Changes to *A Awards Without Incurring Additional Miles after 3-Feb-2014
Feb 7, 2014, 8:29 am
#46
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
#1 is not what UA Insider advised and the other thread seems to have examples of people not only changing co-terminals, but entirely different city pairs provided O & D stay in the same region as originally booked.
Hoping this holds true as I'm looking to change from EWR-NRT on UA to JFK-NRT on NH if they open any I space closer to departure.
Hoping this holds true as I'm looking to change from EWR-NRT on UA to JFK-NRT on NH if they open any I space closer to departure.
What? I mean if you start with an I fare your X segments can go to I but you I's can't go to O's w/o a reprice. This almost means you can make connection changes but they can only be X's or I's. You started with an O fare - open season.
Feb 7, 2014, 3:38 pm
#47
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: PHL, EWR
Programs: UA Gold; AA; Amtrak Select Plus;HH Diamond;Hyatt Disc;Hertz PC; Total Wine Grand Reserve!
Posts: 2,401
Successfully changed from US business class reward ticket to LH business class between PHL and FRA. At first agent thought it had to be repriced, but after putting me on hold, came back and was able to change it no problem.
I changed because I'm connecting to TG in FRA and just felt more comfortable staying within the *A (this is for August), even though US certainly has the better seats on this route!!
I changed because I'm connecting to TG in FRA and just felt more comfortable staying within the *A (this is for August), even though US certainly has the better seats on this route!!
Feb 7, 2014, 6:54 pm
#48
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: RDU
Posts: 735
Changed the following without issue at all. Agent didn't even mention the new mileage chart.
Original:
CLE-ORD-FRA-BKK-KBV (Final leg in TG I)
New:
CLE-ORD-FRA-BKK-DPS (Final leg in TG I)
Original:
CLE-ORD-FRA-BKK-KBV (Final leg in TG I)
New:
CLE-ORD-FRA-BKK-DPS (Final leg in TG I)
Feb 8, 2014, 1:00 am
#49
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,822
Feb 8, 2014, 4:25 am
#50
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sunny AZ
Programs: HH Diamond, Sixt Platinum, IHG Spire Ambassador, Marriott/SPG Gold .....
Posts: 3,208
Quote:
Originally Posted by blitzen
USA to Europe
Booked TAP for 50k through Lisbon before 02/03 as it was slim pickings
Today I changed it to two days earlier and LH through Frankfurt
some Taxes/Fees + $75 change fee but no increase in mileage
On line or through agent? I hope every report mention this.
Originally Posted by blitzen
USA to Europe
Booked TAP for 50k through Lisbon before 02/03 as it was slim pickings
Today I changed it to two days earlier and LH through Frankfurt
some Taxes/Fees + $75 change fee but no increase in mileage
On line or through agent? I hope every report mention this.
Feb 9, 2014, 1:00 am
#51
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,822
Feb 9, 2014, 1:55 am
#52
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,498
Changed the date of my award itinerary, exact same flights, different date. Got the "one time exception" spiel, claimed all award changes accrue higher award levels. 
Feb 9, 2014, 9:11 am
#53
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,866
Got the "one time exception" spiel,
Also would the "One Time Exception" apply to date only changes?
Too many times these agents make up their own rules, or they just don't know them.
Feb 9, 2014, 9:44 am
#54
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,431
If it truly is a "One Time Exception," then I would not make a change until shortly before departure to get the best First cabin.
Also would the "One Time Exception" apply to date only changes?
Too many times these agents make up their own rules, or they just don't know them.
Also would the "One Time Exception" apply to date only changes?
Too many times these agents make up their own rules, or they just don't know them.
Feb 9, 2014, 9:59 am
#55
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Anywhere but home
Programs: UA 1K/MM, DL GM/MM, HH Dia, PC Plat, MR Gold, ALL Sil,
Posts: 4,552
I made another change by phone, adding a 4th segment of KBV-BKK. This was my second change and no mention of more miles, no more changes, etc. Very helpful agent.
Feb 9, 2014, 10:24 am
#56
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
I changed LGA(US)-BOS(TK)-IST(TK)-KTM to EWR(UA)-BOS(TK)-etc with no change fees (1K) and no additional miles. And waitlisted for IN.
Feb 9, 2014, 12:12 pm
#57
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: RDU
Posts: 735
If it truly is a "One Time Exception," then I would not make a change until shortly before departure to get the best First cabin.
Also would the "One Time Exception" apply to date only changes?
Too many times these agents make up their own rules, or they just don't know them.
Also would the "One Time Exception" apply to date only changes?
Too many times these agents make up their own rules, or they just don't know them.
Feb 9, 2014, 12:28 pm
#58
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,750
MP Kettle.
This is a bit long as it is somewhat unusual in that we have a main ticket and a small ticket for the last segment of the following itinerary. It has caused some problems when trying to do a change from X to I on the last segment. By giving a detailed account, it may help others in similar situations.
Agents did not have any resistance on the requested change but both had difficulty in reissuing the new tickets.
FLL-IAH-PEK//HKG-BKK-CDG//CDG-YUL-FLL F award.
FLL-IAH UA waitlist I booked in YN waitlist I. YUL-FLL AC booked in X.
YUL-FLL is on its own tickets due to in late January, AC had canceled the original afternoon flight and put us to 7:55am flight, impossible to connect from CDG arrival. UA took the quick and dirty approach to just cancel the segment from the original itinerary and reissued a stand alone ticket for YUL-FLL the next morning, still in X and still under the same PNR. That was done on January 27.
So now a single PNR has 2 tickets for each passenger associated to it.
Today I found available for the YUL-FLL segment.
Called to ask for change from X to I. Agent did not mention any fee or extra miles. No resistance on my request to get back to I from X.
Agent was helpful but could not re-issue the ticket as the system told him "the change was out of sequence." I saw we were now in both X and I on the same flight. I also suspected he tried to reissue the main ticket, instead of the stand-alone ticket, hence he got the "out of sequence" error. It was a bit frustrating and annoying that this agent while helpful, tended to ignore what I tried to tell him that the change should only involve the small ticket.
During the wait for the help desk, the connection was dropped. Then I saw the itinerary reverted back to its old state, the I booking disappeared and the X stayed.
Called again. This time I got a super agent. He first took time to listen and understood that the exch/issue should be on the single-segment tickets only. He then took down my phone number in case we disconnected again.
He said the Waitlist I was blocking reissuance of new tickets (I doubt this though) as he one time had problem to re-issue tickets but once he removed the I waitlist, the system allowed it. So he said he would first call AC to secure the I seats even though he too, saw it was available from his screen. Then he would remove the FLL-IAH waitlist I. After that he would re-issue the stand-along tickets, and then put us back to waitlist I.
Unfortunately it did not work as he expected. So off to support desk he went. Periodically he came back to tell me they were working on it.
Finally, he successfully reissued the new tickets and assured me it was only for the stand-alone tickets that were Exch/Reissued. I asked for the new ticket numbers as once again, I saw the View Receipt still showed the Old tickets now had been exchanged and reissued, which Saudi site confirmed it was the case.
He gave me the new ticket numbers. I asked him to stay on the phone with me while I went to Saudi site to quickly check the numbers - Saudi site confirms the new tickets are in order.
I came back to tell him we are indeed good now per the Saudi site despite the UA site is still not showing the right ticket numbers, and thank him profusely for his help. He was interested to learn about where I could verify the new tickets so he could help customers better next time if customers unable to see their new ticket numbers in their online receipts. I got the feeling he is an excellent agent who is willing to listen first, has open-mind and is always willing to go above and beyond to help customers. I am feeling very lucky today.
Later I used the Add Email Address and Request Receipt function online to get UA kick out the new tickets. I got 4 tickets from UA, 2 tickets each passenger. Online, the receipt now reverts back to the Main ticket number which last issued was on Jan 27 to get rid of the YUL-FLL segment.
I do not know why, but on our 2 UA awards, we could not view the latest receipts online - I had to resort to "tricks" like using the Add email and request receipt function online, or use the phone tree menu and the option "Request Receipt" in order to get the new e-tickets to send to me.
This is a bit long as it is somewhat unusual in that we have a main ticket and a small ticket for the last segment of the following itinerary. It has caused some problems when trying to do a change from X to I on the last segment. By giving a detailed account, it may help others in similar situations.
Agents did not have any resistance on the requested change but both had difficulty in reissuing the new tickets.
FLL-IAH-PEK//HKG-BKK-CDG//CDG-YUL-FLL F award.
FLL-IAH UA waitlist I booked in YN waitlist I. YUL-FLL AC booked in X.
YUL-FLL is on its own tickets due to in late January, AC had canceled the original afternoon flight and put us to 7:55am flight, impossible to connect from CDG arrival. UA took the quick and dirty approach to just cancel the segment from the original itinerary and reissued a stand alone ticket for YUL-FLL the next morning, still in X and still under the same PNR. That was done on January 27.
So now a single PNR has 2 tickets for each passenger associated to it.
Today I found available for the YUL-FLL segment.
Called to ask for change from X to I. Agent did not mention any fee or extra miles. No resistance on my request to get back to I from X.
Agent was helpful but could not re-issue the ticket as the system told him "the change was out of sequence." I saw we were now in both X and I on the same flight. I also suspected he tried to reissue the main ticket, instead of the stand-alone ticket, hence he got the "out of sequence" error. It was a bit frustrating and annoying that this agent while helpful, tended to ignore what I tried to tell him that the change should only involve the small ticket.
During the wait for the help desk, the connection was dropped. Then I saw the itinerary reverted back to its old state, the I booking disappeared and the X stayed.
Called again. This time I got a super agent. He first took time to listen and understood that the exch/issue should be on the single-segment tickets only. He then took down my phone number in case we disconnected again.
He said the Waitlist I was blocking reissuance of new tickets (I doubt this though) as he one time had problem to re-issue tickets but once he removed the I waitlist, the system allowed it. So he said he would first call AC to secure the I seats even though he too, saw it was available from his screen. Then he would remove the FLL-IAH waitlist I. After that he would re-issue the stand-along tickets, and then put us back to waitlist I.
Unfortunately it did not work as he expected. So off to support desk he went. Periodically he came back to tell me they were working on it.
Finally, he successfully reissued the new tickets and assured me it was only for the stand-alone tickets that were Exch/Reissued. I asked for the new ticket numbers as once again, I saw the View Receipt still showed the Old tickets now had been exchanged and reissued, which Saudi site confirmed it was the case.
He gave me the new ticket numbers. I asked him to stay on the phone with me while I went to Saudi site to quickly check the numbers - Saudi site confirms the new tickets are in order.
I came back to tell him we are indeed good now per the Saudi site despite the UA site is still not showing the right ticket numbers, and thank him profusely for his help. He was interested to learn about where I could verify the new tickets so he could help customers better next time if customers unable to see their new ticket numbers in their online receipts. I got the feeling he is an excellent agent who is willing to listen first, has open-mind and is always willing to go above and beyond to help customers. I am feeling very lucky today.
Later I used the Add Email Address and Request Receipt function online to get UA kick out the new tickets. I got 4 tickets from UA, 2 tickets each passenger. Online, the receipt now reverts back to the Main ticket number which last issued was on Jan 27 to get rid of the YUL-FLL segment.
I do not know why, but on our 2 UA awards, we could not view the latest receipts online - I had to resort to "tricks" like using the Add email and request receipt function online, or use the phone tree menu and the option "Request Receipt" in order to get the new e-tickets to send to me.
Last edited by Happy; Feb 9, 2014 at 12:41 pm Reason: Add details.
Feb 9, 2014, 5:29 pm
#59
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 123
Via phone agent.
Last edited by Kraut; Feb 11, 2014 at 10:48 am
Feb 10, 2014, 3:20 am
#60
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,822
Please please,
When posting simple successes please mention whether through agent or on line. Thanks!!
When posting simple successes please mention whether through agent or on line. Thanks!!