UA PlusPoints / Upgrades for sale on ebay ...(Warning these are not sanctioned by UA)
#16
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,341
#17
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,617
Ohhhh, harsh! FT abounds with stories of even GS members getting all MP membership/status/miles pulled. One guy was getting an attorney. Just stay away, far away, from selling. Besides, I can't even gift them away to family. I have posted numerous times at my frustration with that. Most family members have little to no status with UA so they never (almost) clear them. It is at time embarrassing, I just tell them it is how the game is played with UA.
#18
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,993
Ohhhh, harsh! FT abounds with stories of even GS members getting all MP membership/status/miles pulled. One guy was getting an attorney. Just stay away, far away, from selling. Besides, I can't even gift them away to family. I have posted numerous times at my frustration with that. Most family members have little to no status with UA so they never (almost) clear them. It is at time embarrassing, I just tell them it is how the game is played with UA.
Positive eBay feedback is easy to buy, so scam sellers with good feedback scores were/are offering GPUs as "Travel Advice". When you win the auction, the seller sends you an email after you pay (and they have all of your info) , threatening to send your info to UA corporate security, whereupon you will lose your account, unless you pay them an additional fee in Bitcoin or cash card numbers. They also threaten that if you give them bad feedback, they will follow through on their threat.
Play this game at your own risk.
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,450
Heard about a new scam on eBay that a client's corporation was victimized by:
Positive eBay feedback is easy to buy, so scam sellers with good feedback scores were/are offering GPUs as "Travel Advice". When you win the auction, the seller sends you an email after you pay (and they have all of your info) , threatening to send your info to UA corporate security, whereupon you will lose your account, unless you pay them an additional fee in Bitcoin or cash card numbers. They also threaten that if you give them bad feedback, they will follow through on their threat.
Positive eBay feedback is easy to buy, so scam sellers with good feedback scores were/are offering GPUs as "Travel Advice". When you win the auction, the seller sends you an email after you pay (and they have all of your info) , threatening to send your info to UA corporate security, whereupon you will lose your account, unless you pay them an additional fee in Bitcoin or cash card numbers. They also threaten that if you give them bad feedback, they will follow through on their threat.
#20
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 4,508
#21
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA MM 1K, AA MM Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 3,235
Ohhhh, harsh! FT abounds with stories of even GS members getting all MP membership/status/miles pulled. One guy was getting an attorney. Just stay away, far away, from selling. Besides, I can't even gift them away to family. I have posted numerous times at my frustration with that. Most family members have little to no status with UA so they never (almost) clear them. It is at time embarrassing, I just tell them it is how the game is played with UA.
#22
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,268
Ohhhh, harsh! FT abounds with stories of even GS members getting all MP membership/status/miles pulled. One guy was getting an attorney. Just stay away, far away, from selling. Besides, I can't even gift them away to family. I have posted numerous times at my frustration with that. Most family members have little to no status with UA so they never (almost) clear them. It is at time embarrassing, I just tell them it is how the game is played with UA.
It's certainly a game. UA claims they are losing thousands of dollars (equiv of a full fare J seat) on a GPU, but they don't mention how difficult they are to actually use, you've already paid for a Y seat, you may have paid a copay "W fare", you've given them $12k+ of your business, you might be filling a seat that would have gone out empty, you might be opening up a Y seat they can now sell and make additional revenue, etc.
Same here, I've never met a GS that didnt know he was a GS though.
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
If so, it's a game where UA is allowed to set the rules, and the traveler's rights are to play by those rules or to take their business elsewhere.
#24
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,993
#25
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
#27
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NYC, LON
Programs: *
Posts: 2,771
This is not totally correct. Nothing stops you from giving away a GPU (though is a hassle as you infer) and GPUs can be applied after a booking.
#28
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,268
Nonsense. The courts have repeatedly refused to intervene in airline status / frequent flyer cases. UA would (successfully) claim that the card and voucher aren't the traveler's property. The law would be the same in either case.
If so, it's a game where UA is allowed to set the rules, and the traveler's rights are to play by those rules or to take their business elsewhere.
If so, it's a game where UA is allowed to set the rules, and the traveler's rights are to play by those rules or to take their business elsewhere.
But I'll try to get back on topic...
I'm not sure where my statement is incorrect. You can't give a GPU to someone. I cant take one of my GPU's and transfer it to someone else's account for them to use as they please. I can only "apply" a GPU after one has made a booking. If I walk down the street and see a bum on the street, I can give him a dollar and its no big deal to me. If he instead says, "come back with that dollar in a few hours/days/weeks when I need to spend it", I probably will not give him the dollar. It's just another way that makes GPU's harder to use.
#29
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,993
I'm not sure where my statement is incorrect. You can't give a GPU to someone. I cant take one of my GPU's and transfer it to someone else's account for them to use as they please. I can only "apply" a GPU after one has made a booking. If I walk down the street and see a bum on the street, I can give him a dollar and its no big deal to me. If he instead says, "come back with that dollar in a few hours/days/weeks when I need to spend it", I probably will not give him the dollar. It's just another way that makes GPU's harder to use.
Many years ago, when I first started doing some major business with a San Francisco real estate magnate, he found out that I was an international (PE at the time) UA flyer and opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of paper SWUs and told me how they worked. He told me that I should be able to upgrade any international flight, and it was just as easy as he said. For many years, until I made 1K myself, I flew business on almost every international flight courtesy of my business associate. Every now and then, a RA, TA or GA would ask me how I got the SWUs and, once I told them, everything was fine. In those days, the agents were very proactive in giving me advice on how to find flights with UG space, but it was also far easier to UG then.
He also gave me bunches of Hyatt certificates (suite UGs and free nights) that got me hooked on Hyatt until the recent devaluation.
Last edited by zombietooth; Sep 18, 2018 at 5:51 pm
#30
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,217
This brings back some fond memories for me:
Many years ago, when I first started doing some major business with a San Francisco real estate magnate, he found out that I was a international (PE at the time) UA flyer and opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of paper SWUs and told me how they worked. He told me that I should be able to upgrade any international flight, and it was just as easy as he said. For many years, until I made 1K myself, I flew business on almost every international flight courtesy of my business associate. Every now and then, a RA, TA or GA would ask me how I got the SWUs and, once I told them, everything was fine. In those days, the agents were very proactive in giving me advice on how to find flights with UG space, but it was also far easier to UG then.
He also gave me bunches of Hyatt certificates (suite UGs and free nights) that got me hooked on Hyatt until the recent devaluation.
Many years ago, when I first started doing some major business with a San Francisco real estate magnate, he found out that I was a international (PE at the time) UA flyer and opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of paper SWUs and told me how they worked. He told me that I should be able to upgrade any international flight, and it was just as easy as he said. For many years, until I made 1K myself, I flew business on almost every international flight courtesy of my business associate. Every now and then, a RA, TA or GA would ask me how I got the SWUs and, once I told them, everything was fine. In those days, the agents were very proactive in giving me advice on how to find flights with UG space, but it was also far easier to UG then.
He also gave me bunches of Hyatt certificates (suite UGs and free nights) that got me hooked on Hyatt until the recent devaluation.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 18, 2018 at 11:54 am Reason: Let's aviod non-allowed requests, even in jest