I Just received an email survey from Chase that asked me about a potential new United credit card and my opinions about some of the features.
The survey clearly states that this isn't available now, just concepts... but I think we can all get an idea of where some of the thinking is from the potential features being discussed.
Here are 14 of the features that were being surveyed. These were presented as 8 different sets of card offers - A or B (x8) with a complete set of features for each --- categories included United Rewards, United Bonus Rewards, PQM, Redemption Opportunities, Status Level Benefits, United Travel, United Lifestyle, United Protection. The annual fees ranged from 100-300 and no interest rate, foreign exchange fee or other financial terms were surveyed.
Here are some of the features that were included in that matrix survey -- not in any order ...
Earn 3 miles per $1 on United purchases, 2 miles per $1 on dining &
1 mile per $1 for everything else (No maximum and miles don't expire)
Convert 2 Card miles to 1 Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) with a cap of 15,000 PQM per calendar year
Earn 5,000 Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) for every $35,000 you spend in a calendar year (cap of 10k PQM/yr)
Earn 10,000 miles after you spend $25,000 on your card, 1x per calendar year
As a Premier member you’ll receive confirmation for your companion upgrade at the same time you are confirmed for a first class upgrade
Free Checked Bag: 1 standard bag for up to 2 people.
Priority Boarding: Group 4 boarding (after Premiers, before general boarding)
United Club Passes: Receive 2 United Club Passes every year
Complimentary access to Wi-Fi on United enabled aircraft
50% off 2 Standard Awards (e.g. 25,000 miles versus 50,000 miles) 1x per year
20% off Standard Award redemption (e.g. 40,000 miles versus 50,000 miles) up to 4 award tickets per year
Receive priority on the first class upgrade list within your Premier status level
Retain your Premier status level for the following year even if you do not earn sufficient PQM ( 1x every 3 years)
Earn a 1 level-status upgrade on your Million Miler Status
So, let's just start with the premise that someone is really thinking hard about how to share elite benefits with more people -- more cardholders. Who said it here first -- when everyone is elite, noone is elite?
#12 - priority over other elites -- I read that as if two 1Ks are up for a upgrade, the credit cardholder with this feature would trump. Nice.
#13 - the soft landing - is a nice touch. AA does is normally and CO used to do ... now a feature of the card. On one hand, would be nice if you had a dip in travel. On the other hand, great way to inflate (keep overinflated) the ranks.
What I think would get people's undies in a twist .. #14 1-level Upgrade in MM status for cardholder .. that's great if you're a 2MM, you get 1K for life ... (hmm, didn't we have that before? Oh, right ...) but overall, it's inflationary.
There are some interesting things in there - complimentary wifi - that would be killer if they actually get it installed, but let me tell you from the having fallen in love with WiFi on AA ... it's not fast, and when a whole bunch of folks are using it, it's REALLY not fast. Not sure giving it away like free candy is a good idea.
The discounts for awards... nice touch... that may have helped me when I had to burn 100k for 2 FC seats BOS-LAX - not direct! - because there were _NO_ saver award availability 3 months out.
Here's what I ended the survey with in the free text box:
I'm already a 1K / 1MM and am a little underwhelmed by the travel benefits - I get them already (or should be getting them).
I am intrigued about the "bump" in MM status, companion upgrades (could that be done on a single PNR or do you still have to split them)?
Truthfully, I've moved most of my flying to AA and have become a Citi/AA cardholder, and it's going to take a lot of work to get me back - not a new credit card, but an airline that actually treats me with honesty, respect, runs their clean planes on time and their airports and lounges in an inviting, pleasant, and professional atmosphere.
Quote:
Moderator Edit: We've added a poll as well where a member can select multiple choices (while you can select all of them, I'd suggest limiting what you choose to four or less.)
Last edited by MoJ0; Jul 4, 12 at 9:16 pm..
Reason: Typo fix
Some of those are really amazing. I like having the EQM possibility on a card other than the Club card, especially the #2 option, as it doesn't have a huge spend before you can apply it (since I think EQM are substantially more valuable than RDM)--I'd rather trade 30k miles for 15k EQM then have to spend 70k to get 10k EQM.
Location: Clinging to the edifices of a decadent past. (IAH, DEN)
Programs: UA 1MM, AA 1MM, 1K/EXP, FlyingBlue Plat, Avis CHM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Platinum
Posts: 8,099
Thanks for the post -- it's always interesting to see what they're cooking up...
That said, I opted for the following four:
1. Comp Wifi
2. Bump in MM level (does this mean if you're at less than 1MM, you'll be bumped up to 1MM -- effectively *G for life, or at least as long as you carry the card?)
3. Priority for CPUs in the elite tier (I wonder how fare class plays into this -- e.g. will a 1K card holder on a G fare trump a 1K on a E fare?)
4. 50% off a standard award
Programs: UA Silver, TG *S, HA, Hertz #1 Gold PC, SBUX Gold
Posts: 348
Looks like they are simply considering bringing back some of the benefits of old PMUA and PMCO cards, though as folks have said 12-14 are new concepts.
1 is the same as the old Select Card which I have, but a little less generous as the 2-1 miles on the Select extends to *A, groceries, gas, and home improvement in addition to dining.
2. Though I never had one of these being a UA person this sounds like the Flex EQM with the CO PresPlus card, except that you are sacrifing RDMs for EQMs instead of just earning Flex EQMs. Also much like the United/Chase choices program except that there the rate is very steep with 1k in EQMs costing 10k in RDMs.
3 and 4 both existed in various forms with old UA cards.
5. Sort of new but would actually be helpful in avoiding the t-24 PNR auto slitting, assuming it doesn't get fixed by the time this card comes out if it does.
6. Nothing new. Explorer currently gets 1 bag, club card gets 2.
7. "" Explorer gets group 4 post elite boarding and Club Card get's group 3 with silvers.
8. Ditto with the Explorer.
9. Nice perk I guess, assuming it doesn't get granted to elites for free as more Wi-Fi is added to the fleet.
10 and 11. Sort of new. What most cards have previously offered rather than award discounts is unrestricted standard award bookings. If a seat is available you can get it for miles at the standard rate regardless of fare bucket avilabiltiy.
12-14. These are interesting and could certainly upset people. 12 does say my upgrade priority would allow me to trump other silvers though, so this wouldn't mean a silver trumps a GS, 1k, etc., just other silvers. 13 isn't that bad since it's just once every three years, and ocasionally some elites might not make their standard level a certain year so this is not that horrible I don't think. Is an occasional soft landing all that bad?
14 as I see it is the kicker. Being a lowly silver and probably never reaching 1MM given my flying patterns, it wouldn't affect me, but if I was a higher level MM this would definitely piss me off after getting my own status with butt in the seat miles. If any of these were really percieved as diluting status this would be it because really what is the point of having multiple MM levels is you can just jump up 1MM by having a credit card? Then again, this seems to be the normal with the new UA based on all the FT discussions lately.
In regards to the Companion CPU getting upgraded when your CPU clears to First Class, it really sounds like they plan on keeping the splitting of PNR's in place and selling the "fix".
I can't wait to read the new MP Program when it comes out in the next 12 months or end of this year, whichever we were told.
They do have fiduciary duties to make money for this company. We can't blame them for that. What will remain to be seen is, whether they can have a viable FF Program after they're done.
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Programs: UA Silver, TG *S, HA, Hertz #1 Gold PC, SBUX Gold
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ibuyyoufly
In regards to the Companion CPU getting upgraded when your CPU clears to First Class, it really sounds like they plan on keeping the splitting of PNR's in place and selling the "fix".
indicates that they are indeed working on a long term fix to the PNR-splitting, but that it may take quite some time because of all the other errors it may create. Ironically it is also openly admittted that campanion upgrades did not create a problem in Apollo but that they do in SHARES. It will be interesting to see what comes first, a credit card with the fix for sale or the actual fix.
very interesting - some of these options would be quite generous to say the least. If implemented, my preference would be to offer a phased 'special benefit choice' for paid cc holders who renew.
So a paid renewal for year two can select one from this group of benefits - A) B) C).... a five year (continuous) renewal can select one from this group of benefits... and a ten year renewal can select from this group, etc. Obviously, I would hope they would consider retroactively counting for current members.
This gives the consumer a choice, allowing them to pick a benefit that they most desire, and entices future card loyalty while not extending the offer until you become a paying customer. I think the restrictiveness of the special benefit would allow Chase/CoUa to be more 'generous' in their benefit offerings.
[*]Retain your Premier status level for the following year even if you do not earn sufficient PQM ( 1x every 3 years)
#13 - the soft landing - is a nice touch. AA does is normally and CO used to do ... now a feature of the card. On one hand, would be nice if you had a dip in travel. On the other hand, great way to inflate (keep overinflated) the ranks.
I thought a soft landing meant that you dropped down one level from your current status, rather than losing it completely.
The option above mentions retaining your status level for the following year, not dropping down a level, so isn't this in effect, better than a soft landing?
Programs: Last 1K flight 1/21/11; fun while it lasted, 1P in 2011, Plat for 2012 & '13.
Posts: 6,041
Darn, I saw that in my email this morning but didn't respond in time (said they took only the first 625 respondents). Definitely some things of interest in there!
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Most fun flight ever? SJC-SBA-SFO-LAX-IAD-LAS-LAX-SJC Mileage Run 12/07/09!
I thought a soft landing meant that you dropped down one level from your current status, rather than losing it completely.
The option above mentions retaining your status level for the following year, not dropping down a level, so isn't this in effect, better than a soft landing?
DOH! You are absolutely right, didn't register in my head. That really is a much bigger Bennie.
Hell, just do what US does and sell status outright.
I can totally see Chase or someone else buying MP down the road - it happened with AC (Aeroplan was spun off and is now Aimia).
Some of those are really amazing. I like having the EQM possibility on a card other than the Club card, especially the #2 option, as it doesn't have a huge spend before you can apply it (since I think EQM are substantially more valuable than RDM)--I'd rather trade 30k miles for 15k EQM then have to spend 70k to get 10k EQM.
The United Mileage Plus Select Visa Signature card used to offer 1EQM per $1 (up to $5k) on United purchases.... lately, the EQMs haven't been posting.
The United Mileage Plus Select Visa Signature card used to offer 1EQM per $1 (up to $5k) on United purchases.... lately, the EQMs haven't been posting.
It still does....mine have been posting regularly.
Location: Hold it down for The Bay, reppin' Oakland
Programs: UA 1P/CO Gold, Marriott PP
Posts: 748
I like how they're thinking.
With the new cards there have been many complaints from elite flyers that the benefits (Premier Access, free baggage, etc.) are of no benefit to them because they duplicate benefits they already have.
2 and 3 look interesting to folks who were upset about the flex EQMs no longer applying to 1k status. Of course this depends on whether the same restriction would apply to these miles. I'm guessing it would. If not, they should lift the restriction from the old Continental card.
10-14 all look of interest to high status flyers. My status is not very high, but I am especially interested in 10. This would make it far easier for me to book family vacations when there are not enough seats available at the saver rate. I could, for example, book one seat at the saver rate, and the other two at the standard rate using the 50% discount. This would mean much less time spent up late at night checking saver availability, and (probably) less need to settle for less than optimal routing.
I would definitely upgrade one of my United cards for this benefit, or get a fourth United card.
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Convert 2 Card miles to 1 Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) with a cap of 15,000 PQM per calendar year
Earn 5,000 Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) for every $35,000 you spend in a calendar year (cap of 10k PQM/yr)
Retain your Premier status level for the following year even if you do not earn sufficient PQM ( 1x every 3 years)
Ouch--these three are going to inflate elite ranks a tad. I'd like to see them be limited to exclude 1K, perhaps--getting a 25k PQM headstart via the first couple isn't chump change.
I'd rather UA run a paid DEQM during an otherwise-slow quarter to make extra cash if they're going to be so hellbent on adding more elites. At least those of us who don't get along with Chase would be able to participate (let's just say after a couple of Better Business Bureau complaints, Chase and I are not on speaking terms and it's not likely I would either apply for, or get, a card anytime soon).
I do like the notion of the ability to keep status for a year (once out of every three), though I think it would need to be refined. How about retain one level higher Premier status than you earned (up to your prior year's Premier level) once every three years? That would at least ensure that benefits are being earned to some degree: no giving 1K benefits to GMs or 2Ps, for example, but if a 1K fell to Platinum, he or she could keep that 1K for a single extra year. (If he or she only made Gold, the pax could still keep Plat.)
I would also think this would have to exclude GS, since GS is exclusively spend-based.
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Originally Posted by Chase Survey
Receive priority on the first class upgrade list within your Premier status level
Ugh--so let's further devalue upgrades for those who have earned status.
Would this apply to just CPUs (bad enough), or to instrument-supported upgrades, too?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chase Survey
Earn a 1 level-status upgrade on your Million Miler Status
And let's further devalue MM status...
This one would also really swell the ranks of elites--particularly if the elevated MM status would also convey to partner/spouse like earned MM status currently does. That means a lot more Golds (assuming the 0MM pax then get 1MM--I could see them saying, "No, this only applies to pax with 1MM+."), many more Plats (as there were already a lot more 1MM pax after the merger), and a good bit more 1Ks and even a few extra GSs.
