Oct 30, 2014, 7:09 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Submit Verification Documentation
To verify changes to the primary address on your MileagePlus account, please submit two forms of documentation that include your new address. Each document must be dated and include your name, as shown on your MileagePlus account*, and your residential address. The new address cannot be a business address and must match the address listed on the submitted documents. Please block out all non-essential personally identifiable information from the submitted documents.
Read our privacy policy
Accepted address verification documents
1. Change of address confirmation provided by the postal service (United States Postal Service or an international postal service)
2. Copy of postmarked mail with current address listed as forwarding address
3. Government-issued ID (e.g., national identification card, foreign drivers license)
4. Utility bill dated within the past 90 days
5. Receipt for personal property taxes paid within the past year
6. Rental agreement or residential lease dated within the past year
7. Payroll statement provided by the members employer, dated within the past 90 days
8. U.S. military ID
9. Official government/military travel orders or proof of official duty status
Please allow at least 10-14 days for a response and for your account to be updated. Any updates submitted while the request is being processed may be overridden and therefore may not be reflected in your account. We recommend that you do not submit any additional changes until you receive confirmation that your original request has been completed.
*If the members name does not match the name on the document being provided, please submit an additional document from the list above,or a marriage or name-change certificate or other government-issued document, that includes both the members name and the name on the verification document.
To verify changes to the primary address on your MileagePlus account, please submit two forms of documentation that include your new address. Each document must be dated and include your name, as shown on your MileagePlus account*, and your residential address. The new address cannot be a business address and must match the address listed on the submitted documents. Please block out all non-essential personally identifiable information from the submitted documents.
Read our privacy policy
Accepted address verification documents
1. Change of address confirmation provided by the postal service (United States Postal Service or an international postal service)
2. Copy of postmarked mail with current address listed as forwarding address
3. Government-issued ID (e.g., national identification card, foreign drivers license)
4. Utility bill dated within the past 90 days
5. Receipt for personal property taxes paid within the past year
6. Rental agreement or residential lease dated within the past year
7. Payroll statement provided by the members employer, dated within the past 90 days
8. U.S. military ID
9. Official government/military travel orders or proof of official duty status
Please allow at least 10-14 days for a response and for your account to be updated. Any updates submitted while the request is being processed may be overridden and therefore may not be reflected in your account. We recommend that you do not submit any additional changes until you receive confirmation that your original request has been completed.
*If the members name does not match the name on the document being provided, please submit an additional document from the list above,or a marriage or name-change certificate or other government-issued document, that includes both the members name and the name on the verification document.
Go to https://mystatus.united.com to verify.
related thread
MP status incorrectly downgraded on address change - Options? [UA can restore status]
Any Drawbacks from having MP account registered to foreign address?
New change address verification for MP (just non-domestic changes)
Sep 21, 2014 | 8:31 pm
#31
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Sep 22, 2014 | 11:01 am
#32
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What is not stated is how UA defines an address. Many people legitimately have more than one address. Some people have five or ten legitimate addresses. Many people have a primary address and secondary address(es). Some have no effective primary address but truly have multiple residences. Some split themselves between a working residence and a weekend residence. Unless UA defines what an address is then it cannot attempt to invoke residence based on travel patterns.
In my situation, I was living abroad in India, but used my Canadian address as my MP address, simply because I knew there was little chance of my card getting to me in India via regular mail. If they look at my travel patterns from my MP account, they can see that all of my trips this year originated from BOM. Including the couple back to the US on UA. So, at least for me, they can look back, see that I was indeed outside of the US (and how little of my travel this year touched the US). Not sure if they really care if I'm in Canada or India - likely just that I'm wasn't US-based.
Sep 22, 2014 | 12:03 pm
#33
Join Date: Jul 2013
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In the era of Big Data, it's quite easy to devise algorithm(s) based on customer behaviors that will flag potential evaders of the address rule while ensnaring relatively few "innocents".
Sep 22, 2014 | 12:20 pm
#34
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On the other hand if there weren't US-based members who have been illicitly using foreign addresses to get around the PQD this would not be necessary, but we know this forum is full of such elites. Hope UA does an audit of account addresses that changed since the announcement of PQD and the foreign member exemption (mainly because we don't have access to a UA credit card).
Sep 22, 2014 | 12:29 pm
#35
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In the context of discussion here, people are speculating UA will check every change of address to abroad recently.
Within 6 months? 1 year? Nobody knows.
There are maybe 80 million MP members. Is it possible that 500,000 changed address to abroad? Or 200,000?
Nobody knows the exact number. But the point is the same. It's stupid to spend such efforts for very little gain.
Not to mention foreign language (Korean, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, etc. etc) proficiency of Mileage Plus agents.
Within 6 months? 1 year? Nobody knows.
There are maybe 80 million MP members. Is it possible that 500,000 changed address to abroad? Or 200,000?
Nobody knows the exact number. But the point is the same. It's stupid to spend such efforts for very little gain.
Not to mention foreign language (Korean, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, etc. etc) proficiency of Mileage Plus agents.
Sep 22, 2014 | 1:38 pm
#36
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: None - previously UA
Posts: 5,038
This is excatly the kind of thing that should flag a review. Its not very difficult to provide that info if you actually have it. Doesn't make much sense to put in spend limits to stop cheap 1K's when they all just move overseas.
Last edited by escapefromphl; Sep 22, 2014 at 1:51 pm Reason: upgrades.
Sep 22, 2014 | 2:09 pm
#37
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On the other hand if there weren't US-based members who have been illicitly using foreign addresses to get around the PQD this would not be necessary, but we know this forum is full of such elites. Hope UA does an audit of account addresses that changed since the announcement of PQD and the foreign member exemption (mainly because we don't have access to a UA credit card).
There are plenty of folks who have access to a (even US-based) UA card, and legitimately have a non-US address. For example, US residents that move, and either have the CC address changed there (perfectally possible to have Chase cards with a foreign billing address), or change it to a US-based mailing address while not actually present there. American expats, for example, fits that pattern, and there are thousands of them, not to mention that folks taking expat assignments are likely the type that have a tendency to travel more than the average person, so may well be elite.
Sep 22, 2014 | 2:24 pm
#38
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On the other hand if there weren't US-based members who have been illicitly using foreign addresses to get around the PQD this would not be necessary, but we know this forum is full of such elites. Hope UA does an audit of account addresses that changed since the announcement of PQD and the foreign member exemption (mainly because we don't have access to a UA credit card).
United is an airline, not the IRS - there is no magic 'physical presence' test to determine if a foreign address is legitimate or not. If you have the required documentation to prove the address, it needs to stop there.
I regularly fly to/from other countries on airlines other than United, and sometimes non-*A - I don't need to prove how I got from A to B or how often I go from A to B - that is barely the business of the IRS or the US govt as a whole (hence my multiple passports), let alone a commercial company.
Sep 22, 2014 | 3:13 pm
#39
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UA:
DL:
Note:
DL has more options (11) than UA (essentially 7, because 8,9 are just government IDs)
DL requires ONE document but UA requires TWO documents.
To verify changes to the primary address on your MileagePlus account, please submit two forms of documentation that include your new address.
1. Change of address confirmation provided by the postal service (United States Postal Service or an international postal service)
2. Copy of postmarked mail with current address listed as forwarding address
3. Government-issued ID (e.g., national identification card, foreign drivers license)
4. Utility bill dated within the past 90 days
5. Receipt for personal property taxes paid within the past year
6. Rental agreement or residential lease dated within the past year
7. Payroll statement provided by the members employer, dated within the past 90 days
8. U.S. military ID
9. Official government/military travel orders or proof of official duty status
1. Change of address confirmation provided by the postal service (United States Postal Service or an international postal service)
2. Copy of postmarked mail with current address listed as forwarding address
3. Government-issued ID (e.g., national identification card, foreign drivers license)
4. Utility bill dated within the past 90 days
5. Receipt for personal property taxes paid within the past year
6. Rental agreement or residential lease dated within the past year
7. Payroll statement provided by the members employer, dated within the past 90 days
8. U.S. military ID
9. Official government/military travel orders or proof of official duty status
Members will need to submit one of the following documents via mail or fax to complete the address change request.
1) Government issued ID with new address (Drivers License, learners permit Country/State issued photo ID card)
2) Utility bill in customers name showing new address, dated within the past 60 days
3) Deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement or residential rental/lease agreement showing proof of ownership at new address, with customers name and signature. Lease must be dated within the past year
4) Bank statement with customers name and address, dated within the past 60 days (may block out sensitive information)
5) Payroll statement with customers name and address, dated within the past 60 days (may block out sensitive information)
6) Postal Service change of address confirmation form
7) Current automobile or life insurance bill, or homeowners or renter insurance bill (cards or policies are not accepted)
8) Copy of school records/transcript from a school in which the applicant is currently enrolled, issued by an accredited school
9) Postmarked mail with forwarding address label (must display the customers full name)
10) Receipt for personal property taxes or real estate taxes paid within the last year
11) Letter from members employer on official company letterhead, detailing members current address. Letter must be signed by employees supervisor with supervisors full contact information
1) Government issued ID with new address (Drivers License, learners permit Country/State issued photo ID card)
2) Utility bill in customers name showing new address, dated within the past 60 days
3) Deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement or residential rental/lease agreement showing proof of ownership at new address, with customers name and signature. Lease must be dated within the past year
4) Bank statement with customers name and address, dated within the past 60 days (may block out sensitive information)
5) Payroll statement with customers name and address, dated within the past 60 days (may block out sensitive information)
6) Postal Service change of address confirmation form
7) Current automobile or life insurance bill, or homeowners or renter insurance bill (cards or policies are not accepted)
8) Copy of school records/transcript from a school in which the applicant is currently enrolled, issued by an accredited school
9) Postmarked mail with forwarding address label (must display the customers full name)
10) Receipt for personal property taxes or real estate taxes paid within the last year
11) Letter from members employer on official company letterhead, detailing members current address. Letter must be signed by employees supervisor with supervisors full contact information
DL has more options (11) than UA (essentially 7, because 8,9 are just government IDs)
DL requires ONE document but UA requires TWO documents.
Sep 23, 2014 | 11:41 am
#40
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On the other hand if there weren't US-based members who have been illicitly using foreign addresses to get around the PQD this would not be necessary, but we know this forum is full of such elites. Hope UA does an audit of account addresses that changed since the announcement of PQD and the foreign member exemption (mainly because we don't have access to a UA credit card).
Even if the majority of US-based UA FTers did so, it would be a drop in the bucket for UA (compared to their total FF elite population), and I question their allocation of resources to pursue it. It's like the drug testing programs for welfare recipients in some US states, where they have cost the states far more to administer than they have recouped in fraud.
Sep 23, 2014 | 1:01 pm
#41
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Even if the majority of US-based UA FTers did so, it would be a drop in the bucket for UA (compared to their total FF elite population), and I question their allocation of resources to pursue it. It's like the drug testing programs for welfare recipients in some US states, where they have cost the states far more to administer than they have recouped in fraud.
note that i don't agree with this argument, just playing devil's advocate.
Sep 23, 2014 | 2:24 pm
#42
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Still perplexed at why UA wouldn't accept bank statements (I've almost always seen that for proof of address, practically anywhere), and whether that was intentional or not.
Sep 24, 2014 | 9:12 am
#43
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: SUV
Programs: UA *G MM
Posts: 7,095
1. is ridiculous. USPS does not offer mail forwarding to a foreign address.
I am having a hard time understanding 2. So they want a piece of forwarded mail from the US address to the foreign address. Since USPS does not forward to a foreign address this one is also impossible.
There is a prevalent mentality in the US that people moving "overseas" must work for the government and military. Sure, they can forward to an APO address.
So 1,2,8,9 only works for government employees.
I am having a hard time understanding 2. So they want a piece of forwarded mail from the US address to the foreign address. Since USPS does not forward to a foreign address this one is also impossible.
There is a prevalent mentality in the US that people moving "overseas" must work for the government and military. Sure, they can forward to an APO address.
So 1,2,8,9 only works for government employees.
Sep 24, 2014 | 10:12 am
#45
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ORD,TPE (芝加哥,台北)
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Posts: 386
First of all, I would say the rule is really restrict for a foreigner (from a US point of view) who simply cannot provide half of the doc on the list because it just don't exist. The brighter side is the reply time is really quick, as I always got the result email at 9ish am eastern time next day of submission. The down side is, although no strong evidence, the change of address is processed in the US and not by a person who really know how to read Chinese. They rely on you to tell them what the documents you uploaded are and pointed out the name/address. But who knows, maybe its just beginning and they will improve the SOP after some time.