I'm having some trouble with United honoring the
priority boarding benefit of the Mileage Plus Explorer card. I booked two United round trips with other credit cards prior to getting the MP card. I called UA when the card showed up and confirmed that the card was associated with my MP account and that the MP information for both reservations was current. (And I'm well aware that I don't get a free checked bag because [I]that[I] requires you to use the MP card to book the reservation.)
Today I checked in and didn't get group 2. I called UA phone number and the agent and subsequent supervisor insisted priority boarding requires purchasing the ticket with the CC. After that hour exercise in frustration, I tweeted a bit with them and eventually got this DM: "These benefits only apply when the ticket is purchased with the Explorer card for travel by the primary Cardmember." So via two official channels, United is saying that you only get priority boarding when you purchase the ticket using the card.
Here are some relevant quotes from the marketing materials for the card, and its official terms and conditions:
Primary Cardmembers and their companions traveling on the same reservation will be invited to board United-operated flights prior to general boarding. To receive priority boarding, just add your MileagePlus® number to your reservation and refer to your boarding pass for your boarding group number. --
https://creditcards.chase.com/credit...edit-card.aspx (no mention of ticket purchase requirement)
Q: What do I need to do to receive Priority Boarding?
A: To receive Priority Boarding, you must be the primary Cardmember, include your MileagePlus number in your reservation and be traveling on a United-operated flight. --
https://www.theexplorercard.com/Benefits/Explorer (no mention of ticket purchase requirement)
The primary cardmember and companions traveling on the same reservation are eligible for priority boarding; authorized users are only eligible if they are on the same reservation as the primary cardmember. To receive priority boarding, the primary cardmember must include their MileagePlus® number in their reservation. Priority boarding is only available on United- and United Express-operated flights; codeshare partner-operated flights are not eligible. MileagePlus Explorer Card members will receive priority boarding after Premier® members and passengers with Premier AccessSM designations or requiring special assistance. Chase is not responsible for the provision of, or failure to provide, the stated benefits. Please allow 2 weeks after account opening for priority boarding to be available on your United reservation. -- Official card terms and conditions on Chase website.
I'd love to just charge the tickets to the MP card, but my company requires use of a corporate card for airfare. Still I signed up under the impression that priority boarding could be had simply for holding the card, but it seems United is imposing additional restrictions not stated anywhere on its website or terms. So ... is anyone else getting the priority boarding simply by having the card, or am I totally wrong here?