Nov 25, 2015, 10:13 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
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
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:
- 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 - any accounts funded after 1/1/2024 must now be at least $75,000
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
Archive: United (UA) Pass Plus Secure/ Flex -- Benefits, Value, Questions .... {Archive}
United (UA) Pass Plus Secure/ Flex -- Benefits, Value, Questions .... [Consolidated]
Jul 7, 2023, 6:02 pm
#91
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K and PP, AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Uber One
Posts: 1,346
Important note: my experience is about PassPlus Secure, NOT Flex
You can definitely get PassPlus as an individual.
You can -- with a personal plan, you can use it for up to 8 companions (this is a recent change; it used to be a lower number of companions)
I don't think so, but I am not certain. Once I decided to pull the trigger, things moved very quickly. IIRC, I was spending the funds in < 48 hours from when I emailed indicating I wanted to move ahead.
I agree. AFAIK, after purchase support is via email, which has been both nearly instantaneous and very slow for me. With that said, I suspect most members will never need support. The program works very smoothly -- even more than their own documentation claims! For example, refunds are automatically processed back to the UATP without drama or the cumbersome procedure the welcome material claims is necessary.
I don't think that's a normal offering, but I was able to setup a phone call with someone I was emailing with.
You can -- with a personal plan, you can use it for up to 8 companions (this is a recent change; it used to be a lower number of companions)
I've considered exploring Pass Plus as a possible replacement for Airpass, but if they truly offer no way to speak with anyone over the phone, that's a bit concerning, as it was always very easy to reach someone in the Airpass department directly for any questions or concerns. Having to wait 5 days do get a response from a web form inquiry does not seem like a great way to start a business relationship.
I don't think that's a normal offering, but I was able to setup a phone call with someone I was emailing with.
Jul 8, 2023, 11:11 am
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,017
Jul 8, 2023, 10:03 pm
#94
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Qantas Platinum 1, IHG Diamond, United 1K, Avis President
Posts: 347
Hi All, does anyone know how to actually get a response? The number is disconnected, and I e-mailed 2x times (1 is a month ago, and another last week) with no follow-up. I am interesting in the 50K spend to get Global Services as an individual traveler.
Jul 8, 2023, 11:53 pm
#95
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: Mileage Plus Global Services 2MM
Posts: 1,200
I've not tried this, but I talked to a woman on a recent flight that was in the same boat as you. She ended up going to "united.business" and filled out the information for an individual traveler. She said she got an email response from an account manager within 48 hours. She said it took a couple emails to confirm that Pass Plus was the best fit for her, but after that it was a pretty easy process. Good luck!
Jul 9, 2023, 1:33 am
#96
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,256
yeah, this was my experience with Pass Plus pre covid. Typical execrable United customer service. Even the salespeople fail to respond. Really quite remarkable.
Jul 9, 2023, 2:27 am
#97
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Qantas Platinum 1, IHG Diamond, United 1K, Avis President
Posts: 347
I've not tried this, but I talked to a woman on a recent flight that was in the same boat as you. She ended up going to "united.business" and filled out the information for an individual traveler. She said she got an email response from an account manager within 48 hours. She said it took a couple emails to confirm that Pass Plus was the best fit for her, but after that it was a pretty easy process. Good luck!
- is it worth while to reach out to the 1K desk? Maybe they can escalate?
Jul 9, 2023, 5:51 am
#98
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: IAH
Programs: UA MM, AA almost MM
Posts: 1,164
Important note: my experience is about PassPlus Secure, NOT Flex
You can definitely get PassPlus as an individual.
You can -- with a personal plan, you can use it for up to 8 companions (this is a recent change; it used to be a lower number of companions)
I don't think so, but I am not certain. Once I decided to pull the trigger, things moved very quickly. IIRC, I was spending the funds in < 48 hours from when I emailed indicating I wanted to move ahead. ....
.
You can definitely get PassPlus as an individual.
You can -- with a personal plan, you can use it for up to 8 companions (this is a recent change; it used to be a lower number of companions)
I don't think so, but I am not certain. Once I decided to pull the trigger, things moved very quickly. IIRC, I was spending the funds in < 48 hours from when I emailed indicating I wanted to move ahead. ....
.
I don't spend enough to use up $50K in 12 months. What happens if I invest too much? Is there a way to extend the expiration date? What happen if I invest too little? Can I add funds as I needed? Is there an advantage to putting all the funds in at one time? What are the amenity points?
Jul 9, 2023, 9:18 am
#99
formerly wchinchen
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Honolulu
Programs: AA CK, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,270
Yep, same experience. Became AAirpass member because UA sales people can’t even bother to respond to people who want to get a 50k plus contract with them. Didn’t feel UA will respond in a timely manner if issues pop up.
Jul 10, 2023, 7:38 am
#100
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K and PP, AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Uber One
Posts: 1,346
I don't spend enough to use up $50K in 12 months. What happens if I invest too much? Is there a way to extend the expiration date? What happen if I invest too little? Can I add funds as I needed? Is there an advantage to putting all the funds in at one time? What are the amenity points?
You can add funds at any time, and in any quantity. In fact, this is pretty important because someday you're going to want to zero out the account so you'll likely need to add some odd amount so that you can use the rest of the funds and end with a $0 balance (although you may be able to split the payment between UATP and another form of payment, but even there you need to be careful because there are penalties for using non-UATP funds for PP-priced tickets). The catch with adding funds during the contract is that they don't earn amenity points, and the funds aren't aggregated for GS purposes. In other words, if you open the account with $20K and then add $30K, you'll earn amenity points on only $20K, and you will not get a GS nomination.
The amenity points can be used to pay for things like club memberships, status buy-ups, wifi subscriptions, travel certificates, and the like. The standard offering is to get 25% of your initial investment as amenity points. Note that at $50K, you get a GS nomination but you don't get amenity points. The rationale behind this, as explained to me by UA, is that with GS you don't need the things the amenity points can buy you. I don't entirely agree with that, but that's the way it works. You do earn amenity points on investments past $50K. For perspective, a domestic FC travel certificate that books into PZ costs $2600 in amenity points.
I hope this helps. Please post with additional questions!
Jul 10, 2023, 9:31 am
#101
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: IAH
Programs: UA MM, AA almost MM
Posts: 1,164
Funds don't expire if you have an active contract -- they roll over into a new plan......
You can add funds at any time, and in any quantity. In fact, this is pretty important because someday you're going to want to zero out the account so you'll likely need to add some odd amount so that you can use the rest of the funds and end with a $0 balance (although you may be able to split the payment between UATP and another form of payment, but even there you need to be careful because there are penalties for using non-UATP funds for .....
.....
I hope this helps. Please post with additional questions!
You can add funds at any time, and in any quantity. In fact, this is pretty important because someday you're going to want to zero out the account so you'll likely need to add some odd amount so that you can use the rest of the funds and end with a $0 balance (although you may be able to split the payment between UATP and another form of payment, but even there you need to be careful because there are penalties for using non-UATP funds for .....
.....
I hope this helps. Please post with additional questions!
1. Each year the contract can be renewed by adding additional funds. This action will keep the unused funds active. So, if my initial investment is$40K and only consume $30K. Before contract expires, I renew by adding $20K I would have a total of $30K for the next contract year. Is this right?
2. Amenity points are calculated based on the initial investment. With the example above, I should get $10K amenity points. Would I get another $5K amenity points at the contract renewal? Does renewal of contract also extends the amenity points or do they expire?
3. I used Chase Sapphire Reserve card for travel insurance. I like the fact that I might be able to use the card as partial payment. Does the system clearly identify the penalty for using a non-UATP funds? Are the penalties larger than the discounts?
Jul 10, 2023, 10:18 am
#102
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,014
I think if your initial investment/commitment is $40k, a renewal will require $40k in new money. Your renewal balance will be $40k new money plus the carryover from previous year.
Jul 10, 2023, 10:56 am
#103
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K and PP, AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Uber One
Posts: 1,346
Thank you ikwia... Your clarification leads to a couple of more questions.
1. Each year the contract can be renewed by adding additional funds. This action will keep the unused funds active. So, if my initial investment is$40K and only consume $30K. Before contract expires, I renew by adding $20K I would have a total of $30K for the next contract year. Is this right?
2. Amenity points are calculated based on the initial investment. With the example above, I should get $10K amenity points. Would I get another $5K amenity points at the contract renewal? Does renewal of contract also extends the amenity points or do they expire?
3. I used Chase Sapphire Reserve card for travel insurance. I like the fact that I might be able to use the card as partial payment. Does the system clearly identify the penalty for using a non-UATP funds? Are the penalties larger than the discounts?
1. Each year the contract can be renewed by adding additional funds. This action will keep the unused funds active. So, if my initial investment is$40K and only consume $30K. Before contract expires, I renew by adding $20K I would have a total of $30K for the next contract year. Is this right?
2. Amenity points are calculated based on the initial investment. With the example above, I should get $10K amenity points. Would I get another $5K amenity points at the contract renewal? Does renewal of contract also extends the amenity points or do they expire?
3. I used Chase Sapphire Reserve card for travel insurance. I like the fact that I might be able to use the card as partial payment. Does the system clearly identify the penalty for using a non-UATP funds? Are the penalties larger than the discounts?
#2 -- that is correct regarding what amenity points you will receive. The amenity points expire 12 months after they are awarded, regardless of contract extension.
#3 -- the penalty (that's my term -- UA calls it a "fee") is identified as $100 plus other fees UA incurs as a result of not using the UATP
You can renew with as little as $10K; this is explicitly mentioned in the contract
Last edited by ikwia; Jul 10, 2023 at 11:02 am
Jul 10, 2023, 11:38 am
#105
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,375
Also, *A has some type of irrops coverage for *G on any intercontinental journey (both carrier and no carrier delays)