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

I had about 36k miles, and they deleted them, with no warning at all.
They offered to let me pay to reinstate them.
After all of United's problems recently, you'd think they would care a little more. But nope.
Well, I usually fly to Maui, and there are much better options (Hawaiian, Alaska/Virgin, etc), so who needs them, anyway?

They send lots of emails about expiring miles. And if yours expired that means you haven't been a UA customer in YEARS so you already moved on.

Mileage expiration is not only noted in communications from UA, but is noted on everyone's MP account page. Even if UA screwed up in communications, the information was at your fingertips. Mileage expiration at other carriers runs the same way. If you choose to ignore other airlines' notifications/statements/account page, you end up with the same result at the other airlines. And it sounds like you've had no use for United for the past 3 years anyway. UA has lie-flats to Maui this fall. Hawaiian/Virgin/Alaska are fine if you really don't travel much beyond their respective limited networks.

And in the event that the OP is interested in pursuing redemption options, this thread (and wiki) may help: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...2015-a-11.html

Sounds to me like, "given all the problems United been having in the press, I expected them to bend the rules for me. Or maybe have no rules at all."

Yeah! Especially when the OP has all of these other clubs ---

Programs: SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, Hyatt GP Plat, FPC, Alaskan, Hawaiian, AA, United, Elevate, Amex, Marriott.

I would check out the thread that OCN Vw 1K posted above. I seem to recall united giving the same response to someone who had SIGNIFICANTLY more than 36k miles (hundreds of thousands of miles if I recall correctly). You're not alone.

Don't rant, use the time the read the thread if you really want those 36k miles back.

Given lack of activity, shouldn't the thread title say "had" not "have"?

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?

Yes, actually. The pound was demonetized in the 60's; the continental European currencies in the early 00's; the Philippine peso (old banknote series) a few years ago; the Zimbabwean dollar, repeatedly...

Loyalty points are not currency. Personally, I don't care for UA's policy either, but it's a one-sided relationship. Companies make the rules, and consumers' options are whether or not to do business with that company.

If "miles never expire" is the most important criterion, I recommend DL.

I do agree. DL is way better in that way. I recently had to give my dad's account some activity, so I donated half his miles (only had a few thousand). So annoying.
And my friend asked about transferring out her Amex MR points, so she could close the account, and I said DL! They don't expire. Easy.

Yes, currency can become worthless. I have some old Francs and Lira sitting around that no longer are fungible.

Also, points aren't currency.

The OP screwed up and wanted UA to bend the rules. Didn't get that and came here with a useless rant. At least had the decency to put that in the thread title. :rolleyes:

Yeah, with all those premium level hotel memberships, how hard would it have been to change the awards earning for a hotel stay to United miles, or points + miles. Even if you only do it for one stay every couple years. Duh. That's a pretty easy way to keep the account active. Or, maybe buy something from Home Depot or FTD via MP Shopping?

Points are not cash in the bank. Don't expect them to be treated that way.

You knew enough about how to keep hotel points from expiring to call the timeshare salesmen liars. How could you have missed this one? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...l#post21619694

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

I have some too. Funny they may actually increase in value to coin and currency collectors somewhere down the road.

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.

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.)

They sent ZERO emails about expiring miles. I had the Visa card maybe 2 years ago.
They really SHOULD send emails, snail mail, or something, to alert you to expiring miles.

I flew United to Maui before, and was not impressed. Hawaiian/Virgin/Alaska are all much better. I rarely have need to visit the account page, and they don't allow AwardWallet to keep track.
There was ZERO communication from them. Last earned points less than 2 years ago.

I expected them to care. They don't. They don't warn you about expiring miles, and then offer to let you BUY them back.

If only I had known they were about to expire.

Did you have a point? Not at all related to my post.

There was no expiration date printed on the miles. Poor analogy.

Check your spam folder... or maybe you had a dormant email account listed? An old snailmail listed? UA always sends multiple notices for expiring miles.

Huh? RUles on UA site in your account section clearly say miles expire after 18 months of inactivity!

Anyway, with all the other loyalty programs and airlines out there, I don't need them, and will avoid them. They don't fly anywhere I want to go that some other, better airline doesn't also fly to. Even before their recent problems, they were probably the worst airline I've flown.

Expiration date is posted on everyone's account page. You've got to take just an iota of responsibility here.

Points are not a physical item with an expiration date printed on them.

Nope. They never sent anything. They have my email address, and they send me emails. Nothing about expiring miles.

LOL - but they DO!!! They clearly have an expiration date printed on them. They were never 'physical' items to begin with. So these virtual items had a virtual expiration date clearly printed. You chose to ignore it.

...and when I complained that they never warned me, they didn't say, "We sent you email(s) about that." Nope, they just told me how I could buy them back.
It's okay. I would have used them on merchandise or something (which makes the buy-back offer really a rip-off). I don't fly their airline anymore.
I just think they should make a little more effort to let people know their points are expiring. They obviously feel otherwise.

Again, for the one hundredth time - your account page shows expiration date. Hopefully you're not going to claim yours is the only one that doesn't. Threatening not to fly an airline that you haven't flown on for years is an empty threat.

LOL - but they DON'T!!!

Yeah, I sure blew it, not going to my account page every single day. SMH
Doesn't help that they changed the log in, making it more difficult to do that.

I had a heck of a time using my paper £5 notes last month in the UK. I ended up having to exchange them for plastic fivers at the post office.

I'd suggest the OP invest in AwardWallet or similar website where all of your points, programs, and expiry information is on one screen. No accidentally leaving money on the table with it.