Originally Posted by
ashill
From the Mileage Plan terms and conditions:
You represented yourself as having a US address. Alaska is requiring you to verify that US address before opening the account. Because you have in fact misrepresented your address, I’d be concerned here.
The reason AS views this suspiciously, I suspect, is that they (and all other US frequent flyer programs) have had a lot of trouble with mileage brokers, especially in Asia. I think your behavior, unfortunately, looks a lot like the behavior of a mileage broker: opening a new account, misrepresenting your address as being in the US when you are in fact in Asia, transferring a large sum of miles in without flying AS, and trying to redeem an expensive award shortly after opening an account.
Have you already transferred the Marriott miles in? If not, I’d close your account, call Alaska, and open a new one without misrepresenting your address. I’ve successfully opened an account over the phone when it wasn’t possible online. In my case, it was for a newborn child; Alaska doesn’t allow accounts to be created online for children under 13 and says so explicitly. We also lived in Australia at the time, so it’s definitely possible to create an account with an Australian address. I don’t recall for sure, but it may have helped that both parents were US citizens with longstanding Alaska accounts with a fair amount of flight activity.
I also recall (but can’t find) that Alaska prohibits mileage purchases in new accounts, maybe requiring you to earn miles by flying before using Mileage Plan as a bank for non-flying miles; that and the large transfer probably set off alarm bells. But I can’t find or recall the details on these restrictions.
Alaska’s program certainly is focused on people who live on the only continent Alaska flies to. The redemption options have some annoying restrictions for travel that is not to/from North America. So I’m afraid that what you say about Alaska only caring about those based in the US is largely true. (They certainly also care about those of us based in Canada too; I suspect also Mexico and Costa Rica, the other countries they fly to.)
I wish I had better news or advise for you. Maybe others do. Good luck!
Thanks for your help. I think i might be fall into this sad situation like u said.
I have no experience in dealing with before, coz for me, it was a IT error. i fully understand the importance to verify the address but what i cant understand is I have changed the address right away. there is no requirement that the address i put in at the time of sign-up must be correct, what if a typo or whatever. i really dont know that I need to call to just set-up an account. the can set-up requirements that new account without actual flying could not be able to get miles transferred from hotel program or credit cards for a certain time...this would be helpful.
sad. might be not able to get my miles back i guess if they suspicious about me as a mileage broker.
Thanks again for your very detailed help.