[zio]

Good to hear you are still lurking, Genghis. I hope you are enjoying your travels even though you aren’t sharing them in the forums.
I haven’t taken the 7k option but would expect it (like the voucher) to credit when you pass the spend threshold. There is a separate anniversary reward if you also choose Barclays avios rewards via their Premier banking.

[zio]

Glad to hear you had a positive experience. Clothes that fit properly are so much more comfortable it’s difficult to go back “off the peg”, and I’m a firm believer that quality fabrics are completely worth the premium. If you don’t mind being more specific I’d be very interested to learn how much (including the postage) your new suits have set you back.

[zio]

Heartening to hear this outcome. BA (deservedly) cop a lot of flak but they deserve credit for an empathetic and flexible response in a situation like this.

[zio]

Personal view, obviously… nothing comes close to watching the aurora, if you are lucky. Dog sledding, reindeer sledding, cable car to the viewpoint and snowshoe hike, snowmobile and whale watching are all entertaining enough to while away the short daylight hours, especially if you haven’t done them before. Near the centre there is the polar museum, polaria, cathedral, brewery tour, a visit to Tromso stadium (site of Chelsea’s finest hour), but I wouldn’t put any of them in the must-do category.

[zio]

I also did it by taxi with no regrets.

If you are at all interested in the Romans tack Jerash on the end. It’s not on your typical loop, but it’s less than an hour out of Amman- very easy to visit and a very impressive site.

[zio]

We have had several reports of people getting avios refunded for the return leg of a BUV booking, though it may be a case of HUACA.

https://hfp2026mar.kinsta.cloud/forums/topic/cabin-upgrade-voucher/page/11/

This statement “The only way to do it is book the return as one or secure the outbound with the upgrade voucher and book a full cash or avios single for the return” is incorrect in my experience. I have had no problem adding a return to a BUV booking on the phone (calling at T-355 when the UK line opened).

If you feel speed is of the essence I’m slightly confused by your reluctance to phone, as it’s generally considered the fastest way to grab seats. Some agents are willing and able to hold four seats while they complete 2 bookings. Many on here use a 2-pronged approach of calling just before midnight and being online when seats drop.

[zio]

Similar experience this year with a c. 50% increase being offered. In my case I had to actively decline the offer if I didn’t want it. I guess from the comment of @freckles that there is an account setting somewhere that dictates whether the the default is accept or decline.

[zio]

Go to Products > All Products (if “Credit Cards” option isn’t shown) > Credit cards > Barclays Cashback Rewards.

[zio]

Once the vouchers are in your BA account they really are nothing to do with Barclays. Zero chance of it being a problem.

[zio]

+1 did this last November, and for a more up to date data point, last week too.
As others said, it’s nothing to do with BC.

[zio]

There is no problem getting the return back to LHR if your outbound started in MAN.

https://hfp2026mar.kinsta.cloud/forums/topic/booking-return-leg-with-companion-voucher/

As you are aware you should book the long haul as soon as you can on that route.

When you call up, you can also add a LHR-MAN leg to the booking as it wasn’t available when you booked the long haul.

[zio]

Yes, book the long haul flight as soon as it opens up. You can call the next day to get 50% avios rebate and the MAN leg added.

[zio]

I’m sorry to say you haven’t got a bargain. Rob’s target valuation for a Bonvoy point is 0.5 pence. https://hfp2026mar.kinsta.cloud/2025/08/17/what-are-marriott-bonvoy-hotel-points-worth-4/
However, it is still possible to beat 0.7p on a redemption so it’s not a disaster.
In general, buying points without an immediate plan for them will rarely yield good value.

[zio]

phil wrote:

This is not a permanent change

Strangely similar to am email I remember from Curve.

[zio]

My worry would be that you are splitting into two PNRs but then trying to change an existing 2-4-1 voucher booking into a 50% reduction. Still, no harm seeing if you can get a skilled and helpful agent.

Not at all the same but I recently got a one way 4 pax booking with 2 BUVs split in two, so I could cancel one half and get avios and one voucher returned. I wouldn’t have been so optimistic of splitting and cancelling 3 pax and asking for 50% off for the 4th.

[zio]

Just urging you to check there is still avios availability showing before you cancel your booking. As @NorthernLass has said, there’s a definite risk if you cancel your booking that the reward seats don’t go back into inventory, especially as your flight isn’t that far in the future.

[zio]

Thank you for an interesting and inspiring report. Glad you enjoyed this leg. I’m looking forward to following in your footsteps.

[zio]

Long overdue (because of having had to postpone the trip) thanks to close off this thread.
Driving was indeed painless, save for a couple of hairy minutes just east of Vik when a blizzard reduced visibility to essentially zero. 4×4 handling was fine though…
I think advice to leave Reykjavik to the end was excellent.
Stayed a couple of nights at Blue View Cabins. Superb location. Very cosy, though wind and sleet rendered the hot tub less than pleasant. Also need to report very noticeable light pollution from a nearby tomato(?) farm.
Unfortunately the weather during my week was pretty uniformly awful, so no aurora 🙁 All part of life’s rich tapestry though.
Thanks again, especially to @No Longer Entitled

[zio]

No, you can book the outbound for one person (preferably not a minor as won’t be on the same booking as the CV) at T-355 with a BUV and then call to add the return when it is released.

[zio]

I think the 2 obvious destinations – Islay and Speyside- have already been mentioned. If you and your brother prefer peated whisky the former is the place, if that isn’t your taste then the later.
My favourite is Talisker/Skye, but if the focus of your trip is whisky then it makes sense to go with the variety on offer on Islay/Speyside.

[zio]

I feel my manners may have deserted me a little here, so I’m going to have another go at welcoming you to the forums… Welcome!
These matches do occasionally turn up, and HfP is the place to hear about them.
I expect the match you have been reading about was the Royal Jordanian offer earlier this year. Their Golden Sparrow status gives lounge access. I think last year there was also a Delta status offer for (some) Hilton diamonds.
So it can happen, but I wouldn’t be at all optimistic that this will offer a route into a lounge for your flights next month.
This site has a lot of lounge reviews if you have a look around, or if you post your upcoming route then people in the forums might be able to suggest the best paid-for options.

[zio]

Sorry to say, this won’t be happening.
If you really want lounge access but aren’t flying in J you will need to pay for a third party lounge.
In my opinion the value proposition in these lounges is marginal. I don’t think I would be paying if didn’t have DragonPass “free” from Barclay’s. Most recent experience on Friday at NAP. A paid visit would have been £20.50. 2 coffees, 2 glasses of cheap fizz, a plate of food without the choice you have in the terminal.

[zio]

I used Welfit Custom Tailor for about 15 years. Suits and shirts as well as a great copy of a vintage leather coat. I know there was a change at the top during covid and haven’t used them since 2021 – I’ve not been to HK and the postage after covid got really silly, wiping out savings. I only went to the actual shop (in TST) a couple of times, and it was almost shockingly dilapidated! Usually had hotel visits. They had an extraordinary range of top quality fabrics, including many used by the tailors I am currently visiting. I’ll give them a little shout out in case you are anywhere in range of Woburn. Souster and Hicks. They have a full bespoke service but do an “entry level” made to measure service which honestly will do the trick for most purposes! I’ve paid around £1200 for 2-piece and £1500 for 3-piece suits, obviously fabric dependent.
If you do the HK thing, please do report back on where you go, how happy you are, and how much you pay.

[zio]

I found Hampton by Hilton Birmingham jewellery quarter for £51pn Dec 27-31.
This is a bit like profiling the perfect cat for some important insurance…

[zio]

The Hilton app?
I’m assuming if you want to keep it cheap you probably won’t be wanting to add cost of flights.
You can adjust the “map” view to widen the catchment area you are happy to travel within then sort the “list” view by price.
Beware that the app tends to default to sorting by distance if you adjust the map search.
Of course this doesn’t take account of price fluctuations at each hotel but especially over a limited 2 month time frame you can get a feel for the cheaper places and check specific dates. Searching for 4 nights at time will give “stay longer and save” rates at some places.
The answer is probably the Hampton by Hilton Rochdale.