Originally Posted by
stoddmi
I'm thinking about booking on Chase ultimate rewards for a United flight.
My question is, if I use Chase points, can I still earn United points?
Thanks!
Mike
Actually, it depends. Using the Chase UR Travel booking interface, if it books you into a revenue fare bucket (e.g. S, T), you will earn United PQMs, PQDs, and PQSs. If Chase UR books you a BULK ticket, however, you will not earn anything from United, except possibly PQDs. Worse, when booking at the Chase travel portal,
there is no sure way of telling which booking class you are getting.
I've booked a dozen Chase UR flights (often with UA) over the last few years, and
almost all of those *did* book into revenue fare buckets and earned airline mileage, segments, and dollars. Until one last week, when I realized after the fact that Chase UR had booked me into a BULK UA ticket, with no airline earnings except UA PQDs (only about half of the normal earnings for the route).
Yesterday on the phone with Chase UR Travel, they confirmed that (1) sometimes or often they sell BULK tickets (as my last one had been), and (2) on their booking interface, there is no way to tell which booking class you are purchasing. The rep said the only way to ensure a revenue fare bucket (and therefore airline earnings) is to make the booking by calling Chase UR Travel.
If you still want to book online without making a phone call, here are a couple of suggestions: Before you book, check the fare range with the airline first. If the Chase UR Travel portal price is significantly below the airline price (>10-15% or so), it's probably a BULK ticket.
Also, once you've booked a ticket in the Chase URT portal, it's best to look up the ticket (using the PNR) on the airline's site (e.g. for UA under My Reservations). The ticket receipt will clearly show the fare class (and for UA, the projected earnings). The "MileagePlus Accrual Details", will say "ineligible" if it is a BULK ticket. And sometimes, the Fare Information part of the ticket receipt will be blank for BULK tickets. (I could swear I checked my last week's ticket at booking, but apparently not thoroughly enough. Live and learn.)
In any case, (with Chase URT, as well as with the airlines) you have 24 hrs to cancel or change a ticket you don't want.