kudzu

Long time = several years for my elderly aunt. It really makes sense to simply close the DM account, but she's happy to have it and it gives us something to talk about, and you know I always try to keep old ladies happy . She doesn't have the DM Select CC; the only activity is from my End of Year tickler of a small purchase from DM Mall.

Sure it'd be nice to have the miles expiration reminder in the DM account online, but O.M.G. there are higher priorities with the website functionality/development!. Most of us know the Miles expire after 18 months of inactivity; I play well within the margins for my aunt's account with an annual purchase, and hardly glance at her DM e-statements anymore.

BoeingBoy

In other words, I assume, regular annual activity even if small (which is what I asked). Obviously not several years of total inactivity or the account would have already been closed by US.

While I would certainly recommend that anyone who has infrequent activity in their account and is worried about it being closed to do what you do - pick some date or annual occassion and faithfully do some transaction that would keep the account active - it seems a small thing to ask that US at least make the date of last activity obvious on the site.

Jim

kudzu

Yes, one December activity; no activity January-November and yet the e-statements keep coming faithfully each month with the expiration date reminder. I was disagreeing with OP's statement that "inactive DM members with no activity do not receive a statement to help with the record keeping".

Again, I think it's a nice feature to have on the website, but how useful is it to how many? If someone is worried about miles expiration, wouldn't a regular email reminder be just as good, if not better? That same info on the website would be redundant to those of us who get e-statements already with the miles expiration reminder, or fly US/buy something once a year or so. I'm happier if US could just focus, with the limited IT resources it has, to make the website hiccup less often!

BoeingBoy

You know as well as I how many posters have complained about not getting various emails from US, including the monthly statements. It's funny how the limited IT resources seem to be able to get things like new fees incorporated correctly and promptly yet something as seemingly simple as pulling a date from a DM account and putting it on whatever page a DM member sees when he/she logs in is excused as requiring too many resources.

It almost seems that US doesn't see itself, despite all the words to the contrary, as being in the customer service business but rather as offering something that isn't available anywhere else so the public just has to put up with it's foibles.

Jim

kudzu

Lest we forget, Dividend Miles is primarily a Frequent Flyer's program...

Getting emails (or not) is a separate issue from having miles expiration info on the website. For most US FFs with at least one activity per 18 month period, it's hardly worth fussing over.

It's funny how other legacy airlines with such thoughtful website features (like miles expiration clearly shown) are still able to attract more customer service complaints to the DOT than US does.

There are very few routes where there isn't any competition for US. Vive la difference. Cleary, enough customers appreciate the value of US and pay enough bucks for US to make a profit. Like every business, though, US has its strengths/weaknesses and cannot please all. And, as dcpatti mentioned earlier, revenue-producing website enhancements should understandably take precedence over various other niceties.

DivMiler

It shows up now (August 26, 2010).

Alphaguy

You can try buying an itunes gift card or an apple store gift card, but not itunes directly i would guess....

If Itunes cards don't work, buy an apple gift card to buy an itunes card...

CPRich

I purchased a couple of Home Depot gift cards for my kids a couple of months ago to renew their 18 month expiration period - $10 each - and they posted in 8-10 days.

BoeingBoy

Don't know about that, but DivMiler posted that ITunes are qualifying purchases again as of a couple of days ago (my post was back in June).

Jim

CPRich

Must be very recent, because my quote from one day earlier was cut-and-pasted real-time from the US mall page.

EDIT:Still there - DM Shopping Mall - Applie Online Store.
Perhaps the iPad, which seems to have become eligible 8/20?

BoeingBoy

That's still there for the Apple special offer, but if you go to the "Entertainment" category of the DM Shopping Mall it lists ITunes as 2 miles/dollar spent. Knowing US' IT department, that could be because one page wasn't updated - it's definitely strange that Apples special offer is 1 mile/dollar while ITunes is excluded from the special offer yet gives 2 miles/dollar.

Jim

ibr2008

do miles expire at the end of the calendar month after the 18 months or 18 months after last activity

e.g. last activity 4/7/09 - do miles expire 10/7/10 or 10/31/10

thanks

pointsjunkie53

10/7, make sure you buy something on the DD mall to keep your miles.

ibr2008

dd mall? forgive my ignorance

PaulInTheSky

You can try for rewardsnetwork. Dine at a place close to your zipcode and register your USAirways Dividend miles in it, you will be able to keep your miles for other 18 months.