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United Blocks AwardWallet Access To Mileage Accounts

Dec. 27, 2012
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3 min read
United Blocks AwardWallet Access To Mileage Accounts
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Joining the other airlines that have all blocked AwardWallet’s access to their customer’s mileage accounts in the past year - American, Delta and Southwest - United has announced that it will no longer make its MileagePlus members' account information, mileage balances or reservations accessible to AwardWallet's users.

AwardWallet is a site that keeps track of all your mileage and point balances in one convenient place. It’s one of the best ways to stay on top of your points assets.

I actually still manually log in to each individual points and miles account since I’m fairly obsessive about it (hey, I’m The Points Guy!), but I do find it useful to have a single place with a dashboard that gives me a snapshot of my points wealth, various expiration dates, and it helps me think more strategically about booking awards – choosing one program over another for various reasons.

AwardWallet can no longer track American, Delta, Southwest or United.

Plus, AwardWallet doesn’t just track travel programs – you can store tons of other loyalty program info including your Subway or even Harrods points accounts. The site also has useful features like automatically adding your flight itineraries that will send you check-in reminders and flight status updates...unless the airline has blocked the site's availability to do so, as all four major ones above have.

The good news is, AwardWallet has come up with a workaround for Delta and United where you can have your statements and reservations emailed directly to your AwardWallet mailbox so that your AwardWallet account will be updated. It’s not instantaneous like it used to be, but it’s better than nothing. You could also use another site that still has an agreement with United like UsingMiles, which can also track Delta SkyMiles but not American or Southwest accounts.

My guess is that this is all about airlines keeping customers coming back to their sites so they can continue hard sells on fare sales, credit card offers and various other products you always see advertised on them or that they are trying to extort fees out of AwardWallet for access to customer information as another small revenue source.

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I plan on writing to United asking them to reinstate access, and I encourage readers to do the same whether it’s by email, regular mail or even a Tweet (though @United is fairly unresponsive in my opinion). Unfortunately these actions didn’t seem to make a difference in the case of Delta, but United is struggling to keep its loyal flyers happy so maybe they’ll be more willing to listen.

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  • Intro Offer

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  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.