DCAorBust

Yikes. Check this out (emphasis mine):


http://www.usairways.com/en-US/divid...dslam-tcs.html

ALL bonus miles earned from the Grand Slam promotion will be forfeited and removed from a member’s account if new service acquired during the Grand Slam promotion is cancelled within 6 months from the end of the promotion. This date is May 14, 2012. For example, if you subscribe for a new USA Today newspaper subscription in order to earn a hit during Grand Slam and cancel it on or prior to May 14, 2012 ALL bonus miles you earned from the Grand Slam promotion will be forfeited and removed from your account, no matter how you earned them.


Subscription partners include:
•US Airways Club
•Dish Network
•Energy Plus
•getAbstract
•Share Builder
•Life Lock
•Netflix
•TD AMERITRADE
•Trackitback.com
•USA Today
•Vinesse
•Wine Insiders

Zurich Flyer

One cheap hit less

swag

Yeah, that's pretty harsh. I could see disqualifying that one hit, and removing any incremental miles that you earned from it, that'd be fair. But this says you lose 'em all.

In fact, if you have 38 hits, which means 2 excess ones over the 36 threshold, canceling a service (which would still leave you with 37 valid hits), you still lose all 100K.

tommyleo

Yup. This is overkill.

Tiki

I agree. I think this rule is going to damage brand awareness of the subscription partners as people will be afraid to do any business with them at all for fear of messing up their other hits. Some of them have hits that don't require a subscription like Trackitback and Vinesse.

I can see major problems for non-FTers too. What if some Kettle subscribes to Netflix, then cancels it in 3 months because they are moving or something? This is going to build a lot of ill-will.

I don't see why some of these partners can't take the view that Trackitback did a couple years ago and recognize that selling miles via promotions to people who don't really want their product and wouldn't buy it otherwise is a lucrative sideline.

beltway

It is not at all clear that Vinesse will generate a hit for non-wine-club purchases. As I point out in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/2011-...er-thread.html, the verbiage on the US offer page says this: "Join a Vinesse Wine Club and get 2,000 bonus miles, plus 5 miles for every $1 you spend." You can try buying the $5.95 wine wheel, but I think it's likely that won't produce a hit; at the very least, it's risky.

I don't understand US's TIB reference at all. AFAIK, they don't have any annual or month-to-month subscription services.

starflyer

Be very careful before choosing Energy Plus for a hit. It could be your most expensive one by far, even with the 12,500 bonus miles and 2 miles/$ that they're currently offering.

Search them on the web, and you'll find lots of complaints. Here's the first one I came across: http://ctwatchdog.com/2010/08/18/con...in-connecticut

Also, see: Continental Energy Plus Promotion (scam)

ArizonaGuy

As mentioned above, I also fail to see why trackitback.com is on this list. That partner is selling a product with service tied to the product for a one-time fee, not an on-going subscription.

Vinesse could be argued that they expect you to only obtain miles through a wine club. But you're not required to take continued purchases month after month - it's your choice to pay again. Just like the medical one last year (you got jet lag vitamins, basically) - you didn't have to pay again if you didn't want the next shipment. Of course they're not a partner this year.

flyerfrog

I would be suprised to find out how US Airways can track a netflix cancellation. Is Netflix really going to spend the money to create a reporting system to inform US of cancelations? Don't think it's a priority to netflix to spend the money to do this.

friedice

How is Sharebuilder a subscription service? All you need for a hit is to fund the account with few $, make one trade and forget about it. How can you "unsubscribe" from that and why would you?

AsiaTraveler

There is a subscription service at Sharebuilder- for a monthly service fee, you get a certain number of trades plus 500 miles a quarter. However what makes their inclusion particularly weird is that the T&C ALSO state that this subscription service does not qualify for a hit.

tommyleo

Interesting point, which could explain the ridiculous penalty (canceling all GS hits) that US is threatening. Still, it's a heck of chance to take.

alanh

My guess with ShareBuilder is that closing your account out before 6 months are up is what they're looking at.

lkar

Seems likely. But it is risky given the consequences. I suppose it theoretically could mean you need to have the auto investment open for 6 mos. Doubtful, but again given the consequence it could be troubling.