italdesign

Anyone?

KennyBSAT

I was unable to add my Budget number to one, tried calling UR and Budget.

greggarious

With the UA devaluation, would it be easier to get business class flights if I book with UR points, and make up the difference w/ miles? Is that even possible? (I haven't used UR points before)

I've got 40k UR points, and about 70k United miles.

spellbound2

If so, how can I use points at this hotel? Thanks!

hightide

Is it possible to redeem UR on a flight and pay the difference using a Barclaycard instead of a Chase card?

KennyBSAT

Yes, bookings done through the UR mall can be done with any card. They may not be coded as travel (I haven't tried) so you may have to call in if you are trying to redeem Arrival points for the purchase.

eyestrain

Just confirming, did Travelocity just drop down to 1 point per $1 via Ultimate Rewards Mall? I could've sworn it was 2 per $1 last week..?

hightide

Thanks, good to know that they may consider it as travel if we call in.

Have any of you downgraded your card from annual fee to the non-annual fee card? Were you able to keep the points you earned?

wiivile

I've recently been very frustrated booking flights involving UR, either through the UR portal or through United. Chase's UR is supposed to be the best in the industry when it comes to travel (especially with the CSP, with the exception of maybe AMEX SPG), but recently I've been having problems finding flights.

For example, on kayak.com I can find roundtrip flights to the UK for around $900: http://i.imgur.com/DYhrqBY.jpg

On Chase's UR, however, they show nothing similar in terms of pricing and availability, with the cheapest flight being nearly $1200 for the same cities and dates: http://i.imgur.com/dEsRHEF.jpg (this image is not from the CSP account where it would show a 20% discount in points).

This kind of discrepancy is unacceptable, and it negates the purpose of having Ultimate Rewards. I'd rather just get cash back at this point, because I can find better deals on places like Kayak.

Transferring points to United has been frustrating as well, as the very same rewards availability I can find on Aer Lingus or Lufthansa's websites are not available on United.com's award booker. Also, even if I could find award availability to the UK, it would cost 60,000 points roundtrip, plus $200 in taxes and fees (due to the UK's ridiculous Air Passenger Duties)- at that point, I'd rather just purchase the cash fare on Kayak.

Am I missing something here? What am I doing wrong?

mia

That's just Chase's marketing puffery. If you are going to redeem points for revenue tickets there are better cards, such as Capital One Venture or Citi Prestige.

Have you tried calling UA to ask about the specific Aer Lingus flights that you can see on the LH site, but not on the UA site?

If you buy a revenue ticket you are still paying the UK APD.

bribro

You are not redeeming your UR points properly. IMO, using UR points to book revenue tickets, even through the UR website, is a waste. You should be transferring those points to either United, Hyatt, or Southwest. I suggest you search this website or check the blogs to find the most efficient redemption options.

wiivile

Yeah, but 60,000 United points + 200 in taxes and fees is about the same as the fare I want. Since you get far better availability with revenue tickets, I preferred that option. HOWEVER, it's appearing on Kayak but not Chase's UR booking tool.

At this point I might as well just buy the ticket outright on Kayak and get points.

nrdk

I admit, the UR Mall Travel booking is not the greatest, however it's the same as any search engine for flights, in that there will sometimes be better deals elsewhere and other times the deals will be through the UR Mall. Personally I was able to secure a flight for 20% cheaper than anywhere else, as well as in a better cabin (business over economy for the longest segment). As with all things, YMMV.

steppie

FYI: You do get your points (mileage) booking thru Chase.....I was told that by UAL.

wiivile

I mean, the variance in prices and availability between the two images I posted in the original post is just unacceptable.