United launched Mileage Plus just six days after its forerunner, AAdvantage, and is the second largest program with over 50 million members. United alone flies to more than 200 domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. and when you add in the flight routes of Star Alliance member carriers, Mileage Plus members have access to an additional 855 destinations in 155 countries worldwide.
United Mileage Plus is the second-oldest frequent flyer program in the industry, having launched on May 7, 1981, exactly 144 hours after American AAdvantage went live. Its membership is estimated at 40 million plus -- slightly more than the combined populations of New York and Texas (what an interesting combination that would be). And with the "B-word" looming in the background like an overzealous proctologist, many of those 40 million members are running scared.
Is that fear well-founded? Perhaps. But keeping just a portion of Mileage Plus members happy and loyal will go a long way toward saving United Airlines.
And some more news...
Mileage Plus also offers a host of co-branded credit cards worldwide (at least 16 at last count) that provide a wide variety of earning options. Domestically, the Mileage Plus Visa and the Mileage Plus Check Card issued by Chase offer at least five different ways to earn miles, and come with some of the richest enrollment bonuses in the industry (21,000 bonus miles, for example, after you spend $250 with the basic Mileage Plus Visa).
With the Mileage Plus Visa, you will earn one mile per dollar spent, the annual $60 fee is waived for the first year, and you’ll gain access to the Mileage Plus Choices program, which offers additional redemption opportunities. With the Mileage Plus Visa Check Card, you will earn 2,500 bonus miles after your first purchase and one mile per $2 spent. The card comes with a $25 annual fee. Sign up for the Mileage Plus Platinum Class Visa Signature Card and you’ll earn 20,000 bonus miles after your first purchase, double miles on United and Star Alliance ticket purchases, up to 15,000 Elite Qualifying Miles, a companion ticket on your account anniversary and Mileage Plus Choices benefits.
Cardmembers can use Choices to redeem for any open seat on any available flight booked on united.com with no capacity restrictions or blackout dates; any hotel stay or car rental booked on united.com; Economy Plus Access; or Elite Qualifying Miles/Segments. Unlike Saver or Standard Awards that have set redemption amounts, the amount of miles cardmembers redeem is based on the price of the ticket. For example, cardmembers can purchase a $129 ticket from united.com using their Mileage Plus Visa card and redeem 12,900 miles for a $129 Visa statement credit. Cardmembers can also redeem miles for less than the full amount of the ticket with a minimum of 10,000 miles.
Mileage Plus offers a refreshingly simple array of award choices -- Standard awards, Saver awards and Upgrades. And until recently, short-haul trips (750 miles or less) could be had for just 15,000 miles. That limited-time offer ended in December, but don't be surprised if you see it again. We’ve seen it before and Our Amazing Crystal Ball of Fearless Prognostication tells us that it's too much of a win-win proposition to disappear forever.
Saver awards let you enjoy free travel sooner, as they can be had for the fewest miles. Of course, the flip side of "fewest" miles is that these awards come with the most restrictions, including capacity controls. A basic domestic coach ticket is available for 25,000 miles (relatively standard within the United States), and awards to Europe (50,000 miles) and Asia (80,000 miles) are roughly the same as on other large domestic carriers.
Standard awards offer the flexibility to fly any time seats are available for the flight and cabin of service requested. Blackout dates and capacity control restrictions do not apply. Again, Mileage Plus is within the big-carrier ballpark with its award levels here. Its coach-class ticket to Europe, for example, is 100,000 miles. But if you're just looking for an on-the-spot domestic economy trip, you're looking at about 50,000 miles – twice as many miles as a Saver award.
Upgrades on United tend to be more "expensive" in terms of miles than some other carriers. For example, a basic upgrade from full-fare economy to the next class of service will run you 8,000 miles domestically. On rival American, that same upgrade is just 5,000 miles.
But then again, in an era where smaller commuter jets without premium classes of service are most common domestically, there aren't always many opportunities to upgrade domestically.
Now that you've thought about awards... you'll need to earn some miles to get there, don't forget you can get on your way with these exclusive discounted deals I have got from ebookers.com (part of Travelport in the USA), you will struggle to find cheaper:
The KING of partnerships... United Mileage Plus
Non-Star Alliance partners include, at present, Air One, Aloha Airlines, Emirates, Island Air, Qatar, TACA Airlines and TAM. Hotel partners include just about every major program: Choice Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott, New Otani Hotels, Omni Hotels, Preferred Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels, Starwood, and Wyndham, among others. Earning varies by hotel, but a common offer is one mile per dollar spent or 500 miles per stay.
Rental car partners include all the biggies: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Sixt and Thrifty. Members can earn between fifty miles per day and 300 or 500 miles per rental.
Telecommunication partners are Mileage Plus Wireless, Network Solutions and T Mobile Hot Spot. Members can earn up to 5,000 miles for new or a renewed wireless service contract.
TD Ameritrade, Awards for Mortgage and Real Estate, Chase, E-Loan, Easy Miles, Fidelity Investments, Lending Tree and Sentry Insurance are the financial services partners.
Just a few of the retail partners include FTD.com, Neiman Marcus, Netflix, Safeway and Butterfield Blooms. The Mileage Plus Mall offers over 150 retailers with whom you can earn miles, such as Gap, J.Crew and Zappos.com. Mileage Plus Dining by Rewards Network features thousands of restaurants across the U.S. where members can earn up to 10 miles per dollar spent. Vacation partners are United Vacations and members can earn up to 1,000 bonus miles with every vacation package booked online.
United's Elite level program - not bad if you fly United metal lots and/or LH to North America to Europe...
Twenty-five thousand elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) or 30 qualifying segments in a calendar year will earn Premier status, which, among other goodies, comes with a 25-percent earning bonus. Premier members can also expect premier reservations, discounted Red Carpet Club membership ($400.00), priority check-in, priority boarding, premier seating and Economy Plus (Y, B or M-class fares get you access to a little more leg room). Premier members are also recognized as Star Alliance Silver members and can expect a priority reservations waitlist and priority standby at the airport for any Star Alliance flight.
Premier Executive status is achieved once a member has flown 50,000 miles or 60 segments in a calendar year. Premier Execs earn a 100 percent mileage bonus, though specific services on United remain the same for Premier Executive members as for Premier members. Premier Execs receive an exclusive reservation line and discounted Red Carpet Club lounge membership of $350.00.
The Star Alliance recognizes Premier Execs as Gold-level, the benefits of which are generally the same as Silver status, with the addition of priority airport check-in, priority baggage allowance and priority boarding. Premier Execs also have access to Star Alliance lounges when traveling on qualifying international itineraries.
If you fly 100,000 miles or 100 paid segments on United in a calendar year, you attain 1K status. Elite 1K members receive a 100-percent bonus on miles flown, Red Carpet Club discount ($300), Star Alliance Gold benefits and access to an exclusive inventory of United Economy Saver Award seats reserved solely for 1Ks. 1Ks also receive guaranteed reservations, even on sold-out flights, on all United flights for themselves and a companion, as well as standby priority. And 1K members will be placed ahead of Premier Executive and Premier members for upgrades at the gate.
Members who fly a million miles will receive lifetime Premier Executive status, two annual confirmed regional upgrades and three one-class, one-way systemwide upgrades.
Rules.. ruless..... rules!
Mileage Plus miles do not expire, so long as the member engages in account activity within 18 months after the miles are earned. At United, "account activity" means either earning or burning miles.
Awards may be issued in anyone's name, but pooling of accounts is not permitted, except through the "Transfer Miles" program. Members may transfer up to 15,000 miles, and no less than 5,000 miles, to another member's account at a cost of 1 cent per mile, for a processing fee of $35.
Members may also purchase miles for themselves or another member, in increments of 1,000, up to 60,000 miles per year. Miles cost $0.0275 per mile for purchases of 5,000 miles or less and $0.0250 per mile for purchases of more than 5,000 miles. Mile purchases incur a 7.5 percent tax and a $35 processing fee per transaction
Serivce?
Online!
The pages are simply loaded with contact information - email addresses, phone numbers, mailing information - so much, in fact, that United has clearly separated itself from its competition in this regard.
Promotions are listed on their own page, and are broken down by type. Members may also manage accounts online, view balances and activity over the past year, and update profiles, all in real-time.
Members can also go online to claim missing credit for United travel (extensive information on claiming credit with a partner is also provided) and can book award travel with the click of a mouse.
Some other points...
