Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs > American Express | Membership Rewards
Reload this Page >

Airline fee $250/$200 reimbursement reports: UA only (2023)

Community
Wiki Posts
Search
Old Jan 1, 2023, 12:30 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: friedablass
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING PRIOR TO POSTING REGARDING UA TB:

Metadiscussion: WHEN to report missing airline fee reimbursements?


Your question is probably answered in this Wikipost

Reminder: you must enroll and select UA as your airline; it is generally viewed as prudent to wait a day before making a reimbursable purchase. It usually takes 5-10 to be reimbursed.

Travel Bank: There's a separate thread at this link for general discussion of Travel Bank, including important limitations on its use. As of Jan 3, 2022, and with ongoing success in 2023 as reported below, Travel Bank posts as a Special Service Ticket reimbursed by Amex (but unofficially), or United Electronic Ticketing or United Airlines Houston. Purchase here: https://www.united.com/en/US/account/travelbank If your transaction returns a Payment Failed error, try adding your American Express card to your United Airlines profile, and repeat the transaction using the stored card. DO NOT CALL Amex to ask about being credited for this.

Gift Cards: United does not sell gift cards.

MileagePlus X App: As of December 2016 American Express no longer reimburses MPX transactions.

READ BELOW for OTHER EXPENSES WHICH MAY BE REIMBURSED

Airline Taxes on Award Tickets Doesn't seem to work anymore; see post 179 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25297196-post179.html and #391

Economy Plus and First Class Upgrade Fees Subscription worked in Feb 2020, data point here. As of December 2016 there were conflicting posts; one stating that an upgrade to E+ coded as an "upgrade fee" and was, therefore, not reimbursed. Others said they were reimbursed as it was coded as "preferred seat upgrade." In February 2019, three separate FTer reported receiving varying amounts of reimbursement (dependent upon which card was used for the purchase) after purchasing an E+ annual subscription. The E+ subscriptions code as "preferred seat upgrade". Upgrading from E to FC will also not be reimbursed because it codes as a passenger ticket even when done after buying the original ticket. There seems to be a distinction between seat upgrades being reimbursed, while ticket upgrades are not.

Award AcceleratorI would not risk this. The last report of being reimbursed for Award Accelerator was for $68 on October 27, 2011. Every post about Award Accelerator since has reported "No reimbursement."

Eligible incidental fees include:
  • Checked baggage fees (including overweight/oversize)
  • Itinerary change fees
  • Phone reservation fees
  • FareLock
  • Pet flight fees
  • Seat assignment fees (E+)
  • In-flight amenity fees (beverages, food, pillows/blankets, headphones)
  • In-flight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet unless it is billed by the airline.)
  • Airport lounge day passes & annual memberships
  • Onboard WIFI (provided it is billed by the airline.)
Keeping Track of Your Incidentals The Amex website has a Benefits link which will show a meter to keep track of your reimbursements. You may need a desktop/laptop browser to see it.

A general discussion of
Travel Bank is in a separate thread .

(2022 discussion of UA available at this link.)
Print Wikipost

Airline fee $250/$200 reimbursement reports: UA only (2023)

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 29, 2023 | 7:28 pm
  #466  
10 Countries Visited20 Nights15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,973
Originally Posted by ascg
Is waiting 24 hours necessary once registering the airline or can do it as soon as register?
You can do it as soon as you register and check your email for the confirmation that you selected United. Have done it that way many times. However, if you feel more comfortable waiting the 24 hours and then purchasing then there's no harm in doing that.
SPN Lifer likes this.
friedablass is online now  
Old Jun 29, 2023 | 9:46 pm
  #467  
50 Countries Visited30 Nights3M10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,553
Originally Posted by jazzneel
everyone recommends waiting 24 hours minimum to be safe. There is risk that you wont get the credit if you do it sooner.
That's correct. There's also much waiting for the credit to post. Folks who prefer to cut corners, will spend that waiting on pins and needles.
MaxVO is offline  
Old Jul 1, 2023 | 12:41 am
  #468  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
20 Countries Visited500k20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Saipan, MP 96950 USA (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands = the CNMI)
Programs: UA Gold, Hilton Silver. Life: UA .59 MM, United & Admirals Clubs (spousal), Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,876
I have read this thread and its predecessors for years. Based on the data points (DP) presented, I would estimate there is a 95% chance of the AmEx credit posting correctly if TravelBank funds are purchased immediately after selecting UA as one's airline with AmEx -- or even shortly before selection -- as opposed to a 99.9% likelihood if waiting 24 hours.

Each of us have our own personal levels of risk tolerance, as well as individual time sensitivity in buying a ticket with those TravelBank funds.
friedablass and Dr Jabadski like this.
SPN Lifer is online now  
Old Jul 1, 2023 | 10:40 am
  #469  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Programs: All
Posts: 28
Originally Posted by gas2018
If I buy travel bank as gift,. is this like that i would buy travel bank for my account? Anyone tried this?
I bought 2x $100 for a friend today and I'll report back whether they (edit: the transactions) get reimbursed.
zakool21 is offline  
Old Jul 1, 2023 | 11:46 am
  #470  
2M50 Countries Visited100 Nights10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NYC suburbs
Programs: UA LT Gold (BIS), AA LT Plat (non-BIS), Hilton Dia (CC), Hyatt Glob (BIB), et. al.
Posts: 3,571
Originally Posted by SPN Lifer
estimate there is a 95% chance of the AmEx credit posting correctly if TravelBank funds are purchased immediately after selecting UA as one's airline with AmEx -- or even shortly before selection -- as opposed to a 99.9% likelihood if waiting 24 hours. ...
Well stated, concur. Slightly lower chance of a Murphys Law* violation (computer glitch, IRROPS, dog ate the credit, you did it wrong, etc.) with waiting 24 hours. Unless its an emergency**, wait the 24 hours, or even 48 hours to get to 99.999% .

(* Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." In some formulations, it is extended to "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.")

(** Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on AmExs part.)
SPN Lifer and friedablass like this.
Dr Jabadski is offline  
Old Jul 1, 2023 | 4:16 pm
  #471  
50 Countries Visited30 Nights3M10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,553
Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
... Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on AmExs part.
Just a reminder NOT to contact Amex with this "emergency" -- they do not consider TB reloads a reimbursable expense. Our only remedy is to repeat the load.
SPN Lifer and Dr Jabadski like this.
MaxVO is offline  
Old Jul 1, 2023 | 4:42 pm
  #472  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
10 Countries Visited20 Countries Visited30 Countries Visited15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,978
Originally Posted by MaxVO
Thanks for the explanation, especially the last sentence. I see nothing preventing airlines from emptying some buckets and creating new ones. And that's their mechanism for responding to market intelligence, including searches and aborted searches.
Yes, but only some of the time do whole buckets appear (go from 0 to maximum) or disappear (go from maximum to 0) all at once. Much of the time the numbers change by 1 or 2 or 3 at a time, and if you pay close attention to the seating chart, you can tell that some people are cancelling and some people are making new bookings.

That didn't use to happen as much pre-Covid, because pre-Covid business fares were all that existed in the last two weeks or so.
MaxVO likes this.
sdsearch is offline  
Old Jul 2, 2023 | 1:27 pm
  #473  
5 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 49
HH Aspire:
June 25: card approved, UA selected, $250 TB purchase after receiving email confirmation
June 27: charge posted as June 25
July 1: needle moved
July 2: credit posted
SPN Lifer and friedablass like this.
xudongsun is offline  
Old Jul 3, 2023 | 1:12 am
  #474  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 15,180
So, interesting. Booked two separate OW award tickets. Canada-US (return leg) charged on June 25 for $62.60 in fees. US-Canada charged on June 26, and was $5.60 in fees.

Couple of days later, had to cancel. Refunds dated June 28.

Today, noticed a credit for the $5.60 charge - so apparently this triggered the airline fee reimbursement. Surprised because theoretically, not eligible. Also, had already received a refund, two days prior to the credit posting. Also, the $62 charge was not credited, nor showing on my dashboard as used, so I guess that [correctly] didn't get credited.

So, I guess, should I expect the $5.60 airline 'fee' reimbursement to be clawed back, since it was refunded, or will it probably stick?

Also, there's something interesting about the credit...I remember also getting the airline fee credit a year or two ago for tickets purchased on the card, but using a bunch of travel credit that brought the price down. Think those reimbursements were <$50, maybe around $30. There was a couple. So weird that actual ticket purchases are getting reimbursed.
emcampbe is offline  
Old Jul 3, 2023 | 1:44 am
  #475  
50 Countries Visited30 Nights3M10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,553
Originally Posted by emcampbe
... noticed a credit for the $5.60 charge - so apparently this triggered the airline fee reimbursement.
How was this charge named on the Amex record, and compared to the charge that was not reimbursed ($62.60)?
MaxVO is offline  
Old Jul 3, 2023 | 5:29 pm
  #476  
100k100 Nights
 
Join Date: Jun 2022
Location: LAX, SNA
Programs: B6 M4, AA Plat Pro, WoH Globalist, IHG Diamond Amb, MB Titanium, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 1,655
DP

2x $100 UA TravelBank - 07/03

Pending as UNITED ELECTRONIC TICKETNG
lowkeyflyer is offline  
Old Jul 4, 2023 | 9:30 am
  #477  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Boston, MA (BOS)
Programs: AA PLT Pro 2MM, DL Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Ambassador + LT Plat, COFC Venture X, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 5,588
Purchased $100 UA travel bank on 5/26/23
$100 credit posted on 6/6/23
AAerSTL is offline  
Old Jul 4, 2023 | 4:19 pm
  #478  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
50 Countries Visited3M80 Nights15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, AS MVP Gold, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 33,366
Originally Posted by emcampbe
So, interesting. Booked two separate OW award tickets. Canada-US (return leg) charged on June 25 for $62.60 in fees. US-Canada charged on June 26, and was $5.60 in fees.

Couple of days later, had to cancel. Refunds dated June 28.

Today, noticed a credit for the $5.60 charge - so apparently this triggered the airline fee reimbursement. Surprised because theoretically, not eligible. Also, had already received a refund, two days prior to the credit posting. Also, the $62 charge was not credited, nor showing on my dashboard as used, so I guess that [correctly] didn't get credited.

So, I guess, should I expect the $5.60 airline 'fee' reimbursement to be clawed back, since it was refunded, or will it probably stick?

Also, there's something interesting about the credit...I remember also getting the airline fee credit a year or two ago for tickets purchased on the card, but using a bunch of travel credit that brought the price down. Think those reimbursements were <$50, maybe around $30. There was a couple. So weird that actual ticket purchases are getting reimbursed.
This happened a few years ago when Amex was giving credit for these small 'tax only' charges. I wonder if that is back ...
cfischer is offline  
Old Jul 4, 2023 | 6:25 pm
  #479  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 15,180
Originally Posted by MaxVO
How was this charge named on the Amex record, and compared to the charge that was not reimbursed ($62.60)?
Both the same - UNITED AIRLINES HOUSTON TX, with the additional info. showing 'WWW.UNITED.COM PASSENGER TICKET'

I suspect that somehow, the system is considering amounts under a certain threshold, even from electronic ticketing, as 'fees', given this has happened, as I mentioned upthread, in previous years when I had low amounts left to pay for tickets after using ETCs. Like I said, I think as much as ~$30.00.

The other interesting part here is that I had already received a refund for the original charge, also, as I had to cancel. So wondering if the credit will be clawed back at some point.

Originally Posted by cfischer
This happened a few years ago when Amex was giving credit for these small 'tax only' charges. I wonder if that is back ...
Curious about this, as I have not heard of it. What 'tax only' charges did Amex used to give credit for?
Attached Images
File Type: pdf
EC_YYZ_Charge.pdf (139.2 KB, 42 views)
MaxVO likes this.
emcampbe is offline  
Old Jul 5, 2023 | 8:11 am
  #480  
2M50 Countries Visited100 Nights10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NYC suburbs
Programs: UA LT Gold (BIS), AA LT Plat (non-BIS), Hilton Dia (CC), Hyatt Glob (BIB), et. al.
Posts: 3,571
Originally Posted by lowkeyflyer
2x $100 UA TravelBank - 07/03 Pending as UNITED ELECTRONIC TICKETNG
Please, thank you for the datapoint. I know very well how difficult it is sometimes to wait when I’m eager to post here , but (it would be a more helpful datapoint if you were to) let us know if and when the credit posts.
Dr Jabadski is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.