Nov 25, 15, 10:13 am
Last edit by: pseudoswede
United Pass Plus Flex
Updated website links... (note: the older links below still work)
Main Page (Individual, Small/Mid-Size Businesses, Corporate)
Page for Individuals
All information is current as of October 30th, 2015.
The United Pass Plus Flex program is a prepaid travel program that offers discounts on purchased tickets from United and a variety of partners and certain Premier benefits upfront.
Find out more about the program here: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...plus/flex.aspx
Watch a video about the program here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=kZNbl-CPxRk
Contact the Pass Plus Team:
Phone:
1 (877) 357 - 4515
- Option 1 for Customer Service
- Option 2 for Sales (then 2 for West Coast, 3 for Midwest, or 4 for Chicago and East-coast)
Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Note: Email is highly unreliable. I recommend leaving a voicemail with your regional sales manager and they will call you back within 2-3 business days.
Online Form:
Fill this out and they will contact you: https://hub.united.com/en-us/Connect....aspx?mobile=0
Account Types and Stipulations
The United Pass Plus Flex program comes in 2 varieties: Individual and Corporate. The Individual accounts have a minimum investment of $25,000 and the corporate accounts have a minimum of $50,000. These funds are put into a UATP (Universal Air Travel Plan - http://www.uatp.com/) Account and you are given a debit card (just the credentials, no actual card) to be used for purchasing United and Partner Tickets (plus many other things, outlined below). These funds are to be used over the course of 1 year from when the contract is signed.
- Individuals are allowed 1 additional deposit into their account throughout the 1 year contract without a fee, and corporate accounts are allowed up to three. Any additional deposits are charged a 5% fee.
- The use of the funds can be extended without renewing the contract for up to 2 additional months for a fee of $600.
- Contracts can be renewed for the following year starting in month 10 of current contract.
- Any remaining funds in your account will carry over into the next year, but will have no bearing on the following years contract benefits (discussed below).
- If funds remain in your account at the end of the contract and you decide to not renew, United is entitled to whatever remains in your account.
- All travel purchased with your funds must be completed before 30 days after your end-of-contract date.
- Individual plans are for a single person (the account holder). However, beginning in 2019, travel can include one companion provided the travel is booked under the same record as the account holder. Accounts are audited frequently.
Discount Levels
These can be seen in a better format here: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...plus/flex.aspx
Domestic - Excluding IAH
- Fares F, J, Y - 20% off published fares
- Fares A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 5% off published fares
- Fares D, Z, P, V, Q, W, S, T, L, K, G - 2% off published fares
Domestic - Including IAH
- Fares F, J, Y - 10% off published fares
- Fares A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 5% off published fares
- Fares D, Z, P, V, Q, W, S, T, L, K, G - 2% off published fares
International - Excluding Latin Destinations
- Fares F, J, Y - 20% off published fares
- Fares A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 20% off published fares (excluding U)
- Fares D, Z, P, V, Q, W, S, T, L, K, G - 20% (G) and 2% (D & Z) off published fares
International - Including Latin Destinations
- Fares F, J, Y - 10% off published fares
- Fares A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 10% off published fares (excluding U)
- Fares D, Z, P, V, Q, W, S, T, L, K, G - 2% off published fares (D and Z only)
Note: All published fares from United and it's partners (even outside below listed partners) are eligible to be purchased with UATP travel funds.
Investment Levels
Individual Plans
- Minimum $25,000 - Complimentary Premier Gold
- $35,000 - Complimentary Premier Platinum
- $45,000 - Complimentary Premier 1K
- $50,000 - Complimentary Global Services - Possibly negotiable in 2021 - Contact UA PP Sales
Note: All Premier levels will be granted as soon as the contract is signed and the funds are verified.
Note: All Premier levels receive their associated amenities (RPU, GPU, etc...) if and only if the status is an upgrade from previous Premier status. For example, a current Premier 1K that invests $45,000 will not receive additional RPU/GPU's. However a Premier Gold that invests $45,000 will receive the upgrade certs.
Corporate Plans
- Minimum $50,000 - 1x Premier Gold, 1x Premier Silver, 4x United Club Annual Memberships
- $100,000 - 1x Premier Platinum, 2x Premier Gold, 3x United Club Annual Memberships
- $300,000 - 1x Premier 1K, 1x Premier Platinum, 3 Premier Gold, 6x United Club Annual Memberships
Additional levels receive different numbers of Premier members. Contact your sales manager for more information on these levels.
Funding Your Investment
The following payment methods are able to be used to fund the initial investment:
- Bank Transfer to United
- Check via Fed-Ex
- Check via Snail Mail
- Credit Cards (Chase Sapphire Reserve gets 3X credit)
Fund Usage
The funds that are invested in your UATP account can be used for the following purchases:
- Airfare + taxes on the following airlines:
- United
- United Express
- ANA (All Nippon Airlines)
- Austrian Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Swiss International Airline - Wifi onboard the aircraft
- ANY ancillary purchases from United, including the following:
- Baggage fees (if done via online check-in)
- Change fees
- Upgrade fees (including mileage + copay)
- Award and Premier Accelerator purchases
- TOD purchases
- Any subscriptions services (United.com Club, Baggage subscription, Economy Plus subscription, etc...)
- Purchases of reedemable miles
- Anything from United not requiring a physical payment method
Note: When purchasing anything with your UATP funds, you may not split payment. You must be able to fully fund the purchase using your UATP account or else another payment method should be used.
- There are some reports that travel vouchers and your Travel Bank funds can be used as a partial payment in combination with the UATP account.
Other Information
- Discount on Hertz rentals available for Pass Plus members. Funds from UATP account cannot be used for rentals.
- Booking of tickets can be done via United.com, through the Pass Plus reservations office, or through your travel agent. Booking through the Mobile app is not yet possible.
- Booking via a TA may result in a non-016 ticket and impact RDM earnings
United (UA) Pass Plus Secure/ Flex -- Benefits, Value, Questions .... [Consolidated]
Dec 15, 13, 9:38 am
#46
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC or SEA depending on the week
Programs: UA 1k, Hyatt Diamond (no I will not use the new name), Marriott/ SPG lt Plat, JPM Reserve, Amex Plat
Posts: 303
Has anyone heard back from a PassPlus sales person in the past month? I've left 4 messages over the past 3 weeks for the Pacific NW sales person and haven't heard anything back.
Based on their website this could make a lot of sense for my company because we almost always book last second tickets.
Based on their website this could make a lot of sense for my company because we almost always book last second tickets.
Dec 15, 13, 1:33 pm
#47
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL GM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing
Posts: 9,170
Originally Posted by DErg
Has anyone heard back from a PassPlus sales person in the past month? I've left 4 messages over the past 3 weeks for the Pacific NW sales person and haven't heard anything back.
Based on their website this could make a lot of sense for my company because we almost always book last second tickets.
Based on their website this could make a lot of sense for my company because we almost always book last second tickets.
Dec 15, 13, 2:02 pm
#48
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Westchester NY
Programs: UA GS 4+ MM
Posts: 357
Pass Plus was great in the 90s
Pass plus was a wonderful bulk mileage program in the 90s. I was an early purchaser of a 5 year 25,000 mile plan, which I was able to add to and extend a few more years. It was an incredibly cheap way to fly on Y tickets which were heavily discounted. If my memory serves me, it worked out to about .22 cents a mile. Great for flights of 1,000 miles or less, at a price well below the best corporate discounts. I was based in Chicago at the time, an ideal hub for routes of 1,000 miles or less. Obviously, coast to coast flying wasn't as good a deal under the program so you would then just buy the ticket in those instances.
My only regret was not buying an unlimited lifetime plan when it was offered. If my memory is correct, it was priced about $1M for unlimited flying for you and a travel partner, in any cabin, as long as you live. It made sense to the UA CFO at the time. It was upfront money to the airline in an environment of 5% interest rates. So, in effect, the airline was letting you fly anywhere as much as you wanted for $50K a year. Aside from shelling out $1M upfront, the big negative with the Lifetime plan was assuming credit risk. But, United honored the program through bankruptcies, etc.
You can probably guess who of the FT community bought the lifetime plan back in the early days. They paid the bucks. I'm just envious they are flying around the world in GF for free now. Heck, I'd be racking up millions of more miles if everything was free.
Guess the new management didn't want to mess with these Lifetime Pass Plus plans. Take away 2 RPU's from million milers and you have a revolt. Take away a LifeTime of free flying........well, that would have been an interesting court case!
Cheers
My only regret was not buying an unlimited lifetime plan when it was offered. If my memory is correct, it was priced about $1M for unlimited flying for you and a travel partner, in any cabin, as long as you live. It made sense to the UA CFO at the time. It was upfront money to the airline in an environment of 5% interest rates. So, in effect, the airline was letting you fly anywhere as much as you wanted for $50K a year. Aside from shelling out $1M upfront, the big negative with the Lifetime plan was assuming credit risk. But, United honored the program through bankruptcies, etc.
You can probably guess who of the FT community bought the lifetime plan back in the early days. They paid the bucks. I'm just envious they are flying around the world in GF for free now. Heck, I'd be racking up millions of more miles if everything was free.
Guess the new management didn't want to mess with these Lifetime Pass Plus plans. Take away 2 RPU's from million milers and you have a revolt. Take away a LifeTime of free flying........well, that would have been an interesting court case!
Cheers
Dec 15, 13, 3:31 pm
#49
Moderator: United Airlines; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.85MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 62,261
Originally Posted by dkc715
.... Take away a LifeTime of free flying........well, that would have been an interesting court case! ....
Dec 15, 13, 3:33 pm
#50
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 8,626
Originally Posted by DErg
Has anyone heard back from a PassPlus sales person in the past month? I've left 4 messages over the past 3 weeks for the Pacific NW sales person and haven't heard anything back.
Based on their website this could make a lot of sense for my company because we almost always book last second tickets.
Based on their website this could make a lot of sense for my company because we almost always book last second tickets.
Dec 15, 13, 3:51 pm
#51
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Westchester NY
Programs: UA GS 4+ MM
Posts: 357
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Any idea how many UA Lifetime PassPlus people are out there? Any abusers or litigation? How did United choose to honor "Lifetime" for PassPlus, but then interpret the word "Lifetime" different for Million Milers? I assume this distinction was incorporated in the Million Miler suit, but maybe not.
Dec 15, 13, 3:57 pm
#52
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: San Jose, CA USA
Posts: 1,744
Originally Posted by dkc715
Pass plus was a wonderful bulk mileage program in the 90s. I was an early purchaser of a 5 year 25,000 mile plan, which I was able to add to and extend a few more years. It was an incredibly cheap way to fly on Y tickets which were heavily discounted. If my memory serves me, it worked out to about .22 cents a mile. Great for flights of 1,000 miles or less, at a price well below the best corporate discounts. I was based in Chicago at the time, an ideal hub for routes of 1,000 miles or less. Obviously, coast to coast flying wasn't as good a deal under the program so you would then just buy the ticket in those instances.
My only regret was not buying an unlimited lifetime plan when it was offered. If my memory is correct, it was priced about $1M for unlimited flying for you and a travel partner, in any cabin, as long as you live. It made sense to the UA CFO at the time. It was upfront money to the airline in an environment of 5% interest rates. So, in effect, the airline was letting you fly anywhere as much as you wanted for $50K a year. Aside from shelling out $1M upfront, the big negative with the Lifetime plan was assuming credit risk. But, United honored the program through bankruptcies, etc.
You can probably guess who of the FT community bought the lifetime plan back in the early days. They paid the bucks. I'm just envious they are flying around the world in GF for free now. Heck, I'd be racking up millions of more miles if everything was free.
Guess the new management didn't want to mess with these Lifetime Pass Plus plans. Take away 2 RPU's from million milers and you have a revolt. Take away a LifeTime of free flying........well, that would have been an interesting court case!
Cheers
My only regret was not buying an unlimited lifetime plan when it was offered. If my memory is correct, it was priced about $1M for unlimited flying for you and a travel partner, in any cabin, as long as you live. It made sense to the UA CFO at the time. It was upfront money to the airline in an environment of 5% interest rates. So, in effect, the airline was letting you fly anywhere as much as you wanted for $50K a year. Aside from shelling out $1M upfront, the big negative with the Lifetime plan was assuming credit risk. But, United honored the program through bankruptcies, etc.
You can probably guess who of the FT community bought the lifetime plan back in the early days. They paid the bucks. I'm just envious they are flying around the world in GF for free now. Heck, I'd be racking up millions of more miles if everything was free.
Guess the new management didn't want to mess with these Lifetime Pass Plus plans. Take away 2 RPU's from million milers and you have a revolt. Take away a LifeTime of free flying........well, that would have been an interesting court case!
Cheers
The big difference between AA's AAirpass and UA's Pass Plus was the frequent flyer accumulation. AA put all the flown miles, including the companion's, into the passholder's AAdvantage account. UA did not---gave whatever miles the companion was flying into the companion's account, even though the bill was fronted by the Pass Plus holder. So, I could usually make AA's EXP by 3 rt's to London from, say, SFO, in one year. Since the points accumulated for both, it was a piece of cake to get status on the fastest of tracks.
I went with AA back in '94 because they had a hub at SJC. Since then, they pretty much abandoned it, and, frankly, most of us ff'ers in the SF Bay area. We can't get to Hawaii non-stop from here any more (on AA, but AS is building up flights and there is frequent flyer miles opportunity). It really sucks. Compare that to the air service from SFO on UA.
Anyway, the original Pass Plus program was an idyllic time of bliss that just plain came to an end. What they're marketing now is not practical and is too complex. They used to have a gal that answered their 800 number (Megan) who was just plain terrific. Knew the program cold and gave solid advice and accurate answers. Now we are left with Jeff Smisek and, frankly, I don't think he gives a damn.
G'day.
Dec 15, 13, 4:36 pm
#53
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Virtuoso Travel Agent, Commercial Pilot
Posts: 2,054
Originally Posted by 5khours
I wouldn't bother, there are very few flyers for whom this program will be beneficial regardless of how much you spend.
OP: my sales rep has been quite responsive and there are some interesting incentives for sales through the end of the year. PM me and I'll be happy to share his details (as I am not allowed to post them here).
Dec 15, 13, 7:27 pm
#54
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC or SEA depending on the week
Programs: UA 1k, Hyatt Diamond (no I will not use the new name), Marriott/ SPG lt Plat, JPM Reserve, Amex Plat
Posts: 303
Originally Posted by FullFare
Truly superb, honest post. I was a lying enthusiast of the 90's as well (still am an enthusiast) and bought the lifetime AAirpass. Still have it. I, also, kick myself that I didn't buy the lifetime Pass Plus. Coulda. I did buy multiple renewals of the program for almost 15 yrs. It was a good program. Frankly, I wish they would just copy AA and come back with the program, but doubt they will. As the OP said, even for 1 million, they had a lifetime bond getting them 50K per year---not bad for them.
The big difference between AA's AAirpass and UA's Pass Plus was the frequent flyer accumulation. AA put all the flown miles, including the companion's, into the passholder's AAdvantage account. UA did not---gave whatever miles the companion was flying into the companion's account, even though the bill was fronted by the Pass Plus holder. So, I could usually make AA's EXP by 3 rt's to London from, say, SFO, in one year. Since the points accumulated for both, it was a piece of cake to get status on the fastest of tracks.
I went with AA back in '94 because they had a hub at SJC. Since then, they pretty much abandoned it, and, frankly, most of us ff'ers in the SF Bay area. We can't get to Hawaii non-stop from here any more (on AA, but AS is building up flights and there is frequent flyer miles opportunity). It really sucks. Compare that to the air service from SFO on UA.
Anyway, the original Pass Plus program was an idyllic time of bliss that just plain came to an end. What they're marketing now is not practical and is too complex. They used to have a gal that answered their 800 number (Megan) who was just plain terrific. Knew the program cold and gave solid advice and accurate answers. Now we are left with Jeff Smisek and, frankly, I don't think he gives a damn.
G'day.
The big difference between AA's AAirpass and UA's Pass Plus was the frequent flyer accumulation. AA put all the flown miles, including the companion's, into the passholder's AAdvantage account. UA did not---gave whatever miles the companion was flying into the companion's account, even though the bill was fronted by the Pass Plus holder. So, I could usually make AA's EXP by 3 rt's to London from, say, SFO, in one year. Since the points accumulated for both, it was a piece of cake to get status on the fastest of tracks.
I went with AA back in '94 because they had a hub at SJC. Since then, they pretty much abandoned it, and, frankly, most of us ff'ers in the SF Bay area. We can't get to Hawaii non-stop from here any more (on AA, but AS is building up flights and there is frequent flyer miles opportunity). It really sucks. Compare that to the air service from SFO on UA.
Anyway, the original Pass Plus program was an idyllic time of bliss that just plain came to an end. What they're marketing now is not practical and is too complex. They used to have a gal that answered their 800 number (Megan) who was just plain terrific. Knew the program cold and gave solid advice and accurate answers. Now we are left with Jeff Smisek and, frankly, I don't think he gives a damn.
G'day.
Originally Posted by Sykes
I disagree--the Flex program discounts H (and higher) fares 20%. That often makes H fares cheaper than a W fare for upgrades. Similarly, it often makes paid discounted F cheaper than C. There are many flyers that who can find tremendous benefit.
OP: my sales rep has been quite responsive and there are some interesting incentives for sales through the end of the year. PM me and I'll be happy to share his details (as I am not allowed to post them here).
OP: my sales rep has been quite responsive and there are some interesting incentives for sales through the end of the year. PM me and I'll be happy to share his details (as I am not allowed to post them here).
Dec 16, 13, 4:53 am
#55
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL GM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing
Posts: 9,170
Originally Posted by Sykes
I disagree--the Flex program discounts H (and higher) fares 20%. That often makes H fares cheaper than a W fare for upgrades. Similarly, it often makes paid discounted F cheaper than C. There are many flyers that who can find tremendous benefit.
OP: my sales rep has been quite responsive and there are some interesting incentives for sales through the end of the year. PM me and I'll be happy to share his details (as I am not allowed to post them here).
OP: my sales rep has been quite responsive and there are some interesting incentives for sales through the end of the year. PM me and I'll be happy to share his details (as I am not allowed to post them here).
Dec 16, 13, 5:04 am
#56
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL GM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing
Posts: 9,170
Originally Posted by DErg
Thank you, we do a lot of paid F last minute travel so it very well may make sense.
Dec 16, 13, 10:05 am
#57
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Virtuoso Travel Agent, Commercial Pilot
Posts: 2,054
Originally Posted by 5khours
Unless your F travel is a full "F" fare, the discount is only 5% for P (15% international) and 2% for A (0% international).
Domestic excluding to/from Houston:
F, Y, J - 20%
A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 5%
D, Z, P, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G - 2%
Domestic to/from Houston:
Same as above, but F, J, Y are only 10%
Latin America:
F, Y, J, A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 10%
International other than Latin America:
F, Y, J, A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 20%
Some significant downgrades--e.g. P, Z, and D international fares aren't discountable--but booking H for a similar price to W or V adds a lot of flexibility ... and for a last-minute traveler H+ may be all that is available. Travel is allowed on UA, LH, LX, OS, SN, and NH and minimum spend for an individual is only $10k, so if it's money that you know for sure you're going to be spending on United anyway there isn't a whole lot of down-side now that the discounts are bookable on united.com (they weren't for a while).
Dec 16, 13, 12:33 pm
#58
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL GM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing
Posts: 9,170
Originally Posted by Sykes
That's incorrect. They adjusted the discounts in 2012 and have maintained the same levels since then ... it's better than old in some cases, worse in others (I signed a client up for PassPlus about 2 weeks ago so I am very familiar with current rates). For the Flex program (not to be confused with the Secure program which is more like AA's AAirpass), the standard discounts are:
Domestic excluding to/from Houston:
F, Y, J - 20%
A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 5%
D, Z, P, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G - 2%
Domestic to/from Houston:
Same as above, but F, J, Y are only 10%
Latin America:
F, Y, J, A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 10%
International other than Latin America:
F, Y, J, A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 20%
Some significant downgrades--e.g. P, Z, and D international fares aren't discountable--but booking H for a similar price to W or V adds a lot of flexibility ... and for a last-minute traveler H+ may be all that is available. Travel is allowed on UA, LH, LX, OS, SN, and NH and minimum spend for an individual is only $10k, so if it's money that you know for sure you're going to be spending on United anyway there isn't a whole lot of down-side now that the discounts are bookable on united.com (they weren't for a while).
Domestic excluding to/from Houston:
F, Y, J - 20%
A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 5%
D, Z, P, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G - 2%
Domestic to/from Houston:
Same as above, but F, J, Y are only 10%
Latin America:
F, Y, J, A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 10%
International other than Latin America:
F, Y, J, A, C, B, M, E, U, H - 20%
Some significant downgrades--e.g. P, Z, and D international fares aren't discountable--but booking H for a similar price to W or V adds a lot of flexibility ... and for a last-minute traveler H+ may be all that is available. Travel is allowed on UA, LH, LX, OS, SN, and NH and minimum spend for an individual is only $10k, so if it's money that you know for sure you're going to be spending on United anyway there isn't a whole lot of down-side now that the discounts are bookable on united.com (they weren't for a while).
Apr 20, 14, 4:44 pm
#60
Suspended
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,955
Is it possible to sign up for PassPlus Flex as an individual without a lot of hassle? I don't want a sales pitch or marketing spin, I just want to know what I'm getting and choose something. I always have the feeling that when they don't publish the actual terms and conditions online it's because they are trying to entice people to get into a prolonged sales pitch rather than just reading an offer and saying yes or no. Even 5% discounts would be significant, and I always in recent years have spent over $25k personally on UA. Anyone care to share their own experiences as an individual or (very) small business?
