Tor Viking

So that`s it then.
My last bonus trip using my EuroBonus card on a trip from Stavanger to Amsterdam this weekend.
And now my total point summary is:

20!!!!!!!

Doesn`t get any better than that.

Has anybody else come that low or do I have the record.....

So adios EuroBonus.....and thanks!(you sure gave me a wake-up call introducing the 25% stupidity) I found the grass was so much greener at UNITED AIRLINES.

Echo J

'grats on reaching a good number.

I've got to ask, what do you see as the main advantages with UA MP over EB?
I might also be looking to ditch EB in favor of another program...

Tor Viking

Thanks for that.

If you fly to North/South America + Australia, UA would be your choice to rack up on miles.
Here are the goodies UA gives you:
-After you have reached 100.000 miles you get 6 free upgrade coupons per year. If you fly from Europe to Australia on the same day it is good all the way. This has happens to me everytime. Pay for Economy and enjoy the freebies of sitting in Business , BUT....it doesn`t always work. Depends if there are seats available. There are also heaps of other free upgrade coupons and stuff.
-as a gold member of UA you get 200% earnings on cheapo tickets too!! But you have to fly on UA or (LH between Europe to the USA).
-If you have an issue on board....like a faulty seat, broken light etc, you get an apology card which you can claim compensation for. (I have racked in 100.000 miles on these!)
- As a 1K member (100.000 miler), you will be taken care of. -They always do it with me.
-UA will give you goodies when you achieve certain tier levels. -with these I have received double and triple miles on top of the 200% earning.
It may be hard to explain since there is so much. Just check out the UA forum and you`ll learn heaps.
I`m telling you...you will never go back to EB. I`m only irritated that I was so oblivious that EB was so fantastic......blah

Good luck and don`t hesitate to ask. Tommy777 knows heaps too if u want to ask him questions.

KiwiRob

I've also given up on EB, you get f/a points on even premium economy, I now collect Air NZ points and made Gold in a couple of months. I had consider Miles and More but if you're flying around Europe it's didn't look like I'd ever make Senator based on two inter europe trips per month.

tommy777

Well, you are "forgetting" to show the brown grass of this once great airline/program.

After all the changes made to MP and UA, this is my last year as 1K, I avoid UA like grim death, mostly because I fly a lot US domestic.

First of all, not many Scandinavian based flyers have potential to get 1K. When it comes to miles earnings, you earn just as much miles as a Premier Exec (my new membership level) as 1Ks do.

UA has increased their redemption on tickets with an average of 37% this year, meaning you now have to pay 105K miles (up from 80K miles) for virtually non existing award seats in business for a round trip between the US and Europe.

UA is now starting with Copay and other crap as well.

Also, when you travel on expensive tickets, SK is a lot better than UA. I put a lot of my international business tickets on EB and BMI

If you are not 1K, you have a JUNGLE of new fees that are raised in banana republic style.

Downgrade of service across the board is a part of the domestic US premium flyers these days.

And August 1st this year, UA has tightened in their compensation for stuff not working, delays etc, so don't expect to rack up that kind of miles in the future. 4000 miles is the standard for something not working now.

To sum it up: if you are not 1K, UAs program is crap and the once great airline is now heading straight in to disaster at Mach 2.

I have 2 million UA miles, I am burning them as fast as I can, especially since they are 37% less worth January 1st.

BMI is my new super program now, giving 625% points in domestic US paid F class!!! 1700 miles pr. Hertz rental (not with corp codes, but AAA works fine), 1000 miles pr. night at Hiltons and when it comes to redemption, I LOVE cash and points!! 2 First class tickets on Swiss coming up in May for 100K miles for 2 persons plus 800 USD cash total. What can I say? Bye Bye UA, hello CO Plat (80K miles for a UA European ticket in business with CO) and BMI Gold

SK_RSJ

I´m probably the one here driving the most threads completely OT and one has to keep up with the reputation. Did my first ever CO flight today (as AC cancelled and transferred me). The elite recognition "over here" (CO) seems pretty good. The AC agent at EWR didn´t manage to get the SAS EBP card accepted by the system, ended up manually typing EBG instead. He was very suspicious with the card to say the least. Headed over to CO, long lines and I am running late so I take a shot at the Elite CI area, no problem. And the CO agent says, "hey I recognize this card, I sometimes do CI for SAS". Was moved to F. :-) (short flight to YYZ and in full fare Y, but still). Only downside was I also experienced my first SSSS...

Tor Viking

Many of your points are true, but I still think SAS an EB is rubbish compared to UA and MP!!
I guess since you are so negative against UA, that just leaves another SWU seat for me.......thanks

Tor Viking

And what routing is that????
I still get 10.000 miles on the skykit and that actually happened yesterday.
Go figure!?

view

I recognize the service recovery concept of giving miles in compensation when something is not working, but at the same time it's no wonder those MP miles are being devalued.
From what I've flown UA, they have a lot of old and poorly kept aircraft interiors, so I guess the must be handing a lot of miles this way. Nothing comes free, and they will recoup this from the customers another way.

Echo J

Ahh.. I'm unlikely to make any status outside of oneworld, and if I do, it'll just be *Silver. I'm mostly looking for good earn/burn rates. BMI DC isn't bad, but with the uncertainty of its future I'm not too sure about it. Maybe CO when they join?

SK_RSJ, SSSS is fun, isn't it? I've been through it once too, I was told that tickets bought on the day of travel get that extra bit of fun. Come to think of it, mine was at EWR too.

OT interesting observation: With BA, if I register my address in SE, I get much more favorable elite thresholds; with SK, if I register in the UK, I get much more favorable elite thresholds...

tommy777

I still have 1K, but I haven't traveled intercontinental since this summer. Skykit domestic US is 4000 miles or 35 bucks. When you call and complain, the largest check they will send you from 1Kall now is 100 USD, according to the agents, they have much stricter rules.

BTW, your a** must be flat from traveling around the globe the wrong way

You get maximum use of your SWUs buying LHR-LAX/SFO-MEL

tommy777

You are comparing bananas to apples.. FFPs in the US is a lot different to what we have in Europe. Programs here in the US are very much alike, but MP has made the most drastic changes to their program.

As for Eurobonus, I don't have a lot more points than you do

BTW, what do you do when your SWUs run out or you are traveling in S class (the cheapo fares all UA intercont sales have)?? While SAS gives you upgrades any Economy Class ticket for 10/30K points, UA only upgrades M/H class Economy tickets for 30K miles, soon there will be several hundred dollars co-pay while SAS still only charges 10-30K miles

Also, as EBG the amount of op-ups are pretty common on intercont

Rambuster

Maximum use for me would be to convert the UA SWU's to paper SWU's for use on LH and upgrade LH C to LH F ! (Cut out UA altogether ! )

tommy777

Absolutely!! ^^

Or even LH Y to C

Tor Viking

Well, I use my SWU`s wisely. Plan them for Aussie and Hawaii routes. Though sadly Melbourne trips won`t be happening much in a while as I had to break it up with that horrible person down there. Found a new girl that lives in Maui, so that might be promising! When I run out of SWU`s I just sit in Economy. I`m not like many of you that have to sit in C or F. I pay all the trips myself so paying to sit up there aint gonna happen. + I have short legs so sitting in E+ gives me no trouble at all. Of all the trips I have taken to Vancouver/San Fran etc in Y-Class, not once have I ever used points to upgrade. Even when I had a H-class ticket. I use them on flights and not to sit in a better seat. But that`s just me I guess......

I can also say of the 5 years of being an EBG I was upgraded once. CPH-SEA. Of all the travelling I did between that route I don`t look at that being so generous. But then again.....maybe I flew on the wrong day every day I flew......

I do have another opinion about SAS and its employees, but the wisest thing is to remain silent.
But if we meet up in Maui I`ll let you in on it....