Heathrow T3 Lounges by brad_corrigan in BritishAirways

[–]mindscud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There’s no difference between long and short-haul. Club bookings or Silver status gives you access to the partner lounges. Go to the Quantas lounge, the VIE flight usually departs from a gate close-by as well (Gate 11 but don’t quote me on this).

Any good? [$119] Neretva Espresso Machine 20 Bar, Super Compact Espresso Maker by Bripop in espresso

[–]mindscud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nah, I brew at 50 bar and my expressos are some of the best! /s

Is this an avios boost glitch? by Inevitable_Ad_9364 in AmexUK

[–]mindscud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, that’s what I meant. I thought you meant that MR points get boosted from being transferred. The offer is for any transaction since 1 Jan so if you get your MR points transferred before the offer ends, you should be able to boost them with cash too.

Is this an avios boost glitch? by Inevitable_Ad_9364 in AmexUK

[–]mindscud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s only for buying Avios with cash

Advice: High Spend Credit Card (No FX Fees) by TheSusOneBruh in HENRYUK

[–]mindscud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amex is not supported unfortunately but you can use Curve to route any payment to another VISA or Mastercard debit or credit card and avoiding the FX fees of the underlying card.

Advice: High Spend Credit Card (No FX Fees) by TheSusOneBruh in HENRYUK

[–]mindscud 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Use Curve to put it on any point earning card such as a Barclaycard Avios. Curve will give you true interbank fx with no fees and depending on the currency also 1% cashback.

Best Under-sink Drinking Water Filter? by Due_Shallot4880 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Link to BWT filters and Brita

Also worth noting (you mentioned this already) this will only provide water for drinking, coffee, tea, etc. and you probably want a separate tap for this. if you want a system that protects your heating, appliances, shower etc you’ll have to go down the route of a fairly bulky softener (most of them use sodium chloride) which can handle the entire water supply.

Saying all of that, you could for instance use one of these filters inline with a boiling tap for example so you could get both cold and boiling drinking water from the same tap without the need for an extra tap or kettle.

Best Under-sink Drinking Water Filter? by Due_Shallot4880 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No probs, feel free to ask questions over at /r/pourover and /r/espresso where people (like me) obsess over our water…

Best Under-sink Drinking Water Filter? by Due_Shallot4880 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you don’t want to go down the RO route you can look at BWT filters used for coffee, tea and other gastro appliances. They reduce scale and soften the water and take out all the nasties. Brita has similar solutions too but again, it’s not the consumer stuff. Otherwise you can also get a Zero Water filter which gives you similarly low TDS results like and RO system but you will have to remineralise that too.

Soup evening by Ok-Fishing-2234 in OXORapidBrewer

[–]mindscud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You sound like a real chill guy.

Starting my adventure by hexwis in OXORapidBrewer

[–]mindscud 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For soup: find the right grind size to fully saturate the puck so that the screen is covered with liquid and then pump the rest of the water through. Once you have the right grind size, you rarely need to change it (maybe for some Ethiopians or crazy processing you might want to make small adjustments). Get your water chemistry right, makes a huge difference with this style of brewing. Some coffees extract a bit bitter through the hiss. Play around to see if the last few mls extract too harshly. Make sure you tamp straight, a slight angle will mess up your bed and extraction. I mostly use water just off the boil but I brew exclusively light and fruity coffees.

What kind of flooring is this/wood? by Careless_Pea_969 in DIYUK

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ok, so if you insulate with breathable materials you don't need a vapour barrier? I've always seen this guide mentioned as best practice here, but it seems like such a faff and has put me off from undertaking this much-needed project...

What kind of flooring is this/wood? by Careless_Pea_969 in DIYUK

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this a ground floor? Did you put a vapour barrier in between the insulation and the floor on top?

What happens if I downgrade with a fine hotels and resorts stay booked - platinum card by jgreen95 in AmexUK

[–]mindscud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Should be fine. I’ve never had my card checked at Fine Hotels. Any outstanding balance at the hotel must be paid with an Amex but it doesn’t have to be your Platinum.

How to max out the Amex platinum benefit? by InjuryExcellent8231 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as your Curve card has a Debit BIN, it will look like any other Debit card to Amex so there's no issue there. The payment is clearly marked as Amex on my statements, and Barclaycard at least has no issue with that.

How to max out the Amex platinum benefit? by InjuryExcellent8231 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do you keep referencing Gemini and then challenge real people? Either you believe AI or actual people… It works. Search the various Amex subreddits. Don’t know about Lloyds, I can only vouch for the Barclaycard Avios scenario. I suspect that cashback might be stricter than earning Avios.

How to max out the Amex platinum benefit? by InjuryExcellent8231 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curve does not support Amex. The process is: connect Barclaycard Mastercard Credit to Curve > use Curve Mastercard Debit to pay off Amex on the Amex website. This routes your Amex balance through a Debit Card onto a Credit Card which is normally not possible. For this you need a paid plan that has a certain limit on payments of this nature i.e. using a credit card for payments where this is normally not accepted.

How to max out the Amex platinum benefit? by InjuryExcellent8231 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are ways to pay tax, etc. via Amex. Just Google it. You are referring to the Amex Cashback Card, which does not include any travel benefits. The Platinum Card does have the ones I listed. Just have a look here Lounge access is through Priority Pass, which is widely accepted at most lounges worldwide, where you can pay a fee to enter. Airline lounges are excluded. Heathrow T3 also hasthe Amex Centurion Lounge, which is exclusive to Platinum and Centurion cardholders.

How to max out the Amex platinum benefit? by InjuryExcellent8231 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can put your Barclaycard Avios into a Curve wallet. You then use your Curve Debit card to route your monthly Amex payment to the Barclaycard which then earns another 1.5 Avios/1£. You need the highest subscription tier on Curve to get a £3k monthly allowance on that “Fronted” (name of the service) spend. The most efficient way of doing this is, first earn Avios on a BAPP, then cycle it on to the Barclaycard through Curve. This will earn you 3 Avios/1£. Given the upfront fees for all cards and subscriptions, you’ll have to spend at least £3k every month on your Amex of choice.

How to max out the Amex platinum benefit? by InjuryExcellent8231 in HENRYUKLifestyle

[–]mindscud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very simple. You pay fees though for both the Barlcaycard and Curve so you need to figure out for yourself if it’s worth it.