United Airlines giving even more life to extended PlusPoints
Hands down, the most valuable benefit of United's top-tier Premier 1K status is its PlusPoints perk. It gives customers the opportunity to book economy or Premium Plus and confirm an upgrade to a higher cabin several times each year.
PlusPoints expire at the end of January after one full year of validity — points earned based on travel in 2018 were due to expire on Jan. 31, 2020. As it's done in the past, however, the carrier extended the expiration of up to 80 PlusPoints upon request, making them valid through April 30, 2020.
As part of its coronavirus response, United confirmed that the carrier would automatically extend PlusPoints due to expire on Jan. 31, 2021, by six months, with a new expiration date of July 31, 2021.
Those 80 PlusPoints United already extended were still due to expire on April 30, but, as confirmed by multiple telephone agents, the carrier will be extending those by six months as well. The expiration date will be updated to Oct. 31, 2020, hopefully giving elites grounded by coronavirus an opportunity to redeem them for upgrades later this year.
As of now, the expiration date is expected to be updated automatically, but if April 29 rolls around and your PlusPoints are still scheduled to expire on April 30, I'd give the MileagePlus Service Center a call at 800-421-4655 just to ensure your points aren't overlooked.
For more on United PlusPoints, see:
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at Capital One's secure site
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| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
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