Head for Points sent this email to their subscribers on March 18, 2023.
News in brief: Passport Office staff to launch a five week strike The Public & Commercial Services Union has announced that over 1,000 Passport Office workers will launch a five week strike. The action will start on 3rd April and run to 5th May. Around 25% of Passport Office staff will be involved, with substantial […]
Passport Office staff to launch a five week strike
The Public & Commercial Services Union has announced that over 1,000 Passport Office workers will launch a five week strike.
The action will start on 3rd April and run to 5th May.
Around 25% of Passport Office staff will be involved, with substantial delays in passport processing times predicted.
Workers at Passport Offices in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will join the strike. The Belfast office is still going through the process of balloting members.
It has been timed to hit the peak of applications as passengers submit in advance of Summer holiday plans.
The dispute is over an imposed 2% pay rise which the union believes is not acceptable.
Priority Pass cardholders can use the Moevenpick Cafe in the terminal, where you can claim €23 of free food and drink.
As many HfP readers will know, Priority Pass cards issued by American Express are NOT allowed to use restaurant partners. The only exception is The Grain Store at London Gatwick.
It seems that there are actually TWO global exceptions to the ‘no restaurant credit for Amex-issued Priority Pass cards’. The Moevenpick Cafe at Brandenburg is the second exception.
It turns out the list is here. The additional ‘valid’ policies are all from Middle East insurers which doesn’t help.
However …. visitqatar.com is now saying that compulsory insurance from a Qatari based company is only required if you are staying in the country for over 30 days. This obviously means that anyone on a stopover or short visit is exempt.
This doesn’t make a lot of sense because when you buy your insurance policy you have to pick a duration in order to calculate the price. One of the options is ’30 days’. If you don’t need coverage unless you are staying in Qatar for 31+ days, why do they sell a policy for stays of up to 30 days? The Ministry of Public Health website does not seem to mention the 30 day cut-off rule that visitqatar.com highlights.
We’re always here to help you make the most of your Avios, Virgin Points and hotel points. If you have any questions or want to get in touch, send us an email at [email protected] or reach out on social media.
Please forward this email to any friends or family who you think may be interested in improving how they travel.
If you were sent this email by a friend and would like to subscribe, click here.
Text-only version of this email
News in brief: Passport Office staff to launch a five week strike The Public & Commercial Services Union has announced that over
1,000 Passport Office workers will launch a five week strike. The action will start on 3rd April and run to 5th May. Around 25% of
Passport Office staff will be involved, with substantial […]
View this article online
Looking for a new loyalty credit card? Click here for the best current offers
A welcome bonus you can't miss. 40k points A when you spend 6k in the first 3 months and %% 20k points between months 14 to 17
when you make a purchase. Ends 30 March.
This email has been sponsored by citizenM
Affordable luxury in some of the
most exciting cities in the world
BOOK NOW
18 March 2023 by Rob Burgess
UPDATES: PASSPORT OFFICE STRIKE, PRIORITY PASS CAFE ACCESS IN BERLIN, QATAR INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
News in brief:
PASSPORT OFFICE STAFF TO LAUNCH A FIVE WEEK STRIKE
The Public & Commercial Services Union has announced that over 1,000 Passport Office workers will launch a five week strike.
The action will start on 3rd April and run to 5th May.
Around 25% of Passport Office staff will be involved, with substantial delays in passport processing times predicted.
Workers at Passport Offices in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will join the strike. The
Belfast office is still going through the process of balloting members.
It has been timed to hit the peak of applications as passengers submit in advance of Summer holiday plans.
The dispute is over an imposed 2% pay rise which the union believes is not acceptable.
You can see more on the PCS website here.
PCS union passport office strike
PRIORITY PASS LOUNGE ACCESS IN BERLIN UPDATE
Yesterday we reviewed the Tempelhof lounge at Berlin Brandenburg airport. This is the lounge used by British Airways, and can also
be accessed by DragonPass cardholders. It cannot be accessed with Priority Pass.
Priority Pass cardholders can use the Moevenpick Cafe in the terminal, where you can claim €23 of free food and drink.
As many HfP readers will know, Priority Pass cards issued by American Express are NOT allowed to use restaurant partners. The only
exception is The Grain Store at London Gatwick.
It seems that there are actually TWO global exceptions to the ‘no restaurant credit for Amex-issued Priority Pass cards’. The
Moevenpick Cafe at Brandenburg is the second exception.
You can confirm this by looking at the American Express Lounge Collection website. If you search for Berlin, the Moevenpick Cafe
shows up as one you can access.
Movenpick Cafe Berlin Brandenburg Airport LoV o oy ,,,
AN UPDATE ON THE COMPULSORY INSURANCE REQUIREMENT FOR QATAR
As we covered yesterday, the rules for requiring compulsory health insurance to enter Qatar have been loosened. It is no longer
necessary to buy insurance from a company based in Qatar which is registered with the Ministry of Public Health – the list had
been extended more widely, although we couldn’t actually find the list!
It turns out the list is here. The additional ‘valid’ policies are all from Middle East insurers which doesn’t help.
However …. visitqatar.com is now saying that compulsory insurance from a Qatari based company is only required if you are staying
in the country for over 30 days. This obviously means that anyone on a stopover or short visit is exempt.
This doesn’t make a lot of sense because when you buy your insurance policy you have to pick a duration in order to calculate the
price. One of the options is ’30 days’. If you don’t need coverage unless you are staying in Qatar for 31+ days, why do they sell
a policy for stays of up to 30 days? The Ministry of Public Health website does not seem to mention the 30 day cut-off rule that
visitqatar.com highlights.
Click here to read comments on this article
Book now
DISCOVER MORE GREAT OFFERS
Avios Top Avios earning bonuses
175 BA questions, answered
Avios peak and off-peak calendar
Hotels Top hotel points bonuses
Get elite status from credit cards
Our luxury hotel booking service
Credit Cards Top credit card bonuses
What is the best Avios credit card?
What Amex bonuses can you get?
tw in fb mail
We’re always here to help you make the most of your Avios, Virgin Points and hotel points. If you have any questions or want to
get in touch, send us an email at [email protected] or reach out on social media. Please forward this email to any friends
or family who you think may be interested in improving how they travel.
If you were sent this email by a friend and would like to subscribe, click here.
Head for Points