Hello All,

I'm putting this to the experts. My dad has terminal cancer but chemo seems to be keeping it at bay for the moment, thankfully. In this situation, we need to be very analytical about the value of assets and he has a couple hundred thousand miles in his Milage Plus account and does not plan to do any travel himself. I do travel at least twice a year internationally for pleasure. I have no siblings or children, just a girlfriend. I would like to hear all of the options:

1) Obviously he could start booking my vacations for me and drawing down on his account. He has already offered this, but I also have my own milage accounts with other airlines which i usually use.

2) Could I call in, saying I was him and book tickets for myself, even after he passes away? How much StarAlliance partner redemption is online? What does United ask to authenticate members at the time of redemption?

3) Does United have a policy allowing me to "inherit" the miles?

4) The least palatable option is the transfer-to-my-account option as it appears to be very pricey.

Thanks for your help.