News: update on HSBC’s 25% Avios bonus, IHG launches a European hotel sale

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• Harry T says:

  1 Jul1 July 05:15

  This is fairly shambolic from HSBC.

  • Geoff says:

    1 Jul1 July 05:50

    Just saw this in the comments from the original article:

    “ Serious why test? It’s a published bonus!

    Or are HSBC or BA some fly by night operation that’s here to scam you?”

    • Geoff says:

      1 Jul1 July 05:52

      Also:

      “ Quite amusing how so many people think HSBC has devised a nefarious scheme to hoodwink them”

      • points_worrier says:

        1 Jul1 July 08:03

        This is clearly incompetence, not a deliberate scheme to hoodwink. HSBC are sufficiently incompetent if they had a deliberate scheme to hoodwink, they would fail at simply doing nothing.

        • BBbetter says:

          1 Jul1 July 08:24

          Yep. “Don’t attribute to malice..”

      • TGLoyalty says:

        1 Jul1 July 10:25

        The whole point is they haven’t done it deliberately its obviously an IT issue. There is 0 malice intended and 0 chance you wont get either your bonus or something equivalent.

        I’ll happily take the cash equivalent of my bonus points due at BA buy rates

        • Geoff says:

          1 Jul1 July 11:47

          Well people said there was zero chance you wouldn’t get the bonus in 14 days.

          I’m still waiting. Tick tock.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          1 Jul1 July 12:20

          Not they didn’t! Not a single comment either said it was guaranteed they will show up in 14 days or even implied it.

          I see Rob saying “have you waited 14 days?” and another poster saying “hope the bonus will show up in 14 days” there’s no other mention of 14 days anywhere until some comments on the last page saying they’ve now waited 14 days.

  • Brian Steven’s says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:38

    Yes agreed. In prior years the bonus has posted without an issue.

    • Geoff says:

      1 Jul1 July 16:01

      “they always arrive within 10-14 days after transaction.”

      Hmm

      Looks like a reference to 14 days.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        1 Jul1 July 19:38

        That was them posting their own past experience no one guaranteed you or any other poster they would.

        I’ll guarantee you if you complain after the stated 14 day period someone at HSBC will make you whole at some point and if it took lots of effort you might even get up to £100 for your effort.

        The simple point is banks are highly regulated they aren’t trying to do you out of your 25% bonus.

        • Geoff says:

          2 Jul2 July 07:30

          Highly regulated HSBC:

          Hmm. Good one.

          “HSBC laundered over $881 million for Mexico’s Sinaloa and Colombia’s Norte del Valle drug cartels”

        • Rob says:

          2 Jul2 July 07:40

          Here’s the thing. I was working for them at that point and whilst they were running the worlds biggest ever money laundering operation (they created a full shadow bank in Mexico to facilitate it) I was getting a hard time for taking excessive stationery from the cupboard 🙂

          This was at least before the crackdown on corporate hospitality, which reached its zenith when it took my wife a month to get clearance to accept 4 free tickets to a kids circus.

        • Geoff says:

          2 Jul2 July 08:26

          “Entertaining” clients with expensive corporate hospitality is just a respectable form of bribery.

        • Rob says:

          2 Jul2 July 09:36

          Like those Avios BA gives you for trips your employer pays for?

        • TGLoyalty says:

          2 Jul2 July 10:09

          You’ll be happy to hear all the bonus points are in and even got a 25% bonus on top so 31.25% bonus for my wait.

        • Geoff says:

          2 Jul2 July 10:35

          “Like those Avios BA gives you for trips your employer pays for?”

          No nothing like that. Weird comparison.

        • Rob says:

          2 Jul2 July 11:13

          So what’s the difference in you diverting employer spend to Emirates so you can redeem miles for VIP Wimbledon tickets (which you can) vs Emirates inviting you directly to Wimbledon to persuade you to spend your employers cash on them?

        • TGLoyalty says:

          2 Jul2 July 11:13

          The difference isn’t so different. You’re being bribed to spend your employers money on your preference of airline or hotel instead of simply the cheapest/quickest/most convenient option.

          Also my comment about it being regulated is that there’s a clear complaints and escalation route for you the customer to claim if you didn’t get what was promised.

          Don’t think the money launderings were escalating complaints or going to ombudsman

        • Geoff says:

          2 Jul2 July 11:16

          Getting air miles in return for flying is SLIGHTLY different to getting plied with free booze to sign a deal.

        • Rob says:

          2 Jul2 July 11:41

          Free booze stopped being an incentive a long time ago. Often not even available now at corporate jolly’s so those who don’t drink are not excluded and the risk of a lawsuit from a drunk guest insulting / propositioning another is removed.

          I’m guessing you are retired and not actually aware of how many levels of sign off an employee now needs to attend a hospitality event (if indeed they are not banned outright) and what goes on.

• Stu p says:

  1 Jul1 July 07:01

  HSBC call centre told me it was BA who had to add the bonus!! Did not seem to have a clue what was going on.

  • Thywillbedone says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:01

    Now there’s a question we could debate long into the night: which has worse IT systems, a legacy airline or a legacy bank??

    • Yuff says:

      1 Jul1 July 09:02

      I cancelled 2 x 241s last Monday online , no cash,, no vouchers no avios returned. Contacted via chat on Thursday was told it was processed on 24th June and takes 7-10 days.

• Jonathan says:

  1 Jul1 July 07:25

  I ‘tested’ as I didn’t receive a pop up at the time the original offer was discussed… The 100 arrived in my account on 8 June and no bonus has been received to date

• points_worrier says:

  1 Jul1 July 07:56

  Complaint put in to HSBC on day 16 for me as I needed the 25% avios for a flight.

  HSBC responded within 48 hours, and gave me the full cash value of the missing avios bonus as per BA’s buy avios rate (around 2ppa).

  You can chat with the call centre, who clearly dont have a clue what they are talking about, or you can go through the channels which have the power to provide an acceptable solution…

  • t0m says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:20

    How did you complain? A letter?!

    • points_worrier says:

      1 Jul1 July 08:27

      Nope. Via the resolver website. Very quick. 5 minutes (slightly longer if you have never used resolver before).

  • MT says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:23

    Out of interest how did you submit the complaint?

• John G says:

  1 Jul1 July 08:08

  Luckily I only did a small test a few weeks ago (bonus for which hasn’t shown up) as something didn’t seem right. I’ve now made a full fat transfer having seen the offer in my app for the first time yesterday and bonus points have posted already.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    1 Jul1 July 10:26

    or unluckily as points_worrier’s resolution seems far better to me

• asp says:

  1 Jul1 July 08:18

  Can someone please educate me on EC261? Recent LGW to EDI delayed 2.5hrs but claim rejected as not >3hrs. I thought threshold was 2hrs for flights less than 1500km? Thanks

  • BBbetter says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:27

    Better to post on the forum as we have some EC/UK261 experts on there.

  • points_worrier says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:36

    Yes, put on the forum. But shortly – no, you are not entitled to compensation, but you could claim for reasonable refreshments as over 2h.

  • JDB says:

    1 Jul1 July 10:29

    I think the confusion arises from the fact that in the original EC261 legislation (which was copied into UK law post Brexit) there is no provision at all for compensation for delays. That comes from a much later ECJ decision. The reference to two hours at Article 7.2(a) for the shortest flights is only in connection with cancellations not delays. For potential compensation eligibility, you need a minimum of three hours delay for any flight and this only gives you 50% on long haul where over four hours is required for the full £520.

• Olivier says:

  1 Jul1 July 08:35

  Does anyone know when HSBC points post? On statement date or direct debit date etc ?

  • Chris says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:49

    A couple of days after transactions clear. You don’t have to wait for statement date, unless it’s for a points sign up bonus.

  • Yuff says:

    1 Jul1 July 08:54

    They post when the payment processes.

• DC says:

  1 Jul1 July 09:04

  I just recently (27 June) transferred 20k avios worth, but saw no offer, still dont see any offer in my HSBC and didnt know this was ongoing. Checked my account and only the 20k avios posted, is there a specific link I was supposed to use or something?

  • Rob says:

    1 Jul1 July 09:13

    No, standard link. Looks like you were the last person to be caught in the mess.

    • David says:

      1 Jul1 July 12:51

      Please continue to follow up with HSBC on behalf of your readers if you can please.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        1 Jul1 July 19:40

        You’re better off doing it yourself and perhaps even getting something extra for the small amount of trouble it’ll take.

    • DC says:

      4 Jul4 July 06:52

      Bonus points arrived in yesterday, plus a few extra (about another 5%).

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