Kacee

Bingo!

Expect a continuous flow of (mostly justified) SFO lounge rant threads over the next nine months.

findark

$550*.

And meh. Both the Uber credit and the "airline fee" credit are an absolute pain to use, especially compared to the $300 statement credit toward all travel on the CSR. It's not $500 for the card, but I still am skeptical of the Amex Plat's value unless you're running enough airfare through it that 5x MR strongly beats 3x UR.

Kacee

Beg to differ. The credits are super easy to use. You charge, they credit. Uber comes right off the charge, airline credits are added to your statement within a matter of days.

In addition to $450 in credits, you get Centurion lounge access, SkyClub access, and National Executive status. Plus FHR access, and Hilton and SPG Gold if you don't already have status in those programs.

And if you're buying $15K a year in airline tix, 5x vs. 3x means an additional 30K MR points, worth in the range of $500-600.

rankourabu

So you paid BIG TIME 28 years ago for a United Club memebership.

Just be thankful United Clubs are still around, and you didnt waste your BIG TIME money.

findark

Fair - I was mostly alluding to the fact that the Uber credit is meted out monthly so you actually have to ride Uber every month (I don't - at least if on business travel it's direct billed; I rarely hire a car on personal travel and my Uber experiences have been very poor of late) and it's relatively difficult to manufacture value there. And the fact you have to cycle funds through travelbank is... silly. I don't charge $200/yr in organic "fees" either.

The soft perks are somewhat less for me as there is a lot of overlap with the other premier cards (I hold CSR and Prestige, the latter for 4NF), but perhaps the 5x > 3x is compelling enough to overcome all of it. Ironically I don't value CL access very highly, as in fact because SFO is my home base I don't spend that much lounge time there.

Kacee

Don't have to cycle through anything. It comes straight off your statement. I easily burn this in farelocks or change fees.

Gig103

I understand the complaint. Back when those memberships were offered, "United Club" was synonymous with "our airport lounges". Fast forward to today, and the UC are very crowded, so UA builds a new lounge - great!. But rather than build a new UC, they build a "Polaris" lounge which weasels them out of commitments. Even if OP had the credit card that gains him access, I'd side with him for being upset.

helvetic

Couldn't his wife guest him into the Polaris lounge or is that not a thing?

He's speaking about the temporary "Polaris access" lounge in the space that used to be the GFL. Only passengers ticketed in *A business class are allowed access. Club members are not.

docbert

OK, it's hard to know where to start with what's wrong with this statement...

Firstly, there is no "usual club at gt98". There was historically an International Flight Lounge (that you would not have had access to when travelling in Economy) near that gate, but no UC.

The "usual club" in the International Terminal (the one near security) is closed, but there are signs (and every time I've been there, UA staff) in front of that lounge directing to where the alternatives are.

There is no "Polaris club" lounge at SFO. The IFL has been re-tasked as a lounge for international business/first passengers (as the signs in front of both it and the old/closed international club location say). Given you were not in business/first, you obviously don't get access to that club.


You paid for access to the United Club lounges. You get access to the United Club lounges. Why do you think you should get more than you paid for?

There is no "Gt 68" lounge (unless you happen to have confused Dogpatch Cafe for a lounge?). I presume you mean the lounge between gates 69 and 70, which unfortunately is frequently crowded (especially with the international club closed) - next time I suggest you use the lounge opposite gate 71 as it is far less crowded in my experience.

You paid for life for United Club access (or more likely RCC access, which is the same thing as the RCC->UC was simply a name change). If United ever offers a life membership for Polaris lounges then you might be able to purchase that as well - but until then you're only going to get that you've paid for - access to UC's.

Business class passengers do not get to guest a passenger into any lounge.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

The Polaris Club and the United Clubs are different, just as the Global First Lounge and United Clubs are different. Were you admitted to the Global First Lounge when you were flying a domestic first ticket as a UC member? I'd suggest looking at the admittance rules for the Polaris Club so you can understand what the access policies are. There are 3 United Clubs open at SFO that you can access. I hope you didn't make too much of a misinformed scene at the reception desk

This is nonsense. United has operated the Global First Lounges at the same time as Red Carpet lounges and United Clubs - that was not "weasels out of commitments". Multiple United Clubs are available at SFO, and that's what the credit card and club memberships are good for. The Polaris Lounges are being built, in part, to replace the GFLs for front-cabin long-haul customers.

I'd be a poor CSR at a Polaris lounge reception desk with all the DYKWIA blowhards who are sure they know they're entitled to entry because they have a UC membership even though nowhere is a UC sign. Lack of knowledge is a fuse for a lot of avoidable confrontations.

sfonorth

I had a domestic flight (economy) out of the SFO international terminal to IAD then connected to a flight to AMS in Polaris Business. I tried to enter to the lounge based on the same day flight in Business class but was denied entry at G98 because my first flight was in economy. Was this correct?

Kacee

Probably not but there are no official published rules for the new lounge. If it were a Polaris lounge, you would have been entitled to access.

I would probably complain to 1kvoice.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

I think the response will just be an "apology for the inconvenience, but limited space has forced us to restrict admittance".

restlessinRNO

Given the current crowded conditions, I really don't think this is unreasonable.

Kacee

That doesn't mean it's not complaint worthy. This fiasco is due entirely to UA's poor planning.