There are 2 possible explanations for your above statement that may actually go hand in hand. First off, they no longer list the unrestricted tickets online so this is probably why they are stating that it will require at least 25,000 points. Perhaps unrestricted tickets have a different scheme. Secondly, since I saw the changes and was interested in reading the terms and conditions of the ThankYou network to find out more about unrestricted travel I discovered that global impact no longer is administering the travel program. Instead, Expedia now is administering the program. I am not sure when this change happened and wonder how easy or hard it will be to redeem a reward with expedia. Also, the new terms and conditions don't say that global impact has the final authority on what can be redeemed and not for airtravel but rather states that the ThankYou Network has the right to make that decision. This could be good or bad depending on who you talk to. So I think we now need to start a new thread for the thankyou network with the redemption availability for flights offered by expedia since GI doesn't administer the program anymore. (we are back to square one).

I tried to redeem points for a domestic ticket last night, and the experience was so frustrating I think I'm going back to using my Mileage Plus Visa instead of the Premier Pass for everything except booking plane tickets.

I was on hold for 30 minutes before I could speak to an agent, from about 10:10 p.m. Eastern to about 10:40. When I finally got through to someone, she was very friendly, but had no seats available for 25,000 points on the flight I was looking for (I was trying to use points for a ticket for my girlfriend on a United flight I'm already booked on -- for May, so this is nearly six months out). There were practically prairies worth of open seats on the plane, but I couldn't get one for under 52,000 points, and I have only 49,000 right now.

For 25,000, the only available options involved odd connections on Frontier. Since my flight's out of IAD, I was looking for other options there, and the only thing available involved two connections, one through Buffalo.

I ended up booking a saver ticket using 25,000 Mileage Plus miles on my flight, and when I get another few thousand ThankYou points, I'll get her a 52,000 point ticket on the same flight and cancel the MP reservation to get those miles back.

In general, though, waiting a half hour to find out my points were practically useless was pretty disappointing. I'll still buy tickets with this card to get the double points, but for my run of the mill spending, I'm ditching it.

You are right about the waiting time on hold. Best way to bypass is like I did. You call Premierpass Elite MC customer service. If I remember correctly go for option 4 which is info about thankyou point redemption. They will transfer you to someone in Global Impact in seconds. I called them three different times on three different days by this route without any problem, otherwise it is a nightmare.

Good tip, thanks.

Pls tell us more! Did you call Premier Pass Cust Service? Expedia? Global Impact? TY Network? What number did you call? Was the flight you were trying to reserve the cheapeast available? What fare classes were available? What fare class was available on the Frontier flight? etc., etc.

The whole experience can be very frustrating, for sure. I recently got another advertisement in the mail to apply for a Citi card, and the envelope had flyers that said "no blackouts, any airline, any time". All of this is clearly NOT true with the Citi program. I photocopied these and fired off a letter to someone fairly high up letting them know I considered their advertising false.

It should say, "no blackouts, but only on our chosen airlines, and only if those airlines are the cheapest at the time you ask". That would be more accurate.

Update. I got a reply to the letter I sent to the head of the Citi credit card division that was pretty much a form letter, but said thanks for telling us and we'll send this complaint upstairs. They said they'd redeposit the points back into my account, which is explicitly something that ThankYou network usually won't do, once you have a certificate.

Today, though, I got a followup phone call from Citi, reaffirming the stuff in the letter. I spoke with him at length, and he confirmed that Global Impact is history. They have changed their travel agent, and done away with the entire certificate thing. They still will only have seats on flights per availability of certain classes of tickets, so if your class of ticket is gone, but the plane is still half empty, you will be out of luck. They will deal with most airlines, but not all of them. Unlikely to join the program in the future are the discount carriers, such as Jet Blue and Southwest. Since they are cheap anyhow, no big deal.

He was frank about their disastrous experience with Global Impact, and said that the agency over the last few months was just going thru the motions and was being obstructionist. Sounds like the number of complaints about them, and by extension their airline ticket reward program, was very very high.

I was glad to get the followup phone call from Citi. It might have something to do with the fact that I've got a lot of investments with their financial arm, but maybe not. I hope the program gets itself turned around. I personally will cautiously reconsider going back to the Citi card, as they seem to want to make this program work.

thank you for this update. I wonder, is it possible to get a list of the "approved" fare classes in which they sell tickets? Combined with the Availability tool, this would make it easy to find tickets.

Well, I guess we can send up this thread. Next time someone successfully redeems travel with TY Network, I guess a new thread is in order. Unless we can rename the thread.

I sued GI and won
 

Hi,

I am new to this forum. I had nothing but frustration with global impact, and now expedia. I tried to book a resticted ticket (actually 2) last May for November travel on UAL. The plane was empty, but GI would not issues the seats at 25,000. They offered AA seats or the UAL seats at 50K.

I told them the published Terms and Conditions said that they could only refuse a specific itinerary if the requested one was sold out. They ignored me. I bought the ticket myself and sued them in small claims for the cost of the ticket (I warned them I would do this). The judge agreed with me! (collecting is a whole other matter :) )


Now I am having the same problem with Expedia. Funny thing is last month they issued 2 tickets for July travel (same itinerary as last year) at 25K each. I called this week for a third, and they refused. Same issues as with GI. I explained how their published terms said I was right, and that a judge agreed. The supervisor in the Las Vegas call center said she would check with her supervisor. She called today saying she checked with CITI, and they would not issue the tickets at 25K.

I plan on writing to their corporate counsel next.

Mitch

Mitch, welcome to FlyerTalk! Definitely one of the most interesting first posts I've seen.

Just out of curiousity, where does it say that they can only refuse an itinerary if one is sold out? Online? Or in one of the booklets they give you when you get the card?

On-line here:

https://www.thankyounetwork.com/tc.jspx

Paragraph 2 of Travel Terms and Conditions.

Mitch

I totally agree with you when it says "In the event that ThankYou Network is unable to accommodate a specific carrier or flight request because the flight is sold out, ThankYou Network will provide an alternate carrier or flight." Does it mean that for economy class they will accomodate you in all types of classes of fare?

Well, that is my dispute. My position is that their published terms indicate that they must give you the last seat available irrespective of class or cost. They are not doing this. That is why I am writing to their corporate counsel.

Mitch

Most amusing that you sued and won. I'm not an attorney, so I don't know that the expense would be worth it, but it sounds like fun. For the $2000 I spent on the tickets, though, and the small likelihood of actually collecting the judgment, I suppose I'll not sue them as well.

When you sue somebody in small claims court, I suppose the total cost is minimal and the amount that you can collect also cannot be more than a thousand (if I am correct)