In this case you need to follow up with the issuer of your United Visa, not with United. Mileage Plus has no idea how much you spent with a college... that info has to come from the credit card company. And they're notoriously bad about posting bonuses without jumping through hoops.

In my experience most programs are more or less run on the up and up (well, maybe excluding LatinPass/GlobalPass). But their level of competence, and their ability to deal with errors, varies greatly.

While some members are frequently frustrated by targeted promos and changes in award categories at Starwood, the fact that Starwood Lurker spends so much time here sorting out problems for members and clarifying misperceptions says a great deal and goes a long way in my book. The couple days' heads up we got on category changes saved me some points at the Westin MEL for later in the year...

As far as a 'what you see is what you get' program, it's hard to argue with Southwest. But then they don't really have any awards that I want.