Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Discontinued Programs/Partners > United Mileage Plus (Pre-Merger)
Reload this Page >

Up to 2,500 Bonus Miles - American Cellars Wine Club

Up to 2,500 Bonus Miles - American Cellars Wine Club

 
Old Dec 15, 2010, 4:52 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Up to 2,500 Bonus Miles - American Cellars Wine Club

Two offers, one for Elites or MP Visa members, another for general members:

Elite/MP Visa:
http://www.vinesse.com/ualelem1210/
2,500 bonus miles for first shipment ($42* total for 6 bottles) plus 7 miles/dollar. Appears one can cancel anytime after first shipment. $0.015/mile

*$42 may be slightly higher depending on if sales tax or shipping surcharge applies to your state - landing page has details

General offer:
http://www.vinesse.com/ualgeem1210/
Similar terms but 2,000 bonus miles and 5 miles/dollar spent. (on the .bomb page for this offer there appears to be a typo that in one spot states 2,500 miles of general members. But the above signup page is clearly stating 2,000.)

Valid thru 13 Jan 2011. I like wine but am not enough of an enthusiast to know if any of their products are worth the bother or not. May give it a shot for the cheap first shipment and mile.

Hope it may be of interest to some folks
84fiero is offline  
Old Dec 15, 2010, 7:01 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SEA
Posts: 96
Yeah, I saw this offer too, and am thinking about giving it a shot. I would really like some input though, if anyone has tried these wines before.
rbcar3 is offline  
Old Dec 17, 2010, 8:03 am
  #3  
RNE
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
I'm surprised there isn't more conversation about this offer. I too am considering it, but only to get the miles.

Some concerns:
  • "All wines are sold in California and title passes to the buyer in California. The buyer is solely responsible for the shipment of wines. By placing this order with us, you authorize Vinesse, Inc. to act on your behalf in processing this order, including engaging a common carrier to deliver it." If the bottles break in shipment, I get nothing?
  • "Miles will be posted within 8 weeks of enrollment date." Will they post, if I cancel enrollment after the first shipment (which would be long before 8 weeks)?
  • Do I have to use my United Mileage Plus card to pay for membership?

EDIT: To discover the answers to my insightful questions, I decided to bite the bullet and join American Cellars Wine Club. I did use my MP card, but it didn't seem I had to. Their membership form suggests you give a business address (e.g. your workplace) for delivery, because someone 21+ must sign for booze. Just thought I'd mention this in case you work for or with judgmental teetotalers.

Below is the club's welcome to me. I'll let you know how it goes from here.

RNE, Welcome to the Club!
We have received your information and will initialize your membership immediately. Your first shipment will arrive shortly (5-14 days).
Your member number is: XXXXXXXXX
Along with your wine, you can expect:
Wine Tasting Notes on all Wines Included in Your Shipments
New Member Benefit Information
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Thanks again for joining the club. We know you are going to love your wine selections.

Last edited by RNE; Dec 17, 2010 at 8:52 am Reason: Update
RNE is offline  
Old Dec 17, 2010, 8:58 am
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Originally Posted by RNE
Some concerns:
  • "All wines are sold in California and title passes to the buyer in California. The buyer is solely responsible for the shipment of wines. By placing this order with us, you authorize Vinesse, Inc. to act on your behalf in processing this order, including engaging a common carrier to deliver it." If the bottles break in shipment, I get nothing?
  • "Miles will be posted within 8 weeks of enrollment date." Will they post, if I cancel enrollment after the first shipment (which would be long before 8 weeks)?
  • Do I have to use my United Mileage Plus card to pay for membership?

EDIT: To discover the answers to my insightful questions, I decided to bite the bullet and join American Cellars Wine Club. I did use my MP card. Below is their welcome. I'll let you know how it goes from here.

RNE, Welcome to the Club!
We have received your information and will initialize your membership immediately. Your first shipment will arrive shortly (5-14 days).
Your member number is: XXXXXXXXX
Along with your wine, you can expect:
Wine Tasting Notes on all Wines Included in Your Shipments
New Member Benefit Information
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Thanks again for joining the club. We know you are going to love your wine selections.
Yeah I'm going to as well, what the heck.

The wording isn't crystal clear on if you have to remain a member...but I'm reading this from the T&Cs as hopefully requiring only staying through the first shipment: "Member will receive 2,500 bonus award miles with their first wine club shipment" Since it mentions nothing about continued membership, I think I'd at least have a reasonable argument if I had any trouble.
84fiero is offline  
Old Dec 20, 2010, 11:28 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SEA
Posts: 96
Originally Posted by 84fiero
Yeah I'm going to as well, what the heck.

The wording isn't crystal clear on if you have to remain a member...but I'm reading this from the T&Cs as hopefully requiring only staying through the first shipment: "Member will receive 2,500 bonus award miles with their first wine club shipment" Since it mentions nothing about continued membership, I think I'd at least have a reasonable argument if I had any trouble.
I just signed up. As far as I can tell, it says "2500 miles with enrollment", so I take that to mean you can cancel after the first shipment, and still receive the miles.
rbcar3 is offline  
Old Dec 28, 2010, 3:57 pm
  #6  
RNE
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
December 17:
"Thank you for joining American Cellars Wine Club. Your First Shipment should arrive in the next 7-10 days."

December 28:
8:00 AM: Ten days have gone by without any word from ACWC. I reply to ACWC's welcome e-mail only to get a bounce back, saying in part, "Your message has reached an unattended mailbox. You may have your customer service questions and requests helped immediately by calling our toll free Member Services hotline at (800) 823-5527 during service hours, which are seven days a week from 5:00am to 6:00pm Pacific Time."

OK. I'm in the Eastern time zone, so 8 o'clock my time is 5 o'clock Pacific time. I pick up the phone and call the number. A recorded message informs me that their office does not open until 8:00am (not 5:00am) Pacific time. I look for a customer service e-mail address (other than the "welcome" one) and cannot find any. OK. I'll wait until 11 o'clock and then call.

10:00 AM: My company's mail lady appears at the door to my 4000 sq. ft. mahogany-paneled office* with a box on a dolly. Whoopee! Inside the well-packed, oversized box I find six bottles of wine. ACWC gets kudos on the packing job; keep in mind, you own the wine before it's shipped to you so if a soggy box shows up, I'm not sure who (if anyone) covers the breakage. By the way, I received two bottles each of three different wines, not six different bottles. Also enclosed were a nice wine pamphlet and description cards for each wine. ^

*Description of possible office. Actual office may be 16 sq. feet, lined with particleboard and cluttered with brooms.

11:00 AM: I call ACWC and ask to cancel my membership. After a brief rigmarole, that is done, but I had to ask for a confirmation number. Shouldn't have to ask for that.

Aside from the poor customer communication and lengthy delivery (admittedly, the Christmas holiday and bad weather may have had something to do with that) my only real complaint is the fact that only three (not six) different wines were sent. I was thinking I would receive six different wines. Anyway, let me know what you get.

Meanwhile, TSMRSRNE and I shall enjoy a California white wine with dinner tonight. I'll tell her I ordered it as a surprise Christmas gift for her, but it arrived late. Heh, heh. ^

RNE, saying, "I'll let you know if/when I get the 2500 miles."
RNE is offline  
Old Dec 28, 2010, 4:53 pm
  #7  
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,012
Mine also arrived today. They ought to have sent a shipping notice e-mail, but I wasn't expecting anything until possibly after New Year's as well.

The selection (I chose all reds, so I got 2 bottles each of 3x different reds) seems to be decent stuff, though the proof will be in the tasting. No miles yet, but I'm not expecting them for up to another 3-4 weeks.


Originally Posted by RNE
ACWC gets kudos on the packing job; keep in mind, you own the wine before it's shipped to you so if a soggy box shows up, I'm not sure who (if anyone) covers the breakage.
I would expect you'd refuse delivery and UPS would eat the cost (it would be ACWC who files the insurance claim with UPS). If you didn't get a chance to refuse delivery (e.g. someone else signed for the delivery and didn't bother to note the damage), you'd have to work it out with ACWC I believe.


Originally Posted by RNE
By the way, I received two bottles each of three different wines, not six different bottles.
I believe that was buried somewhere in the T&C. You'd get 6 different bottles if you didn't limit to reds or whites--limiting to either one got you 2 bottles of each of the 3 of that color. But easily overlooked, that's for sure.


Originally Posted by RNE
11:00 AM: I call ACWC and ask to cancel my membership. After a brief rigmarole, that is done, but I had to ask for a confirmation number. Shouldn't have to ask for that.
I'm debating how long to wait before doing that. I joined primarily for the bonus miles, but I do like wines, and will have to see how these are + what the typical costs are to see if it's worth keeping the membership for any time.
exerda is offline  
Old Dec 29, 2010, 3:21 pm
  #8  
RNE
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
Originally Posted by exerda
I'm debating how long to wait before doing that. I joined primarily for the bonus miles, but I do like wines, and will have to see how these are + what the typical costs are to see if it's worth keeping the membership for any time.
Don't wait too long, unless you want another shipment (and payment) to process.

We had a bottle with dinner last night. It was only OK, a tad on the dry side. The corkless, twist-off cap was an aesthetic disappointment. We certainly aren't going to pull out one of these twist-off capped bottles to impress our oenophiles friends.

RNE, concluding, "Enjoy your wine!"
RNE is offline  
Old Dec 29, 2010, 5:06 pm
  #9  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,110
Originally Posted by RNE
We certainly aren't going to pull out one of these twist-off capped bottles to impress our oenophiles friends.
True oenophiles love twist-offs. It's wine snobs (who prefer to be called "traditionalists") who don't. It has been proven many times that twist-offs are far better at preserving and storing wine than corks.
mahasamatman is offline  
Old Dec 30, 2010, 3:47 am
  #10  
RNE
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
Originally Posted by mahasamatman
True oenophiles love twist-offs. It's wine snobs (who prefer to be called "traditionalists") who don't. It has been proven many times that twist-offs are far better at preserving and storing wine than corks.
Wait. Do you mean there's a reason to drink rotten grapes other than to be seen doing so?
RNE is offline  
Old Dec 30, 2010, 1:10 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1
I called both United and American Cellars Wine Club.

United said it would take 4 to 8 weeks to see miles credited.

ACWC told me they would hold any further shipments until March so I could get my 2500 miles. After that the next shipment would cost $110 (which includes shipping). They said if I canceled now I would lose the 2500 miles. So, I'll wait to see when the miles credit, then cancel.

They also said they have some less pricier wine club plans that give UA miles.
toos is offline  
Old Dec 30, 2010, 3:23 pm
  #12  
RNE
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
Originally Posted by toos
They said if I canceled now I would lose the 2500 miles.
We'll see about that.

Originally Posted by toos
...the next shipment would cost $110 (which includes shipping).
That's for only six bottles? Did they say what the shipping portion of that $110 is? My box of six bottles weighed 19 lbs and had to ship from CA to OH, so shipping couldn't be cheap. Did they mention if/how the shipment is insured?
RNE is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2011, 11:31 am
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, CO Plat, UA 1P, FB Plat, Marriott PLT, PC Plat, HH Diamond, Starwood Gold, Nat'l Exec
Posts: 107
294 miles posted today. Signed up & paid with MP Visa Debit on 12/23, total cost $42 (x 7 m/$ = 294 miles).
clevername is offline  
Old Jan 5, 2011, 9:41 pm
  #14  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,110
I'm curious which wines people got. Of the six wines they show on their site, we only got one of them (the Pinot). The other five must all fall under their substitutions for wines similar in character and of equal value may occasionally be made clause.

We got
  • 2008 Paso a Paso - Rueda, Spain Verdejo
  • 2009 Valle de Uco 'Urban' - Mendoza, Argentina Torrontes
  • 2008 The Negociant - California Albarino
  • 2009 Green Groves - Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
  • 2009 Mount Oso Cellars - Tracy Hills, California Shiraz-Merlot
  • 2007 Domaine Jean Bousquet - Tupungato, Argentina Cabernet Sauvignon
We had the Paso a Paso with dungeness crab last night, and it was pretty reasonable.
mahasamatman is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2011, 3:17 pm
  #15  
RNE
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
We received...

  • The Ngociant x 2
  • Razzberry Riesling* x 2
  • Paso a Paso x 2

We had The Ngociant. It was heinous.

*Razzberry Riesling is an Ohio wine bottled about 50 miles from our house. How ironic that we got it from a California distributor. Interestingly, the back label advises "For Sale in Ohio Only."
RNE is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.