UA refusing cash -- legality?
Apr 28, 2015, 8:40 am
#16
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To answer the question directly, yes its legal.
Apr 28, 2015, 9:39 am
#17
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Do the cards ever expire?
Is there a monthly fee?
Are the cards only good for UA purchases?
Also know in CA there are laws which prohibit expiration.
Apr 28, 2015, 9:49 am
#18
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Reminds me of when I was a kid. I once sent away for a product in a catalogue. I put $.52 (two quarters and two pennies) in the envelope and sent it off.
4-6 weeks later, my goods came join the mail.
Is this done anymore?
4-6 weeks later, my goods came join the mail.
Is this done anymore?
Apr 28, 2015, 9:54 am
#19
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https://hub.united.com/en-us/news/pr...t-lobbies.aspx
Apr 28, 2015, 10:08 am
#21
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I think people used to pay for stuff like that by sending postage stamps to the company!
Apr 28, 2015, 10:15 am
#22
Join Date: Jun 2007
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I should get a job as UA gate agent. I could collect the cash and swipe my AMEX PRG or Citi Prestige card on the customer's behalf. Certainly, I'm not the only one on this board to have thought of "lending" my credit card for a good cause!
Apr 28, 2015, 11:04 am
#24
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I think the OP should spend an hour or two in the Manufactured Spend forum to learn about the wonderful world on the other side of the rainbow that was created by these various debit cards if you're into earning miles.
Apr 28, 2015, 11:14 am
#25
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If my prepaid card expires, do I lose my money?
If you have a prepaid debit card and the card expires while you still have money on it, you can request a replacement card to access the funds.
The funds on a gift card will be good for at least five years, even if the physical card expires at an earlier time. If your card expires and there are unspent funds on it that have not expired, the issuer may give you a replacement card or give you the money by another means, such as a check. Either way, they may not charge you a fee.
If you have a prepaid debit card and the card expires while you still have money on it, you can request a replacement card to access the funds.
The funds on a gift card will be good for at least five years, even if the physical card expires at an earlier time. If your card expires and there are unspent funds on it that have not expired, the issuer may give you a replacement card or give you the money by another means, such as a check. Either way, they may not charge you a fee.
Apr 28, 2015, 11:34 am
#26
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I've located my card. The expiration date was actually 27 months after the purchase date (although as WineCountryUA stated, the funds are valid for 5 years if you get a replacement card). I've confirmed that there were no purchase fees, and no monthly fees. The entire original purchase amount remains available on my card. In case you're wondering, I bought it just to see how it works - I had no immediate need for it as I travel with a credit card.
Apr 28, 2015, 11:35 am
#27
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i actually view cashless as a good thing after working on the digitalization of retail banks. there's a few reasons when we talk broader than just the immediate time of transaction. businesses can report their information more accurately since card transactions post in real time, whereas cash needs to be tallied up in batch at the end of a flight, end of the day, etc. cash also forces businesses to include a loss buffer. someone mentioned theft, organizations this large who deal with cash often include a 10-15% loss buffer to account for this, they just assume someone's stealing. lastly, it's safer. now in a brick and mortar store, they run the risk of getting held up and robbed at gunpoint. i would say the likelihood of that happening mid-flight or at an airport terminal isn't likely. but remember, when you pay cash, it physically has to be transported somewhere. to a central processing center. a bank. you know all those brinks security armored trucks driving around? that's what they do. and there's a good reason why they're so heavily protected. digital transactions does away with it.
currently it does inconvenience a small proportion of the population, and statistics on mobile and online bank adoption actually show that this group gets smaller every year. imo the benefits at the aggregate level are definitely worth it.
currently it does inconvenience a small proportion of the population, and statistics on mobile and online bank adoption actually show that this group gets smaller every year. imo the benefits at the aggregate level are definitely worth it.
Of course, most of these people are existing near the poverty line, so this requirement from UA would primarily adversely impact the poor, who are very likely not represented here on FT.
As to the question of safety, the number one item targeted for theft now are iPhones, because, no matter what Apple says, any smart phone/computer can be hacked and thus, they are very valuable on the black market. Yet, no one here has argued that the inherent risk in having a smart phone means that we shouldn't carry them.
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2014/09/iph...eft-in-the-uk/
Japan is primarily a cash society and it gets along just fine.
Last edited by zombietooth; Apr 28, 2015 at 11:48 am
Apr 28, 2015, 11:48 am
#28
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Until the house burns down and you want your 50 million in Japanese yen notes replaced. 
? Then it is possible to use the debit cards obtained at the kiosk for united.com purchases?
? Then it is possible to use the debit cards obtained at the kiosk for united.com purchases?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 28, 2015 at 11:52 am Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Apr 28, 2015, 11:54 am
#29
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Apr 28, 2015, 12:07 pm
#30
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They have found tons of safes (mostly fireproof), etc. after the earthquake and tsunami several years ago. See here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_847243.html
Since this story many years ago, I had read that the total amount recovered had ballooned to around US 500 million, with around US 350 million being returned to the original owners (the rest went to the government because Japanese generally give-up their "finders rights" when they turn in the money).
Last edited by zombietooth; Apr 28, 2015 at 12:21 pm