Prepaid Travel Card--will it really be available?
 

So I have about 13K worth of travel to book in the next three months so figured the 20K prepaid would be a good deal since i will surely spend 7K more in the next year and wanted to get 1K status and SWUs.
But in Jan, the website said available in feb. in feb, the website said march. now it still says avail in march (yes, i know it is better than saying avail in april). I called MP and they say they have no clue when in march it will be released but it will be released in march.
Anyone have any ideas why the delay or who would have the answer?

Better be soon!
 

I have to book $12,000 worth of travel in the next 3 days!

FWIW, remember the travel must be for YOU and no one else.

Can you post the link? I can't seem to find it.

See http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=656931.

i spoke to someone yesterday who said they think it will be mid to late april-
so wondering if it will ever be

Does anyone know if this card can be applied to UnitedEscapes/partner hotels? Or is it for air travel only.

My understanding would be that it would apply on to travel and not hotels but since UnitedEscapes is part of United and found on United.bom it could work but for individual travel only.

Use the card for your individual travel on united.com, through United Reservations or at any airport ticket counter. The card is not accepted at travel agencies or other non-United merchants.

T&Cs: http://www.united.com/page/article/0.../03/21&time=19

Also, heard that prices for these cards might be going up, anyone can confirm that?

No, it's not. United Escapes is Expedia.

The interface is the same (or very similar) as Expedia and I am sure it queries the same database, but does it mean that Expedia manages and owns it instead of United?

When we went to Hawaii on United Escapes, the "travel agency" they had listed at the hotel was Expedia.

Ah... then in this case, I think the following scenario is more likely (as far as I know, Expedia is part of Microsoft, or at least a subsidiary of it...)
So, the hotel pays Expedia the commission for bringing the customer.
United uses Expedia's interface for query and showing the results so that the :td: web support cannot mess it up too much. Expedia splits the comission, paid by the hotel, keeps part of it and pass the rest onto United...

Thanks mahasamatman ^

Neither... it was part of Microsoft a decade ago, but then... well, read on:

From: http://overview.expediainc.com/phoen...013&p=overview


Founded in 1995 within Microsoft and then spun out in 1996, Expedia, Inc. first went public in 1999. In 2001, USA Networks - now IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) - led by Barry Diller, bought a controlling stake in Expedia. Diller's company bought the remaining stake in the company in 2002. IAC has acquired and built a collection of leading businesses in categories across the entire spectrum of interactive commerce. In July 2005, IAC separated into two publicly traded companies: Expedia, Inc., and IAC. Barry Diller remains chairman and senior executive of IAC, as well as chairman of Expedia, Inc.

Now a separate company, Expedia, Inc. is one of the world's leading online travel companies with the mission of becoming the largest and most profitable seller of travel in the world, by helping everyone everywhere plan and purchase everything in travel. Expedia's brands and businesses work together to share best practices, leverage geographic reach, scalable business models, and customer-related synergies.

Expedia, Inc. is led by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, formerly the chief financial officer of IAC.

Hence I included the key word 'could' :D

^