[Roberto]

Apparently it’s

You can make a debit card payment, up to a maximum of £750, using our automated phone service. Simply, call our customer service:

• For Virgin Money and Virgin Money Slyce customers – select option 4 and then option 1
• For Virgin Atlantic customers – selected option 2 and then option 1

Please make payments at least three business days before payments are due. Your payment will be applied to your account the next business day.

Business days are Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, except for bank holidays or public holidays.

[Roberto]

Well you can still match your Hilton/Marriott to MSC cruises but at the moment you can’t match that to Virgin. There is no way of matching to Virgin from Hotels directly atm (or indeed from any other cruise line)…

As for offers on promos , we’ll they come and go. Sometimes it’s better to book via an agent rather than direct.

From what I can see currently there are not really any great add on offers on atm. My current two booking came with a shed load of on board spend, $1000 on our 10 day cruise this month and $600 for a 5 days one in September. Those offers seem to have been rowed back , however the prices are slightly softer this year compared to last I think so its swings and roundabouts.

[Roberto]

Regarding status match…

Up until the end of last year there was a wide open program that got hammered with people matching from anywhere. The popular route was matching MSC to a hotel program and then using the MCS to match on virgin to get “Deep Blue Extra”.

That stopped 1st Jan. However there was a brief 2 day status match last month that matched to a lesser field of play (not MSC) and was only available on new cruises and not existing bookings. The match gave you “Blue Extras” not Deep Blue..

[Roberto]

Player two plus a supplementary card? Set up a Ba family account?

[Roberto]

I live near Malaga and this anti-tourist story is just nonsense.. Yes I agree that p!ssed up brits are a pain in the behind but there is no real traction here to stop tourists coming. Tenerife may be different but it seems more likley its a small minority making lots of noise and the media whipping it up.

Worry not.

[Roberto]

New ship launch – not really a surprise tbh

[Roberto]

Did this a few times recently nesting a Ba return into a VS return to/from Barbados with no issues. Also booked one ways with a VS and a BA upgrade vouchers earlier this year – again no problems.

When I did two different one ways in/out the US immigration picked up I was on a one way and wanted to see the details on my return flight.

[Roberto]

AndyGWP wrote:

Good idea… I’ll start off a template 😂

In the next day or so, I’m probably going to be dropping:

Departure: LHR
Destination: KUL
# of tickets: 2
Class: Business
Outbound Date: 29/1/24
Return Date: 11/2/24

I will just fire up my Delorean in readiness…

[Roberto]

Dropped to gold after 5/6 years as diamond. To be fair I never really got treated any better , maybe one or two upgrades but nothing worth the investment is getting back to diamond TBH.

The free drinks in the executive lounge is a nice touch but often its soulless and I would rather spend the extra and drink elsewhere.

Like others I get my Gold from an old platinum amex and/or my HH visa which gets hammered most months.

I have found myself staying more at Premiere Inns at the airport in the last few years as the cost of living post covid and higher interest rates has eroded my spending money somewhat. My next trip, next month – Hilton T2/3 was £225 and the PI at T4 was £48, that’s a huge difference even with the free breakfast (that I won’t eat as its an early flight).

[Roberto]

Apologies for highjacking this tread but your situation mirrors mine within reason. I will be flying into LCY and looking to stay for a Friday and Saturday night to attend a wedding in South London nearby.

I too am looking at Bankside or Canary Wharf on points (80k pn Bank or 70 CW). Either is pretty easy to get to from LCY and to/from the Venue so I am undecided. Landing 2pm Friday and flying out 2pm Sunday – the function is saturday. The pool is on no relevance , flying HBO and whilst Diamond HH today I will have dropped to Gold by July when I am looking to book.

Bankside is currently getting extended I understand – scaffolding and such like but that is not a major issue. Been to BS before and had a good experience, not stayed at CW.

Any thoughts?

[Roberto]

NorthernLass wrote:

Can anyone confirm Fronted has reset today?!

I was just thinking the same.. Curve says that the reset will happen on the 1st but of course that could be 23:59 tonight..

I have made an executive decision to wait until tomorrow.

[Roberto]

We live in Spain and have had Spanish and British Amex cards for most of the last 20 yrs enjoying recycling them endlessly between us until recently when things have become much tougher..

Anyways P2 phoned Amex Plat Spain this week (whilst I was out) to ask if there was any retention offers. I said that I got offered 80k MR last year. They offered her 55K MR and she said no believing they would up their offer but they did not and proceeded to cancel the card over the phone in the next 30 seconds.

Hey ho..

[Roberto]

We stayed pre river cruise at Maison Albar Hotels – Le Monumental Palace. Good solid comfortable hotel in great location. Ate and drank there and can reccomend you add the hotel to any short list you’re drawing up.

Booked via Amex and enjoyed the breakfast and $100 room credit.

[Roberto]

I get free roaming but SWMBO used an Airalo esim in her apple phone in the US, Canada and the Caribbean in the last six months or so and was pretty faultless everywhere.

[Roberto]

Correct, it’s a stupid question:-)
But seriously yes , it’s the transaction posting date that matters..
Have a great day…

[Roberto]

BKK has been the worst 777 traditionally, I can’t see that changing..

KUL was a 787 something or another the last few times I have flow it.

Can’t see either changing that much.

But I am happy. Looking forward to both routes opening up

[Roberto]

And of course since they have cancelled the Australian cruises all of that inventory has been scrapped, people have been refunded and brand new cruises invented to fill the space at almost the last minute in cruise terms.

Bookings must be down. Deals should follow..

However I have two cruises booked on Virgin , both are dearer now than when I booked them.

[Roberto]

One way tickets are not cheap. You may be better converting you 4 x one way avios into 2 x returns and playing cash for the other two returns.

[Roberto]

Log in and delete your baec numbers from the booking
Log out
Log in to the booking on the Finnair MMB portal and add you BAEC account details in their system. They might let you book the seats there..

If not

Log out
Go to BA MMB without logg8ng in and see if you can choose your seat

If not

Log into Ba.com
And try there.

One of those should work.
Have a great trip

[Roberto]

There’s still seats available in ecomony so don’t worry about getting bumped.

If you want to choose your seats before the general stamped at 1pm you could call BA this morning.

[Roberto]

What date/route are you looking for? Post it here and someone with 241 can check it for you.

[Roberto]

Not Qatar but I flew American to NYC via Miami from Barbados on Avios last year. Was good availability when I checked and had no issues getting the date I wanted…

[Roberto]

Be aware that like lots of cruise companies ships relocating from Australia and/or the far East will face some significant delays and reroutes in the next 3 months as ships previously destined to come through the Suez Canal will divert around Cape Horn.

Virgins Vailent Lady is due to come through mid April coming up from Dubai to Athens. That is likely to be canned. The one before from Singapore to Dubai could be changed as could the Athens cruise on the 9th of May (which is the one I am on)……

[Roberto]

I had a pop up to let me know I will be dropping to gold from diamond as I did not stay/spend enough to keep my status..

Hey ho, was good whilst it lasted but the extra incremental benefits of Diamond over Gold was just not worth worth chasing in 2023.

I should retain gold long term thanks to my Hilton Card and that’s enough TBH.

[Roberto]

You will be able to use the business queue to check in as long as your BAEC number is in the booking somewhere , even if your partner made it. Have a good trip.