Yes, a few to friends and their friends...but I was never told I couldn't do it by any United Reps over the phone during upgrading. Now they are sending me the rules and terms after the drastic actions. Who would read it?!!!!! Honestly.

Yes.....they said I violated rules... who would read the rules. What is defined as authorized and un-authorized sponsorship?

No and no. UA doesn't close accounts without significant indication of rule breakage. Lack of knowledge of the rules provided and available is not an excuse. 100% your fault if you broke a rule. UA withheld nothing from you in this respect - you withheld yourself from knowledge that sounds like it will cost you dearly. You're going to get zero sympathy claiming "Who reads rules?".

UA didn't need to send you the rules - they are easily available online to anyone who actually wants to read them rather than jeopardize their account and standing with UA:

MileagePlus Program Rules (united.com)

Personal message like this
 

I got the following message and I told the sender to check the “coupon connection” thread. The sender never responded to me again.

“I saw that you have some United PP. do you have any plan to sell some as I need to upgrade my family trip.”

I would be in big trouble if I did not know the MP rules.

So you acknowledge you violated the rules and per the rules your account was closed. That alone is one reason to read the rules.

The essence of the rules is UA provide you a benefit and you then sold/bartered that benefit to someone else for your personal gain -- that is not allowed by UA, not allowed by other airlines, not allowed by hotel programs, ...

The airlines are very, very strict on this and have been for years -- not just recently. There is essentially no recourse,
This is not a ban on flying the airline but you are now banned from the benefit programs.
In a few years you might, might be able to ask for forgiveness and maybe rejoin the program.

To read other similar stories, MP Accounts Closed by UA Alleging Fraud/Misuse

Are you suggesting UA is proactively trying to solicit upgrades? I've read they often pose as buyers on online marketplaces like ebay, but to proactively solicit upgrades would be a bold escalation in enforcement.

This just reflects United Airlines doesn't care about their loyal and igh-status members at all by not engaging in a conversation first before taking drastic actions. How much % of Mileage Plus members even know there are terms and conditions, and how much % of them ever read it.

Yes, "Fly the Friendly Sky". Couldn't be more friendly.

This not unique to UA, AA is even more aggressive in hunting out these violations.
Many of us see UA protecting our benefits when they do this.

UA has done this to GS members or anyone else selling their benefits.

You mentioned UA never told you can not do this, did you tell UA you were doing this and ask if it was OK?

You were probably ratted out by one of those you sold to, one of them likely mention to an agent that they purchased the upgrades / benefits for $$$

Sorry this is the reason for seeking out FT, if you have come earlier perhaps this could have been avoided. BTW, you will not find a sympathetic crowd here at FT, those sort of actions compete with legitimate uses of the benefits and leads the airlines to make using the benefits hard.


It is fine to share you benefits as allowed by the rules, you can upgrade friends anytime (and many of use do that regularly -- nothing the agents don't see everyday) -- BUT not making personal gain / $$$ for yourselve. That is not allowed.

UA has never mentioned to me that I can't strip and run naked up and down the aisle of their planes.

And yet...I can't strip and run naked up and down the aisle of their planes. :idea:

Who would read it? I don't even know there are terms and conditions to abide by as a mileage plus member. Wouldn't it be friendly to engage in a conversation and give a reminder or even a warining first, before they wipe you out and push you off the airplane? If they claim they like you to "Fly the Friendly Sky". The sky is no longer friendly. Maybe it was never. It was an illusion. When in marketing, it was all the human side. When in legal and compliance, they don't even give you one chance when it was noticed, to let you know this is not acceptable and you shall correct it. Did they ever propaganda or educate the rules? I recall my company asks us to do Compliance training every 6 months so we are kept abreast of what is compliant and incomplaint.

Actually, when one signs up for a MileagePlus account, one acknowledges being bound by the terms and conditions of the program. You probably "missed" that, too.

United is under no obligation to "give chances" to people who can't be bothered with rules provided to them. There's no "three strikes and you're out" provision in the T&Cs.

You're getting no sympathy here. This is 100% your own doing (the illegal act and ignoring the rules that prohibit it). Blaming United for you situation is like blaming the water for sinking your boat after you shoot a hole in the hull.

You just need to move on to another program, but abide by their rules.

Of course you are free to use your points to upgrade people, but didn't you even briefly consider that maybe it wasn't quite kosher to charge them? Plus what kind of friend upgrades his friends for a fee??? LOL

Also, as others have pointed out, someone comes onto this forum (usually a new member) with exactly the same story and same outcome every once in a while. We've heard this story so many times, which is one of the reasons why you aren't getting much sympathy here.

[mod removed quote of now-deleted post]

Sorry if you misunderstood - not accusing you of being a criminal in the sense of laws on any Federal, State, County, municipality, etc, books, but deemed a rule breaker as UA sees it. You broke United's rules you (apparently, unknowingly) agreed to, but are in no way a criminal .

Too bad you only came to FT to complain. If you had checked FT earlier you would have learned the rules and what are not allowed and read about numerous incidents of high status members, including GS, who had their accounts closed for doing exactly what you did, sometimes not even selling their upgrades but giving away too many to people they didn't know.

All US airlines do this, not just UA. So good luck with selecting your next airline.

is it rude to ask how much these were being sold for? Just curious what the black market rate is these days for UA upgrades.

Let's tone down the personal comments, "discuss the issue, not the poster(s)"

The OP has hit the limit for first day posting, so there will be no further responses today.

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator