Jan 27, 2024, 11:28 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is MileagePlus X – Shopping App to Earn Additional Award Miles
NEW as of 11/9/18:
App now includes MP Dining and MP Shopping in addition to eGift cards.
Dining: Once you log in and enable location sharing the app will tell you what MP Dining restaurant options are in your area. The app appears to know if you are a base or VIP dining member, and shows the appropriate earn rate you can expect (3 for base member or 5 miles per $ for VIP). Restaurants show in an incomplete "Nearby" list or are further visible under the "Cuisine Types" tab.
Shopping: You can browse the same list of stores you'd find on the main MileagePlus shopping website. There are tabs to show which stores are offering elevated offers as well as another with a searchable list of all stores who participated in the program. Tapping on the store will give you the option take you to that store's site so you can shop in your device's browser just as you would on a laptop or desktop.
Maximizing this app opp:
As per the app, you can double or triple dip. You get the UA miles from the app (+25% bonus if the app is attached to a MP acct), you get the miles (or CB, or whatever the deal is with your CC) from the CC attached to the app (via .bomb), and if you use the GC that is generated by the App and apply it online to a purchase via the MP shopping portal, you get the UA miles for that as well.
Ex: Buy $50 Staples MP-X credit with the app and get:
A. 2x on the app at Staples=100 UA (if you have a MP CC attached to the app, you get 25% more = 125 UA), PLUS
B. 2% CB with your BA+ card for example = $1 CB (but then no extra 25% bonus shown in A., above), PLUS
C. 1x on MP portal = 50 UA
Total would be 150 UA + $1CB in the example above (a UA double dip, e.g. A and C, but a non-UA dip added).
More scenarios:
-If you used a 1x UA MP card in the above example, it would be 125 UA+50 UA+50 UA=225 UA (a UA triple dip, e.g. A, B, and C).
-If you used a 5x INK card in the above example, it would be 100UA+*MAYBE 250UR+50UA = 150U+*MAYBE 250UR (a UA double dip, e.g. A and C, but a non-UA dip added and IMHO the best value: effectively 8x! *assuming the INK codes correctly as office supplies**).
**This is probably not the case, see post 513- no triple dipping
Conversions
Some MPX merchants allow for the purchase of a gift card with a gift card. This may allow you to use MPX to indirectly purchase a gift card to shop at a merchant otherwise not offered on MPX. As always, YMMV as you may encounter some merchants that may not allow this practice, rogue cashiers/managers who think it might not be allowed, or POS systems that are designed to not allow this (understandable as they make little to no money on the sale).
These merchants *may* include:
Best Buy - Does not allow purchase of Visa/Amex/MC gift cards, other merchant GCs OK.
GameStop
Sears
MPX Merchants that sell other merchants' GCs, but do not allow the purchase of GC with GC (MPX or otherwise):
Staples - Not allowed per policy, but may go through on their POS if cashier ignores prompt.
Barnes and Noble - No official policy - cashiers are trained that it's not allowed although it will go through on their POS
Office Depot
Lowes
eBay
Note: There appears to be a $3000.00 per 24 hours spend limit
MPX only works within the US - as per T&Cs! If you try to use the app outside the US, error code 126 will pop up.
Your MPX account name and password are the same as the united.com / MP account name and password. And your mile earned are locked to that MP account.
If using MPX to get a few miles to prevent mileage expiration, you need to be logged in as that account whose miles are approaching expiration.
In your account info is "Member since " date
customer service email address, [email protected]
Archived posts - MileagePlus X – Shopping App to Earn Additional Award Miles [ARCHIVE]
NEW as of 11/9/18:
App now includes MP Dining and MP Shopping in addition to eGift cards.
Dining: Once you log in and enable location sharing the app will tell you what MP Dining restaurant options are in your area. The app appears to know if you are a base or VIP dining member, and shows the appropriate earn rate you can expect (3 for base member or 5 miles per $ for VIP). Restaurants show in an incomplete "Nearby" list or are further visible under the "Cuisine Types" tab.
Shopping: You can browse the same list of stores you'd find on the main MileagePlus shopping website. There are tabs to show which stores are offering elevated offers as well as another with a searchable list of all stores who participated in the program. Tapping on the store will give you the option take you to that store's site so you can shop in your device's browser just as you would on a laptop or desktop.
Maximizing this app opp:
As per the app, you can double or triple dip. You get the UA miles from the app (+25% bonus if the app is attached to a MP acct), you get the miles (or CB, or whatever the deal is with your CC) from the CC attached to the app (via .bomb), and if you use the GC that is generated by the App and apply it online to a purchase via the MP shopping portal, you get the UA miles for that as well.
Ex: Buy $50 Staples MP-X credit with the app and get:
A. 2x on the app at Staples=100 UA (if you have a MP CC attached to the app, you get 25% more = 125 UA), PLUS
B. 2% CB with your BA+ card for example = $1 CB (but then no extra 25% bonus shown in A., above), PLUS
C. 1x on MP portal = 50 UA
Total would be 150 UA + $1CB in the example above (a UA double dip, e.g. A and C, but a non-UA dip added).
More scenarios:
-If you used a 1x UA MP card in the above example, it would be 125 UA+50 UA+50 UA=225 UA (a UA triple dip, e.g. A, B, and C).
-If you used a 5x INK card in the above example, it would be 100UA+*MAYBE 250UR+50UA = 150U+*MAYBE 250UR (a UA double dip, e.g. A and C, but a non-UA dip added and IMHO the best value: effectively 8x! *assuming the INK codes correctly as office supplies**).
**This is probably not the case, see post 513- no triple dipping
Conversions
Some MPX merchants allow for the purchase of a gift card with a gift card. This may allow you to use MPX to indirectly purchase a gift card to shop at a merchant otherwise not offered on MPX. As always, YMMV as you may encounter some merchants that may not allow this practice, rogue cashiers/managers who think it might not be allowed, or POS systems that are designed to not allow this (understandable as they make little to no money on the sale).
These merchants *may* include:
Best Buy - Does not allow purchase of Visa/Amex/MC gift cards, other merchant GCs OK.
GameStop
Sears
MPX Merchants that sell other merchants' GCs, but do not allow the purchase of GC with GC (MPX or otherwise):
Staples - Not allowed per policy, but may go through on their POS if cashier ignores prompt.
Barnes and Noble - No official policy - cashiers are trained that it's not allowed although it will go through on their POS
Office Depot
Lowes
eBay
Note: There appears to be a $3000.00 per 24 hours spend limit
MPX only works within the US - as per T&Cs! If you try to use the app outside the US, error code 126 will pop up.
Your MPX account name and password are the same as the united.com / MP account name and password. And your mile earned are locked to that MP account.
If using MPX to get a few miles to prevent mileage expiration, you need to be logged in as that account whose miles are approaching expiration.
In your account info is "Member since " date
customer service email address, [email protected]
Archived posts - MileagePlus X – Shopping App to Earn Additional Award Miles [ARCHIVE]
MileagePlus X – Shopping App to Earn Additional Award Miles [ARCHIVE]
Nov 24, 2014, 4:59 pm
#76
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,170
So what's the catch?
Hertz deal sounded fantastic...until we all realized you have to use the UA CDP which jacks up the rates.
Is there an equivalent "gotcha" here for any of you beta-testers?
Is there an equivalent "gotcha" here for any of you beta-testers?
Nov 24, 2014, 5:11 pm
#77
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
Downloaded the app, but not in the preview group.
Nov 24, 2014, 6:10 pm
#78
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SIN
Programs: UA 1K MM, SQ PPS, CX Silver, Accor Platinum, Marriott Gold, SPG Silver
Posts: 679
If only I could use this to buy tickets on OALs...
Nov 24, 2014, 6:27 pm
#79
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
1. The extremely limited amount of merchants (I assume this will change?)
2. Most of the very high earning offers (e.g. 20+ miles per dollar) are groupon-like deals where you get extra money by paying now for a voucher (e.g. $50 of credit at a merchant for $25 spend now) or the vouchers you buy are limited to one per purchase. Say, spend $100 now and get $100 off a substantially more expensive purchase, without the ability to use multiple $100 vouchers.
Some of the voucher T&C state that a voucher has a "base" amount and a "bonus" amount....and that if you don't use the voucher value before a certain date you lose the "bonus" portion (again, very much like Groupon). What is slightly different than Groupon, however, is that the T&C for some vouchers also state that if your pass the expiration date for the bonus that you can request a refund for the entire voucher. You'd get your entire purchase amount back, but obviously forefit any bonus miles.
I can't stress this hard enough...it's extremely important that you read the T&C of each deal before purchasing because they can be quite different from merchant to merchant and deal to deal.
2. Most of the very high earning offers (e.g. 20+ miles per dollar) are groupon-like deals where you get extra money by paying now for a voucher (e.g. $50 of credit at a merchant for $25 spend now) or the vouchers you buy are limited to one per purchase. Say, spend $100 now and get $100 off a substantially more expensive purchase, without the ability to use multiple $100 vouchers.
Some of the voucher T&C state that a voucher has a "base" amount and a "bonus" amount....and that if you don't use the voucher value before a certain date you lose the "bonus" portion (again, very much like Groupon). What is slightly different than Groupon, however, is that the T&C for some vouchers also state that if your pass the expiration date for the bonus that you can request a refund for the entire voucher. You'd get your entire purchase amount back, but obviously forefit any bonus miles.
I can't stress this hard enough...it's extremely important that you read the T&C of each deal before purchasing because they can be quite different from merchant to merchant and deal to deal.
Nov 24, 2014, 6:31 pm
#80
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: UA 1K, GE/Nexus, Marriott Gold
Posts: 266
Nov 24, 2014, 6:33 pm
#81
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
I've been able to log in after initially being told by the app that I wasn't part of the beta group. I played around with it a little and will probably try to make a purchase at some point in the near future.
After thinking further about this, I wonder how this is going to play out long term though. The potential increase in miles outstanding could be huge if this takes off. Which means further devaluations to the program by increasing reward ticket costs to compensate. I see this being a boon to users for the first year and then in 2016 the amount of miles required for reward flight starts approaching DL. I think the pain will be deflected by offering the "new ways to redeem miles" that were promised some time ago. E+, checked bags, Priority Access, etc. So we'll all have a ton more miles that won't get you flights, but will buy the add-ons that you used to get before PQDs pushed you down or out of Premier status.
After thinking further about this, I wonder how this is going to play out long term though. The potential increase in miles outstanding could be huge if this takes off. Which means further devaluations to the program by increasing reward ticket costs to compensate. I see this being a boon to users for the first year and then in 2016 the amount of miles required for reward flight starts approaching DL. I think the pain will be deflected by offering the "new ways to redeem miles" that were promised some time ago. E+, checked bags, Priority Access, etc. So we'll all have a ton more miles that won't get you flights, but will buy the add-ons that you used to get before PQDs pushed you down or out of Premier status.
If they expand the platform to include substantially more merchants and there is wide adoption, then yes...I can see your point. That being said I don't see it happening...the more I play with this thing; the more it feels like Groupon or Living Social...and I assume that I am a part of the majority that don't do a lot of day to day shopping with either.
Taking out the 20+ mile per dollar Groupon-like deals, all MileagePlusX essentially does is give you an ability to earn a few miles on gift card purchases for a handful of merchants most of us probably don't frequent that often.
Last edited by TommyC80; Nov 24, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Nov 24, 2014, 7:09 pm
#82
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,969
It is interesting that most of the posts here are about figuring out how this thing works, how to get more miles and not being in the beta...SOME do worry about where this leads MileagePlus.
Air Canada made Aeroplan a separate company many years ago. Fees went up and award level went up. It has not been pretty. I think AC now tries to have another layer of elite level based on flight activities only to somehow reverse the trend. Some even think it will decouple itself from Aeroplan eventually.
UA obviously did not do this for our benefit. More and more miles are earned by non-flight activities. When the majority of the use is for flights, then we have a problem. Right now, the best use of miles is international F/C instead of merchandise. If they try to even things out, it won't be in our favor.
Frequent Flyer Programs are really something airline executives hated until they started finding all these new ways to make money. Maybe if they make enough money from it, they will be more careful reducing benefits and increasing redemption levels. Oh wait, this is like saying now UA is making more money, maybe it will improve the product
Air Canada made Aeroplan a separate company many years ago. Fees went up and award level went up. It has not been pretty. I think AC now tries to have another layer of elite level based on flight activities only to somehow reverse the trend. Some even think it will decouple itself from Aeroplan eventually.
UA obviously did not do this for our benefit. More and more miles are earned by non-flight activities. When the majority of the use is for flights, then we have a problem. Right now, the best use of miles is international F/C instead of merchandise. If they try to even things out, it won't be in our favor.
Frequent Flyer Programs are really something airline executives hated until they started finding all these new ways to make money. Maybe if they make enough money from it, they will be more careful reducing benefits and increasing redemption levels. Oh wait, this is like saying now UA is making more money, maybe it will improve the product
Nov 24, 2014, 7:26 pm
#83
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: SNA
Posts: 15
I have the app and I'm in the preview program but I haven't actually used it yet successfully. However, something that really bothers me is that the app requires me to allow it to access my location data in the background all the time, regardless of whether I'm using the app or not.
This is basically sucking my battery dry and (somewhat) making me uncomfortable about an app that can (not saying it is) track my location at all times. I'd just like the option like for most apps to turn on location data only if I'm actively using it - I don't need MPX to look for deals and coupons for me.
This is basically sucking my battery dry and (somewhat) making me uncomfortable about an app that can (not saying it is) track my location at all times. I'd just like the option like for most apps to turn on location data only if I'm actively using it - I don't need MPX to look for deals and coupons for me.
Nov 24, 2014, 7:34 pm
#84
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: UA PP, AA, DL, BA, CX, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 2,002
Nov 24, 2014, 7:57 pm
#85
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Redwood City, CA USA (SFO/SJC)
Programs: 1K 2010, 1P in 2011, Plat for 2012,13,14,15 & 2016. Gold in 17 & 18, Plat since
Posts: 8,826
I've been able to log in after initially being told by the app that I wasn't part of the beta group. I played around with it a little and will probably try to make a purchase at some point in the near future.
After thinking further about this, I wonder how this is going to play out long term though. The potential increase in miles outstanding could be huge if this takes off. Which means further devaluations to the program by increasing reward ticket costs to compensate. I see this being a boon to users for the first year and then in 2016 the amount of miles required for reward flight starts approaching DL. I think the pain will be deflected by offering the "new ways to redeem miles" that were promised some time ago. E+, checked bags, Priority Access, etc. So we'll all have a ton more miles that won't get you flights, but will buy the add-ons that you used to get before PQDs pushed you down or out of Premier status.
After thinking further about this, I wonder how this is going to play out long term though. The potential increase in miles outstanding could be huge if this takes off. Which means further devaluations to the program by increasing reward ticket costs to compensate. I see this being a boon to users for the first year and then in 2016 the amount of miles required for reward flight starts approaching DL. I think the pain will be deflected by offering the "new ways to redeem miles" that were promised some time ago. E+, checked bags, Priority Access, etc. So we'll all have a ton more miles that won't get you flights, but will buy the add-ons that you used to get before PQDs pushed you down or out of Premier status.
Nov 24, 2014, 8:29 pm
#86
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PHL
Programs: UA Plat, 2MM
Posts: 1,860
Mileage Plus X I Failed to Allow Location
I downloaded the App and when I was configuring and it asked me to allow to find my location I made the mistake of saying NO, so now I cannot get my local listing of places to use it. I cannot find where to now allow my location to be seen. Can someone tell me where in the App tp allow this permission?
Thanks
Thanks
Nov 24, 2014, 8:33 pm
#87
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Posts: 10,909
I downloaded the App and when I was configuring and it asked me to allow to find my location I made the mistake of saying NO, so now I cannot get my local listing of places to use it. I cannot find where to now allow my location to be seen. Can someone tell me where in the App tp allow this permission?
Thanks
Thanks
Nov 24, 2014, 9:08 pm
#88
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,878
Nov 24, 2014, 9:23 pm
#89
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: EWR
Posts: 24
Does anyone know if it's possible to purchase a VGC using a store gift card?
Nov 24, 2014, 9:53 pm
#90
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Homosassa, FL & Ringwood, NJ -UA-G(Lifetime); SPG-Plat (Lifetime)
Posts: 6,120
My wife and I are both in the 'preview' group. She got an invitation and I did not. I will check out her's once she downloads it.