Chase travel concierge put my friend in a horrible situation by As The Joe Flies. “The whole reason they record these calls is for situations like this”, I think you’ll find that they record it so if they are in the right they can go back and look at the call. If they are in the record they just ignore it. In all seriousness it might have been an issue with Hilton rather than Chase, if that is the case it’s on Chase to do the logistically leg work of finding an alternative for the family and getting Hilton to reimburse them so they can reimburse the customer. The whole point of concierge’s is to make your life easier.
I Tested the New Relaxed Visa Requirements of Belarus by The Gate. Here is What Happened… by The Gate. I generally don’t just like visting the capital city. Spmetimes it can’t be avoided and I’ve heard that the Belarus Visa process isn’t the most standard out there.
Credit card with a fingerprint sensor revealed by Mastercard by BBC News. This isn’t that new as the article mentions it has been trailed in South Africa (and I’ve mentioned it before I think). Interesting tech, but I think we’re moving towards mobile payments as standard anyway.
I too had an issue with a Hilton Homewood Suites booking using Chase UR. Something in their systems is not right between Chase and Hilton Homewood Suites. Luckily it was pre-travel and not the disaster in that article. I cancelled my fully refundable reservation and it didn’t work on the website, called Chase, rep couldn’t make it work, passed me up the chain to someone who said they’d resolve it and call back in 24 hours. They didn’t. A few calls and days later I finally get someone who said they had to call the hotel and talk to the manager to manually cancel out the reservation and they would be waiting on a refund from Hilton before refunding me. It was 2-3 weeks before I got my money and points back from Chase but in the end I did. (The reservation still shows in my Chase portal as active but when I called in Chase says their system shows it as cancelled.)
As mentioned in the comments on that article call the hotel yourself to confirm reservations when booking 3rd party- ESPECIALLY when booking Homewood Suites through Chase!
Leana (@guest_393170)
April 21, 2017 08:20
#393170
I’m originally from Belarus. It’s ironic because we are going there soon, though flying to Vilnius (Lithuania). So, unfortunately, visa waiver doesn’t apply. Getting Belarus visa for my husband is always a pain in the behind. In our case, my mom had to get an official invitation and mail it to me. Filling out the visa application always takes me at least two hours. It’s from Soviet times when they wanted to know everything about you, your parents and grandparents. OK, I’m exaggerating, but not by much. Oh, and the cost was $64.
But regular folks can get a tourist visa and let someone else handle everything (for a price). Of course, if someone is flying to Minsk and staying for five days, it’s not an issue anymore. I recommend folks consider going to Mir castle, Grodno and possibly Brest. Minsk is the hub and cultural center, but there is a lot more to Belarus. Five days should be more than enough.
That being said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit Belarus during my first trip to Europe. I think the reason many are interested in going there is because it was a “forbidden fruit” for a long time, kind of like Cuba. It’s my home and I love it, I just don’t think it’s a “first-tier” Eastern European country, if it makes sense. Go to Poland, Slovakia and Baltic states instead.
I too had an issue with a Hilton Homewood Suites booking using Chase UR. Something in their systems is not right between Chase and Hilton Homewood Suites. Luckily it was pre-travel and not the disaster in that article. I cancelled my fully refundable reservation and it didn’t work on the website, called Chase, rep couldn’t make it work, passed me up the chain to someone who said they’d resolve it and call back in 24 hours. They didn’t. A few calls and days later I finally get someone who said they had to call the hotel and talk to the manager to manually cancel out the reservation and they would be waiting on a refund from Hilton before refunding me. It was 2-3 weeks before I got my money and points back from Chase but in the end I did. (The reservation still shows in my Chase portal as active but when I called in Chase says their system shows it as cancelled.)
As mentioned in the comments on that article call the hotel yourself to confirm reservations when booking 3rd party- ESPECIALLY when booking Homewood Suites through Chase!
I’m originally from Belarus. It’s ironic because we are going there soon, though flying to Vilnius (Lithuania). So, unfortunately, visa waiver doesn’t apply. Getting Belarus visa for my husband is always a pain in the behind. In our case, my mom had to get an official invitation and mail it to me. Filling out the visa application always takes me at least two hours. It’s from Soviet times when they wanted to know everything about you, your parents and grandparents. OK, I’m exaggerating, but not by much. Oh, and the cost was $64.
But regular folks can get a tourist visa and let someone else handle everything (for a price). Of course, if someone is flying to Minsk and staying for five days, it’s not an issue anymore. I recommend folks consider going to Mir castle, Grodno and possibly Brest. Minsk is the hub and cultural center, but there is a lot more to Belarus. Five days should be more than enough.
That being said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit Belarus during my first trip to Europe. I think the reason many are interested in going there is because it was a “forbidden fruit” for a long time, kind of like Cuba. It’s my home and I love it, I just don’t think it’s a “first-tier” Eastern European country, if it makes sense. Go to Poland, Slovakia and Baltic states instead.
Vilnius is actually one of my favorite places in Europe. It was when I was around that area I was considering my trip. Thanks for the info, Leana!