Sep 17, 2014, 10:44 am
Last edit by: mia
Reminder: you must enroll and select UA as your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase (this includes MPX). Click HERE.
Caution: As of December 2016, it appears that American Express no longer reimburses MPX transactions.
Credits generally appear 3-4 days after making the transaction. No need to worry unless they don't appear after a week.
TravelBank funds can only be used on United and United Express flights. Partner flights are not eligible.
Gift Registry and Gift Cards
The consensus is that United gift registry contributions will be reimbursed and gift card purchases will not. So
There seems to be no downside to contributing in sub-200 dollar chunks since the gift registry creates a single pool of cash. However there are lots of reports of successful fee credits from a single $200 donation. Whether done as on $200 transaction or eight $25 transactions, the result is that one will have $200 in ones TravelBank.
PLEASE NOTE: When you establish a gift registry for the first time, it will take 24 hours before the funds in the registry are available to use toward payment of a flight.
Do I have to join the united.com Club ($25 annual fee) to use my TravelBank?
Apparently not.
Does spending TravelBank credit count towards PQD?
Yes-for revenue flights only
Airline Taxes on Award Tickets- Log into united.com
- Set up a gift registry for yourself
- Use the link in your gift registry web page to send an announcement to your email address. This better, faster, and more reliable than searching for your gift registry, especially if you have a common name. Even someone with an unusual surname like mre5765 has could not find his registry after creating it.
- Log out of united.com
- Follow the Make Contribution in your gift registry email
- Contribute using your Amex platinum card
There seems to be no downside to contributing in sub-200 dollar chunks since the gift registry creates a single pool of cash. However there are lots of reports of successful fee credits from a single $200 donation. Whether done as on $200 transaction or eight $25 transactions, the result is that one will have $200 in ones TravelBank.
PLEASE NOTE: When you establish a gift registry for the first time, it will take 24 hours before the funds in the registry are available to use toward payment of a flight.
Do I have to join the united.com Club ($25 annual fee) to use my TravelBank?
Apparently not.
Does spending TravelBank credit count towards PQD?
Yes-for revenue flights only
Doesn't seem to work anymore; see post 179 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25297196-post179.html and #391
MPX (MileagePlus X)It appears that this is no longer working. See this post: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27589581-post1496.html.
Economy Plus feesThere are recent reports of this working on a per ticket basis. No recent report of an Economy Plus annual subscription being reimbursed.
$200 airline fee reimbursement reports: UA only. [2010 - 2016]
Jun 28, 2011, 3:12 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: NYC, CLE
Programs: UA 1K, Starwood Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 108
As a CO Plat elite, seems to me the best use of the credit is to book a reward flight and pay the taxes / fees (try to keep them under $100 for the automatic processing), and have those fees refunded a month or so later after the statement closes and after the credit has been posted to the account by cancelling the reward flight (no fee redeposits of miles and refund of fees). Seems like AMEX is not taking away the credit after the refund of fees post. For example book a reward with a $25 tax/fee on June 1. AMEX then credits the $25 back to the statement on June 2. Statement closes with a $0 balance on June 30. Cancel the reward on July 5 and have refund of $25 from CO post on July 7. AMEX doesn't take away the $25 credit from June 2, effectively converting an airline credit into an everyday purchase credit of $25.
In the end it all comes out pretty even. As a frequent traveler I sometimes come across change fees or award fees or lounge fees etc. I'll need to spend money on these fees sometime this year and will probably spend $200 or more anyways. However, using the method above might free me from the stress/burden of remembering to use my amex platinum card in certain instances rather than my co pres plus or amex prem rewards etc. I'd rather have an AMEX credit to use on anything I want rather than have it be tied to travel-related expenses only.
Anyone else have a similar strategy or find anything flawed with my logic?
In the end it all comes out pretty even. As a frequent traveler I sometimes come across change fees or award fees or lounge fees etc. I'll need to spend money on these fees sometime this year and will probably spend $200 or more anyways. However, using the method above might free me from the stress/burden of remembering to use my amex platinum card in certain instances rather than my co pres plus or amex prem rewards etc. I'd rather have an AMEX credit to use on anything I want rather than have it be tied to travel-related expenses only.
Anyone else have a similar strategy or find anything flawed with my logic?
Jul 8, 2011, 11:59 am
#32
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SFO
Programs: UAL SPG Hyatt
Posts: 570
I used mine up within 1 month. Am UA 1k, signed up for UA, issued a bunch of international award tickets for family, all fees refunded, done.
Jul 11, 2011, 4:27 am
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
possible to use towards annual economy plus?
if so, do you have to pick united for it before buying the annual economy plus?
its a bummer change fees can only be credited once charged. i canceled nonrefundable tickets, so UA zaps $150 per ticket out. because ill be applying the leftovers to another flight, there will never be a charge that can quality for amex credit.
if so, do you have to pick united for it before buying the annual economy plus?
its a bummer change fees can only be credited once charged. i canceled nonrefundable tickets, so UA zaps $150 per ticket out. because ill be applying the leftovers to another flight, there will never be a charge that can quality for amex credit.
Last edited by mia; Jul 13, 2011 at 3:09 pm Reason: Combine two consecutive posts
Jul 11, 2011, 2:16 pm
#34
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Republic of Texas
Programs: AE Plat, MR, SPG, CO/UA
Posts: 6
For those using Continental
I may be mistaken, but does the Continental airline credit go through 12/31, or does it end when the partnership does in September?
I haven't seen too many responses about Continental. Are there any good strategies such as gift cards or should I just order drinks and food for everyone around me in-flight?
I haven't seen too many responses about Continental. Are there any good strategies such as gift cards or should I just order drinks and food for everyone around me in-flight?
Jul 11, 2011, 3:47 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: NYC, CLE
Programs: UA 1K, Starwood Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 108
I may be mistaken, but does the Continental airline credit go through 12/31, or does it end when the partnership does in September?
I haven't seen too many responses about Continental. Are there any good strategies such as gift cards or should I just order drinks and food for everyone around me in-flight?
I haven't seen too many responses about Continental. Are there any good strategies such as gift cards or should I just order drinks and food for everyone around me in-flight?
You can get reward ticket fees refunded. I just got a ~$50 reward fee refunded about 3 days after the charge posted. I may have to change/cancel this reservation later, so I'm not sure if they will either add the $50 back to the airline credit, or if the $50 will post to my statement as a credit (effectively meaning I can use the $50 towards other things).
Jul 15, 2011, 1:27 pm
#36
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 8
United
Any good strategies for United? I have gotten $5 here and there for award tickets, but I'm looking for an easy way to use up the rest of the $200 allowance. If nothing else, I might just pay for award accelerator or buy miles. Has anyone had success with those?
Jul 21, 2011, 12:46 pm
#37
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: IAH
Programs: SPG Plat, Hyatt Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 332
I just bought two, $75 Continental gift cards and was reimbursed almost immediately. ^
Gonna hold on to the last $50 to serve as a free PC/RCC lounge access should I need it. Otherwise it's going to one more gift card.
Gonna hold on to the last $50 to serve as a free PC/RCC lounge access should I need it. Otherwise it's going to one more gift card.
Jul 22, 2011, 1:44 pm
#38
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Republic of Texas
Programs: AE Plat, MR, SPG, CO/UA
Posts: 6
Do I understand correctly that continental gift cards can only be used via continental.com. Is it an e-gift certificate?
Thanks!
Jul 26, 2011, 7:45 pm
#39
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: NYC, CLE
Programs: UA 1K, Starwood Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 108
just wanted to follow up and confirm that I believe my strategy of converting the $200 credit into everyday credit has worked, but in order for it to work you have to be a CO Plat or other type of elite that redeposits reward booking taxes/fees fee-free. So I booked a reward ticket during last month's billing cycle with fees totaling $50. This month, after the billing cycle ended and the statement posted, I cancelled the reward ticket. As a CO Plat CO returns the fees for free. I just got the statement credit, essentially converting $50 in credit for continental airlines fees (charged $50 and credited $50 last month) into a $50 credit (credited $50 this month) I can use for whatever I want. ^
Jul 31, 2011, 8:56 pm
#40
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SAN
Programs: DL MM, Marriott LT Titanium, AA EXP, Avis Chairmans
Posts: 1,399
just wanted to follow up and confirm that I believe my strategy of converting the $200 credit into everyday credit has worked, but in order for it to work you have to be a CO Plat or other type of elite that redeposits reward booking taxes/fees fee-free. So I booked a reward ticket during last month's billing cycle with fees totaling $50. This month, after the billing cycle ended and the statement posted, I cancelled the reward ticket. As a CO Plat CO returns the fees for free. I just got the statement credit, essentially converting $50 in credit for continental airlines fees (charged $50 and credited $50 last month) into a $50 credit (credited $50 this month) I can use for whatever I want. ^
Aug 11, 2011, 9:29 pm
#41
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: AA Lifetime PLT , BA Silver , BD RIP , HH Gold, SPG / Marriott PLT , EF Subscriber
Posts: 6,702
It works... and all for 1 Cent
I recently needed to reschedule one of 5 sectors on an International Continental flight, due to a change in the Overseas Taxes currency exchange rate, the cost went up a whole 1 cent..Continental had no way of avoiding charging me...So 1 cent is debited to my Amex Card..
A few days later as CO was my designated Airline Charges Carrier, Amex duly refunded the 1 cent charge.
Nice to know the system works^
A few days later as CO was my designated Airline Charges Carrier, Amex duly refunded the 1 cent charge.
Nice to know the system works^
Aug 25, 2011, 7:38 am
#42
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 173
Henry 82: thanks for re-posting this very helpful post! One last question: should I assume that we're buying these gift certificates in our own names? (if not, who are you "gifting" to?)
Soon as I hear back, I'll go off to purchase CO gift certs--and will report back, I promise!
Soon as I hear back, I'll go off to purchase CO gift certs--and will report back, I promise!
I am curious to know how they will be redeemeed after the CO/UA reservations systems are merged. They say they are valid for 5 years and redeemable only at continental.com. I rarely fly CO more than once a year, so continental.com could be history by the time I use them both.
Sep 8, 2011, 8:16 pm
#43
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 178
I registered my Platinum card with United but when I check my registration on the Amex website it list my card as being registered with United/Continental Airlines. Now I'm wondering if that means I can purchase, and be reimbursed, for a Continental G/C instead of a United one? Anyone have any experience with this scenario?
Sep 16, 2011, 2:27 pm
#44
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 25
United/Continental options?
I've used $5 worth on award tickets fees for CO, so I have $195 left, which I thought I might have to use on baggage fees or other incidentals, but that didn't happen and I don't think I'll be flying CO/UA until next year.
I saw in a previous post buying a gift certificate from Continental; does that work and should I buy it in some other denomination other than $195? (I was thinking $100, $50, $45). Or anything from UA I can buy?
I saw in a previous post buying a gift certificate from Continental; does that work and should I buy it in some other denomination other than $195? (I was thinking $100, $50, $45). Or anything from UA I can buy?
Sep 17, 2011, 4:56 pm
#45
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: UA Plat, SPG Gold
Posts: 89
I recently bought 2 x $100 Continental gift certificates a week apart. Both credited fine.