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:
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.