TA

because this came up in another thread, and I have noticed that the info is a surprise to many members, perhaps it deserves its own thread.

for those who didn't know -- a public service announcement -- 1Ks traveling or living overseas can reach the US 1K number for free! And not talking about the country-specific general reservation numbers listed on boarding passes, etc -- but the real US-based 1K line.

Follow these instructions for reaching the US 1K call center for no cost overseas, using the international toll-free 1K access numbers here:

1. look up your country's AT&T toll free access number here: http://www.usa.att.com/traveler/index.jsp
2. call it, and dial the USA UA 1K number, i.e. the number you know by heart 800-xxx-xxxx. You will not need any access code or card number.
3. talk to USA based 1K agents for free, no charge!

I hope this is common knowledge... By the way, it was the large printed card included in your 1K info pack (which I suppose many people in the US, including me at first, assumed was just a not-so-useful list of foreign UA local-call reservation numbers)! I keep the AT&T website and a few of the intl access numbers in my bookmarks or written with me just in case when I travel.

seanthepilot

Wow, thanks. I'll give it a try.

A big PITA calling UA from Thailand, this will make a big difference.

LBsquared

maybe it should be added to the United FAQ sticky at top of forum and the UA wiki page so it's easier to find for all us soon to be 1Ks (just as soon as those pesky DEQMs post )

1P

This has worked well for me whenever I've been in Europe the past few months. One snag - if you're on hold for more than a couple of minutes, the connection seems to automatically shut down and you have to dial again - a nuisance when the CSA has to go and consult a supervisor about sorting out a problem.

holtju2

And when UA is actually paying $$$ for the calls you get to bypass the HAL and connected to a live human (not ICC one ) instantaneously.

ivoryboi

For some reason I can never get this to work for me - in several different countries - I always end up using Skype

cpx

those international access codes (for AT&T or any other company)
don't always work from all phones and rarely work from hotel
phones.

TA

I can report from my experience in at least one country, Australia, that it works just fine.

c.l.i.a

Thanks very much for sharing.

UnitedSkies

I've noticed from some countries, you can still dial 1-800 US numbers but they aren't toll-free, that is, you aren't prevented from calling in any way.

But great tip, OP!

SkiAdcock

Yeah, I dialed the 800 1K line from the UK in Feb when I was still 1K. It showed up on my cell phone bill. Wish I had known about this. Also I'm presuming it would work for the 1P 800# too.

Cheers.

TA

not sure -- it may be a 1K-only benefit. Maybe a 1P (or 1K) who is currently abroad could give it a try (the AT&T access # is a free call) and report whether the 1P US 800 # can be reached by this method too?

TA

I haven't noticed that in using it to date, but to keep it from hanging up, if you do find this happens, you might try pushing a touch tone button every few minutes to keep the connection "active", maybe?

UnitedA380

WOw thats GREAT thanks!

SkiAdcock

My 'guess' is that it's not a 1K thing since it's being done via the AT&T access #, but that's just a guess. Cheers.