Nov 28, 2016, 8:35 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
UA Gift Certificates Usage
Gift certificates as described here are extremely difficult if not impossible to use on UA.com. UA has discontinued this product and is now routing people to the new UA Travel Registry.
UA states (Nov 2016)
In order to use your existing gift certs, you will need to call in for ticketing.
Credit to 1KChinito
Gift certificates as described here are extremely difficult if not impossible to use on UA.com. UA has discontinued this product and is now routing people to the new UA Travel Registry.
UA states (Nov 2016)
Give loved ones the world
We've decided to discontinue the United gift certificate program, so gift certificates are no longer available for purchase. You can redeem any existing gift certificates and check your balance on the Check Gift Certificate Balance page. You can still help your family and friends get to where they want to go by purchasing gift miles. On the Buy Miles page, simply select “Give Miles” and log in to your MileagePlus account to get started.
We also invite you to check out united.com gift registry to see if your favorite traveler is registered to receive the gift of United flights.
We've decided to discontinue the United gift certificate program, so gift certificates are no longer available for purchase. You can redeem any existing gift certificates and check your balance on the Check Gift Certificate Balance page. You can still help your family and friends get to where they want to go by purchasing gift miles. On the Buy Miles page, simply select “Give Miles” and log in to your MileagePlus account to get started.
We also invite you to check out united.com gift registry to see if your favorite traveler is registered to receive the gift of United flights.
In order to use your existing gift certs, you will need to call in for ticketing.
Credit to 1KChinito
You can make a reservation online and select:
1. Other forms of payment in payment information
2. Cash in drop down menu if available --- "Pay in Person" is the name for the option now
3. Click purchase
A record locator will be created. You can then call UA with your record locator and your gift card information. This way, your airfare is locked and CSR has a much easier time to retrieve your itinerary instead of creating a new one, saving a lot of time and possible fare increase as you have experienced.
An UA CSR taught me this trick because I was in the middle of making a reservation and was unable to use my gift card. She walked me through the above 3 steps. My reservation was complete in a few minutes.
You may have to babysit your reservation until it is ticketed because it may take several weeks for UA to issue your ticket.
1. Other forms of payment in payment information
2. Cash in drop down menu if available --- "Pay in Person" is the name for the option now
3. Click purchase
A record locator will be created. You can then call UA with your record locator and your gift card information. This way, your airfare is locked and CSR has a much easier time to retrieve your itinerary instead of creating a new one, saving a lot of time and possible fare increase as you have experienced.
An UA CSR taught me this trick because I was in the middle of making a reservation and was unable to use my gift card. She walked me through the above 3 steps. My reservation was complete in a few minutes.
You may have to babysit your reservation until it is ticketed because it may take several weeks for UA to issue your ticket.
Issues using UA Gift Certificates - [discontinued]
Oct 7, 2016, 9:15 am
#91
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
If your old flight was not ticketed, do you have a record locator? UA CSR can pull up that record locator and see its history and determine why it was not ticketed. CSR can easily remedy the situation. Is this itinerary for the future or has passed already?
Nov 14, 2016, 3:09 pm
#93
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Central New Jersey
Programs: UA-Platimum 2 MM, HH-Gold, MR-Lifetime Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist
Posts: 6,238
You can make a reservation online and select:
1. Other forms of payment in payment information
2. Cash in drop down menu if available
3. Click purchase
A record locator will be created. You can then call UA with your record locator and your gift card information. This way, your airfare is locked and CSR has a much easier time to retrieve your itinerary instead of creating a new one, saving a lot of time and possible fare increase as you have experienced.
An UA CSR taught me this trick because I was in the middle of making a reservation and was unable to use my gift card. She walked me through the above 3 steps. My reservation was complete in a few minutes.
You may have to babysit your reservation until it is ticketed because it may take several weeks for UA to issue your ticket.
1. Other forms of payment in payment information
2. Cash in drop down menu if available
3. Click purchase
A record locator will be created. You can then call UA with your record locator and your gift card information. This way, your airfare is locked and CSR has a much easier time to retrieve your itinerary instead of creating a new one, saving a lot of time and possible fare increase as you have experienced.
An UA CSR taught me this trick because I was in the middle of making a reservation and was unable to use my gift card. She walked me through the above 3 steps. My reservation was complete in a few minutes.
You may have to babysit your reservation until it is ticketed because it may take several weeks for UA to issue your ticket.
Nov 14, 2016, 3:44 pm
#94
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
All true, except I have a $700 Electronic Gift Cert, I was attempting to use a portion of it on an all UA flight. The web desk instructed me (as above) to book it using the cash, pay at UA airport desk option, then explained that my cert will show up and replace the cash payment. That was a month ago (my flight is in March 2017), it is still showing cash, pay at UA site. When I called, an agent said there are notes on the reservation explaining that I will be using the gift cert, and that at "some point" it will cover the cost and not to worry ??
Nov 15, 2016, 6:51 am
#95
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Central New Jersey
Programs: UA-Platimum 2 MM, HH-Gold, MR-Lifetime Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist
Posts: 6,238
Strange as it may seem, checking today "Magically", my ticket is fully booked with payment method stating 'Alternate Payment'. Could someone from UA be monitoring this site 
Nov 15, 2016, 2:08 pm
#96
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
Good to know. Check your add/collect amount, if any, making sure it is correct. If you have a credit balance remaining on your gift cert, you should receive an email from UA with new credit balance and new gift cert number.
Nov 29, 2016, 12:28 pm
#97
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: LAX
Programs: United Two Million Miler; United 1K, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 568
I tried to buy a gift certificate and the link appears to be down. From reading this thread this may have been an issue in the past.
Does anyone know if this is a web glitch or if they are no longer available for purchase?
Does anyone know if this is a web glitch or if they are no longer available for purchase?
Nov 29, 2016, 1:13 pm
#98
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,861
Give loved ones the world
We've decided to discontinue the United gift certificate program, so gift certificates are no longer available for purchase. You can redeem any existing gift certificates and check your balance on the Check Gift Certificate Balance page. You can still help your family and friends get to where they want to go by purchasing gift miles. On the Buy Miles page, simply select “Give Miles” and log in to your MileagePlus account to get started.
We also invite you to check out united.com gift registry to see if your favorite traveler is registered to receive the gift of United flights.
We've decided to discontinue the United gift certificate program, so gift certificates are no longer available for purchase. You can redeem any existing gift certificates and check your balance on the Check Gift Certificate Balance page. You can still help your family and friends get to where they want to go by purchasing gift miles. On the Buy Miles page, simply select “Give Miles” and log in to your MileagePlus account to get started.
We also invite you to check out united.com gift registry to see if your favorite traveler is registered to receive the gift of United flights.
Feb 12, 2017, 1:36 pm
#99
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NJ
Programs: United Silver, Hyatt, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Amex Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 751
Can I gift my US Gift card to anyone?
I sent myself a United gift card a couple years ago for $100. The gift card was sent to myself from myself and has a gift card number assigned to it.
can I send the email with the gift card number to anyone and they can use it? Or is it only allotted to me because I sent it to myself originally?
Thanks
Eric
can I send the email with the gift card number to anyone and they can use it? Or is it only allotted to me because I sent it to myself originally?
Thanks
Eric
Feb 12, 2017, 1:37 pm
#100
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,140
You can give it to anyone you like. I always send gift cards to myself and hand them out personally.
Feb 12, 2017, 1:47 pm
#101
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,861
As for transferability, the T&Cs says they are fully transferable.
Gift Certificates are fully transferrable until redeemed. However, Gift Certificates may not be sold by anyone other than United. Any Gift Certificate sold by a party other than United is void, and United reserves the right to take any or all of the following actions in connection with a third-party sale of a Gift Certificate: 1) invalidate the Gift Certificate and associated ticket; 2) cancel any remaining portion of the traveler’s itinerary; 3) refuse to board the traveler or carry the traveler’s baggage; 4) assess the traveler for the actual value of the ticket; 5) delete miles in the traveler’s MileagePlus account or take any other action permitted by the Rules for MileagePlus Program; and 6) take legal action against the traveler or third-party seller of the Gift Certificate.
Feb 12, 2017, 2:21 pm
#102
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NJ
Programs: United Silver, Hyatt, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Amex Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 751
While new GC purchases have been discontinued, existing GCs will be valid for 5 years after purchase. See the thread's wiki for the redeeming instructions.
As for transferability, the T&Cs says they are fully transferable.
As for transferability, the T&Cs says they are fully transferable.
I was pretty sure I least had balance on a couple of them.... they aren't expired....Does Invalid mean No Balance?
Feb 12, 2017, 8:56 pm
#103
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
It is a common issue if your card is more than a year old. You need to call in and get your balance. If you save your emails, you can search original and subsequent emails from UA. Each time you use your card, UA sends you an email with remaining balance.
Mar 15, 2017, 7:22 pm
#104
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Anywhere but home
Programs: UA 1K/MM, DL GM/MM, HH Dia, PC Plat, MR Gold, ALL Sil,
Posts: 4,553
Glad I found this thread. I had a 3-year old electronic gift certificate that I didn't think I had used, yet when trying to check the balance online, received an error message that the number was invalid. I called the 1K line and the agent wasn't knowledgeable about them. Then I called web support and the guy knew immediately what I was talking about. Since I was ready to book the ticket, he handled everything from there.
The travel is in about 10 weeks. At the end of the call, he told me that there were 73 such tickets in queue that had to be issued, and that there are 2 people who do this each day. He then said because these are handled based on date of departure, it would likely be a while before the ticket was issued. He told me that if the ticket isn't issued before a week prior to departure, to call web support and ask for the ticket to be processed.
The travel is in about 10 weeks. At the end of the call, he told me that there were 73 such tickets in queue that had to be issued, and that there are 2 people who do this each day. He then said because these are handled based on date of departure, it would likely be a while before the ticket was issued. He told me that if the ticket isn't issued before a week prior to departure, to call web support and ask for the ticket to be processed.
May 24, 2017, 2:49 pm
#105
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 28
I can confirm everything FlytheTail reported. I had a 4.5 year old cert that I wanted to use plus paying the remainder on a credit card. They told me I could expect ticketing anytime between now and 7 days before departure in Oct.
My reservation was held using Farelock. After I finished talking to the agent, I found that the lock was still set to expire so I called back. The second agent modified the hold to expire on the day of departure, ensuring that I'll get the locked fare when it's eventually ticketed.
My reservation was held using Farelock. After I finished talking to the agent, I found that the lock was still set to expire so I called back. The second agent modified the hold to expire on the day of departure, ensuring that I'll get the locked fare when it's eventually ticketed.