Extending SWUs 2012
Feb 2, 2012, 1:58 pm
#136
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Laguna Beach CA
Programs: AA EXP/4MM UA 1MM, HY Global, Bon Lft Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 720
Swu extended expiration for non re-qualifying 1K
After reading all of the comments about the lack of success in extending expiring Swus for requalified 1ks, it is interesting to note that a friend who didn't qualify for 1K going forward still has his Swus that were to have expired on 01/31 and they show an expiration in February.
Anyone else encounter this scenario? United's version of a soft landing?
It would be interesting to find the logic of the new UA that would reward those who didn't qualify going forward with an extension of their Swus.
Anyone else encounter this scenario? United's version of a soft landing?
It would be interesting to find the logic of the new UA that would reward those who didn't qualify going forward with an extension of their Swus.
Feb 2, 2012, 2:13 pm
#137
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
Maybe it has to do with status being extended until march? Maybe I'm remembering this wrong, but aren't UA SWU's good until the "end of the elite year"? If so, kudos to UA for extending them automatically.
Feb 2, 2012, 2:55 pm
#138
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Laguna Beach CA
Programs: AA EXP/4MM UA 1MM, HY Global, Bon Lft Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 720
If UA is extending automatically for non qualifiers...
There doesn't seem to be any equity in letting them lapse for 1K who have requalified or refusing to consider short term extensions for those requesting.
There doesn't seem to be any equity in letting them lapse for 1K who have requalified or refusing to consider short term extensions for those requesting.
Feb 2, 2012, 8:14 pm
#139
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, DL PM/1MM, Marriott Amb/LT Titanium, HHonors Diamond, Priority Club Platinum, Hyatt Disc
Posts: 522
No. My other one has expired. it's interesting that some non qualifiers got theirs extended. I had one agent tell me that I didn't meet the criteria for extending a SWU because my miles were split (not all on United). Well, that's true, I put the CO ones on CO... I was pretty annoyed after that call.
Feb 2, 2012, 9:56 pm
#140
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: SUV
Programs: UA *G MM
Posts: 7,017
I got mine extended. I think one issue is whether you get Rapid City or the Philippines. I got the Feb extension quickly when speaking to a friendly woman at Rapid City. Their hours are only 09:00-19:00 mountain time now whereas Philippines is open 24 hours and you might get bounced over within these hours.
Feb 2, 2012, 11:09 pm
#141
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,603
I got mine extended. I think one issue is whether you get Rapid City or the Philippines. I got the Feb extension quickly when speaking to a friendly woman at Rapid City. Their hours are only 09:00-19:00 mountain time now whereas Philippines is open 24 hours and you might get bounced over within these hours.
Feb 3, 2012, 2:30 am
#142
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
I got mine extended. I think one issue is whether you get Rapid City or the Philippines. I got the Feb extension quickly when speaking to a friendly woman at Rapid City. Their hours are only 09:00-19:00 mountain time now whereas Philippines is open 24 hours and you might get bounced over within these hours.
Loosing customers to competitors isn't one of them....
Feb 7, 2012, 7:23 pm
#144
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, DL PM/1MM, Marriott Amb/LT Titanium, HHonors Diamond, Priority Club Platinum, Hyatt Disc
Posts: 522
I did and I was told that flying 100K miles last year was a requirement for it and then told that I didn't qualify because my 100K was not all on UA. A supervisor later extended one for me; I had two that were expiring. not sure if I could have gotten both extended if I'd had two trips to upgrade. I was already in F on the outbound.
Feb 8, 2012, 4:50 pm
#146
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: BUR/LAX
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, HHonors Diamond, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 2,505
Feb 18, 2012, 12:30 pm
#148
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA 1k, SPG/Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,020
Just called MP (Rapid City I think).
My SWU had expired end of January and at that time I had no travel plans in February. I'm now off to LHR next week with a Dec expiring SWU in place on a ticketed reservation and thought I'd give it a shot.
UA MP credited me with a new SWU expiring end of Feb, told me to call and have it swapped with the Dec expiring one currently parked on my LHR flight after the flight. It took 2 mins with no discussion. I didn't get asked about my UA miles but may only have 90k or so on UA metal in the last year. I am a requalifying 1kMM.
So, for those of you in my situation - you may want to give it another shot if you've got SWUs that expired and Feb travel booked.
My SWU had expired end of January and at that time I had no travel plans in February. I'm now off to LHR next week with a Dec expiring SWU in place on a ticketed reservation and thought I'd give it a shot.
UA MP credited me with a new SWU expiring end of Feb, told me to call and have it swapped with the Dec expiring one currently parked on my LHR flight after the flight. It took 2 mins with no discussion. I didn't get asked about my UA miles but may only have 90k or so on UA metal in the last year. I am a requalifying 1kMM.
So, for those of you in my situation - you may want to give it another shot if you've got SWUs that expired and Feb travel booked.
May 1, 2012, 8:40 am
#149
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: NY
Programs: UA1K MM, MI LTP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BA Silver
Posts: 20
Successfully extended 2 SWU's
I had two SWU's with 4/30/12 expiration (from mid-year 2011 1K qualification). I applied them to a TATL flight yesterday but the upgrade did not clear (no surprise considering there are only 13 available seats in C on a 757 after 2 FAMs and 1 crew rest spot).
When I called MPSC to have them redeposited (4 hours before expiration), Houston call center agreed to extend them both to 12/31/12. I cited the policy outlined at the end of last year that SWU's earned anytime mid year in 2011 would be extended until 12/31. Normal procedure is that you have to call exactly 30 days before expiration to have them extended but they made an exception in this case.
Go figure, but it can be done.
When I called MPSC to have them redeposited (4 hours before expiration), Houston call center agreed to extend them both to 12/31/12. I cited the policy outlined at the end of last year that SWU's earned anytime mid year in 2011 would be extended until 12/31. Normal procedure is that you have to call exactly 30 days before expiration to have them extended but they made an exception in this case.
Go figure, but it can be done.
May 1, 2012, 9:03 am
#150
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Hiding under the trees in Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 2.5MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,306
When I called MPSC to have them redeposited (4 hours before expiration), Houston call center agreed to extend them both to 12/31/12. I cited the policy outlined at the end of last year that SWU's earned anytime mid year in 2011 would be extended until 12/31. Normal procedure is that you have to call exactly 30 days before expiration to have them extended but they made an exception in this case.
Go figure, but it can be done.
Go figure, but it can be done.
This new mid-year expiration thing is extraordinarily annoying. For the first time in a few years, I'll get to 1K before the end of June, which means I have to figure out how to burn my 2013-expiring GPUs in the first half of next year. It would be a lot more useful to have them expire in 12/13.
Is anyone else interested in staging a protest or email campaign? It's hard to see how limiting the value of the perquisites for a company's best customers (such as early-requalifying 1K members) makes any kind of good business sense.