FlyerTalk Forums - Consolidated UA PlusPoints Question & Answer Thread {Archive}

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Quote:

Originally Posted by iflyabunch (Post 31563467)

Apologies if this has already been covered... I upgraded an award ticket for a TATL flight next May using two GPUs. Does anyone know if I'll be reimbursed for these if I have to cancel the trip? I'm guessing the answer is no since they're 2019 GPU's, but I think the question is still valid for those doing this same thing for trips scheduled before the 2019 instruments expire on Jan 31, 2020. My understanding of the new policy is your Pluspoints will not be refunded if you have to cancel your upgraded trip, or did I get this wrong?

How did you use 2019 GPUs for a May 2020 trip?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch922455 (Post 31561400)

Me too. What I read is this seems great news for platinums not so for 1K. There will be more upgrade competition, people waitlisting more than they can clear, and now we will have to pay for the domestic upgrade if the intl leg does not clear. ?

i read it 100% differently. Plat if lucky might get to STL for one transcon or trip to Hawaii per year. That’s better than zero upgraded but not enough to even upgrade you + spouse one way on a vacation.

1Ks might be able to upgrade a few segments depending on STL pricing - maybe one domestic family vacation a year. That’s what UA is trying to do here - allow the non-GS customer at SFO or IAH to upgrade one special trip a year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gold23 (Post 31561827)

Each year I end up throwing away many of my RPU and usually a handful of GPU. I'm intrigued by the skip the waitlist option.... Most of my travel is business, where I can buy up front on anything longer than 2 hrs domestically. So my instruments are saved for that "one TATL" or cross-country flight I take with the family. I suspect the STW will only be available on the types of flights that GPUs used to be confirmed at booking, and everything else will be a waitlist. If that's the case, this is a significant downgrade. If, by chance, the SWL legitimately allows us to push through upgrades on fairly desirable flights (I'm not talking EWR-HNL over Christmas...more like EWR-FCO/NAP/BCN late June), then this is a boon for people like me. I'd blow all of my points on one of two of those trips and be thrilled with my status. It also would push me to keep 1K in the future....

+1. I assume that is UA intent - throw a bone to 1Ks at hubs who are otherwise shafted, but who knows

Quote:

Originally Posted by CO_Nonrev_elite (Post 31562063)

All of this is basically the same thing with a different name. The only part that interests me is finding out what the "skip the line" costs are. I have finished each year with over 30 certs expiring unused and unusable, so anything that allows them to be guaranteed is a good thing, but for those saying "oh, it will only be 2x or 3x normal price" are deluding themselves. United is not going to give me 10 free guaranteed Polaris trips per year

No I expect that most people are going to use them to upgrade their family on that one special vacation each year. A 1K with 100k EQM would not even be able to do that round trip TATL but maybe for Hawaii or Central America.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iflyabunch (Post 31563467)

You could not apply 1-31-2020 expiry GPUs to a trip in May 2020 unless there was a glitch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kmxu (Post 31563519)

You could not apply 1-31-2020 expiry GPUs to a trip in May 2020 unless there was a glitch.

This is probably right - I didn't realize I already have RPUs and GPUs that expire Jan 2021, so maybe they used some of those for the upgrades. Regardless, I think the question is still valid. Under the old system, if I cancel that trip, the GPUs go back into my inventory. Any idea what will happen when everything converts to points?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryman554 (Post 31562928)

Lets be absolutely clear because sometimes it iwll and sometimes it wont..

That's incorrect. It will be the rule 100% of the time in the specific situation discussed, where a 1K is deciding whether to use 80 points on a sub-W fare or 40 points on a W fare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iflyabunch (Post 31563542)

Nobody knows yet. But UA would looks like .......s if they didn't allow this for existing reservations booked before 9/24 (or whenever the announcement was)

My biggest concern with this points system is devaluation!
1RPU=20; 1GPU=40 points - for how long?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cesco.g (Post 31563738)

My biggest concern with this points system is devaluation!
1RPU=20; 1GPU=40 points - for how long?

It's easier not to worry about this too much as A. things constantly get devalued due to inflation, B. Keeping certs around does not mean it is immune to devaluation. UA could easily choose to give less certs next year which would have the same affect as raising the points for the equivalent cert. Just gonna take the flexibility as a win and if a competitor offers better value, than that's were the market will trend towards if enough people think upgrade structure matters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryman554 (Post 31563494)

I've also noticed that folks are talking about applying for UG within 24 hours / after checkin / whatever after Dec 4.

Can someone point me to where that's documented and how it actually works?

It's in the FAQ near the bottom

Quote:

Until when can I request a PlusPoints upgrade?

PlusPoints upgrades can be requested all the way until the cut-off time to check in for your flight. Previously, we only accepted new waitlist requests for Global Premier Upgrades and Regional Premier Upgrades up to 24 hours before departure. Waitlists for MileagePlus Upgrade Awards will continue to be accepted until 24 hours before departure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iflyabunch (Post 31563542)

.... Regardless, I think the question is still valid. Under the old system, if I cancel that trip, the GPUs go back into my inventory. Any idea what will happen when everything converts to points?

Samething (except it will come back as PlusPoints)

Quote:

In the case of a partial refund or itinerary cancellation, PlusPoints will be returned to the account from which they were redeemed. PlusPoints upgrade requests that have been upgraded on any flight within the request cannot be cancelled or changed.

What it appears you can not do is cancel the upgrade but keep the same flights.

Have seen some questions on this, but the lack of ability to cancel upgraded flights seems like a significant deval at the GS level. I (frequently) book an award reservation and apply GPUs if I see PN space for something I'm considering taking months in advance. If the vacation doesn't come together or we decide to go somewhere else, I refund the points and the GPUs. Not being able to do this would suck (esp since I'm often booking for a family of 5--losing 5 GPUs/200 PP+ points is not something I could stomach). Is that really something UA intended to do in this switchover?

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsmith (Post 31563897)

you can still do that unless you use the skip the waitlist function which is only for 1ks. UAInsider has clarified above that if you cancel or change the itinerary, you get the points back. What you cannot do is downgrade yourself on the same flight that you have already been upgraded on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsmith (Post 31563897)

Ditto. This is something I really hope they manage to grandfather for GS.

thanks--I hope thats the case (and read every one of the posts in this 29 page thread!). I didn't see that message from UAInsider. The FAQs say you don't get points back, but would love to know its only SkipUpgrades where you can't cancel (which makes sense to me)

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsmith (Post 31563949)

Post #184

Quote:

Originally Posted by UA Insider (Post 31559254)

That’s correct. Same day change always looks for the original ticketed class of service. Correct that if you same day change to other flights, the request is dropped and PlusPoints would be refunded back when you arrive at your destination. We are not taking away your ability to call in and cancel a standard PlusPoints request as you could do with GPU/RPU; we are pointing out that you will not have the ability to self-serve a cancel online once a request has been upgraded. Skip Waitlist upgrades, however, are not refundable or re-confirmable on other flights.