Jul 1, 2013, 7:10 am
Last edit by: wannabe_plat
If you want to keep all your existing miles, and thus want some new miles to post quickly and reliably, here are some ways, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Take a survey at opinionmilesclub.com - not sure how long this takes to post.
- If you have a United credit card, downgrade it to the no fee version that gives 1 mile/$2 and use it every so often. Will help with aging as well which is good for your credit score.
- Buy a $5 giftcard (to Amazon or a local store) using the MileagePlusX app - miles post within seconds of making payment.
- Dining option still works (as of May 22, 2014). Posted to United in about 3 weeks after activity. I think it is one of the easiest options. No need to even take survey if you dont want extra survey points. I didn't do it.
- Buy a gift card and trade it to United for miles. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21020349-post702.html for an example that cost $15, and resulted in miles posting in under 24 hours. If you are not a U.S. resident, then buy an acceptable gift card on eBay and ask seller to email you the gift card number and pin. The gift card can be purchased with anyone's credit card (or cash) and applied to anyone's M+ number (name on credit card and M+ account need not match). It is not known if e-gift cards work. Physical gift cards known to work are:
- Buy miles directly from United. http://www.ualmiles.com/PersonalMile...Personal+Miles. The minimum purchase is about $75.
- Buy a ticket on united.com, and once it tickets, purchase award maximizer. Look for a flight with a short distance, such as COS/DEN to keep the award maximizer cost low. Miles will post in under 24 hours. Cancel ticket within 24 hours to get a full refund.
2013 Update: Ref, Ref
This seems to be the simplest way to do it for low cost, without much running around or waiting or donating miles.
- Bought an IAH > Austin ticket for 69/79 $.
- Went back in to change/ modify ticket reservation and then Award Acc was offered - 500 miles for 17$. Bought it.
- Miles posted in few hours. Cancelled the ticket. Refund to Visa card pending.
Note: Buy any low cost short distance ticket, go back in and buy award accelerator and then cancel in 24 hr after award miles post.
- Magazine subscriptions
- Charitable giving
- Mileage Purchases -- generally a poor use of miles
- Reinstatement Miles for a fee -- if the expiration is as recent as 18 months ago, for roughly 0.2 to 0.3cpm
- Find a recent (last 12 months typically) hotel stay or rental car credit that has not yet been posted. If the date was prior to expiration that should reinstate the expired miles.
Consolidated "How to Keep/Refresh Expiring Miles" Thread [ARCHIVE]
Oct 6, 2005, 12:28 pm
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Los Angeles & Orange County, CA
Programs: Wouldn't you like to know?!
Posts: 23,822
Consolidated "How to Keep/Refresh Expiring Miles" Thread [ARCHIVE]
I've seen this question popping up here and there...or people just let their valuable miles expire. Here's what you can do to prevent that from happening in the future:
1. Go to mileageplus dining website and sign up for a free account.
http://mpdining.rewardsnetwork.com/
2. Enroll your (or account holder's) credit card or debit card to the mileage plus dining program. It can be a card of any brand (Chase, Citibank, BofA, whatever). It's free and safe.
3. Search for the closest participating restaurant near you (the closest one near me is a La Salsa fast food place)
4. Go to the closest place and charge your credit card. In my case, I could buy a diet coke for $1.
5. Your mileage plus account will be credited 3 miles for every dollar charged. Miles post in just a couple of weeks. (Or when you dine 12 times an year, you get 5 miles per dollar)
6. Your miles are good for another 18 months because of your dining activity.
I highly recommend register and enroll your current credit card anyway. Sometimes you earn miles when you don't even realize.
I went to NYC a couple of weeks ago and didn't realized that I had dined at a participating restaurant. Viola, my account was credited 250 miles today.
1. Go to mileageplus dining website and sign up for a free account.
http://mpdining.rewardsnetwork.com/
2. Enroll your (or account holder's) credit card or debit card to the mileage plus dining program. It can be a card of any brand (Chase, Citibank, BofA, whatever). It's free and safe.
3. Search for the closest participating restaurant near you (the closest one near me is a La Salsa fast food place)
4. Go to the closest place and charge your credit card. In my case, I could buy a diet coke for $1.
5. Your mileage plus account will be credited 3 miles for every dollar charged. Miles post in just a couple of weeks. (Or when you dine 12 times an year, you get 5 miles per dollar)
6. Your miles are good for another 18 months because of your dining activity.
I highly recommend register and enroll your current credit card anyway. Sometimes you earn miles when you don't even realize.
I went to NYC a couple of weeks ago and didn't realized that I had dined at a participating restaurant. Viola, my account was credited 250 miles today.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Apr 15, 2009 at 11:30 am Reason: added BlissWorld's post to the start of the thread
Feb 12, 2007, 1:45 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2
Consolidated "How to Keep/Refresh Expiring Miles" Thread [Merged]
I have 18,900+ miles that I earned travelling years ago that are up for expiration. I travel exclusively on AA now, and am Platinum with them. I do quite a bit of personal travel and would love to use these toward hotel points, or AA points...any suggestions of possible ways to convert/use/not let them go to waste? My home airport JAX doesn't quality for one of their reduced mileage awards.
I'm a total novice when it comes to UA miles and their intricacies, and the website makes it sound as though there are no options. Any help would be appreciated. If I do not find anything to do with them, I will donate them.
Thanks!
I'm a total novice when it comes to UA miles and their intricacies, and the website makes it sound as though there are no options. Any help would be appreciated. If I do not find anything to do with them, I will donate them.
Thanks!
Feb 12, 2007, 1:50 pm
#3
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,138
Welcome to FT, ebiddix!
Conversion is impossible - United is a "dead-end" program. There are plenty of ways to extend the expiration, as any activity will do it. The easiest way is to get the MP Visa - lots of bonus miles and a good way to trickle them miles in over time. Other good ways are to sign up a credit card for iDine and buy a cheap meal or buy something from the Mileage Plus Mall. Grocery Miles is another good option, though it may take time to buy $250 of groceries for your first bonus.
Conversion is impossible - United is a "dead-end" program. There are plenty of ways to extend the expiration, as any activity will do it. The easiest way is to get the MP Visa - lots of bonus miles and a good way to trickle them miles in over time. Other good ways are to sign up a credit card for iDine and buy a cheap meal or buy something from the Mileage Plus Mall. Grocery Miles is another good option, though it may take time to buy $250 of groceries for your first bonus.
Feb 12, 2007, 1:55 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2
Thanks, I thought that may be the issue. I will hold onto them for the year, just in case, but otherwise, at least they have a donation program.
E
E
Feb 12, 2007, 8:52 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,842
I typically use car rentals to keep our assorted accounts alive.
Feb 12, 2007, 9:00 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: OC, SoCal
Programs: UA 1K MM, Hyatt Plat, SPG Gold, Marriott Plat
Posts: 380
How about signing up fro MileagePlus Dining?...(it's free)...
...then either use the miles for some vouchers on restaurants that you frequent...
...or make a purchase at one of the member restaurants and earn more points (assuming that this will extend expiration due to "activity" on your MP account).
Any further thoughts on the above?
...then either use the miles for some vouchers on restaurants that you frequent...
...or make a purchase at one of the member restaurants and earn more points (assuming that this will extend expiration due to "activity" on your MP account).
Any further thoughts on the above?
Feb 12, 2007, 9:17 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA, AA
Posts: 4,039
Why doesn't JAX-IAD qualify as a short-haul award?
Feb 12, 2007, 9:38 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Seattle
Posts: 227
You could sign up for one of United's grocery partners to gain a little while keeping the miles alive. Maybe you'll want them one day for a segment that you can't otherwise cover on AA - in Europe, e.g..
Feb 13, 2007, 10:57 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,648
I'm in the same boat
Somehow DH has 14,000+ miles in his account that will expire in about a year. He got an offer for a Mileage Plus Visa, 21K miles 1st purchase with no annual fee for 1st year. That would give him enough miles for a free ticket. How hard is it to get award seats with United? I've been getting my award seats over he last few years from AA (easy to get), Delta (Sometimes easy) and CO (Very limited). I don't want to get another credit card to get miles that won't ever be able to be redeemed. I see that when transferring in SPG points it's 2:1, not good. What about Am Ex MR points-does United participate with Am Ex?
Susie
Susie
Feb 13, 2007, 11:06 am
#10
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,026
Generally pretty easy. Unless you are wanting to go to Hawaii, and even then there are a surprising number of saver seats available if you plan either far-out or last-minute.
Last edited by cblaisd; Feb 13, 2007 at 11:31 am Reason: spelling
Feb 13, 2007, 11:10 am
#11
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,138
Feb 13, 2007, 2:00 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,648
going to Hawaiii on DL
We usually go for business class seats to either Europe or Asia. I plan 11 months ahead most of the time and am on the phone as soon as the seats pop into the system. AA lets you make a reservation and hold it for 2 weeks. Delta only holds the res for a few days. I actually bagged 2 first class seats to Hawaii this coming April with DL Skysaver miles at 7 months in advance I was shocked at how I got the days and flights I wanted on my first phone call! Of course it turns out DL first class to Hawaii sucks-it's domestic first on small planes, not the metal used on trans ocenic flights. But I guess it's better than coach.
Jul 24, 2007, 3:14 am
#13
Suspended
Join Date: May 1998
Location: USA
Posts: 533
Any good quck way to get some UA mileage?
I need to have a transaction posting, to keep miles from expiring... I live overseas, and would greatly appreciate any suggestion for a quick, simple, and hopefully inexpensive way to get some mileage activity.
Also, is there a place on this website that lists these kind of mileage earning opportunities? i can't seem to find it.
thanks in advance...
And wasn't there a website that used to post all the ways to get non-flying mileage???
Also, is there a place on this website that lists these kind of mileage earning opportunities? i can't seem to find it.
thanks in advance...
And wasn't there a website that used to post all the ways to get non-flying mileage???
Last edited by flyrights; Jul 24, 2007 at 3:16 am Reason: more
Jul 24, 2007, 4:15 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boulder, CO
Programs: UA, AA, WN; HH, MR, IHG
Posts: 7,054
The quickest way is probably to buy something from the Mileage Mall. Since shipping overseas may not be practical, you might want to ship to friends or family living in the U.S.... or send them a nice gift. 
You could also rent a car for a day - I think even foreign rentals provide mileage, though you should check with the rental agency.
However, remember that redemptions also keep your account active, so you can also consider doing that. For example, you could donate some miles (I think the minimum is 1000).
You could also rent a car for a day - I think even foreign rentals provide mileage, though you should check with the rental agency.
However, remember that redemptions also keep your account active, so you can also consider doing that. For example, you could donate some miles (I think the minimum is 1000).
Jul 24, 2007, 6:03 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: OOL
Programs: VA Plat, QF LTS, UA MM, Hilton Diamond, Rydges Black, ,Le-Club Gold
Posts: 3,659
Good value for miles is www.hartwickandgrove.com, wine merchants, 25 points per $ spent.
But can take up to 3 weeks to post, as with any shopping-miles.
But can take up to 3 weeks to post, as with any shopping-miles.