Originally Posted by krvw

So, I've been a Mileage Plus Visa holder for some time now. I grabbed the platinum card as soon as it was offered (gotta love those extra EQMs!). But after seeing all the horror stories here from folks who have tried to use the free companion, I was pretty sure my attempt would be equally unsuccessful.

Each year, Mrs. 1Ken and I go away for a weekend in December. (Shhhhh, she doesn't know that this is sometimes a mileage run...) This year, we thought it would be fun to go to Savannah, Georgia. I checked the fares on united.com (there's a non-stop United Express from IAD to SAV that suits my needs just fine) and I was about to go ahead and book, when I saw my MPV free companion ticket coupon. On a whim, I thought I'd call up the 1K line and see what I could do.

I was pleasantly shocked that the fare they quoted me for one ticket was identical to the one I got on united.com, and that the second would be completely free. (Well, I did have to mail the certificate in, but I'm not considering the cost of postage to be consequential here.)

It worked! I have both e-tickets in my itineraries, and it cost me exactly half of what I would have paid for two on united.com directly.

Now, I'm not saying that the certificate is right for everyone all the time -- I'm confident that many full fare flights would make it unusable for many folks. But, for this weekend getaway on United Express, it sure looks to be about ideal. Certainly well worth the "effort" involved.

Thanks MPV!

Cheers,

1Ken

PS. I have absolutely no affiliation with United or with Chase. Just a happy customer of both. YMMV.