swan01

After traveling regularly for work for years (and accumulating miles), I had 2 kids, so was out of pocket for a while. We are trying to book a vacation and I just discovered that my UAL miles expired January 1! Ack! I realize this is 100% my fault for not checking... is it worth calling up and playing dumb?

Thanks!

Lurker

Swan01 Welcome to FT - I am so sorry we are meeting under these circumstances.

Conventional wisdom says, no good calling on this one; however an agent said an interesting thing to me on a recent phone call. I was calling about extending the life of a SWU (see a separate thread on this). Soon after the first of the year they changed their policy of doing this while you were on the line with the 1k desk to "filling in the paperwork and passing it on to a supervisor for handling within the next 48-72 hours". When I asked about this change (and this is were it becomes relevant to your question for those who are still with me) she said that all SWU AND MILES extensions were being handled by supes now.

As we say in FT. Always worth a shot. What status did you have at UA most recently? Are you likely to start flying extensively again. Both may help.

Good luck and welcome to FT>

Lurker

UNITED959

This might help: http://www.ualmiles.com/ReinstatementMiles.jsp.

1015-1k

Yes, I was going to post this, as well. It looks like you lose a little over half the value of your miles by doing this (depending on usage, of course). But hey, it sure is better than losing them altogether!

stuffy

I am in the same boat, BUT..... I think I got them back.^^

No use trying to talk your miles back. won't happen. The way everything is automated now, you will have to find some qualifying activity that will allow your miles to be reinstated.

I scoured and searched and finally found a car rental that could be applied as a qualifying activity. Got it posted and now waiting for UA to do a "sweep" to reinstate my expired miles.

So start searching!!

stuffy

OR

You can take the UA Challenge: Pay $199 and fly a rt on UA in the next 3 months and they will unexpire your miles. (Is that a word?) But you have to call them to sign up for the "challenge".

Wiggums

And you'd get EVERYTHING back? Great idea about looking for recent rentals or anything that would reset the clock.

jib71

Welcome to FT swan01.
In your dealings with call center agents, remember the FT adage "If you don't get the answer you want, don't get mad -- Just hang up and try again."
A little charm goes a long way too.

stuffy

Yes, you can get ALL your miles back as long as you find some qualifying activity. Not sure if it has to be in the last 12 or 18 months. Once you find it, don't give up!

Once I found an eligible car rental, it took numerous phone calls, emails, faxes and snail mail to get the credit. They will keep telling you to wait 60 days or 30 days or another 2 weeks, but just stay on them. Seems that the faxing and the emails had the better results. But the credit I did get. Now I have to wait for a "sweep" this weekend and I should have my expired miles back.^^^ Oh happy days!

Chicago Jim

Slighty off topic but am I correct that if I donate miles to charity that that would count as activity and restart the 18 month clock. The rules are a little vague on redemption activity. Because you can donate as few as 1000 miles it seems an easy way of keeping them active.

Jim

mahasamatman

Yes. Any activity counts.

stuffy

Yes, that will work but not for the OP. You can not donate AFTER the miles have expired and get them to unexpire.

stuffy

I did it!! I got all my miles back!^^

History: I went to make some award reservations in mid-January only to find all my miles (65k) had expired 12/31/07. I missed it by 2 weeks! After many frustrating, unintelligible conversations with the India service center, I realized I needed to find some qualifying activity in '07.

I had a car rental with Dollar in mid-December. I didn't think it would be allowed because I reserved it thru Hotwire. But after many requests to Dollar, via phone, fax and email, I got them to send the rental to United. (They never mentioned the reservation had come thru Hotwire and I never brought it up.) Then again after a lot of calling, emailing and faxing to United, I got them to post the rental in Dec '07 which allowed my miles to be reinstated.

And it only took 4 weeks!! I think the emails and faxes got the best results. And don't let the service reps discourage you with their "wait 60 days", "wait 30 days", "wait another 2 weeks".

UNITED959

w00t! ^ Nice work.

Lightman7

Nice work ^