United's Million Mile award - mileage readjustment
 

With the merger of United and Continental, United is re-calibrating the EQM balances of United frequent fliers to be in step with what Continental has counted toward their million mile award.

Since I am close to the million-mile mark, I would love to know just what United will count in re-setting my total. I called and got a vague answer, "bonus EQMs" and flights on Star Alliance partners.

I remember a number of years when United gave double EQMs (good for just that year) for flights in October/November, which pushed me into the next award level. Will they count those?

What else? Any one know?

You can go over on the Flyertalk forums for United/Continental. Those are the hard core travelers that know the ins-and-outs of all the programs. Search for a thread about it first as they don't like threads started if one already exists. There are some sticky threads towards the top that discuss the mergers.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...solidated-681/

<i>I remember a number of years when United gave double EQMs (good for just that year) for flights in October/November, which pushed me into the next award level. Will they count those?</i>

That is my understanding from the United site and from reading FT re: this. The adjustment should include EQMs earned on Star Alliance airlines, through promotions (such as the double EQM promos they've had from time to time--like the one now between IL and CA), from credit cards, and EQM class-of-service bonuses (for full fare and premium cabin tickets purchased since they began awarding those in the early 2000s). I'm expecting a pretty good bump of at least 100k--but unfortunately I haven't kept good enough records to be able to check accuracy once they post.

There are some discussions on this on FT--I didn't find in a quick search but will look later when I have more time.

So... will that put me CLOSER to my own million miles?? I've had a number of flights on Star Alliance partners. Or am I reading this wrong?

I read FT frequently, and post sometimes, but I've not really gotten 'into' those threads about the million mile readjustments.

To date CO and UA have calculated their million mile programs differently--with CO including bonus/Star Alliance EQMs and UA only including base (BIS) miles on UA/UX flights. As they bring the programs together, UA people will get a one time adjustment on January 1 to account for past bonus/partner EQMs. So, if you've credited partner flights to MP in the past or have had double EQM bonus miles, etc., then yes...you should get a bump in lifetime miles and be closer to MM.

Nice!! Thanks! I flown a lot on Thai, Swiss, Lufthansa, Hawaiian (not sure if this is * alliance, but I do get miles), etc.

Thanks. When I have time, I'll search at flyertalk. Carol, if they credit just the things I've listed, that should push me over the million mile mark - maybe you too!

Wonder just how far back they will go to pick up these miles toward MM status. I might end up almost there!!!

Well, I did get to one million miles (++) with UA. One of the perks (percs) is being able to nominate my spouse or significant other for a matching level, as well as lifetime star alliance gold level.

I nominated my husband. I just called UA today because he was still listed as star silver on the UA site, and we fly to Europe this weekend. He 'needs' his new FF level...

The agent was able to correct it, on line, instantly, and he is now listed as a match to my 1K. I know that there had been discussion (maybe on flyer talk) about what sort of 'match' would be made by UA. Speculation ranged from star gold (as a match to the permanent million miler benefit for a lifetime) OR whether UA would match my CURRENT level which is 1K. They matched the 1K, I'm happy to say.

Cards will be mailed out after we leave for Europe, but at least DH is in the system as a 1K now!

welcome to the numb butt club, simsponc510!
Your companion will gets the same status you have. That's they way it's worked for my SO since I hit the MM mark a few years back. Our cards look just the same except mine has the MM logo added.
The option to print duplicate card from the web site has been temporarily disabled, but one of the agents at the club can print out a temporary. It may be required for lounge access in Europe. Of course if he is with you he could enter as a guest but if you wanted to split up for a bit of duty free shopping...

"Numb butt club.." Haha... I love it! (yes, it's true)

The idea of asking at the club for a temp card is a good one. Thanks for that suggestion, Seamus.

Carol

Thanks for the info, Carol. Cheryl's status has not yet shown up correctly online. It's good to know we can call and get it corrected. We're flying home on Saturday.

Carol, just wanted to let you know that I called United Mileage Plus this morning and they were able to change Cheryl's status instantly. We are flying home tomorrow and we were hoping her new status would show before that flight.

Okay, I'm confused.

Spouse was upgraded to UA 1K sometime ago and he nominated me to get the same. I just checked UA and it shows me as 'Member' and him as 'Gold'.

So this can be sorted on the phone? I fly tomorrow and would like to have it correct in the system, but need to wait until US opens (I'm 14 hours ahead of most of the US).

Melnq8, this is something for million milers. The new UA has a new rule... when you reach one million miles, you get star gold for life; you also get to nominate your spouse or significant other to be star gold for life as well. There was quite a bit of discussion about what "matching status level" for your spouse or S.O. might mean. Some thought it meant the star gold for life. But for this year, anyway, the million miler 'status match' means matched to current FF level. I'm a 1K, so my husband is now 1K (he has never been more than silver). He will get his new card in the mail in the next 2-3 weeks, but I was able to call and get his status changed on the UA computers, which is good since we leave for Switzerland today. Now he gets 3 bags and access to the lounge(s).

I'm confused by "upgraded to 1K". Was it a status match? Did he earn 100K EQMs last year? Got to fix his status first.

If you go to the account history you can get mileageplus history for all of 2011. At the top it shows the EQMs earned for the year. If his shows 100,000 or more then that is all you need to (virtually) point out to the UA rep.

I don't see where I can find a listing of my 2011 OnePass EQMs. It doesnt matter for me: I had 50,002 with MP and didn't need the 6000 OP EQMs for this years status. I am suspecting that your DH was like me and had most/all EQMs in MP, so that one statement might do the job.

<<simpsonc510 on Mar 17, 12 at 7:23am: ...you also get to nominate your spouse or significant other to be star gold for life as well.>>

Melnq8 - if your husband is a 1K but not a Million Miler (MM) he does not get to designate a companion for status sharing. Only MM get to do. He can, of course, enroll you in the program but your status would be based on the miles you actually accrue in the qualifying year.

Just to clarify about the MM companion benefit - the 1 million MM member gets elite status for life of at least MP Gold. At 2 mil the status jumps to MP Platinum, 3 mil gets MP 1K, and 4 mil gets MP Global Services. (Above 4 mil gets a nice fruit basket sent to the asylum once a month, heee hee hee ;-)) All of these are equivalent to Star Alliance Gold. Once the qualifying threshold has been reached the member gets at least that elite status every year even if they did not earn enough miles to otherwise qualify.
All MM member gets to designate a companion to receive the same elite status they have. The companion must reside at the same address (or at least have the same address on their FF account) but does not have to be a legally defined spouse. Once designated the companion gets the same status as the MM member every year unless discontinued by the MM member, there is no need to renew every year. The MM member can change the designated companion only once per year, and the change is not effective until the following year.

He has 1,146,181 lifetime miles and a few months back, he was notified he'd earned PE Gold for life and could nominate a companion, which he did (me).

I thought all was well until I looked at our account this morning. The lifetime miles are still there, his shows Gold which is actually correct, but mine only shows "Member".

I've called US twice this morning, but keep getting told they're too busy and asked to call back later.

Well, let me follow up on our experience. As mentioned above, I called Mileage Plus because Cheryl's status had not yet been upgraded, and we were flying on Saturday. The customer Service rep was very helpful, told me she could update Cheryl's status immediately, and when we checked online her status did, indeed, say Premier Gold. However, the next day when I checked us in online and printed our boarding passes, my boarding pass said Premier Gold and hers said Premier Silver. So some parts of the system updated and some didn't.

Also, when I checked in I was pleased to see that our SFO-SEA leg had been upgraded to First, but no upgrade on the LIH-SFO. Unlike the old United site, it did not say anything about being waitlisted for first. As I moved through the check-in screens, I came to one that asked whether I would like either or both passengers to be waitlisted for First. That made me wonder whether somehow we hadn't been on the upgrade list already. In any case we didn't get upgraded on the overwater leg of the flight.

So, Melnq, do call them, but no guarantees that your status will show on your boarding pass. Goof luck!

Mr. W, there has been some debate over on flier talk about whether the spouse match just gives the spouse Premier Gold, or whether, if the million miler has a higher status (as Carol does this year, 1K) they get to match the spouse's current status. I haven't heard a definitive answer on this.

kathie, the spouse does get the identical status as the mm flyer, and also the current status of the flyer.

i checked jackie's and its 1k, gold.