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Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions, Experiences [2022]

Old Dec 31, 2021, 11:08 pm
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Last edit by: st530
United Global Services ("GS") is the highest tier of MileagePlus elite status. It is by invitation only, reviewed annually -- the invite criteria is not public but seems to require substantial annual spending with UA both in terms of absolute dollar amounts and purchasing higher fare classes (higher cpm - cents per mile). There are also reports of GS status being comped by UA Marketing to VIPs in companies who sign corporate travel deals with UA, and also to those individuals that purchase an annual PassPlus enrollment of $50k or greater. The sole published way to qualify is to become a 4MM, having flown 4 million BIS miles on UA metal (plus additional grandfathered credits at the time of the UA/CO merger).
GS have enhanced services / benefits over 1Ks. There is little said publicly by UA on GS benefits and/or qualification.
Last year's thread, Consolidated Global Services Thread - Qualifications, Benefits and Q & A [2021]


Known facts concerning qualification and eligibility from United:
Quote:
Global Services recognizes the extraordinary dedication of our top flyers. We consider a number of factors beyond the usual Premier-qualifying criteria.
We look at your travel spend on United-operated flights relative to that of other top Premier flyers over recent consecutive years.
Usually, members invited to Global Services tend to consistently purchase premium cabins or fully refundable tickets.

Published Benefits
Full detail of published benefits can be found at https://mystatus.united.com/gs [MP credentials login required, existing GS only]
Shortlist (incremental/different to 1K):
  • Dedicated phone number with fastest pickup times, and generally by specially-trained GS agents. Some exceptions occur, especially during busy periods (such as when weather waivers are in effect)
  • Dedicated email address for MileagePlus and other inquiries, usually answered personally within hours
  • Dedicated check-in at main airport stations, including private Global Reception centers at major hubs, providing priority TSA security access. May bring guests/companions into Global Reception areas or dedicated GS checkin lanes who are traveling on same itinerary as GS member.
  • Instrument-supported upgrades (PlusPoints or miles) clear into PN class rather than PZ class for other elite tiers, which usually have much better availability. Instruments drawn from the GS member account and applied to other reservations will also clear into PN class.
  • Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) cleared beginning 120 hours prior to flight departure (versus 96 hours for 1K) for GS member and up to one other traveling on same PNR
  • Highest-priority when waitlisted for Upgrades, Award Travel, and Sold-out Flight Availability. GS members clear before any other status level or full-fare customers.
  • Priority Boarding, among the first to board the aircraft (currently after unaccompanied minors, people with disabilities and/or need more time boarding, Active-Duty Military, and prior to families with children under age of 2)
  • Priority handling in event of IRROPS, including next flight guarantee in case of re-accommodation, overseen by dedicated team of location-based GS Customer Service Agents (identified via gold scarves/ties)
  • Mercedes-Benz Tarmac Transfer for tight connections between flights at major hubs (cannot be requested in advance)
  • Access to United Arrivals Lounge at SFO when arriving from international flight, regardless of cabin class (no guests permitted) Closed
  • Access to Arrivals Lounge at LHR T2 when arriving from inbound UA-operated intercontinental flight, regardless of cabin (no guests permitted, must present Boarding Pass or physical GS card)
  • Access to Lufthansa / Swiss Welcome (arrival) Lounges in FRA and ZRH for same-day inbound UA intercontinental flight, regardless of cabin (no guests permitted, must present physical GS card)
  • Effective January 2021, GS members who do not have a United Club membership may access United Clubs on domestic itineraries, but no guests are permitted.
Additional Known Award and Upgrade Benefits (many unpublished)

Most benefits noted below require calling a GS agent:
  • GS can create saver economy award space (XN) if T inventory is available. United-operated flights only. Update 12 Dec 2018: Only for GS member + 1 companion.
  • GS can create saver business award space (IN) if PZ inventory is available. United-operated flights only. Update 12 Dec 2018: Only for GS member + 1 companion.
  • GS can upgrade economy awards (XN or YN) into Business / First with PlusPoints if PN inventory is available. United-operated flights only. Can now be completed online/via the app, in most circumstances.
  • GS can confirm any waitlisted instrument-supported upgrade (miles/co-pay or PlusPoints) within T-72 hours to flight departure provided at least 2 (two) J class premium seats remain for sale after the upgrade is processed and they are at the top of the waitlist.
  • GS are entitled to one Saver Award seat in the same class of service for one segment of the itinerary with their purchase of any premium cabin fare. GS agents can open space if it is not available provided that at least 2 seats remain for sale afterwards. United-operated flights only.
  • GS can upgrade a companion with an instrument (PlusPoints or miles) from Economy to Business / First when flying on a paid premium cabin fare, even if PZ or PN is not available, as long as J > 2 after upgrade processed. Companion needs to be ticketed in W class or higher on international cash fare itineraries, or ticketed in X/XN for upgrades from award tickets.
  • (Note: Only ONE of the two above options can be exercised per premium fare purchased, and for one segment in the itinerary, per caveats noted below. GS traveler must remain in same itinerary as companion)
  • GS can buy up from Basic Economy fares, which is usually forbidden
  • GS can access VIP Lounges (former Global First Lounges) in NRT, LHR, and HKG when booked in Polaris Business on an international itinerary. One guest permitted (two guests if a United Club member). Not accessed if booked in United Economy. (Note: VIP Lounges in NRT and HKG remain closed due to Covid-19; LHR VIP now open.)
Reported caveats & YMMV situations on unpublished benefits
  • Post 12/12/2018, agents have been instructed to grant only one "exception" when opening award space for a companion. Thus, you can open T->XN for a companion, or you can force a companion upgrade into PN, but you can't convert T->XN and then force clear an upgrade into PN. Some have reported success by requesting this in two separate calls.
  • Some agents will allow GS to open economy award space for a companion to allow for an upgrade with an instrument, even if XN or T are unavailable
  • According to GS Customer Service, a GS on a paid coach fare using an instrument will clear into Polaris business before a lower-status passenger with a paid PremiumPlus fare (i.e. O, A, R). In other words, for example, a paid O, A, R for a 1K will not give higher priority than a GS with a W fare if both are using 40 PlusPoints. This is true even on the gate waitlist.
  • Post 12/12/2019, agents have been instructed that they can only grant a companion exception for one segment per round trip journey. Thus, if you have a roundtrip premium fare, they will only open saver space, or force an upgrade, for one segment. This means you must either waitlist (if upgrading) or use a standard award, for the remaining segments.
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Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions, Experiences [2022]

Old May 21, 2022, 3:27 pm
  #451  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: DEN/OGG
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 1,482
Originally Posted by Kleinnaf
I absolutely love the GS team in LHR!

​​​​
yep they are great. Had the dreaded SSSS yesterday and they made it a wonderful experience including a seated spot directly at the jet bridge after the explosives test was done
Plane-is-home is offline  
Old May 23, 2022, 9:05 am
  #452  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K | Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 458
Had a surprisingly good experience on a short flight out of CMH the other day. Didn't get upgraded but after departure the First class FA came over to me in economy, thanked me for my business and asked if I needed anything (they were only doing water service in economy). She grabbed a white wine for me and was consistently checking on me while working the First class cabin throughout the flight. Ended up giving her one of those GS compliment cards at the end of the flight and she seemed ecstatic. I still have no idea if they do anything...

Anyway, at least on flights with few GS, this is what I would always hope for service wise but rarely get. Seems to take little incremental effort on behalf of the FA's but makes a huge memorable impression. Challenging to ensure consistency when most of the workforce doesn't feel like going above and beyond but what an impact the front line folks could make on GS if they all did this.
iluv2fly, wxguy, craftyabs and 3 others like this.
n8-the-gr8 is offline  
Old May 23, 2022, 11:28 am
  #453  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DEN
Posts: 60
Glad to hear you had a good experience. I too wonder what the GS compliment cards do if anything for the recipient?
Raven139AS is offline  
Old May 23, 2022, 11:43 am
  #454  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston
Programs: UA GS 2.6MM & Lifetime UC, Qantas Platinum, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum, HawaiianMiles
Posts: 8,634
Originally Posted by n8-the-gr8
Had a surprisingly good experience on a short flight out of CMH the other day. Didn't get upgraded but after departure the First class FA came over to me in economy, thanked me for my business and asked if I needed anything (they were only doing water service in economy). She grabbed a white wine for me and was consistently checking on me while working the First class cabin throughout the flight. Ended up giving her one of those GS compliment cards at the end of the flight and she seemed ecstatic. I still have no idea if they do anything...

Anyway, at least on flights with few GS, this is what I would always hope for service wise but rarely get. Seems to take little incremental effort on behalf of the FA's but makes a huge memorable impression. Challenging to ensure consistency when most of the workforce doesn't feel like going above and beyond but what an impact the front line folks could make on GS if they all did this.
Gave one to the FA on IAH-MIA the other day, always keep some with me, although extremely rarely needed. I used to give one to Annie at SYD every time I saw her
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kirkwoodj is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 3:30 pm
  #455  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: UA 1MM 1K/AF Plat/Marriott Titanium/Hertz PC (who isn't?)/National Exec Elite/CFA Signature
Posts: 193
A new one, at least to me: 4 seats open in J within 72 hours of departure, Im number one on the upgrade list so I call to get cleared (waitlisted from W with +P).
The agent gets it done but makes a point of checking my outbound which I had flown in paid J. And goes on to say that the only reason she can force clear the return is because I did not get upgraded on the outbound already. I did not challenge it because I was getting what I wanted anyway, and because I wasnt sure if this is a known thing that I just had somehow missed, but if not and if the agent was correct, that would be another unfortunate extension of the Special GS benefit on one segment only rule.
Gate45 is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 3:47 pm
  #456  
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,965
Originally Posted by Gate45
A new one, at least to me: 4 seats open in J within 72 hours of departure, I’m number one on the upgrade list so I call to get cleared (waitlisted from W with +P).
The agent gets it done but makes a point of checking my outbound which I had flown in paid J. And goes on to say that the only reason she can force clear the return is because I did not get upgraded on the outbound already. I did not challenge it because I was getting what I wanted anyway, and because I wasn’t sure if this is a known thing that I just had somehow missed, but if not and if the agent was correct, that would be another unfortunate extension of the “Special GS benefit on one segment only” rule.
On ORD-LHR on Thursday, using PP on a W fare. Return cleared about a month ago. Lots of open seats. Original outbound had only a few J seats left, so I switched flights to one that had 7 J seats. At 72 hours, I was number one. Asked to have it forced. No problem and it was done immediately, no hesitation whatsoever. So I'm hoping this is a one-off situation.
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iluv2fly is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 5:09 pm
  #457  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,819
Originally Posted by Gate45
A new one, at least to me: 4 seats open in J within 72 hours of departure, Im number one on the upgrade list so I call to get cleared (waitlisted from W with +P).
The agent gets it done but makes a point of checking my outbound which I had flown in paid J. And goes on to say that the only reason she can force clear the return is because I did not get upgraded on the outbound already. I did not challenge it because I was getting what I wanted anyway, and because I wasnt sure if this is a known thing that I just had somehow missed, but if not and if the agent was correct, that would be another unfortunate extension of the Special GS benefit on one segment only rule.
Thank you for posting this. It is hard to believe UA has a guideline like this. If anything, it seems to indicate that GS agents can freely decide whether they want to help you or not. If I received several upgrades in a row, I may be denied an upgrade by a GS agent because I have received more benefit than what UA intended?
PanAmWT is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 6:39 pm
  #458  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO / LHR
Programs: UA GS 2.2MM / UC / AS Gold 75K / Bonvoy Plat / Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,018
Originally Posted by iluv2fly
On ORD-LHR on Thursday, using PP on a W fare. Return cleared about a month ago. Lots of open seats. Original outbound had only a few J seats left, so I switched flights to one that had 7 J seats. At 72 hours, I was number one. Asked to have it forced. No problem and it was done immediately, no hesitation whatsoever. So I'm hoping this is a one-off situation.
Same here with me, no problems on recent items. However, they will refuse to clear WL PP+ for a companion if you are not traveling on the flight. They used to clear if they were #1, but they won't do this any more. One recently acerbic agent went on a scolding rant about how Global Services members are always trying to bend the rules. I laughed, and said from our side there is so little value left in the Global Services program, it's surprising there is anything left to bend.

The other example here sounds like a badly trained agent who is confused on the GS upgrade parameters, which happens often. It is funny to HUCA and call in and get a good agent, and to hear what the prior agent noted as Remarks in your record about the prior call. This is still why my list of "Good" and "Bad" agents is still really helpful ... you can quickly not waste your time if you hear a name match.
greenpau is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 7:41 pm
  #459  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: New York City
Programs: UA GS 1MM
Posts: 387
Originally Posted by greenpau
Same here with me, no problems on recent items. However, they will refuse to clear WL PP+ for a companion if you are not traveling on the flight. They used to clear if they were #1, but they won't do this any more. One recently acerbic agent went on a scolding rant about how Global Services members are always trying to bend the rules. I laughed, and said from our side there is so little value left in the Global Services program, it's surprising there is anything left to bend.

The other example here sounds like a badly trained agent who is confused on the GS upgrade parameters, which happens often. It is funny to HUCA and call in and get a good agent, and to hear what the prior agent noted as Remarks in your record about the prior call. This is still why my list of "Good" and "Bad" agents is still really helpful ... you can quickly not waste your time if you hear a name match.

Ive cleared non GS people traveling with my Plus Points that were #1 recently.

I hope it hasnt changed. Im flying Sunday with 4 family members. I already forced upgrade for 1 at booking and was hoping to get 1 confirmed Thursday as it is J3.

Lets see what they say and consider that an other exception.
benewr is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 7:45 pm
  #460  
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,965
Originally Posted by benewr
Ive cleared non GS people traveling with my Plus Points that were #1 recently.

I hope it hasnt changed. Im flying Sunday with 4 family members. I already forced upgrade for 1 at booking and was hoping to get 1 confirmed Thursday as it is J3.

Lets see what they say and consider that an other exception.
I did exactly what you want to do yesterday. Not an issue with my agent.
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iluv2fly is offline  
Old May 25, 2022, 9:47 am
  #461  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
Programs: UA Global Services 3.2 MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 2,480
Originally Posted by benewr
Ive cleared non GS people traveling with my Plus Points that were #1 recently.

I hope it hasnt changed. Im flying Sunday with 4 family members. I already forced upgrade for 1 at booking and was hoping to get 1 confirmed Thursday as it is J3.

Lets see what they say and consider that an other exception.
I tried this for a friend yesterday (he's #1 on the UG list with my PPs and 4 J seats for sale) but was told I have to be on the flight as well (which I'm not).
st530 is offline  
Old May 25, 2022, 1:39 pm
  #462  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 10,000
Originally Posted by st530
I tried this for a friend yesterday (he's #1 on the UG list with my PPs and 4 J seats for sale) but was told I have to be on the flight as well (which I'm not).
It worked last year, but not this year.

Agents always told me that I have to be on the flight.
kb1992 is offline  
Old May 26, 2022, 5:19 pm
  #463  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: New York City
Programs: UA GS 1MM
Posts: 387
Originally Posted by iluv2fly
I did exactly what you want to do yesterday. Not an issue with my agent.
It was just refused to me because I had already forced one !!





And again with an other agent ! There is no space available . Even if it’s J3 … 😡😡
m

Last edited by WineCountryUA; May 26, 2022 at 7:13 pm Reason: merging consecutive / update posts by same member
benewr is offline  
Old May 26, 2022, 8:04 pm
  #464  
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SDF
Programs: -=- UA: GS + 3.9 Million Miler; Hilton: Diamond; Marriott: Gold; Hertz: President's Circle
Posts: 676
Misconnected in EWR due to taking 75min from touchdown to reaching a gate due to a cluster of errors on UA's part. Missed last flight of the night. No GS agent in site. No auto rebooking to the next AM's flight. Had to chase down a gate agent to get rebooked. Had to be forceful to get some meal vouchers from the gate agent.

I miss the pre-COVID days when at least GS in EWR somewhat tried with GS.
Live4Upgrade is offline  
Old May 26, 2022, 8:13 pm
  #465  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA 1k (12 year fallen GS) 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,190
Originally Posted by Live4Upgrade
Misconnected in EWR due to taking 75min from touchdown to reaching a gate due to a cluster of errors on UA's part. Missed last flight of the night. No GS agent in site. No auto rebooking to the next AM's flight. Had to chase down a gate agent to get rebooked. Had to be forceful to get some meal vouchers from the gate agent.

I miss the pre-COVID days when at least GS in EWR somewhat tried with GS.
Ugh - can only imagine -- two days ago the "A" team at EWR directed our already late 787 flight after landing from FRA to a C gate that couldn't handle a 787 -- 40 minutes later we arrived a C135 and so many passengers now had connection issues -- we were met by no one, no one at UA cared, and that's UA - welcome to EWR!
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