[QUOTE=mianyclax;18220138]After two unanswered emails over the past two weeks, I just got off the phone with Mileage Plus customer service (first the automated, then the agent, then the supervisor) to ask why my new card hasn't arrived yet. The agent told me I had already received the card in December (she meant the little sticker extending the card's expiration to March 3). After five fruitless minutes without her being able to tell me when the card will arrive, she transferred me to the supervisor. This second person told me I could simply print a new card online, despite my insistence that that option is disabled on the UA website. I finally had to go online and read her the message before she would acknowledge it. In the end, she could only tell me that my card had been mailed and would arrive within two weeks (of course, the website told me within a week--and that was over a week ago; moreover, since when does mail take two weeks to get to Los Angeles?). Since I leave next Monday, this is hardly a solution. [QUOTE]

Well, you could try calling MP again and hope that you can speak to someone else; it really does seem to work, at least it has for me these past few weeks. I was in the same situation on March 2, for a March 3 flight to London. I explained to the MP agent that I wouldn't be able to access lounges without a card and she sent an email, stating something like, Star Alliance Lounge Personnel, Please extend Firstname Lastname United 1K and Star Alliance Gold benefits. Some blurb about how there are known issues since the merger getting cards on time to MP members, etc.

I didn't need to use it the email printout anyway, since I was in a premium cabin and got lounge access with my boarding pass. There is a *A lounge access thread; you may want to review it to see if you need to be worried about it after all. Also the *A webpage has a lounge finder section, and just pretend that you have no MP status when you get to its pull-down menus. Just use the ones with your cabin class, and use the menus for paid club membership (if you have one) to find out if you even need your MP card. You may not.

Good luck and try to enjoy your trip!