Using A3 status for *G benefits but credit miles to another FFP?
 

Is it possible use A3 status to enjoy *G benefits like extra baggage allowance, priority waitlisting, priority baggage handling etc but yet credit miles to another FFP?

Yeah, most of the time you can change the FFP number at the gate...


So Booking and check in with *G, and you change the number at the gate

Some of these things might work, some might not work all the time. Priority baggage tagging will very likely work.

Extra baggage allowance is more tricky and it didn't work for me in at least one instance. Flying internationally on US I checked two bags for free, as per *G rules. When trying to change the FF number at the gate I was told that if I would do so, they would have to charge me for 2nd bag.

YMMV.

Using A3 status for *G benefits but credit miles to another FFP?
 

I am *G on AP, trying to migrate to A3 (and maybe subsequently to MP). Earlier in the week, I was connecting through PHX. I tried to get my FFP changed at each of: customer service desk, gate, lounge, and exited to check-in counter (attempted to change FF# a total of 5 times) and ALL CSRs refused to change the FFP for second leg (at gate, both CSRs emphatically agreed that what I was requesting was 'impossible'). Interestingly, each had slightly different reasons why not, but I was unable to find anyone who was willing to even attempt to implement the change.

Is there anything I could do differently to get the miles credited to another FFP?

I have cross posted this to a couple of places looking for some more input.

Bribe them? Make then an offer they can't refuse? Use the M&B number when booking? ;)

Didn't I hear that if you try to use *G benefit under A3 (especially lounge access) but miles get credited to another FFP, A3 will cancel your *G?

source? kindly enlighten us

My recent experience with UA make this process even painless. Flight booked with the MP number. At check-in (24 hours prior at the leisure of my home), I've changed the number to A3 and finished check-in. Immediately after I change back to MP and reprinted boarding cards.

The beauty about this method is that the system now remembers your status as gold. So even I have no status on UA, my boarding passes (with the MP number), are now marked as star gold, with boarding area 2 as expected.

I did wanted to credit one leg on the reservation to A3, but it did not stick and all miles went to UA. So make sure you are OK with that end result with multiple switches.

For some insight, why did you book the flight with the MP# in the first place and not A3? Does it make any difference which FF# is used for the booking? (In other words, could you have just made the booking with the A3 number, and then made ONE change after check-in?)

When you say "multiple switches" do you just mean the change you made online after check in? Or...

Did you try to have gate agents or lounge agents change FF numbers at different points in the trip (ie. have different BPs with diff FF#s)? From at least one other thread, this appears to work:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...-programs.html

Also, some report that a phone agents can get one segment credited properly:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...t-program.html

Those flights were booked by the cooperate travel agent - so they actually did not booked with any FF account attached to them. When I pull them up in the UA site, I believe they are automatically assigned the MP number. It is just easier to do the check in online when it is associated to your account in such a way.

I believe one change would have worked just as well.


I always had at hand two BP (at least) for each segment, one with the A3 and one with the MP numbers on - it does not matter. The last change that was made in the system was the one that stuck, but only before the entire leg started. Changing it online between legs did not work. I'm sure I could have changed it in the lounge, but it was not that important.

Are you 100% certain that it doesn't matter? BCs are nowadays scanned, and it is possible that the last one on the system would not correspond to what is read from the bar code on the penultimate BCs.

Of my many flights by about 15 Star Alliance carriers in the past three years, it hasn't made a difference for me and didn't seem to matter. But that was mostly not involving A3; and it has been a mix of 5 or 6 Star Alliance programs amongst those operators.

I scanned the "correct" one each time, what ever that maybe. But then again we are talking about Unite IT here - so everything and anything is possible.

It was not that important to me to actually verify that the "correct" one will be the one that the miles will be awarded to. They were short flights and just wanted to make sure I give A3 one flight this year.

Just out of curiosity, in these many flights, why do you always go to board with two different BCs using the penultimate one rather than the one with the "final" data?

Well, then how about what I did this past week? I was on a UA award ticket with domestic segments. I got access to the United Club with my A3*G card, and A3 didn't receive the miles. However, they wouldn't have received any revenue via miles from United anyway, since the fare didn't earn miles.