Comments on: Prevent Your Frequent Flyer Miles From Expiring

By: JW

JW — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:50:34 +0000

Oops, I meant February 23rd was the original order date…miles were expired on 2/28.

By: JW

JW — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:47:06 +0000

Thanks for the forum.

UA just expired my hard-earned 28K miles, but AFTER I had entered into a qualifying transaction with them!

On Feb 28, 2010 –5 days before scheduled expiration, 4 of which were business days — I clicked through from the Mileage Plus Web site to Mileage Plus Wireless, UA’s designated wireless vendor.

I placed my order over_the_phone with a guy in India who assured me that my $14.95 Palm car charger would reinstate my miles. Let me must say that the phone call took about 15 minutes. Usually this is done in <5. So I assume all is good they are getting everything squared away, and then he tells me everything is great and to expect an email confirmation of the order.

The email confirmation arrives immediately and says the order is processing and to expect another email with status update. OK, great. I relax.

5 days later I realize it is the 28th and I have no car charger! I go online at UA Wireless' Web site to check the status of my order. It's been canceled.

Punch line: All miles expired.

I spend 2 weeks trying to get through to MP Wireless to sort this out. Email support is broken, no phone attendant, only the option to leave a message. I leave several. No one calls back.

I call UAMP corporate, and they tell me only Wireless can manage the reinstatement.

After 3 weeks (yesterday) I get through to someone at Wireless Customer Service, who tell me the order was canceled b/c my shipping address is not the same as my billing address…true story!

Show of hands: How many online transactions have you ever had refused b/c of this? I have had zero, and I have had thousands of online purchase transactions. My shipping address (work) is not the same as my business address (home).

As a business, wouldn't you contact the customer to sort out the info and get their money for your product? Isn't that smart business? Well, in this case, there is even smarter business. Of course, rarely does smarter mean good for the customer.

You see, it is smarter business for the UA bottom line to expire my valuable miles and piss me off rather than fulfill my $14.95 order. This is obviously a conscious, strategic decision. I am one tiny customer and what am I going to do? Complain? Who cares?

BTW, Wireless of course said there is no way they can reinstate my miles b/c only corporate has that power…naturally.

So I email corporate and they reply today telling me that my miles will not be reinstated but they are happy to sell them back to me for $350.

This smells like absolutely unethical and fraudulent business practice to me, and I will fully support, endorse and participate in a Class Action suit in T-minus N-O-W.

By: Mary Jane

Mary Jane — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:43:28 +0000

Yes, let’s do a class action lawsuit. I lost over 50,000 miles, even though every month cards I was paying on said “activity” and showed my payment. I don’t have a TV and did not receive a notice until AFTER they expired. I, too, was under the 36 month provision, I thought. I have written and called twice and they will not reinstate my miles, except for nearly $700.00.

Boo United! I will never fly United again, nor use Chase United Mileage Plus credit cards.

By: Brian Egloff

Brian Egloff — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:07:07 +0000

United confiscated 100,000 of my frequent flyer miles. I was told that there was sufficient warnings given in the press and over the web. I live in Australia, do not get the USA press and did not get any clear information. The one piece of information that I received led me to believe that only those points acquired after the announcement would expire in 18 months and that those acquired before the announcement would expire as per the purchase contact at 36 months.

That is how QUANTAS has brought in its ‘new’ frequent flyer miles policy.

There is a basic legal and ethical principle that obtains here and that is bringing into force retrospective provisions that disadvantage a purchaser of goods and services.

By: Valerie

Valerie — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:24:37 +0000

I have 117,600 frequent flyer miles through Citibank with American Airlines. They will expire August 2010 unless I use their credit card on purchases to extend the date of expiration. I had cancelled that Advantage card after at least 15 years use and always paying the bills on time because I wanted the monetary rebate instead of the miles. I can’t get a card with Citibank to extend the miles because I had the original Advantage one and can only get one for a business which I don’t have.

This is so frustrating – does anyone know how I can do something to extend the miles? I hate to lose them and am not able to travel until November 2010 and wanted to use the miles at that time.

HELP PLEASE

By: Marcus

Marcus — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:34:54 +0000

While I generally agree with everyone elses sentiment (expiring miles are lousy!) I will chime in to say that I have received multiple mailings and email from United regarding my expiring miles. They have even sent me info about different ways to keep my miles from expiring or using my miles up before expiration. I certainly don’t like that the miles are expiring in the first place, but at least my expiration date will not be a surprise. It is important to make sure any frequent flyer program you enroll with has your up to date email and address if you want any chance of receiving notifications. This especially goes for anyone moving or changing emails. If anyone here did have update to date contact info and still didn’t receive any notifiaction, then I would recommend trying to file a formal complaint with the airline and/or possibly some third-party like the BBB. Good luck! (I too would welcome some sort of class action – expiring miles seems sneaky and unfair)

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:02:06 +0000

We were trying to book a flight with my wife and 8 mo old daughter to see her grandparents for the first time, and had planned to use the 38,000 miles that we had accumulated on united. when we went to make the reservations, we were told that the account had 0 (ZERO) miles in it, as they had expired. Same thing as everyone else here has experienced – no notification that these miles were going to expire, or that the policy had changed. Any news on the class action? Will it happen? how would one get involved?

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:23:33 +0000

Does any know how to reinstate expired frequent flyer miles? I know that the miles last for a few years generally but once you’ve exceed that allotted period of time, what then? Has anyone had success calling the airline company and having the expired frequent flier miles reinstated or restored back to the way it was?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:47:07 +0000

United expired 144,000 of our miles. We tried to use them for air travel rewards. but had no success. Maybe they should count those attempts to use them as “activity” on your account. I will not fly United again, and if there is a class action suit, I’m in!

By: Rich Kennedy

Rich Kennedy — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:32:39 +0000

Delta confiscated all of my frequent flyer miles… almost enough for a round-trip. I’ve avoided them ever since — in fact — haven’t flown them in over five years because of that.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:05:45 +0000

Try Jet Blue taking your hard earned money as a part of their corporate policy. You buy a refundable ticket with cash, but they won’t give you your monies back. They only give you “credit” that you have to use within the year (plus a year extension possibly). If you haven’t booked another flight before that time expires – they just keep the cash.

That’s what happened to me. In my opinion that’s just the equivalent of theft. Monies taken for absolutely nothing in return.

By: Francesco Isgro

Francesco Isgro — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:34:39 +0000

I totally agree with Robert’s comments. I have been a members since 1990 and I was not notified of the change ad lost more than 40,000 miles I agree this is theft and fraud and I am hoping that someone will file a class action against United for the miles that they have stolen from us frequnet flyers since the changed their expiration policy from 36 to 18 months.

By: Robert Laughlin

Robert Laughlin — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:27:31 +0000

When a company like United changes its expiration policy from 36 months to 18 months without notifying a customer, holds its breath, then swiftly confiscates hard earned miles from an 18 year Club member, again without notice, then offers the miles back for several hundred dollars, that is extortion and theft.

United is in the business of theft and fraud. When times get tough, screw your customers.