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United Saver Award Availability: How does it vary by elite level?

Old Nov 16, 2019, 11:01 am
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Normal economy "saver" award inventory is X
All UA elites have access XN inventory for economy awards

Normal business / domestic first award "saver" inventory is I
1K / Plat have access to IN inventory
GS have access to PN inventory (and some ability to convert cash inventory space to award space)

PremiumPlus "saver" award inventory is RN
There is not additional inventory for elites
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United Saver Award Availability: How does it vary by elite level?

Old Sep 9, 2013, 11:11 am
  #16  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: UA AU (ex 10+ year 1k) 1.5MM, AS Newbie, HH ex Dia
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Will do!
MrOCTeckels is offline  
Old Sep 9, 2013, 3:45 pm
  #17  
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,290
Originally Posted by aacharya
... To me, 1K (with tradeable GPUs/RPUs) and PP (better upgrades, 2 RPUs, etc) is worth pushing for.
Newbie to UA elite status, still awaiting my first GPUs.
What are "tradeable GPUs/RPUs"?
maple is offline  
Old Sep 9, 2013, 3:51 pm
  #18  
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Originally Posted by maple
Newbie to UA elite status, still awaiting my first GPUs. ...
only 1K/GS get GPUs and Plats and above get RPUs


Originally Posted by maple
....What are "tradeable GPUs/RPUs"?
many trade GPU/RPUs on FT Coupon Connection or with friends
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Sep 9, 2013, 7:10 pm
  #19  
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,290
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
only 1K/GS get GPUs and Plats and above get RPUs
many trade GPU/RPUs on FT Coupon Connection or with friends
Thank you. I'm getting to 1K in Oct, so I am definitely excited to receive the first GPUs for the year

Thanks for the explanation about Coupon Connection.
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Old Sep 9, 2013, 8:59 pm
  #20  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
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IN class used to be prevalent and was a phenomenal benefit.

I asked why IN class availability had all but disappeared at the MP session of the UA DO last November and the PMUA reps running the session didn't even seem to know that it was a benefit of the program.

A blogger also said I was being moronic at the time, lots of fun

My report on the DO: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/25684
http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...0#post-1948059
ctownflyer is offline  
Old Sep 9, 2013, 11:38 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Just confirmed for myself what I wasn't sure about before - when doing an award search you have to be logged in at the 2nd level (short-term password authenticated session) to see extra status-based availability on the award search and calendar.
eflyte is online now  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 12:54 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by eflyte
Just confirmed for myself what I wasn't sure about before - when doing an award search you have to be logged in at the 2nd level (short-term password authenticated session) to see extra status-based availability on the award search and calendar.
What specific status based availability are you measuring? Can you provide a repeatable example that shows IN > N? Or, are you measuring something other than IN?
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Old Sep 10, 2013, 5:25 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by mitchmu
What specific status based availability are you measuring? Can you provide a repeatable example that shows IN > N? Or, are you measuring something other than IN?
There is none...said poster is confusing the issue
UA-NYC is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 5:54 am
  #24  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
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I think the benefit is actually limited to greater availability of domestic Y saver awards. Can't say I've ever seen anything better internationally or in F, but I did book some (last-minute funeral-related) tickets in May? in saver Y that were not available if I wasn't logged in to my 1K account.

That said, I guess I don't know they wouldn't have been available to a Silver.
raehl311 is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 6:46 am
  #25  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Originally Posted by eflyte
Just confirmed for myself what I wasn't sure about before - when doing an award search you have to be logged in at the 2nd level (short-term password authenticated session) to see extra status-based availability on the award search and calendar.
Huh? How does one log in at the second level?
psfcfa is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 7:32 am
  #26  
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Originally Posted by psfcfa
Huh? How does one log in at the second level?
I think what OP is describing is a unique "feature" of CO's web site that operates like this:

1. If you've never logged in, you get one set of behaviors,
2. If you have logged in, then you leave, and come back, the site knows who you are, and then you get a different set of behaviors,
3. If you log out then log back in, in the same session, such that you actively entered your password in the current session, then you get a third set of behaviors.

I posted a whole thread about this topic a couple months ago documenting specific behavioral differences I encountered in these 3 scenarios regarding saver fare availability.

Originally Posted by raehl311
I think the benefit is actually limited to greater availability of domestic Y saver awards. Can't say I've ever seen anything better internationally or in F, but I did book some (last-minute funeral-related) tickets in May? in saver Y that were not available if I wasn't logged in to my 1K account.

That said, I guess I don't know they wouldn't have been available to a Silver.
That's the key point here. My research is suggesting that there is no incremental benefit to having status above Silver in regards to award availability. There are benefits for being an "elite" in terms of availability, for sure, and especially in X/XN (saver Y that you mention). But, there does not seem to be any availability related benefit to having status above Silver.

Last edited by iluv2fly; Sep 10, 2013 at 7:56 am Reason: merge
FlyWorld is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 7:41 am
  #27  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
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What I was seeing was economy saver availability that showed following authentication but not before, even when the site 'recognizes' you. Sounds like mitchmu had previously documented this elsewhere.
eflyte is online now  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 8:07 am
  #28  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Originally Posted by mitchmu
XN is available to all elites whereas IN is supposed to be Platinum or above. So, XN is not an "incremental" benefit of achieving anything beyond Silver. IN, in contrast, is supposed to be an incremental benefit for PP and higher.

.....

I'll have the same access to saver inventory as I would if I were PP and there seems to be no other benefit that justifies attaining PP when I don't have to fly that many miles this year anyway.
mitchmu -- there is one other thing to consider... the lack of change / close-in fees as a 0P vs 1P. That, in itself, "effectively" opens up a huge additional chunk of award space and flexibility "for free" (as opposed for $150). I don't know how much you value fixing travel dates well in advance, but if you don't (like me), then consider that as a positive.

Not sure I'd fly an extra 25k miles for that.... that's a lot more $$ than a single award change fee is.
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Old Sep 10, 2013, 9:25 am
  #29  
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Originally Posted by ryman554
mitchmu -- there is one other thing to consider... the lack of change / close-in fees as a 0P vs 1P. That, in itself, "effectively" opens up a huge additional chunk of award space and flexibility "for free" (as opposed for $150). I don't know how much you value fixing travel dates well in advance, but if you don't (like me), then consider that as a positive.

Not sure I'd fly an extra 25k miles for that.... that's a lot more $$ than a single award change fee is.
I have considered that point. But, for me, a typical flight is $500-$1,200 plus ground transport, accommodation, and so forth. If I take even one unnecessary flight to gain status to avoid the fees, I'll spend orders of magnitude more than what I'd spend on the extra change and close-in fees. The flexibility to book, change, and cancel with no fees as a PP is awesome. I've used it heavily recently. But, not worth spending $2,500 to spend 10 hours unnecessarily flying to save $400 in fees and that's how the reality of the math works out for me. The other thing is that the refund functionality doesn't work consistently, so for one who aspires to be PP or 1K to book and change and cancel frequently without fees will also have to invest significant personal time in tracking each transaction then following up to fight for refunds due but not given then tracking and following up on those communications. For someone that values their time, there is a cost to this as well.
FlyWorld is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2013, 9:44 am
  #30  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
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I have seen differences in X and XN quite frequently, and twice that I recall between I and IN.

A few weeks ago I grabbed an IN for my wife on EWR TLV route - I stopped on the subway platform to do it, so I remember. That was at T-23:50hrs, IN1 I0.
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