United Airlines - Mileage Plus Visa Credit Card Review

I just got back from another enjoyable "Spring break" in California which afforded me a lot of great bonding time with my cousin and her husband and also a chance to see a variety of interesting things including the old mission compound of San Gabriel's, the Huntington House and Gardens in San Marino, some great mountain trails, beautiful scenery, etc. 

Last year I flew First Class with United Airlines and I must admit that it was a First Class experience but this year I decided to give Economy Refundable a try, not without a certain amount of apprehension.  It wasn't bad at all though ... plenty of leg room and attention from United's wonderful flight attendants.  I found that I preferred the Snack Box selections ($5 each) offered to that of a big dinner which comes with First Class.  Best of all was the price I paid for my trip:  $2.50 from Chicago to Los Angeles and $2.50 back. 

Yes, you read that right -- two and a half dollars -- or five dollars for the entire round trip.  Checking my second bag ($25 each way) cost me ten times as much as it did to check myself in!  I was able to enjoy what would have been a trip costing more than $600 for less than it takes to ride an El here in Chicago.  The story behind this amazing deal began last year ...

Bonus Miles

On the occasion of my first round trip with United last Spring, I registered as a United Mileage Plus member which meant that I received credit for a free mile of travel with each dollar I paid for the flight.  It was a pretty good start, but then Chase Bank offered me 21,000 bonus miles for signing up for a United Mileage Plus Visa Card.  Not only that, but I would get more bonus miles for renewing the card when the time came and ANOTHER 1,000 miles for choosing electronic statements instead of paper. 

Every dollar I have charged with the United Mileage Plus Visa Card since then has earned me another mile, and then there were the special deals ... using the card to pay my estimated income tax installments earned me double miles for each dollar (a real value in spite of the small convenience fee involved).  Nor was I confined to using the card but could earn extra miles a myriad of other ways.  According to the Mileage Plus website, United Mileage Plus members can earn extra miles not only by flying United, Ted, United Express or Star Alliance airlines but by purchasing products or services from more than 100 participating partners in over 10,000 locations worldwide.  For instance, every dollar which I spend at Dominick's Supermarkets is worth a half a mile even if I don't use the Mileage Plus Visa Card, as long as I present my Dominick's Fresh Savings card at checkout.  Adding all these special deals and offers together meant that in no time I had accrued the 25,000 miles necessary to redeem for an Economy Refundable trip to Los Angeles and back.

The Bottom Line

At first blush, you would think that the last thing the harassed airlines need right now is a passenger who pays only $2.50 to fly from Chicago to California.  There is a method to this madness, however, and whoever thought up this Mileage Plus deal deserves credit for a real stroke of genius.  The only path for survival which I can see for the major airlines is to develop sources of income that don't require expensive outlays of prohibitively priced fuel.  Awarding me miles has not only almost guaranteed that I will choose United and its affiliates for those trips which I pay full price for in the future but has also meant that -- even if I were to never fly again -- United would continue to get a share out of every dollar I spend at Dominick's or charge with my Chase Mileage Visa Card without having to take off with me on board at all.  (An added bonus is that offering "free" rides is another way to fill up planes which otherwise may be flying partly empty at odd times of day.)