skylabsea
Junior Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2023
- Posts
- 48
I have a short-haul (~700 miles) trip from HKG to Mainland China on CX I was hoping to book with Avios.
With the recent BA devaluation on CX/JL I figured I'd book through QAPC -- they still have the old pricing at 16500 Avios.
I was pretty excited when I got the success notification email (it's a manual process, you have to request) -- until I saw they want HKD965 in taxes. What???
On a revenue fare, the taxes and surcharges sum to HKD500:
This matches what shows on QFF -- 30k QFF points + HKD500, and also what CX shows on their website.
I figured this was a pricing mistake, and I have seen reports online where people were able to get the fees corrected.
This is where the frustrating part comes. I call up and an agent (with a heavy accent) refuses to break down the fees or answer about the difference between revenue and award fees. They kept repeating "you'll have to pay the taxes of 965 HKD" like a broken record.
Ok, time to HUCA -- but I use the live chat this time -- agent was able to understand breakdown (I didnt even have to mention it's required by HK regulations!) and came back with the following breakdown:
Unfortunately this time they answer this is because it's an award booking (But QFF charges the same +++ as revenue...)
Ok, now I think there's something nefarious going on here -- seems like they're trying to charge a fee on top of what CX would charge!
I know QAPC charges a booking fee of US$70 when redeeming points on QR metal, but my understanding was this didn't apply to partner awards.
Thoughts? Do I just bite the bullet and take the loss?
With the recent BA devaluation on CX/JL I figured I'd book through QAPC -- they still have the old pricing at 16500 Avios.
I was pretty excited when I got the success notification email (it's a manual process, you have to request) -- until I saw they want HKD965 in taxes. What???
On a revenue fare, the taxes and surcharges sum to HKD500:
Code:
Hong Kong Air Passenger Departure Tax (HK) HK$120.00
Hong Kong Airport Passenger Security Charge (I5) HK$55.00
Hong Kong Airport Construction Fee (G3) HK$160.00
Carrier-imposed surcharge (YR) HK$165.00I figured this was a pricing mistake, and I have seen reports online where people were able to get the fees corrected.
This is where the frustrating part comes. I call up and an agent (with a heavy accent) refuses to break down the fees or answer about the difference between revenue and award fees. They kept repeating "you'll have to pay the taxes of 965 HKD" like a broken record.
Ok, time to HUCA -- but I use the live chat this time -- agent was able to understand breakdown (I didnt even have to mention it's required by HK regulations!) and came back with the following breakdown:
Code:
G3 HKD 160.00 TO BE PAID
HK HKD 120.00 TO BE PAID
I5 HKD 55.00 TO BE PAID
YR HKD 630.00 TO BE PAID
Total HKD 965.00Ok, now I think there's something nefarious going on here -- seems like they're trying to charge a fee on top of what CX would charge!
I know QAPC charges a booking fee of US$70 when redeeming points on QR metal, but my understanding was this didn't apply to partner awards.
Thoughts? Do I just bite the bullet and take the loss?
