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(Rant) My UA miles expired, I have no use for United

(Rant) My UA miles expired, I have no use for United

Old Jun 29, 2017, 7:23 pm
  #16  
 
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My boss let 850k+ expire. I offered to pay the $2500 reinstatement fee and use them myself if he didn't want them. He's not that dumb. He paid it. He's already saved it twice over, and he still has 450k to go.

He didn't begrudge united at all -- he knew he hadn't been using them.
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 7:58 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
The difference is that you own the currency. You don't own the miles, or their 'value'.
Yeah, OP had an expiring right-to-use that he/she did not exercise. Sort of like getting a coupon in a cereal box, not using it in time, and then claim Proctor and Gamble (or whoever) didn't tell him/her about the expiration date printed on it. Except P&G won't let one re-buy the value of a $1 coupon for 75 cents.

Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Jun 29, 2017 at 8:21 pm
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 9:34 pm
  #18  
 
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I only had 2,500 United miles that are not worth it to me so they expire no harm no foul. I spent the last of my United miles a few years ago and called it quits back then. Now I am with Delta and love their program and I do have AA miles too. OP you have to wonder can you still get a one way Economy Award to/from Europe or a Round Trip US flight for 35,00 miles?

I would use my 35,000 for a one way Europe Award for a Trans Atlantic Cruise to return home from Europe on Lufthansa.
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 9:41 pm
  #19  
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You let them expire, have no use for UA, and say you have better options. What is the point of your post? Just move on and enjoy the greener grass elsewhere.
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 10:15 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by milepig
You let them expire, have no use for UA, and say you have better options. What is the point of your post? Just move on and enjoy the greener grass elsewhere.
He/she did say it was a rant. A rant was the point.
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Old Jun 29, 2017, 11:07 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
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Originally Posted by s0ssos
But to use an analogy: say you have some British pounds, but you haven't been to England in a few years. Do they just let them expire and become worthless?
I own a small amount of French Francs, Italian Lira, German marks, Irish punts, and other currency that "expired" and became worthless with the advent of the Euro. I had plenty of notice, like the OP.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 9:16 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by sbm12
Also, points aren't currency.
I disagree. Currency is only what is perceived as a value for the trading of goods. You can accumulate miles and trade them for airplane seats, TVs, magazines, etc. In the US they are not taxed, but that's not true in every country.



@ LondonElite "The difference is that you own the currency. You don't own the miles, or their 'value'."

You don't own currency. It's property of the issuing government.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 9:50 am
  #23  
 
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Hopefully, the "rant" has made the OP feel better
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 9:56 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by milepig
You let them expire, have no use for UA, and say you have better options. What is the point of your post? Just move on and enjoy the greener grass elsewhere.
Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
He/she did say it was a rant. A rant was the point.
Originally Posted by NH_Clark
Hopefully, the "rant" has made the OP feel better
Good point - it was a classic rant and I also hope he feels better having made it.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 10:02 am
  #25  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
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My son had a few thousand miles and i he received about 3 emails and at least 3 different mailings, warning him of expiration and giving options on how to keep them from expiring. I believe UA policy is to expire points if you have not earned or redeemed points in 18 months. So the OP basically would have had nothing to do with UA for a year and half. that is plenty of time to use the miles, even if you didn't want to do a big trip, could have flown to vegas for the day and back home

Btw, these points are an expense for a company that they have to keep on the books. if they simply let everyone accumulate points and never use them, this makes their financials look bad. this is why points expire
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 11:06 am
  #26  
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Originally Posted by gopony
Btw, these points are an expense for a company that they have to keep on the books. if they simply let everyone accumulate points and never use them, this makes their financials look bad. this is why points expire
Sure, but not every program makes points expire. And keeping them "on the books" isn't necessarily bad. It is a tradeoff compared to the perceived additional revenue generated through goodwill.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 12:28 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by gnetwerker
I own a small amount of French Francs, Italian Lira, German marks, Irish punts, and other currency that "expired" and became worthless with the advent of the Euro. I had plenty of notice, like the OP.
I have some too. Funny they may actually increase in value to coin and currency collectors somewhere down the road.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 12:43 pm
  #28  
 
Join Date: May 2010
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Hawaiian/Virgin/Alaska are fine if you really don't travel much beyond their respective limited networks.
This is true if you fly enough and your goal is the benifits of status, but for the occasional flyer whose goal is redeemable miles, like the OP, the AS program blows UA out of the water, unless you live in Micronesia or Canada.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 12:53 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Aliquot
This is true if you fly enough and your goal is the benifits of status, but for the occasional flyer whose goal is redeemable miles, like the OP, the AS program blows UA out of the water, unless you live in Micronesia or Canada.
United doesn't want "the occasional flyer whose goal is redeemable miles". As a matter of fact, UA, by the conversion to a dollar-based RDM scheme, proves that. The OP would have to spend a ton more than he/she originally did to accumulate the same number of miles. And at one flight every 3 years - good luck with that. By the time he/she has 'em back, they can't be redeemed for coffin transport.
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Old Jun 30, 2017, 1:05 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by sbm12
Sure, but not every program makes points expire. And keeping them "on the books" isn't necessarily bad. It is a tradeoff compared to the perceived additional revenue generated through goodwill.
True. Continental didn't. And after a decade of not flying at all, when a change in domicile ten years ago made it necessary for me to fly again, the ~24K or so miles that were still in my OnePass account from travel in the 1990s were the tipping point that led me to choose CO instead of AA. (At the time, United didn't serve the airport closest to my mom's home, so it wasn't even in the running.)
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