct route, probably better hard and soft product. Can you increase your Avios balance via boost ? I’ve bought a couple of hundred k avios that way this year leveraging both SUBs and credit card spend, at about 0.92p each.

I doubt QR redemptions will stay at anything like current pricing if they ever allow use of 2-4-1 vouchers so I wouldn’t hold off waiting for that !

[occasionalranter]

Just reporting back. Called the hotel, spoke to someone who was charming and obviously trying to be helpful, but… no dice. Apparently they are contractually obliged not to undercut the FHR rate. Hmmm. They could give me a “member rate” which is no better than via the website, but that only saves 80 euros a room over 2 nights vs FHR, which isn’t as valuable as about 90 euros food credit plus likely room upgrade (she confirmed they do try to give upgrades to FHR and will double upgrade if necessary) plus 4pm checkout.

(just confirming also – this hotel isn’t available via Virtuoso, have checked with Rob’s contact)

[occasionalranter]

As an aside, just how frickin’ expensive is Bavaria these days ?! The Kempinski is now actually cheaper than our previous go-to, the Edelweiss, which is now over 400 euros a night for a basic room on B&B basis in mid September.

[occasionalranter]

JDB – thanks. THe FHR deal has better perks than either the hotel’s own website or booking.com, for the same room rate, but you reckon I could get a better deal by calling them direct ? (Especially if I’m taking 5 rooms, right) Not done this before, and as you say the Germans are pretty rule bound, any tips for who within the hotel or organisation to target ?

[occasionalranter]

Just bagged the same flights for 7/1/25 at off peak rate 🙂

[occasionalranter]

Thanks for the reply. I’m lucky enough to have enough avios to hold onto this redemption with BA and keep looking for flights with QR in the meantime or – more likely – exactly the same flights with BA but on an off peak date 🙂

[occasionalranter]

I’m an idiot: 6/1/25 is a peak date. Clear enough when I look at seatspy.

Looks like off peak started from 8th January last year, hopefully will be similar this year. Am I right in thinking no-one knows for certain if a date is off peak until 355 days before ?

[occasionalranter]

Bother – flights in J only count at 125% of actual miles for purposes of calculating Alaska elite status, even though they count at 225% for miles awarded.

Moral of story – get some sleep before getting head around a new set of loyalty program(me) rules.

[occasionalranter]

John – yes, damn, can’t believe I missed that.

Yonasi – per your link, Alaska’s rules have just changed: “Earning status becomes simpler. In 2024, status will be based on elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) earned through Alaska and our global partners. The number of EQMs you need to reach status stays the same and you’ll no longer need to fly a minimum number of Alaska flights.”

Seems pretty clear I should credit to Alaska at this point. Maybe lots of other UK-based flyers will start doing the same thing with the above requirement gone.

[occasionalranter]

No, tried to book it as lhr-syd. I think it went as follows: It offered me stopovers, I said no, then it actually offered me the 2 flights I wanted, I selected them, it asked me to confirm I wanted to use the upgrade voucher and I confirmed, and then at that point it said the booking couldn’t be made as the connection time was too short !

[occasionalranter]

Answering my own q. re cover for remainder of a trip already begun, I have combed through the policy document here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/en-gb/benefits/UK-Platinum-insurance-documentation-May-2023.pdf

This is the key provision (p.19):

“DURATION OF COVER
You are entitled to the insurance benefits under the Policy from the moment the Card is activated and for as
long as the eligibility criteria stated at the beginning of these Policy Terms and Conditions continue to be met
or until We withdraw or cancel the insurance benefits by notice to You”

Cover applies to “Trips” but nothing I can see says a “Trip” must have begun before the Card is activated or, for example, that you have to be in the UK at the commencement of cover. (Un)Happy to be corrected…

[occasionalranter]

Actually deadline may be expiry of cooling off period for Barclays travel insurance I took out: that’s 7 days away…

[occasionalranter]

Blimey :O

[occasionalranter]

Thanks all. Hadn’t realised the point about 5k bonus for adding later.

I have a trip to Japan and Australia beginning 4th November. Tight timescale to get primary applicant approved and then separately add supp card holder. Am looking at policy now, but do you know off top of head if travel insurance covers the remainder of a trip already begun at the point where I become the supplementary card holder ?

[occasionalranter]

Funny how all our first thoughts were “must tell the HFP forum”. Right, family next…

[occasionalranter]

Just had same text 🙂