Is United Mileage Plus-Visa a good Idea?
Nov 13, 2002 | 10:25 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Eureka, Ca. U.S.A.
Posts: 2
Is United Mileage Plus-Visa a good Idea?
Hey travel freaks-
I just received a piece of mail that i would normaly dump, however it reads that if i join today i will automatically receive 15,000 bonus miles instantly and a free 1,000 mile upgrade certificate. Does anyone have any warnings for me before i get myself into this? I have never owned a credit card before so i am prob. not a preffered customer. Thanks for the replies.
I just received a piece of mail that i would normaly dump, however it reads that if i join today i will automatically receive 15,000 bonus miles instantly and a free 1,000 mile upgrade certificate. Does anyone have any warnings for me before i get myself into this? I have never owned a credit card before so i am prob. not a preffered customer. Thanks for the replies.
Nov 13, 2002 | 11:41 am
#4
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First USA/Bank One is a horrible company to deal with. There are many, many threads about them on FT.
However, is paying $60 for 15,000 FF miles and an upgrade cert worthwhile? Most would say YES, this is a very good deal as far as credit-card sign-up bonuses go.
My experience: I recently got the card, paid the annual fee, and the 15K posted to my account within a month or so. I recently took advantage of a "fee-free" balance transfer to the card, and then had to haggle with First USA to get a $50 fee taken off of my account. Customer service was very unfriendly, so my United Visa and Marriott Visa are now in pieces at the bottom of my trash can, and the accounts will be closed as soon as I pay off the balance I have under a teaser rate.
First USA: use 'em for the miles and dump 'em, and don't feel guilty about it. Just be careful, because they will jam you up the minute they get a chance.
However, is paying $60 for 15,000 FF miles and an upgrade cert worthwhile? Most would say YES, this is a very good deal as far as credit-card sign-up bonuses go.
My experience: I recently got the card, paid the annual fee, and the 15K posted to my account within a month or so. I recently took advantage of a "fee-free" balance transfer to the card, and then had to haggle with First USA to get a $50 fee taken off of my account. Customer service was very unfriendly, so my United Visa and Marriott Visa are now in pieces at the bottom of my trash can, and the accounts will be closed as soon as I pay off the balance I have under a teaser rate.
First USA: use 'em for the miles and dump 'em, and don't feel guilty about it. Just be careful, because they will jam you up the minute they get a chance.
Nov 13, 2002 | 1:29 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,245
Just remember that the 1000 mile upgrade is good on any paid fare if you are a premier member. If not, then you have to buy the full Y or C fare. Secondly, the $25 off certificate is good on fares of $200 or more. The $60 alone is worth it for the 15,000 miles, but remember the catch on the certificats. And they can't be used on the same reservation (discount and upgrade).
Nov 13, 2002 | 1:40 pm
#7
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see answers to your same post in the ua forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/015599.html
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More Room Throughout Coach: the Website of Free Miles and Free Markets
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/015599.html
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More Room Throughout Coach: the Website of Free Miles and Free Markets
Nov 14, 2002 | 9:21 am
#10
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by sosafan:
If you are a college student, you
can get the card for no annual fee.</font>
If you are a college student, you
can get the card for no annual fee.</font>
Nov 14, 2002 | 10:53 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Southeast USA
Posts: 1,253
Achtung!
You cannot convert UA miles to Amtrak points- only the reverse is possible, capped at 25K/year. You CAN transfer CO miles>Amtrak>UA miles also, up to the 25K limit/calendar year.
The MP Visa is still a good deal though
You cannot convert UA miles to Amtrak points- only the reverse is possible, capped at 25K/year. You CAN transfer CO miles>Amtrak>UA miles also, up to the 25K limit/calendar year.
The MP Visa is still a good deal though
Nov 14, 2002 | 11:56 am
#12
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,293
MP VISA just ran a double miles promotion from July through October - that's a huge bonus. It's the first I've seen like that from them in quite some time, but there are hints there may be more. If so, that makes the card significantly more valuable.
Nov 14, 2002 | 12:29 pm
#13
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: SF, NYC (Upper WS), Europe
Posts: 309
Just get the 15k points and cancel the card afterwards.
DO NOT USE THE CARD.....The headaches of being a First USA customer are just too great.
They are widely regarded as the most scammy, bad customer service bank in the country. Lots of class action suits have been thrown at them over the years.
DO NOT USE THE CARD.....The headaches of being a First USA customer are just too great.
They are widely regarded as the most scammy, bad customer service bank in the country. Lots of class action suits have been thrown at them over the years.
Nov 14, 2002 | 2:56 pm
#14
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cab747:
Just remember that the 1000 mile upgrade is good on any paid fare if you are a premier member. If not, then you have to buy the full Y or C fare. </font>
Just remember that the 1000 mile upgrade is good on any paid fare if you are a premier member. If not, then you have to buy the full Y or C fare. </font>
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Nov 14, 2002 | 5:52 pm
#15
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Santa Monica, CA, USA
Posts: 1,013
You probably need to use the card in order to get the bonus. And since you've never had a credit card, it is generally a good thing to develop a responsible credit history - and a terrible thing to develop a bad one.
The first thing to do after getting the account, if you choose to really use it, is set up your account online - linking an account and telling them to pay your full balance every month. This way you won't miss a payment, and you won't have to pay interest, etc. It might head off some hassles with First USA. And then only use it to buy things you can afford to buy and pay off.
The first thing to do after getting the account, if you choose to really use it, is set up your account online - linking an account and telling them to pay your full balance every month. This way you won't miss a payment, and you won't have to pay interest, etc. It might head off some hassles with First USA. And then only use it to buy things you can afford to buy and pay off.