# Marriott 25% bonus on UA Miles transfers and travel packages



## Xpat (Mar 1, 2016)

see: https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/reg/PTM2016/index.html

25% bonus up to 25,000 miles on Marriott Rewards point to miles conversion and travel packages.

Must register and convert to miles by March 31, 2016.


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## Seaport104 (Mar 2, 2016)

jpl88 said:


> see: https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/reg/PTM2016/index.html
> 
> 25% bonus up to 25,000 miles on Marriott Rewards point to miles conversion and travel packages.
> 
> Must register and convert to miles by March 31, 2016.



Thanks!

I was researching whether to opt for a 5 or 7 night package and came upon this which I thought was very helpful. 

http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.c...-marriott-travel-packages-5-night-vs-7-night/


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## Xpat (Mar 2, 2016)

Seaport104 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I was researching whether to opt for a 5 or 7 night package and came upon this which I thought was very helpful.
> 
> http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.c...-marriott-travel-packages-5-night-vs-7-night/



Thanks, this is very useful. So the best value is with the 5-night, cat 5, 120k (132k for United) mile package. 

It is getting hard to find some good cat 5 Marriott hotels to stay at, but these can be found, especially internationally.

This directory of cat 5 Marriott hotels can be useful: http://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/Category5.hotels/


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## Seaport104 (Mar 2, 2016)

jpl88 said:


> Thanks, this is very useful. So the best value is with the 5-night, cat 5, 120k (132k for United) mile package.
> 
> It is getting hard to find some good cat 5 Marriott hotels to stay at, but these can be found, especially internationally.
> 
> This directory of cat 5 Marriott hotels can be useful: http://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/Category5.hotels/



Thanks for the link on how to search by category! 

What I understand is if you book a travel package with the lowest categories, if you end up using points for a higher category you just need to use additional points at that time. On the other hand, if you book a category 9 package but end up staying at category 8, you will not get the points back. 

As a result, I was going to book the lowest category travel package to maximize the points to airline conversion and use additional points as needed when I was ready to book the hotel portion.

In full disclosure, I haven't gone through with it in practice but the Marriott agents confirmed this approach would work and I read it as well at other sites based on others' actual experiences.

Also, I think the 132k united package you are referring to is the standard 10% bonus, with the 25% bonus, I think you'll get 150k United miles (120k before bonus x 125% bonus promotion).


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## Xpat (Mar 2, 2016)

Seaport104 said:


> Also, I think the 132k united package you are referring to is the standard 10% bonus, with the 25% bonus, I think you'll get 150k United miles (120k before bonus x 125% bonus promotion).



145k as the bonus is capped at 25k. 
My gut feel is that the bonus would apply on top of the 132k, thus yielding 157k, but it's hard to say from the T&Cs.


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## Seaport104 (Mar 2, 2016)

jpl88 said:


> 145k as the bonus is capped at 25k.
> My gut feel is that the bonus would apply on top of the 132k, thus yielding 157k, but it's hard to say from the T&Cs.



That would be nice, I  hope you are right!!


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## dioxide45 (Mar 2, 2016)

jpl88 said:


> Thanks, this is very useful. So the best value is with the 5-night, cat 5, 120k (132k for United) mile package.
> 
> It is getting hard to find some good cat 5 Marriott hotels to stay at, but these can be found, especially internationally.
> 
> This directory of cat 5 Marriott hotels can be useful: http://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/Category5.hotels/



While the best value is the 5 night cat s travel package, if you have to upgrade later, the value drops with the five night packages. The category 9 is the worst value when you look at the cost of the hotel certificate only.


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## Seaport104 (Mar 2, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> While the best value is the 5 night cat s travel package, if you have to upgrade later, the value drops with the five night packages.



Hi Dioxide45, can you please explain why the value drops with the 5 night package if you later upgrade? I thought that if I book a category 5 travel package and later use for category 9 I just need to use the difference in miles between the category 5 and 9?


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## l0410z (Mar 3, 2016)

I booked 5 night travel package when we got the bonus on AA.  I am now using it to stay at the Cotton Hotel in Barcelona which is a cat 8.    A Cat 8 is 160,000 points for a 5 day stay.  The Cat 5 with the travel program had a point value of 95,000 points so to upgrade, it cost another  65, 000 points.  I did this yesterday with the rewards desk and it was straight forward and painless.  

There are some nuances with this hotel because of the different room categories but getting into this would confuse the answer.


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## Art (Mar 3, 2016)

Seaport104 said:


> Hi Dioxide45, can you please explain why the value drops with the 5 night package if you later upgrade? I thought that if I book a category 5 travel package and later use for category 9 I just need to use the difference in miles between the category 5 and 9?



No, it turns out to be more than  the difference in miles.  One would expect  the difference to be 4x20,000 (80,000 Points), but  the difference is actually 110,000 points for the 120,000 mile package. In essence, this means that one is paying 30,000 points for the  5th night rather than getting it free. 

And compared to the 7 night package, one is actually paying  the full 45,000 point cost of the 5th category 9 night.

I've been considering doing just this so I am not pleased at  all  about the situation.

Art


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## l0410z (Mar 3, 2016)

Art said:


> No, it turns out to be more than  the difference in miles.  One would expect  the difference to be 4x20,000 (80,000 Points), but  the difference is actually 110,000 points for the 120,000 mile package. In essence, this means that one is paying 30,000 points for the  5th night rather than getting it free.
> 
> And compared to the 7 night package, one is actually paying  the full 45,000 point cost of the 5th category 9 night.
> 
> ...




A cat 5 room is 25K per night so for 4 nights it would be 100K.  When I upgraded to a cat 8, this is 40K per night so that would be 160,000.    The difference is 60k points.  As stated above, I went from a 5 day cat 5 certificate to a 5 day cat 8 certificate and it cost me 65K points.  In doing this it cost me 5K in points which is better then using a cat 8 to stay in a lesser cat. 

As far as 5 to 7, I think the math works out the same within the same category.  If it doesn't I would get a 5 day cat 5 and use 2 days of cat 5 (1) day certificates to get to 7.


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## Art (Mar 3, 2016)

l0410z said:


> As far as 5 to 7, I think the math works out the same within the same category.  If it doesn't I would get a 5 day cat 5 and use 2 days of cat 5 (1) day certificates to get to 7.



A Category 5  7 day package costs 35,000 more points than a 5 day package.
A Category 6  7 day package costs 50,000 more points than a 5 day package.
A Category 7  7 day package costs 60,000 more points than a 5 day package.
A Category 8  7 day package costs 60,000 more points than a 5 day package.
A Category 9  7 day package costs 45,000 more points than a 5 day package.

These numbers  hold no  matter how many air miles are in the  package.

So, only for Category 7, is the cost of 5 +2 the same as the cost of a 7 night package.

However, if one is  considering a Category 9 package, he gets a free night by booking the 7 night rather than the 5 night  package.  (Assuming he has 390000 points available.)

Art


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## l0410z (Mar 3, 2016)

Art said:


> A Category 5  7 day package costs 35,000 more points than a 5 day package.
> A Category 6  7 day package costs 50,000 more points than a 5 day package.
> A Category 7  7 day package costs 60,000 more points than a 5 day package.
> A Category 8  7 day package costs 60,000 more points than a 5 day package.
> ...



Art, I didn't have the 5 day packages in front of me so I didn't realize this.   I never did the compare.  In my post, I was going through what  I just did two days ago to make the 5 night Category 5 a 5 night Category 8.  When I got the travel package of 120K AA and the 5 night Category 5 stay 6 months ago,  I didn't know we would be in Barcelona 7 nights.    The last 2 nights I  made a reservation for cash.  

I really have to thank you.  I just got off the phone with the rewards desk and the person I spoke with got approval for an exception for  taking my 5 night Cat 5 certificate and making it a 7 night Cat 8 certificate.  It is costing me no more reward points then if I did the 7 night Cat 8 from the beginning.  The extra points are  worth the money I am saving.  The Cotton House Hotel does not offer any of the discounts I am use to using for the room type we are getting.     

Thank you.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 3, 2016)

Seaport104 said:


> Hi Dioxide45, can you please explain why the value drops with the 5 night package if you later upgrade? I thought that if I book a category 5 travel package and later use for category 9 I just need to use the difference in miles between the category 5 and 9?



It isn't necessarily upgrading after the fact where you lose out. It is buying the 5 night package in the first place. Take a look at post #11 of this thread for a breakdown.

That said, a five night package can still be useful. We are actually using one in Europe this fall. We didn't have the extra 45,000 points to spare to spring for the cat 9 seven night and five nights worked out better for us.


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## travelgirl8 (Mar 10, 2016)

I can't seem to find the charts for the 5 night pkgs.  Can someone direct me where I can see them?


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## dioxide45 (Mar 10, 2016)

travelgirl8 said:


> I can't seem to find the charts for the 5 night pkgs.  Can someone direct me where I can see them?



See post #32 of this thread. Not sure if it will work or not as some people were reporting issues in another thread.


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## SkyBlueWaters (Mar 17, 2016)

I am just curious why members convert to miles instead of earn 2x the miles. Am I missing something. Conversion rate is terrible.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 17, 2016)

SkyBlueWaters said:


> I am just curious why members convert to miles instead of earn 2x the miles. Am I missing something. Conversion rate is terrible.



People don't flat out convert MR points to miles at 3:1. They use travel packages to get a week at a hotel which then effectively allows them to convert additional points to miles at a 1:1 ratio. That makes the conversion rate much better.


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## SkyBlueWaters (Mar 17, 2016)

Enlighten me because I am points challenged. This works for the higher tier brands right. I only stay at the 7500 point ones, reduced points stay.

I will start working on those points! They are scattered with different loyalty programs.


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## OutAndAbout (Mar 17, 2016)

jpl88 said:


> 145k as the bonus is capped at 25k.
> My gut feel is that the bonus would apply on top of the 132k, thus yielding 157k, but it's hard to say from the T&Cs.



Has anyone confirmed if the 25% bonus (with 25k cap) is on top of the 10% extra United miles (157k) or in lieu of the 10% extra United miles?


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## dioxide45 (Mar 17, 2016)

SkyBlueWaters said:


> Enlighten me because I am points challenged. This works for the higher tier brands right. I only stay at the 7500 point ones, reduced points stay.
> 
> I will start working on those points! They are scattered with different loyalty programs.



How much do those same hotels cost in cash. I would suspect that they are less than $100 a night? Many category 1 hotels would be in most but except special events. If that is the case, you might only be getting $0.0125 per point in a redemption value. The thing with the travel packages is you can often get 1.5 to 2 cents per point. Given that category 1 hotels are much less prominent these days, I would suspect it would be hard to use them, especially when traveling to Europe or just about any resort destination.


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## Quilter (Mar 18, 2016)

OutAndAbout said:


> Has anyone confirmed if the 25% bonus (with 25k cap) is on top of the 10% extra United miles (157k) or in lieu of the 10% extra United miles?




I called MR this morning and the rep didn't know.  She suggested I call United and then call back and let them know

Has anyone completed the transaction and know the answer?


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## Quilter (Mar 18, 2016)

Quilter said:


> I called MR this morning and the rep didn't know.  She suggested I call United and then call back and let them know
> 
> Has anyone completed the transaction and know the answer?



Here's what I found out from United, yes, the 25K would be on top of the 132K for a total of 157K.    But the rep said "I have a phone number for the department that has all the information about this promotion".   

After a quick mental debate if I wanted to spend more time on this, I called the number.   To my surprise the call was answered by the MR robot (the one that can understand complete sentences. . .).   So I was back where I began.   

I pursued the matter back to the MR rep I spoke with this morning and told her it was her department that had the answer.   She verified that after talking to me she had a communication from a Supervisor with all the information.   She confirmed the 25K would be on top of the 132K we would normally get.


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## SkyBlueWaters (Mar 18, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> How much do those same hotels cost in cash. I would suspect that they are less than $100 a night? Many category 1 hotels would be in most but except special events. If that is the case, you might only be getting $0.0125 per point in a redemption value. The thing with the travel packages is you can often get 1.5 to 2 cents per point. Given that category 1 hotels are much less prominent these days, I would suspect it would be hard to use them, especially when traveling to Europe or just about any resort destination.



I stay on the fringe of the city when traveling and need to stop over on my way to Florida. Airport hotels are cheaper, though just as nice inside. Before they increased the required points, I even snagged a room at the hotel near Notre Dame during a homecoming weekend, valued at $650/night or more. The next year, Marriott changed its category. Those days are over of course...probably a mistake in the system. This is why I never thought of converting to the package, maybe I should review that strategy but don't have enough in my account. My SPG card produced the best conversion rate with the 25% extra they gave me for certain airlines. It got me to Whistler multiple times, airlines and hotel.


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## Luvtoride (Mar 18, 2016)

*Thanks for clearing this up*



Quilter said:


> Here's what I found out from United, yes, the 25K would be on top of the 132K for a total of 157K.    But the rep said "I have a phone number for the department that has all the information about this promotion".
> 
> After a quick mental debate if I wanted to spend more time on this, I called the number.   To my surprise the call was answered by the MR robot (the one that can understand complete sentences. . .).   So I was back where I began.
> 
> I pursued the matter back to the MR rep I spoke with this morning and told her it was her department that had the answer.   She verified that after talking to me she had a communication from a Supervisor with all the information.   She confirmed the 25K would be on top of the 132K we would normally get.



You guys are all awesome!  I just got the promotion about the 25% bonus on United using the Marriott reward points and had many of the questions this thread addressed.  Instead of wasting my time trying to figure all this out on my own, I came here thinking "of course there must be a thread on this already".  Sure enough.  Great info and link to the article, Seaport on the analysis of the MR Travel Packages.  Kudos to Quilter for taking the time to make the calls and get the correct information on the Points bonus.  We need a lot of United miles for an upcoming trip with the family and I can probably use two of the travel packages to get the miles that I need with the bonus.  Thanks for all the great info!


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## Quilter (Mar 19, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> While the best value is the 5 night cat s travel package,. . .



dioxide, why do you feel the 5 night Cat 5 is the best value?

When I crunched the numbers, the 5th night in a 1-5 wasn't free (as the 7th is in the 7 night certificates).   It is 15K for a 25K room.   But the 5 night Cat 6 charges 10K for a 30K room.   Same for the 5 night Cat 7.

Wouldn't that make the Cats. 6 & 7 better values?   But not as good of a value as the 7 night packages?

This morning I was able to change the hotel portion of a Cat 5 package to a 6 and the rep only charged me 15K more; Cat 5 was 235K, Cat 6 was 250K.  I can find more hopeful hotels on the Cat 6 list than 5's.  

Last year we used a Cat 6 at the Renaissance in Tuscany.   A current rate for dates in April this year is 191 Euro.  Last Sept. we were upgraded to a valley view room.   This year I'm using a Cat 6 at a Fairfield Inn in Bend, OR in July to attend the quilt show in Sisters, OR.  (If you want to go you better move quick, it's almost sold out )  I'm taking my sister.   I'm hoping they upgrade us to a suite.   Suites run $209 at this Fairfield in Bend.  Bend is also having a street fair and the hotel is in the heart of the action.  That should be fun.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 19, 2016)

Quilter said:


> dioxide, why do you feel the 5 night Cat 5 is the best value?
> 
> When I crunched the numbers, the 5th night in a 1-5 wasn't free (as the 7th is in the 7 night certificates).   It is 15K for a 25K room.   But the 5 night Cat 6 charges 10K for a 30K room.   Same for the 5 night Cat 7.
> 
> ...



Yes, you are right, the cat 6 and 7 are better values than cat 5. Both cost only 10,000 points for the fifth night. So one could actually say that the cat 7 is a better value since a cat 7 night costs 35,000 points and a cat 6 is only 30,000. The cat 7 is the one giving the best discount for that fifth night.


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## Quilter (Mar 19, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Yes, you are right, the cat 6 and 7 are better values than cat 5. Both cost only 10,000 points for the fifth night. So one could actually say that the cat 7 is a better value since a cat 7 night costs 35,000 points and a cat 6 is only 30,000. The cat 7 is the one giving the best discount for that fifth night.



I don't know about you, but it took me at least 4 reads to digest all Frequent Miler had to offer in his dissection of the packages.   We're at Ocean Pointe and my husband asked if I did the USA crossword.   I told him "No, I'm working on another puzzle".   

I like Greg's (FM's) blog.  He is next door to me in Michigan and I've gotten to attend some points and miles gatherings he has hosted.   He has patiently helped me through gathering points and miles even though I'm not one of the big time junkies who come to these events.


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## Quilter (Mar 19, 2016)

I want to take advantage of this but will need to combine points from other accounts.   Between DH and I we only have 111K Rewards points.   We have 118K in Chase Ultimate Rewards.   Chase points convert to miles 1:1.   I have converted Chase UR points to Hyatt but don't like to convert them to Marriott.   However, with a travel package I play a mental game that they are the miles portion of the travel package.  With the United bonus they become an even better deal than 1:1. 

21K short for a 5 night Cat 6 TP.  

Time to attend a sales presentation?

What's the best current presentation offer?


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## dioxide45 (Mar 19, 2016)

Quilter said:


> I want to take advantage of this but will need to combine points from other accounts.   Between DH and I we only have 111K Rewards points.   We have 118K in Chase Ultimate Rewards.   Chase points convert to miles 1:1.   I have converted Chase UR points to Hyatt but don't like to convert them to Marriott.   However, with a travel package I play a mental game that they are the miles portion of the travel package.  With the United bonus they become an even better deal than 1:1.
> 
> 21K short for a 5 night Cat 6 TP.
> 
> ...



Would you have enough points for a 5 night category 5? If so, just convert to that and then upgrade to the cat 6 later.


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## Quilter (Mar 19, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Would you have enough points for a 5 night category 5? If so, just convert to that and then upgrade to the cat 6 later.



No, just 229K points.  Still 6K short.   My Marriott Visa and Chase UR earning cards all close after the beginning of April.   Any new points from those would come too late for the promotion.   We're at OP and the current presentation is either 22,500 or 22,000.   We haven't been to one in years.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 20, 2016)

Quilter said:


> No, just 229K points.  Still 6K short.   My Marriott Visa and Chase UR earning cards all close after the beginning of April.   Any new points from those would come too late for the promotion.   We're at OP and the current presentation is either 22,500 or 22,000.   We haven't been to one in years.



The problem is that the points from a tour incentive may not post in time either. While I have had some post within a few days to a week, others have take four to six weeks to post to my MR account. Some others didn't post at all until I contacted MVCI Owner Services.


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## Xpat (Mar 20, 2016)

Quilter said:


> No, just 229K points.  Still 6K short.   My Marriott Visa and Chase UR earning cards all close after the beginning of April.   Any new points from those would come too late for the promotion.   We're at OP and the current presentation is either 22,500 or 22,000.   We haven't been to one in years.



You could buy the 6K points from Marriott for $75 if these points don't post to your account on time.

I wouldn't wait for the very last minute to buy the travel package. United has the following disclaimer in the promotion's T&Cs: "MileagePlus will not be responsible for technical problems with partner miles postings, or failures or delays in miles postings by hotel partners, that would render any points to miles converted as ineligible under this promotion."


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## Quilter (Mar 20, 2016)

Thank you, thank you.

Have the tour scheduled tomorrow.   Rep said she'd request points post soon.   We'll see where we are in a week.   In the meantime I have to get UR points combined and then moved to Marriott and have MR points combined.   

If only American miles transferred to Marriott.   For my last 2 travel packages I was first able to get UA miles on a bonus that was on top of the 10%.   Then AA had a promotion so I was able to move UA miles to Marriott (1:1) and turn them in for a TP and get the bonus on AA miles.   AA miles do not transfer directly to Marriott (1:1).


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## Luvtoride (Mar 21, 2016)

*Great use of MR points for Travel Package*

I just ordered a Rewards Plus (for United Airlines) Hotel and Air Mileage package under the current 25% bonus Promotion with United.  I requested a Category 8 certificate and the Maximum 132,000 Miles, using 360,000 MR points.  I'm calculating the value of this redemption as follows:

- 157,000 Mileage Plus Miles would cost $5,250 points to purchase...these will be used for an upcoming family cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, to pay for 8 round trip tickets from NJ to get us to cruise.

- I reserved a 7 night stay over New Years at the JW Marriott in Cancun, for a King, beach front balcony room.  The cash price for this room with taxes is $4,300!  With our Elite Status, we will get full concierge lounge usage, upgrades if available, etc.  Even the Marriott Rep I spoke to was AMAZED that this room for this time of the year was available using a certificate, this "close" to the travel time.   

So the way I'm figuring it, as a result of using the MR points, I'm getting vacation value of at least $7,500 and up to about $9,500 for my 360,000 points.  Not a bad exchange in this case!


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## hhoope01 (Mar 21, 2016)

Luvtoride said:


> With our Elite Status, we will get full concierge lounge usage, upgrades if available, etc.


You might want to verify this as I do believe that the Cancun JW is deemed a resort by Marriott.  And the lounge there is not a "normal" Marriott lounge.  It is a special lounge more akin to an RC lounge where Gold/Plats don't normally get access.  Of course it is possible to use points (or more cash) via upgrades to get into Club 91 and if you did that, great for you, but otherwise, don't expect access.

So you may well be on your own dime for breakfast, as well as, snacks and drinks.


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## Luvtoride (Mar 21, 2016)

Thanks for the advice Hhoope, I did discuss it with the rep vs booking the room with the club 91 access.  He was pretty certain that Platinum elite would get me in but I will call the resort directly.  The upgrade to club 91 in cash wasn't worth it. 
Thanks again for the heads up. Always best to let other tuggers know to get the best advice!


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## Quilter (Mar 23, 2016)

I logged into MR accounts and found a surprise of 18,000 extra in DH's account from the Megabonus.

795 points away from the needed 250K for a travel package :roll eyes:

Just made reservation at a Fairfield Inn for this Friday.   More points plus the Mega Bonus says each night will be extra 3,000.   Should be able to call Owner Services this weekend to get TP.


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## Ann in CA (Mar 25, 2016)

Thanks to TUG, I booked a travel package with 132,000 United miles plus 25,000 bonus miles earlier this week. The travel package showed up immedately in my husband's MR account, and since they said it could take some time to see the miles I didn't check his United account until today. It showed 132,000 miles. Before ordering the travel pkg, there was mix up with two different United  account numbers under his name, so I was afraid I had registered him for it with the now retired extra account number. I called MR to find out if they knew why the 25,000 had not shown up, and a very efficient  rep told me that the 132,000 had shown up immediately as they were a direct transfer of points to miles, but that the bonus 25,000 would take a month or so to be deposited. 

I don't remember this happening a few years ago with AA (we missed the AA bonus this time in December) but now assume the caution that the points would not show up for awhile was referring to the bonus points. Just mentioning this to save a phone call, or several, in case you did not know of the probable later arrival of the 25,000 points. Now, for you experts...was the rep correct?


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## Luvtoride (Mar 25, 2016)

Ann in CA said:


> Thanks to TUG, I booked a travel package with 132,000 United miles plus 25,000 bonus miles earlier this week. The travel package showed up immedately in my husband's MR account, and since they said it could take some time to see the miles I didn't check his United account until today. It showed 132,000 miles. Before ordering the travel pkg, there was mix up with two different United  account numbers under his name, so I was afraid I had registered him for it with the now retired extra account number. I called MR to find out if they knew why the 25,000 had not shown up, and a very efficient  rep told me that the 132,000 had shown up immediately as they were a direct transfer of points to miles, but that the bonus 25,000 would take a month or so to be deposited.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't remember this happening a few years ago with AA (we missed the AA bonus this time in December) but now assume the caution that the points would not show up for awhile was referring to the bonus points. Just mentioning this to save a phone call, or several, in case you did not know of the probable later arrival of the 25,000 points. Now, for you experts...was the rep correct?





Yes, I found out the same info regarding the bonus miles before I did the transfer.  The other 2 parts of the transaction appeared within a day.  Great deal to take advantage of as the 25k bonus miles could be a full RT ticket if you can use for the lowest points fare on United.  Luckily I don't need the extra points in a rush.


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## Fasttr (Mar 25, 2016)

Ann in CA said:


> I called MR to find out if they knew why the 25,000 had not shown up, and a very efficient  rep told me that the 132,000 had shown up immediately as they were a direct transfer of points to miles, but that the bonus 25,000 would take a month or so to be deposited.



Here is the fine print which explains the timing of the bonus miles. 
https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/reg/PTM2016/terms.html

Also, just to make sure you are aware, it appears you need to register to qualify for the bonus miles.... see post 1 in this thread for the link.


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## jancurious (Mar 25, 2016)

Fasttr said:


> Here is the fine print which explains the timing of the bonus miles.
> https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/reg/PTM2016/terms.html
> 
> Also, just to make sure you are aware, it appears you need to register to qualify for the bonus miles.... see post 1 in this thread for the link.



This was very helpful since our bonus did not post yet either.  The 132K went in the next day.  I called both United (knew nothing about it & directed me back to Marriott).  Marriott agent was totally clueless.  She said since United gives you 132K instead of 120K that that is the bonus!  We decided to cut our time and not even argue with her!  Came here to TUG to find out what we needed (as usual).  I set a reminder to check the United account again before April 30th.

Jan


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## Finntastic (Mar 25, 2016)

I am relatively new to the whole rewards thing.  Have used for 1 or 2 night hotel stays but never travel packages.1.  How often do the do these bonuses.  2. can you book travel 1 yr out?  3. do you need a special United account or credit card?


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## Ann in CA (Mar 25, 2016)

Fasttr said:


> Here is the fine print which explains the timing of the bonus miles.
> https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/reg/PTM2016/terms.html
> 
> Also, just to make sure you are aware, it appears you need to register to qualify for the bonus miles.... see post 1 in this thread for the link.



Yes. I used that link to register him for the bonus, but that was before I tried to log in to United and subsequently discovered that he had two different accounts. They combined his two accounts and retired one, but I later realized that I did not know which was on the United  gold card he got for being MR Platinum, or which I had used to register him. I am assuming they are really all some way linked now and the United rep that handled it was great, but I was transferred so much to get to him I have know idea how to check back with him.


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## Fasttr (Mar 25, 2016)

Ann in CA said:


> Yes. I used that link to register him for the bonus, but that was before I tried to log in to United and subsequently discovered that he had two different accounts. They combined his two accounts and retired one, but I later realized that I did not know which was on the United  gold card he got for being MR Platinum, or which I had used to register him. I am assuming they are really all some way linked now and the United rep that handled it was great, but I was transferred so much to get to him I have know idea how to check back with him.



Might be safe to register both UA numbers if you know them both.


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## Ann in CA (Mar 25, 2016)

Fasttr said:


> Might be safe to register both UA numbers if you know them both.



Good idea, and I do have both. Thanks.


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## Quilter (Mar 26, 2016)

I ordered my TP this morning.  Chase UR points finally showed up.  Last night rep said it could take 2-3 business days.  Tour point were there.  Had to combine MR points from both accounts.  

Found this today and thought I'd pass it on:  http://travelsummary.com/beginners-guide-to-redeeming-points-united-airlines-and-star-alliance/


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## Ann in CA (Mar 29, 2016)

Just checked the United account. Travel pkg miles posted 3/21/16 = 132,000, United bonus miles posted 2/28/16 = 25,000 for a total of 157,000. 

I did not call to be sure the active number had been used to register, but I did go back to register both numbers to be sure. I think that was not necessary as they previously said they had merged the accounts under one number. So, thanks United!


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## Xpat (Mar 29, 2016)

Ann in CA said:


> Just checked the United account. Travel pkg miles posted 3/21/16 = 132,000, United bonus miles posted 2/28/16 = 25,000 for a total of 157,000.
> 
> I did not call to be sure the active number had been used to register, but I did go back to register both numbers to be sure. I think that was not necessary as they previously said they had merged the accounts under one number. So, thanks United!



Thanks for confirming this. It's great that United are not waiting to post the bonus miles.

I ordered my travel package yesterday from Marriott Rewards around 5pm and was pleasantly surprised to see the 132k extra miles are already in my UA account.

The agent I spoke to also mentioned that:
- I could extend the 5-night certificate for another year if I can't use it in the next 12 months (this is not news, but as it's not a documented feature of the travel package, I like to have it reconfirmed)
- If I did not want to use the 5-night certificate I could return it but would only get 10,000 MR points back, which is obviously not a good deal.


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## Fasttr (Mar 29, 2016)

Ann in CA said:


> Just checked the United account. Travel pkg miles posted 3/21/16 = 132,000, United bonus miles posted 2/28/16 = 25,000 for a total of 157,000.



My bonus 25K hit yesterday as well.  I'm rich!!!


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## capjak (Mar 29, 2016)

Any way to use a travel reward past 12 months. I would like to use August 2017?


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## Quilter (Mar 29, 2016)

Yes, the TP can be extended.


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## Quilter (Mar 29, 2016)

Found the 132k miles in my UA account this morning.  11 days from my first post where we needed to get more points, transfer points and order TP.  

Don't mind the wait for other 25k.


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## capjak (Mar 29, 2016)

Quilter said:


> Yes, the TP can be extended.



thanks that makes it a no brainer


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## Ann in CA (Mar 29, 2016)

We are using AA miles for SFO to Malaga next month, but I have never used United miles except for US destinations. Any favorite uses? Looked at the partners list, but not any regularly used airlines (by us.) I have always loved Bali and my husband has never been there, so hope to use United/partner  miles for another trip back to Phuket and on down to Bali, or ?

 We really need to book much earlier as I had promised my husband Business or First, at least going, and we had to take a rather convoluted economy route to use AA. We booked way late this year due to trying to match with our son's rapidly changing temporary assignments, and had to give up the first week in Mallorca at Son Antem in order to be in Europe at the same time so he at least could join us at Playa Andaluza. Hope to use a travel package after Playa, but haven't decided where. 

So many places, so many miles, so little time to plan. What a wonderful problem to have!


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## Xpat (Mar 29, 2016)

Ann in CA said:


> We are using AA miles for SFO to Malaga next month, but I have never used United miles except for US destinations. Any favorite uses? Looked at the partners list, but not any regularly used airlines (by us.) I have always loved Bali and my husband has never been there, so hope to use United/partner  miles for another trip back to Phuket and on down to Bali, or ?
> 
> We really need to book much earlier as I had promised my husband Business or First, at least going, and we had to take a rather convoluted economy route to use AA. We booked way late this year due to trying to match with our son's rapidly changing temporary assignments, and had to give up the first week in Mallorca at Son Antem in order to be in Europe at the same time so he at least could join us at Playa Andaluza. Hope to use a travel package after Playa, but haven't decided where.
> 
> So many places, so many miles, so little time to plan. What a wonderful problem to have!



Awards in business or first are getting so hard to book that I booked my last award (Australia on Qantas First) the day the flights opened for reservations - about 330 days before departure!

I'm more familiar with AA miles but think United miles can work well for Asia. You need to be careful what equipment the partners are flying as not all have lie-flat seats in business throughout their fleets.

ANA to Tokyo (on a 787) and then Thai to Bangkok (A380) would feature their new business class products. I'm thinking of combining Phuket or Bali with a side trip to Australia. Bangkok to Perth on Thai (787) for 30k UA miles in Business seems like a good value to me.


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## Luvtoride (Mar 29, 2016)

Our 25,000 bonus miles posted to our account today.  Just 1 week after our Marriott converted miles from the travel package award of 133,000 miles posted. Much faster than I thought.  I can now book my 8 tickets for Nov travel. Nice promo to take advantage of.


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## Finntastic (Mar 30, 2016)

How often do these 25 percent bonus deals happen?  Do you need an United Airlines CC.   I have enough MR points, but no time to travel at present  Where are some good US destinations to use these with.  Thanks


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## jtdillian (Mar 30, 2016)

Why is it only 25k miles I thought it is a 25% bonus on top of the 132k (already a 10% bonus that the travel package gives with united compared to other domestic airlines)

My calculations would be a 33k mile bonus wouldn't it? 

Making the total miles 165,000 wouldn't it. I took advantage of this promo also (last minute). By the way I ordered the package this Monday evening around 6pm and my first 132k miles were in my account the next day by lunch yesterday. Wow less than 24hrs!!!

Even the United rep that I called yesterday to find out when I would get my bonus (she said it takes up to 8 weeks) said I should be receiving 33k more as a bonus. I wonder why people are only getting 25k? I would call United and ask how they came to that number. Or can someone on here explain?


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## Fi2 (Mar 30, 2016)

Finntastic said:


> How often do these 25 percent bonus deals happen?  Do you need an United Airlines CC.   I have enough MR points, but no time to travel at present  Where are some good US destinations to use these with.  Thanks



You don't need a United credit card, just a frequent flyer number, pre-registered for the bonus, then you can get the bonus. I don't have travel plans yet for our two (one each is the maximum bonus, so for my husband's and my) packages, but the miles will sit in our accounts until I'm ready to book a big trip.

BTW I'm just using the two five night marriott certificates parts of my travel packages, traded for two years ago, THIS summer. I redeemed then, to get and immediately use the flight miles and wound up paying less than $400 for my family of six to go to Asia (everyone into Beijing and out of Shanghai, to join a private tour, and some of us to Singapore and Tokyo in addition).


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## capjak (Mar 30, 2016)

jtdillian said:


> Why is it only 25k miles I thought it is a 25% bonus on top of the 132k (already a 10% bonus that the travel package gives with united compared to other domestic airlines)
> 
> My calculations would be a 33k mile bonus wouldn't it?
> 
> ...



The Promo states 25% bonus UP TO 25,000 miles, thus the maximum is 25,000


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## StevenTing (Jun 5, 2016)

SkyBlueWaters said:


> Enlighten me because I am points challenged. This works for the higher tier brands right. I only stay at the 7500 point ones, reduced points stay.
> 
> 
> 
> I will start working on those points! They are scattered with different loyalty programs.





I know I'm 2 months late to the discussion but most of the nights I book are in the 25,000-35,000 per night rate.  IF you're getting nights at 7500 per, then it's not worth it to you.  But for me, it's a toss up on the nights.  The real value is having the MR points convert 1:1 for Airline miles.  That's the best value out there.

For instance, that 120,000 miles can get me about $1800 in value with Delta, flying to Hawaii.  The 120,000 points needed to covert would only get me about $800-$900 worth of hotel stays.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Quilter (Jun 5, 2016)

StevenTing said:


> I know I'm 2 months late to the discussion but most of the nights I book are in the 25,000-35,000 per night rate.  IF you're getting nights at 7500 per, then it's not worth it to you.  But for me, it's a toss up on the nights.  The real value is having the MR points convert 1:1 for Airline miles.  That's the best value out there.
> 
> For instance, that 120,000 miles can get me about $1800 in value with Delta, flying to Hawaii.  The 120,000 points needed to covert would only get me about $800-$900 worth of hotel stays.
> 
> ...



Thanks for bringing this up again.   I looked at my UA account and see I still haven't gotten the extra miles.   I still have only 132K deposited on 3/26.   Did others get the extra miles yet?

Steven,

I use my miles mostly for international travel.   120K miles with UA can get me 2 one way Business tix from DTW to Milan at 57,5K each.   I did a rough search and found the seats would cost about $5K each.   So that's about $10K in value.   Sometimes it would be 70K per seat but the routing most likely would be better since it would be on Lufthansa and there seems to be more Business seat availability on LH.   Those were pricing out at $6800 each.   I'd have to come up with another 20K in miles for 2 seats but with Chase Ultimate Rewards moving over to MR 1:1 that hasn't been a problem.   (However, the only time I booked with LH they were on strike and we ended up on Delta anyway.   It was great and I was told those seats were $7K each).


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