OK, thanks again, you suggest some possible paths to explore here...
Originally Posted by
jsloan
Agreed -- but there should be other benefits that they do know about.
For example, the bag fee waiver -- if he books a new domestic UA flight, he should see an indication that the first bag fee is waived for being an Explorer card member. That sort of thing.
Good point. I'll have him start a dummy booking to see if the first bag benefit appears. If it doesn't, then that's a smoking gun that strongly suggests his card membership is not being recognized correctly. Of course, if the other benefits
are working, then it makes it a harder sell to fix the one he cares about more...but it's a potentially useful data point.
Originally Posted by
jsloan
I'm unable to find any mention of this benefit in the Chase literature, which surprises me.
It surprised me too, and I searched for that as I was about to suggest to my friend that the card was a worthwhile investment since he had some international flights coming up and he hoped to book with miles (this was shortly before the devaluation). I looked online everywhere I could think of, but found few references to it, nothing clear and complete. He applied for and received the card, and I looked over all the enclosed printed materials, with growing concerns as I did not see it mentioned. But it's still working for me...(fingers crossed). I was only half kidding below when I wondered if the benefit was silently killed as part of the recent drama (it's still there for me, but...maybe grandfathered?).
Originally Posted by
jsloan
Furthermore, I see two different Reddit threads dating back to April detailing problems with new users getting access to XN space, with the answer being "call and we'll get you the right price." There was also a thread recently about some Platinum members losing access to IN space online.
if your friend needs to make a booking, and XN space is open, it's worth calling and trying to get access to it.
I have not gone down any Reddit rabbit holes recently, but that's an interesting observation.
"Call and we'll get you to the right place" sounds encouraging, but unless there's a secret phone number, my friend's experience (today) suggested calling and demanding his rightful access to XN space might not be any more effective. He was essentially doing that, just not using the XN nomenclature. It might be worth a shot though.
Originally Posted by
jsloan
Agreed, although it used to be there. But, again, it never said anything about a lower price. It said something like "enhanced access to saver awards:" or something.
Exactly.
Originally Posted by
jsloan
The "lower price" wording is new within the last couple of years and only appears in the search results.
I also recall "enhanced access to award space" being mentioned. Of course, lower costs sound like an enhancement to me (I know, in today's marketingspeak it generally means the opposite...).
Thanks again for your insights. I'll suggest my friend test to see if the free bag benefit appears functional, and take it from there.