Reader Sean emails to let me know that United’s website appears to be pricing out award tickets originating in China for 4 miles plus taxes.
I’ve checked this with tickets originating in Shanghai and in Beijing (though I haven’t checked other cities), and for business and economy awards, and the result is the same. Here’s for a Beijing-Hong Kong roundtrip in business:
I love that for $1035 I could save my 4 miles.
You’ll see that it shows the correct mileage price initially and then the mistaken cost in the ‘total’.
I haven’t tried to ticket this, though Sean reports that he was successful and had only 4 miles deducted. It remains to be seen whether this will be honored or not. My guess is that it will not be, but some may find this useful — even though pricing out this way appears to require starting the award off in China.
Update: Indeed it appears to show 4 miles for awards originating in the U.S. to China as well. And it appears to show 4 miles for standard awards as well as saver awards.
Update 1:56pm Eastern: Still seems to be working. Connect from the U.S. to anywhere you want via Hong Kong and it is pricing. Some reports of success first class to Vietnam and even to Australia.
If you have enough miles for ‘regular’ mileage price in your account, it will deduct the full miles but send you a receipt showing the lower 4 mile per person price.
If you do not have enough miles for the ‘regular’ redemption cost, it will send you a receipt showing the 4 mile per person price, and no miles will be deducted from your account at this time.
Update 2:23pm Eastern: It does not appear over, despite comments suggesting otherwise. Remember that the United website is glitchy. It hangs. It gives errors. The key is that you have to connect in Hong Kong or have Hong Kong as your destination at this point, regardless of where you’re originating.
And if you have problems with the United website, clear out and start over. My advice to minimize glitches is to be logged in when you start your search and to already have your credit card on file in your account. Ideally to even have the passengers loaded into your profile.
Update 2:34pm Eastern: Will these be honored?
Lucky thinks new DOT rules requiring airlines to honor tickets as they are sold will mean United has to honor these.
I disagree, at least it is not obvious to me that an airline saying that the number of miles required for a promotional ‘free’ ticket counts as raising the ‘price’ of that ticket at least as far as DOT regulations are concerned. But then I am not a transportation lawyer.
As of this moment, no one knows whether United will honor these tickets or not. Let’s just hold our collective breaths for the next 48 hours to see. If I had to bet money, I would bet against. But stranger things have happened.
If United doesn’t honor these then everyone will certainly get a full refund. You can normally cancel awards for a full refund with no fee for 24 hours. If United doesn’t honor them at 4 miles per person then I have to imagine that anyone that has a 4 mile per person e-ticket receipt but more miles than that deducted from their account will be able to get a full refund even after the 24 hour period.
Update 2:54pm Eastern: It appears that United has shut down the ability to see reward flights to/from Hong Kong, meaning that this is likely dead.
Interesting, I found the same thing between Beijing and Hongkong
wonder if it only works for Beijing and shanghai to Hong Kong or any other cities
It works for flights from cities other than Beijing and Shanghai but it seems the destination must be Hong Kong.
It works from Hong Kong to EWR 🙂
So if it does work we should just book two round trips so we can get both legs starting from the US
If I were to book this, what is the worst that can happen, other than it not being honored?
got it ticketed for HKG-BKK-PVG-ICN-SGN-BKK-HKG for F/J using 8 miles and $112.60 last night. Still available as of now.
It seems like it works with HKG as a departing or originating cities
I need to do more search lol
Booked one way first class HKG-BKK-FRA-BRU for 4 miles and $47.10 Thanks for sharing, but 100% sure they are not going to honor this booking. 🙂
Just booked ORD-Hong Kong RT in first. Apparently you don’t need to originate in China.
This works from flights org. from HKG as well. This works on business class too.
Looks like the web site is down now. Guess they read the blog!
Hahahahaa – I already had tix booked home for my honeymoon, but HKG-SFO for two passengers in first class for 8 miles + $66 seems like a better deal than what I already had! Booked it! We’ll see 🙂
I am sure Sean meant well when he emailed you, but blogs like yours are deal killers. Oh well, could have lasted till Monday, had you been vacationing somewhere. 🙂
@MilesFromBlighty seems to be working for me, united.com is not down
I am trying to add a new traveller to book for a friend but it keeps saying ” please wait” and the page will not load. Anyone having this problem?
It is still showing 4 miles. However, after I ticketed the reservation with credit card it deducts the full award amount from my miles balance. I went ahead and cancelled the reservation. oh well, it was a nice try.
Yes it is working for me too
Can book open jaw and anytime awards. Just booked HKG-RGN/GIG-GRU-IAD, normally 177,500 miles, today 4 miles!
I think I’m the original poster of the glitch in UA sub-forum(the thread has been edited by myself, I want this one alive u know…). It seems the “deal” already being dead. Just FYI the departure cities are NOT only available in Asia. I was able to ticket 3 itineraries from YVR,YYZ and ORD to China. But the glitch didn’t work on US domestic flights.
worked just now for me EWR-HKG 4 miles
Still alive as of 9:12am PST
Alive as of 12:05pm EST. Booked HKG-ORD-BOS in F. 4miles and $38 taxes. Saw $38 pending charges on credit card immediately after booking.
Gerald – I was having that issue on my mac, but not on my PC.
hello – what dates did you search? not working for me EWR-HKG
@Hayden – worked all dates for me. Even christmas.
Do you have to have the full amount of miles available in your account? Tried but didn’t work.
I booked 2 r/t tix from EWR to HKG. Receipt says only 8 miles but they deducted 120k miles from my account. Anyone else noticing this?
Is there a FT or MP thread? If so, can someone post a link to it?
BTW — just worked for me!
@Hayden March 3- March 13
remember you can always change the dates.
just booked ewr – hongkong – jfk for 4 miles in first class.
still worked 30 mins ago ex-HKG
Anyone get it ticketed yet?
I did anytime awards LAX HKG. Have no doubt this will not be honored.
Booked ewr to hong kong. Any way I can add hkg to mnl legs later on?
Well, the screen says that I booked an award for 16 miles. But once it issued, I got deducted the full 560,000 (4 x Saver F).
Has anyone else actually got a confirmation and then verified their MP balance?
It doesn’t work, as another poster said, it comes out of your balance with the correct #. Forget it.
Just confirmed (but not ticketed) one over New Years from DCA to HKG.
I got ticketed now
I am ticketed too. And instead of subtracting 16 miles, it subtracted 560k!
Does your MP balance get deducted by the small amount or the real amount?
There were some lads had already made calls to UA call centre for “4 miles” award reservations…
My miles are still the same, none got deducted
Cdegt: Is your FT thread still up?
Look folks: SHARES does NOT do instant ticketing. Just because it SAYS you have a reservation, it hasn’t actually ticketed it yet. You have to wait a few minutes (up to a few days!) for the actual ticket number.
once you have a ticket number, please report back whether or not the small or real amount of miles were deducted.
Mine just got ticketed – no miles deducted yet but the email receipt claims there were only 8 deducted (MileagePlus Miles Debited/Award Used:8/ZF72).
Crossing my fingers…
I received my etickets as well
Do you think it would go through if I booked a flight for tomorrow or even for today?
my two booking were ticketed using 8 miles and 4 miles only. I have 250 miles on my accounts, so we’ll see.
@hobo13 – I don’t even have that much miles. only 28000 miles are sitting in my account, they are still there, so far…I won’t be sad if UA deduct all of it:)
fixed?
I was ticketed. Says 12 miles and $106 (3 tickets). However my miles are still the same.
@hobo13 – Nope. I have edited everything before it got replies.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileageplus-consolidated/1366620-mileageplus-award-ticket-glitch-even-worse-one-air-china-two-days-ago.html