Missing Miles Question - Results
Aug 12, 2002 | 1:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Ottawa, ON
Programs: HH Gold
Posts: 9
Missing Miles Question - Results
I recently asked a question about how often people end up missing miles from different programs/partners, and got some pretty interesting comments back, both good and bad, so I decided to sort the results (paraphrased) by partner type. Any agreement/disagreement? Thanks to everyone for their comments.
GENERAL COMMENTS
------------------------
With program miles earned within the program sponsor (such as flying UA for MP miles, staying at HH for HHonors points), its pretty rare
My family-of-4's experience was 97 partners, of which 9 didn't post without further communication (some quite extensive), and 2 never posted.
Now it is much better. 4-5 years ago, partners almost never posted without followup it seemed. Now they tend to post quite regularly.
HOTELS
---------
ACCOR
Miles that never have been posted: Accor Hotels to Air France.
BEST WESTERN
But some partners are definitely worse than others, like Best Western Hotels
HILTON (HH)
Fine over last 3 years
(stays outside North America): every second stay
100% O.K., even bonus points
I've given up having miles post to Alaska Airlines from Hilton stays; the miles simply never show up without my intervention. Never a problem when I choose a different airline for HHonors Points & Miles
Every time I stay at the LAX Hilton (almost every month) the points take forever to post and require f/u calls 2 - 3 times a year
Used to have a lot of problems with Hilton, but in the past year they all post VERY quickly
Hilton owe me about 20000 HHonors points and 500 ANA Miles.
HYATT
Hyatt, on the other hand, is excellent
MARRIOTT
Fine over last 3 years
Have to claim every stay in Bangkok, Thailand (the JW and the Royal Gardens, and I stayed there about 15 times in the last 5 years ...)
Every second Marriott stay in Germany (mostly Bremen)
Renaissance worldwide always post
Marriott is 90%.
About 90% post automatically. Email with scanned bills works to get missing points
I constantly have missing posts with Marriott
STARWOOD
100% ok
100% O.K., bonus 60%
Strangely, Starwood never posts my stays or points from the Atlanta Sheraton Colony Square. (I stay there at least once per month). I have to call it in every time.
100% post automatically: 95% of these with correct points. Unfortunately letter (to US) necessary to claim incorrect miles. .
I constantly have missing posts with Marriott and Starwood. Come to think of it I don't think a Starwood has ever posted without a phone call.
SRS WORLD HOTELS
100% post automatically
AIRLINES
----------
All Nippon (ANA)
ANA owe me 55973 miles
AMERICAN (AA)
AA missed one round trip (in last 3 years). I sent an e-mail 3 times with no response other than the automated.
I think an "average" can be ascertained by looking at Flyertalkers habits during the AA 20/20 promotion last summer. People seemed to feel that they needed about 5 "spare" partners to be safe
AA has posted a perfect record since my enrollment more than a decade ago
Generally good
AA is pretty good also but they have more problems with partner airlines. I've sometimes had to wait several months for some to post(still waiting for some JL points from Feb).
No real problems
AUSTRIAN AIRLINES (OS)
1 out of 5 (always if I change the frequentflier program at the Vienna Senator lounge, run by OS)
CONTINENTAL (CO)
Fine over last 3 years
CO missed an IB flight -- ouch, 7,000+ miles -- 10 years ago and never rectified the problem
UA, CO and NW are a bit worse (than others)
DELTA (DL)
Fine over last 3 years
DL and SPG are near perfect, exception being partner promos
Delta seems to have everything very well organized
Delta is 100%
(in my experience) DL has by far the best record in posting points
KLM (KL)
100%
LUFTHANSA (LH)
Flights always posted automatically
About 90% post automatically. Email with scanned bills works to get missing points.
Lufthansa owe me 67055 miles
NORTHWEST (NWA)
For NW miles posting to my CO account I usually miss 1 out of every 2 segments. I have written in 6 times for some 30+ segments. Its an epidemic.
UA, CO and NW are a bit worse (than others)
I signed up for a bunch of promotions from Northwest and they all have posted, also quickly
QUALIFLYER
Every InterContinental stay
SINGAPORE (SQ)
About 95% post automatically. Unfortunately letter (to Singapore) necessary to claim miles.
SOUTHWEST (WN)
I find Southwest to be the most problem free
UNITED (UA)
Rarebut just frequent enough with UA that I always make sure to check a few days after a flight that the miles have postedI have to put in a missing mileage request probably about 3-6 times per year
UA flights 1 out of 20, but every second UA flight promotion bonus
Spanair to UA, Sol Melia to UA (problem).
UA, CO and NW are a bit worse (than others)
I tend to have problems with United posting promotions, and it usually takes a phone call to get it posted.
US AIR (US)
Generally good
No problems with USAir, even though they had to change my account number "to better serve me" recently
STAR ALLIANCE PARTNERS
Star Alliance partner flights 1 out of 2
RENTAL CAR PARTNERS
I used to get my miles about 50% of the time. Now I repeatedly ask if my FF number is in the system and my miles come closer to 80% before I have to call or write
Recent problem: AVIS to Qualiflyer.
But some partners are definitely worse than others, like Budget rent-a-car
OTHERS
---------
PARK SFO
won't even reply to emails and so on, for months
GOLDPOINTS
Lousy and late
MCI
I have had a problem with getting the Delta Skymiles from two MCI Long Distance signups (one in late 2000 and the other in early 2002)
GENERAL COMMENTS
------------------------
With program miles earned within the program sponsor (such as flying UA for MP miles, staying at HH for HHonors points), its pretty rare
My family-of-4's experience was 97 partners, of which 9 didn't post without further communication (some quite extensive), and 2 never posted.
Now it is much better. 4-5 years ago, partners almost never posted without followup it seemed. Now they tend to post quite regularly.
HOTELS
---------
ACCOR
Miles that never have been posted: Accor Hotels to Air France.
BEST WESTERN
But some partners are definitely worse than others, like Best Western Hotels
HILTON (HH)
Fine over last 3 years
(stays outside North America): every second stay
100% O.K., even bonus points
I've given up having miles post to Alaska Airlines from Hilton stays; the miles simply never show up without my intervention. Never a problem when I choose a different airline for HHonors Points & Miles
Every time I stay at the LAX Hilton (almost every month) the points take forever to post and require f/u calls 2 - 3 times a year
Used to have a lot of problems with Hilton, but in the past year they all post VERY quickly
Hilton owe me about 20000 HHonors points and 500 ANA Miles.
HYATT
Hyatt, on the other hand, is excellent
MARRIOTT
Fine over last 3 years
Have to claim every stay in Bangkok, Thailand (the JW and the Royal Gardens, and I stayed there about 15 times in the last 5 years ...)
Every second Marriott stay in Germany (mostly Bremen)
Renaissance worldwide always post
Marriott is 90%.
About 90% post automatically. Email with scanned bills works to get missing points
I constantly have missing posts with Marriott
STARWOOD
100% ok
100% O.K., bonus 60%
Strangely, Starwood never posts my stays or points from the Atlanta Sheraton Colony Square. (I stay there at least once per month). I have to call it in every time.
100% post automatically: 95% of these with correct points. Unfortunately letter (to US) necessary to claim incorrect miles. .
I constantly have missing posts with Marriott and Starwood. Come to think of it I don't think a Starwood has ever posted without a phone call.
SRS WORLD HOTELS
100% post automatically
AIRLINES
----------
All Nippon (ANA)
ANA owe me 55973 miles
AMERICAN (AA)
AA missed one round trip (in last 3 years). I sent an e-mail 3 times with no response other than the automated.
I think an "average" can be ascertained by looking at Flyertalkers habits during the AA 20/20 promotion last summer. People seemed to feel that they needed about 5 "spare" partners to be safe
AA has posted a perfect record since my enrollment more than a decade ago
Generally good
AA is pretty good also but they have more problems with partner airlines. I've sometimes had to wait several months for some to post(still waiting for some JL points from Feb).
No real problems
AUSTRIAN AIRLINES (OS)
1 out of 5 (always if I change the frequentflier program at the Vienna Senator lounge, run by OS)
CONTINENTAL (CO)
Fine over last 3 years
CO missed an IB flight -- ouch, 7,000+ miles -- 10 years ago and never rectified the problem
UA, CO and NW are a bit worse (than others)
DELTA (DL)
Fine over last 3 years
DL and SPG are near perfect, exception being partner promos
Delta seems to have everything very well organized
Delta is 100%
(in my experience) DL has by far the best record in posting points
KLM (KL)
100%
LUFTHANSA (LH)
Flights always posted automatically
About 90% post automatically. Email with scanned bills works to get missing points.
Lufthansa owe me 67055 miles
NORTHWEST (NWA)
For NW miles posting to my CO account I usually miss 1 out of every 2 segments. I have written in 6 times for some 30+ segments. Its an epidemic.
UA, CO and NW are a bit worse (than others)
I signed up for a bunch of promotions from Northwest and they all have posted, also quickly
QUALIFLYER
Every InterContinental stay
SINGAPORE (SQ)
About 95% post automatically. Unfortunately letter (to Singapore) necessary to claim miles.
SOUTHWEST (WN)
I find Southwest to be the most problem free
UNITED (UA)
Rarebut just frequent enough with UA that I always make sure to check a few days after a flight that the miles have postedI have to put in a missing mileage request probably about 3-6 times per year
UA flights 1 out of 20, but every second UA flight promotion bonus
Spanair to UA, Sol Melia to UA (problem).
UA, CO and NW are a bit worse (than others)
I tend to have problems with United posting promotions, and it usually takes a phone call to get it posted.
US AIR (US)
Generally good
No problems with USAir, even though they had to change my account number "to better serve me" recently
STAR ALLIANCE PARTNERS
Star Alliance partner flights 1 out of 2
RENTAL CAR PARTNERS
I used to get my miles about 50% of the time. Now I repeatedly ask if my FF number is in the system and my miles come closer to 80% before I have to call or write
Recent problem: AVIS to Qualiflyer.
But some partners are definitely worse than others, like Budget rent-a-car
OTHERS
---------
PARK SFO
won't even reply to emails and so on, for months
GOLDPOINTS
Lousy and late
MCI
I have had a problem with getting the Delta Skymiles from two MCI Long Distance signups (one in late 2000 and the other in early 2002)
