One Mile at a Time [OMaaT] discussions [merged]
Jul 30, 2015, 1:21 pm
#811
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Could you elaborate for those of us who did not follow back in the day/are too lazy to do the research? I know I was a very, very frequent flyer back then and never came close to finding a perpetual motion machine! 
Unless you are talking about fraudulently using the same UA voucher over and over again...
Unless you are talking about fraudulently using the same UA voucher over and over again...
One game that worked for some involved bump vouchers and freely changeable award tickets, either in coach or first. Toss in checked luggage onto some very convoluted itineraries with short transfer times, and there was additional compensation possibilities in the picture when the luggage was mishandled by the airline.
Last edited by GUWonder; Jul 30, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Jul 30, 2015, 1:39 pm
#813
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SFO
Programs: AY Plat, LH FTL
Posts: 7,374
Indeed. And addressed it thoroughly, with my thanks. The key, it seems, was to have a medium-sized bankroll along with unlimited time and chutzpah. ^ That and be willing to fly transcon in coach a lot. 
But for God's sake, don't use the H word. You're better than that. We all are. @:-)
But for God's sake, don't use the H word. You're better than that. We all are. @:-)
1 e500 could upgrade 2 transcon segments assuming no technical stopover (4 hours domestic) and different start and end points. As an example, SFO-IAD-LAX would require 10 e500s to reserve the upgrade, but only 1 was ultimately pulled as the system based the calc on SFO-LAX. At that point, who cares if it cost 1 more for LAX-SFO to get you home.
And unused e500s ultimately turned into more RDMs...
Jul 30, 2015, 1:53 pm
#814
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
Jul 30, 2015, 2:47 pm
#815
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: UA Premier 1K: PlAAtinum; DL SM, MM; Marriott Gold; CO Plat Emeritus; NW Plat Emeritus
Posts: 4,776
A fellow FTers says the RS article is BS, but not so much for the misleading readers to sign up for CCs, but for not buying his book: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nichol...b_7882288.html
Jul 30, 2015, 4:51 pm
#817
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Plat Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, Club Carl Gold, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,002
that's NOT what got UA angry enough to kick him out. he used the same certificate over and over and over again due to a glitch in their system. It is not fraud to be bumped and get vouchers it is fraud to use a certificate over and over again. Let's say the value was $200.00 and he used that same certificate 20 times. you are supposed to get a value of 200. NOT 4000. That is fraud
Jul 30, 2015, 5:30 pm
#818
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,037
I assume you can't get on the volunteer list until you've checked-in, but I could be wrong.
Jul 30, 2015, 6:01 pm
#819
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
Yes, you can XL a fully refundable tkt after check in. I had to do it when a meeting I was to attend got Xld at the last minute and I got a text while I was in the UA club.
Jul 31, 2015, 1:42 am
#820
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,162
Jul 31, 2015, 3:26 am
#821
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 342
therefore RS enabled this behavior and therefore equally apart of the problem.
Jul 31, 2015, 7:28 am
#822
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,607
Which is ironic since the entire plot of the movie Almost Famous turns on the rigorous fact checking that Rolling Stone editors did on a submitted story.
Jul 31, 2015, 9:05 am
#823
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,037
So are you saying that the writers of Almost Famous didn't check their facts?
Jul 31, 2015, 11:56 am
#824
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SMF
Posts: 1,251
Many people have been surprised at the amount of commission that bloggers get from affiliate links. Here's an old thread that shows those amounts.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...nversions.html
Granted, the thread is 2 years old, so I'm sure there have been some changes, but it does show that while $100 per approved app is the most common, $200-300 isn't uncommon either. Its also interesting that the cards with the highest commissions are the same ones that are pushed by the most bloggers. I wish it showed Chase and Citi, but I imagine they would be in the same range.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...nversions.html
Granted, the thread is 2 years old, so I'm sure there have been some changes, but it does show that while $100 per approved app is the most common, $200-300 isn't uncommon either. Its also interesting that the cards with the highest commissions are the same ones that are pushed by the most bloggers. I wish it showed Chase and Citi, but I imagine they would be in the same range.
Jul 31, 2015, 5:13 pm
#825
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,301
Many people have been surprised at the amount of commission that bloggers get from affiliate links. Here's an old thread that shows those amounts.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...nversions.html
Granted, the thread is 2 years old, so I'm sure there have been some changes, but it does show that while $100 per approved app is the most common, $200-300 isn't uncommon either. Its also interesting that the cards with the highest commissions are the same ones that are pushed by the most bloggers. I wish it showed Chase and Citi, but I imagine they would be in the same range.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...nversions.html
Granted, the thread is 2 years old, so I'm sure there have been some changes, but it does show that while $100 per approved app is the most common, $200-300 isn't uncommon either. Its also interesting that the cards with the highest commissions are the same ones that are pushed by the most bloggers. I wish it showed Chase and Citi, but I imagine they would be in the same range.
What I was more surprised to learn is the cookie aspect, and how it lingers. Many would never apply thru a bloggers link after clickthru (I wouldn't on principle), but if they apply later, its as if they used the bloggers link.