[TedL]

Lyn wrote:

@mkcol good luck with your flight tomorrow.

@TedL I don’t know how extensive their range of single malts is, but wouldn’t arrivals duty-free in Sydney normally be less expensive than Dan Murphy’s?

Apparently Dan Murphy’s is definately better value than “arrivals duty free” at Sydney airport. However, I will search beforehand and check prices at the airport as I walk through.

[TedL]

As I found out when I looked at this option. Yesterdays flight, which I have been watching as my son is on it, landed at 1742 and was scheduled to depart at 1925, lifted off at 1956 so potentially only 103 minutes so think trying to buy at SIN is a non-starter as well. Looks like it will be a trip to Dan Murphy’s.

[TedL]

TGLoyalty wrote:

Having never done that route do you need to take off all your belongings when you disembark? If so it might as well be changing planes.

Unfortunately you do which is also the problem with ordering duty free to be delivered onboard, unles CC would hold it till the second leg.

[TedL]

BA Flyer IHG Stayer wrote:

“If you’re changing planes in Singapore on your way to Australia, you cannot carry duty-free items purchased from another sector of your journey.

“Items that are not permitted will be disposed at the boarding gate.”

But does that apply to BA15 which is technically a refuelling stop, i’m not changing planes?

[TedL]

NorthernLass wrote:

@TedL, is there a particular issue with SIN? Usually it’s fine to transit with duty free as long as it’s in the tamper-proof bag.

But, do you have the option to order it in advance and have it delivered on board?

https://bahighlife.com/on-board-services/

It was LHR duty free that said I would not be able to take it thru, but I am sure I saw some LHR duty free bags with other passengers but was unsure if they arrived in SYD with them, hence the question here. It is alcohol, single malt which I dont want to buy and then lose. Assume delivery on board would be similar, so if you can order for onboard delivery there shouldn’t be a problem. Perhaps I will try to purchase and see how far I get.

[TedL]

Flying LHR-SYD on BA15 next week. Last time we did this route we were prevented from buying duty free at LHR due to the stop in SIN. When we arrived in SIN we couldn’t buy duty free due to the short stop (arrival was late) as it appears you need minimum of 90 minutes from purchasing for it to get to your flight.

Has anyone successfully bought duty free at LHR and got it through the Security at the Singapore gate to reboard the flight to SYD, assume it should be in one of the sealed duty free bags?

[TedL]

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

We’ve all been give a $75 credit and we’ve also had a random $67.71 credit in our account, unsure why. Nice but doesn’t exactly meet their ABTA obligation to provide equivalents or compensation and sailor services unable to give any more info or compensation. So has been escalated to “the shore side” team

(I like the good mornings from, it’s interesting to read short snippets)

Suspect the $75 is your compensation, the $67.71 is probably a refund of Port Taxes from the ports you didn’t visit. If you have Cruise cover on your travel insurance you should be able to claim for the missed ports. Make sure you keep a copy of your changed itinerary which I would imagine Virgin have given you. The insurer may not make any deduction for the substitute port.

[TedL]

Mrs TedL received an email last week about payments to her Gold card account,

“Important information about
who can make payments
to your Card Account

We recently noticed that one or more payments on your American Express® Card Account referenced above was made by your Supplementary Cardholder(s). We’d like to make sure you are aware of this payment(s).
Alert icon
What you should know about future payments

All future payments should be made from a bank account held in your name, as the main Cardmember. Payments can continue to be made from joint bank accounts if the main Cardmember is one of the signatories. It is important you know that any future payments made by a Supplementary Cardholder could result in your Account being suspended.”

Strange as the payments are made by direct debit from our joint bank account, I have a Supp card on the account and direct debit is the only method of payment that has ever been used on this Gold card.

[TedL]

@JDB as the fount of all knowledge Argentinian on this forum, could you advise which is the best local Sim to get in Argentina. We will be in BA for four days before joining a cruise ending in Santiago. Do Argentinian sims also allow roaming in Chile at no additional charge. I cant use an eSim and really only require data. TIA.

[TedL]

Tiger wrote:

Does anyone know if Cruises are covered as part of NW or Virgin travel insurance?
Thanks.

Nationwide do a cruise extension, £40 when I renewed in July last year, and it came in handy last Feb when had two ports cancelled and also caught Covid on the cruise so was glad I had it. No idea on Virgin.

Haven’t received any notification from Nationwide on these changes yet and wonder how it will work as my upgrade renewal will be due in July and already have Award flights to/from Australia for October to December.

[TedL]

I booked two J seats for 27/12/24 the moment they were released. Checked the following morning and the other 2 were also gone. You need to be online or on phone at midnight!

[TedL]

Booked my return SYD-LHR in J last night paying full Avios. Seats between Xmas and NYE obviously not as popular, remaining two Club seats still there after I had completed my booking. Called this morning to have the 50% Avios returned, through to Indian Call centre, explained what I needed and call mysteriously disconnected. Called again and got a great guy who knew exactly what I wanted and all complete in 15 minutes, Avios in my account.

[TedL]

lightbulbpop wrote:

Oh okay, yeah I have the same similar situation, where one payment is made via my friend, did you upload the whole pdf of the statement or just a screenshot of the individual transaction to it being paid in?

I recently had to supply bank statement to Amex and did a print to PDF, sent if off to them and they came back and said they needed a downloaded PDF from the bank website. This I duly did, couldnt see any difference between the two but they obviously could.

[TedL]

Redeemed 5000 from my account in Sainsbury’s yesterday afternoon, not received any emails so far.

[TedL]

SamG wrote:

You should ask via chat for your MR accounts to be merged before you cancel the PRG

Is that what has happened on Mrs TedL’s account, though it has never been asked for in the past?

[TedL]

Bagged the outbound 15/10/24 LHR-SYD last night in J, now have to wait a couple of months to try for the return! Not sure if I will have the Avios to book online and get 50% back, will be touch and go.

[TedL]

I booked seats on my J MAD-EZE and SCL-MAD IB flights about 11 months out using MMB on Royal Jordanian.

[TedL]

My golf club used to take AMEX and it was really good when hitting SUB’s and 241’s but they stopped taking AMEX in April, a month before renewal! Thank heavens for Barclaycard.

[TedL]

The website workaround for this works with the new 241, probably not the old 241. Just reverse your search i.e. From SCL to LON and you get the “return” availability but no “outbound” availability.

[TedL]

Booked MAD-EZE on the 9th March using a 2-4-1, 51k Avios and £203. Early this morning booked SCL-MAD, 150k Avios and £200 (this was a Peak day unfortunately). Just called the Bronze line and have the PNR’s linked and 75k Avios returned. Less than 20 minutes from dialling to having the Avios in my account.

[TedL]

nectar collector wrote:

t0m wrote:

When I spoke with BAH they were adamant that the full cash value would be refunded to my card – that they would keep the avios I used to part pay. I don’t believe them based on the reports here, but that’s what they told me very clearly. I checked my understanding 3 times.

I’m now waiting..

If you originally booked something during the 2p per Avios bonus value promotion (August 2021) and then deliberately cancelled for an evoucher under the Covid cancellation / book with confidence process, you will have got an evoucher with a cash value that was calculated based on the 2p per Avios plus any additional cash taxes/fees you paid. The evoucher became purely cash, locking in the double Avios value……..

The original HFP article highlighting the ‘opportunity’ was this

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/08/21/2p-per-avios-discount-booking-cash-flights/

I had two evouchers from the 2p Avios offer which I tried to use to part pay a BAH hotel booking. A few days after requesting this I was advised that the evouchers were to be returned to original form of payment. Since then I have received the Avios into my BAEC account and assume the cash has been refunded to the card. I havnt been able to check if the cash has been refunded yet but will check in next day or so.

@t0m will be interested to hear what you get back.

[TedL]

t0m wrote:

When I spoke with BAH they were adamant that the full cash value would be refunded to my card – that they would keep the avios I used to part pay. I don’t believe them based on the reports here, but that’s what they told me very clearly. I checked my understanding 3 times.

I’m now waiting..

I had two evouchers gained using the 2p Avios offer then subsequently cancelled which I tried to use to part pay a BAH hotel booking. I was advised the evouchers would be refunded to the original form of payment. The Avios have been returned to my BAEC account and I assume the cash has been refunded to the card used, I havnt checked this yet.

@t0m, will be interested to hear what happens to yours.

[TedL]

I also got this email today, when I checked my account I noticed that I had 8 Avios deducted, detail was “Redemption : BA REWARD APP”. Was for a refund I received for something bought on the BA Prepaid card. Strange thing is I also got “Household Redemption : Contribution Received”, 2 Avios from the OH in the HHA.

[TedL]

I am trying to pay a bill at a website that only accepts debit cards, uses Sage Pay, I select Mastercard and enter the card details but it comes back with “The card type selected does not match card number”. Should I be able to use this card like a normal debit card?

[TedL]

In March we had a rebooked 241 trip to Miami, on the outbound we both got TP’s and Avios but on the return only Mrs TedL got them!