[ToffeeTom]

PT wrote:

ToffeeTom wrote:

For anyone travelling to New Zealand, I did this successfully over the phone for Amisfield, a nice winery near Queenstown: https://amisfield.co.nz. It was last year so double check it’s still on the list. They sell gift vouchers online but were happy to process over the phone.

Tried Amisfield over the phone and via email with no success. The payment processor for their online gift cards is called “windcave” and having no experience/idea of this I’m just going to assume it won’t trigger the dine abroad £.

Also had no success trying a restaurant in Auckland.

Sorry to hear that. When I redeemed with Amisfield, I called them and specifically asked if it could be processed by them rather than via their gift card website. This was at least 18 months ago though.

[ToffeeTom]

There is no option to get a supplementary card: https://help.marriottbonvoy.currensea.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/22906484330780-How-do-I-get-an-additional-extra-card-for-my-wife-husband-partner.

[ToffeeTom]

Thanks everyone for the excellent suggestions, particularly regarding the Argentinian side of the falls, which we’ll look to incorporate (perhaps swapping a night at the Belmond for a night at the Gran Melia).

[ToffeeTom]

For anyone travelling to New Zealand, I did this successfully over the phone for Amisfield, a nice winery near Queenstown: https://amisfield.co.nz. It was last year so double check it’s still on the list. They sell gift vouchers online but were happy to process over the phone.

[ToffeeTom]

Thanks @JDB and @Richie. I should have said that we’re travelling in January. On reflection, I think we may reduce 5 nights in El Chalten in favour of an additional night in Bs As at the end, though would be very open to suggestions of interesting things to tag onto the El Calafete or Iguazú components of our trip.

I can also report a successful use of Virgin Flying Club points to book Premium Economy on Aerolineas Argentinas between Bs As (AEP) and El Calafete (FTE). A very reasonable 21,500 points (+ £7 fees) each for a flight that would have otherwise cost over £300 per person on our chosen flight. Availability via Virgin was non-existent in September, four months before our trip, but has opened up 10 weeks or so before the dates we need.

[ToffeeTom]

This thread and others have been very helpful in planning a forthcoming trip to Argentina early next year.

It is our first visit. Our itinerary as it stands is:

1 night in Buenos Aires (the night of our arrival, flying to EL Calafete the following day)
2 nights/1 day in El Calafete
6 nights in El Chalten (travelling there via bus – car hire seems v.expensive for our dates)
1 night back in Buenos Aires having flown back from El Calafete
3 nights for Iguazú (likely staying somewhere near the airport on the Argentinian side after a late-ish arrival before 2 nights in the Belmond)
2 nights back in Buenos Aires before flying home

For those who have visited, does 6 nights in El Chalten sound about right? I had thought of reducing time there and flying to Ushuaia for a day or two, but I’d be concerned that we wouldn’t do it justice in a short amount of time and would also like to reduce the number of travel days. There are also three major hikes in the area that interest us.

[ToffeeTom]

I’ve just noticed that the T&Cs for this offer appear to have been updated, extending the gift card offer to those opening the account based on savings/investments: https://www.hsbc.co.uk/current-accounts/products/premier/?cid=HBUK:JE:D0:PR:06:2009:686:Premier_Selfridges_2025&dclid=&gad_campaignid=22258437747&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvajDBhCNARIsAEE29WoGlNzCu2hY-Q0GpcEkEDDWkrUGTpoR3IzgVL9U6TeaSq5_BupcWMoaAnevEALw_wcB#discover-how-premier-gives-you-more.

[ToffeeTom]

I flew United last week in Premium Plus. The WiFi was usable for basic tasks. Sending emails was fine but I couldn’t download an attachment of c.20mb. Browsing seemed to be quicker on my phone than my Mac.

[ToffeeTom]

@dundj Does it ask for a zip code and US state of residence when registering?

[ToffeeTom]

dundj wrote:

NorthernLass wrote:

It’s just a PITA and eats into your holiday time, especially on a short break. As timeshare owners we’re always getting approached with “special offers”, but for the past few years have got out of any discussions by pointing out that the £/$ exchange rate is so bad that we can’t afford anything!

For around £100 for three nights, two hours of my time to sit, listen and say no is simple enough for me. Partly because when I say no and why, that continuing the conversation is a waste of their time. Last time was at Hilton Midtown when it was $199 for a 4 night stay, but included 10,000 Hilton Honors points and $200 in restaurant vouchers which were well used. Also, had access to the HGVC lounge at Midtown and was upgraded to a junior suite so was more than worth it.

At the end of the presentation, when I said that the drop in the FX rate due to issues post Brexit means that I will not agree to any offer you can make, I left and popped up to the Guggenheim and Natural History Museum for the afternoon. Done the same at the Paradisus Palma Real when they gave us a bunch of extras for going to visit the then Circle, and now Paradisus Grand Cana, and that was for an hour between lunch and dinner.

Some of these rates appear as offers in my Hilton account but appear to be restricted to US residents (asking for Zip code and state).

[ToffeeTom]

RonnieB wrote:

Is there any way to get tickets to regular games at these grounds through Qatar or is it only CL?

Most, if not all, PSG and Inter Milan home games are also subject to Privilege Club auctions. This is because Qatar have sponsorship agreements with both teams. Otherwise, it’s CL only (Qatar is the official UEFA CL airline sponsor).

[ToffeeTom]

I decided I wanted the subscription anyway and purchased through TCB. A day later, Amex have emailed to confirm the offer has been trigged (debunking my interpretation that one had to use the link provided by Amex) and cash back shows as pending in my TCB account. In total, I’ll have spent £41.68 in return for an annual print subscription and a bonus 5,000 Avios.

[ToffeeTom]

Ian wrote:

Only on platinum cards

Not BAPP

Whereas Hilton was on BAPP, but not Platinum.

Very annoying!

I have both Hilton and IHG offers on my BAPP. Perhaps it will appear on more BAPPs over the coming days depending on sign-ups?

[ToffeeTom]

BBbetter wrote:

Go via TopCashback. 42% cashback. £50 worth of Avios. Net cost will be less than £10.

The terms and conditions of the offer specify use of a specific link. http://join.which.co.uk/join/subscribe?source_code=921AAA&utm_campaign=amexoffermay&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=amex

[ToffeeTom]

A very interesting review, thank you.

[ToffeeTom]

I have seen multiple BA LHR – SYD J awards on the Finnair app. However, the booking consistently failed at the final hurdle when attempting to proceed to payment. Intrigued to learn if anyone has managed to book one.

[ToffeeTom]

Mark87 wrote:

I’m finding much better availability for LHR-SYD in CW via Finnair.com but on BA metal (BA15), even when taking the Companion Voucher extra availability into account. Seems odd for Finnair to be offering reward seats when BA aren’t?

Is that likely to be accurate or some sort of IT glitch? I don’t have quite enough Avios yet to try taking the booking through.

Many thanks,

Mark

It seems to be an IT glitch. I have tried a couple of dates. All is fine until you try to proceed to payment, at which point it gives you an error message.

[ToffeeTom]

Yes, you can mix classes if you call up. I have done this recently. They did not charge me as it can’t be done online.

[ToffeeTom]

I have a similar problem with the Hilton Garden Inn at Old Trafford. It has tracked as ‘Lancashire Cricket Club’ on my statement, though it does have the full hotel address when you click through to the detail. I queried with Amex CS after a couple of weeks and was told to raise a dispute. No credit so far.

[ToffeeTom]

This deal has returned. It appeared in my O2 Priority app last night and the 8,000 points were credited immediately.

[ToffeeTom]

sam5035 wrote:

I’ve seen a few odd seat during the Sept to Dec but it seems like only 1 seat is available

I’d be interested to know if anyone managed to identify and book a date with 2 seats – I too was only able to find dates with only 1 seat available.

[ToffeeTom]

I saw some talk of this on social media last week. It is a targeted offer rather than universal (sadly not at me!).

[ToffeeTom]

I received a promotional email this week with the following offer, applicable to all cruises bar their new Australian route:

“Book a Virgin Voyage instore or call us by 31st January for 70% off your second sailor, up to £600 in free drinks, £300 of sailor loot, and an incredible 10,000 bonus Virgin Points to use for your next adventure.”

[ToffeeTom]

I’ve successfully redeemed this year’s international credit for a gift card at Amisfield (Queenstown, NZ). I called them using Skype and explained what I wanted to do. Statement credit took 10 days or so to post. I plan to use it this time next month.

[ToffeeTom]

elguiri wrote:

Not sure if new or just new to me, but got a Which? subscription offer on my BAPP: Spend £45+, get 55% back. Just in time for renewal.

Be careful with this one – there is a specific link in the T&Cs that it appears you need to use, presumably to prevent stacking with other offers. I’ve also received an email offering a £20 Amazon gift card for renewal, but only if I follow a specific link in the email.