The Nightmare of changing a flight reservation made with Chase points!

[DebBrown]

If you use your chase points for airline tickets, be extra sure that you won't be changing your flights. I just spent 2 hours on the phone with clueless reps trying to change a flight. You can't do this through their website or directly with the airline.

The first rep couldn't even find the flights for the correct airline. I hung up after 20 minutes and tried my luck with a second rep. At least the second one tried really hard but it was incredibly tedious and exhausting. I need to lay down with a cool compress on my head now.

 

[Talent312]

It sounds like you dealt with some nincompoops (a/k/a dunderheads).

OTOH, I had good luck when I called U/R after Delta changed a flight from 7:30AM to 6:40AM. At first, they said 50 minutes wasn't a major change but after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, they went to bat for me with Delta and got a later flight. I suspect that, but for U/R's involvement, Delta would'a said no dice.
.

 

[klpca]

If you use your chase points for airline tickets, be extra sure that you won't be changing your flights. I just spent 2 hours on the phone with clueless reps trying to change a flight. You can't do this through their website or directly with the airline.

The first rep couldn't even find the flights for the correct airline. I hung up after 20 minutes and tried my luck with a second rep. At least the second one tried really hard but it was incredibly tedious and exhausting. I need to lay down with a cool compress on my head now.

For other reasons I've stopped using my Chase points for flights. I had never considered having issues with customer support.

I have been burning our points on excursions and I am enjoying the use of those points. For Hawaii, I booked snorkel tours and sunset sailing etc. I booked a bike tour in Paris too.

 

[tschwa2]

I have used my chase points for Southwest. You have to call to make the reservation. When I had to change I called Chase and they were able to take care of it.

 

[DebBrown]

It sounds like you dealt with some nincompoops (a/k/a dunderheads).

OTOH, I had good luck when I called U/R after Delta changed a flight from 7:30AM to 6:40AM. At first, they said 50 minutes wasn't a major change but after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, they went to bat for me with Delta and got a later flight. I suspect that, but for U/R's involvement, Delta would'a said no dice.
.

I was changing flight times which seemed like a simple change but they couldn't get the fare class right and a zillion other things. On the plus side, the new flights were cheaper so I got the better flights, paid the $200 penalty but came out almost even. But getting the new flights at the lower fare was almost impossible. I give the rep credit for tenacity but these people are very poorly trained. I am sure I was talking to a woman sitting at her kitchen table with a list of instructions at her side.

I like getting the 1.5x use of points for travel but will be a lot more careful in what goes through their portal.

 

[tschwa2]

I was changing flight times which seemed like a simple change but they couldn't get the fare class right and a zillion other things. On the plus side, the new flights were cheaper so I got the better flights, paid the $200 penalty but came out almost even. But getting the new flights at the lower fare was almost impossible. I give the rep credit for tenacity but these people are very poorly trained. I am sure I was talking to a woman sitting at her kitchen table with a list of instructions at her side.

I like getting the 1.5x use of points for travel but will be a lot more careful in what goes through their portal.

I don't know that it is poor training. I worked as a reservation unit and airline inventory management is very complicated and something an agent has no control over. If you have non stop flights, then you are looking at only one or two flights. If you have connecting flights, each flight has about 8 fare classes and finding something that is similar or lower than what you originally booked isn't always available. Also not all of the fare classes combine. This is just the way it is when you change flights whether using chase points or not.

 

[DebBrown]

I don't know that it is poor training. I worked as a reservation unit and airline inventory management is very complicated and something an agent has no control over. If you have non stop flights, then you are looking at only one or two flights. If you have connecting flights, each flight has about 8 fare classes and finding something that is similar or lower than what you originally booked isn't always available. Also not all of the fare classes combine. This is just the way it is when you change flights whether using chase points or not.

Except this agent had no idea what any of the fare classes were. I had to check the flight on United airlines to see which fare class I wanted. Until then it was just trial and error. After adding a new segment, she didn't know how to remove the old segment. She literally was checking her notes and trying to decipher instructions for every step. But my point in posting is to warn others - not be a jerk. I will be very careful in the future about what reservations I make through the Chase portal.

 

[alwysonvac]

I’ve been able to access my United flights booked through the Chase Portal using Chase points. I include my United Frequent Flyer number on my Chase bookings then I log into my United Account and access my reservation using United‘s confirmation number.

I’ve cancel flights due to hurricane warnings directly on the United website and even got a refund later through United‘s website that was posted back to my Chase account (points and cash were returned successfully).

Were you trying to use additional Chase points to cover the change fee and/or price difference?

 

[DebBrown]

Were you trying to use additional Chase points to cover the change fee and/or price difference?

Nope. I couldn't even get to that point. On the United site, there's an option to "change flight". When I clicked on it, I get the message : "This ticket cannot be changed through United since it was purchased from a third-party. Please contact your original ticketing agency to make changes. You can select alternate flights during check-in for same-day change or if your flight has been impacted with a delay or cancellation."

I could have waited and tried same-day change but that would have been more expensive. The new flights price out cheaper than my original ticket. Plus, it's a bit stressful to try and change flights 24 hours before departure.

 

[Snazzylass]

I am sure I was talking to a woman sitting at her kitchen table with a list of instructions at her side.

Oh please! So sorry your experience was a struggle, but really!

 

[tschwa2]

Except this agent had no idea what any of the fare classes were. I had to check the flight on United airlines to see which fare class I wanted. Until then it was just trial and error. After adding a new segment, she didn't know how to remove the old segment. She literally was checking her notes and trying to decipher instructions for every step. But my point in posting is to warn others - not be a jerk. I will be very careful in the future about what reservations I make through the Chase portal.

Ok. Now I get it. The chase agent had to make the changes through a portal. It sounds like her portal wasn't much more than what you see online. Unless you were changing only the return flight of a fare that required RT, then what she was doing was essentially cancelling your ticket and applying the value toward a new ticket minus the change penalty. You probably could have searched online yourself and found the least expensive options that would have worked with the time you needed and suggested the chase agent try those flights. If it was just the return portion, you probably could have called United told them the Chase agent was having some problems and if you ask nicely they might have been able to help you find the flights that would work. If you try doing it that way you would be very unlikely to get an agent who would spend more than 5 minutes to find something that works and it likely would have been a more expensive option than what you eventually got.

 

[DebBrown]

Ok. Now I get it. The chase agent had to make the changes through a portal. It sounds like her portal wasn't much more than what you see online. Unless you were changing only the return flight of a fare that required RT, then what she was doing was essentially cancelling your ticket and applying the value toward a new ticket minus the change penalty. You probably could have searched online yourself and found the least expensive options that would have worked with the time you needed and suggested the chase agent try those flights. If it was just the return portion, you probably could have called United told them the Chase agent was having some problems and if you ask nicely they might have been able to help you find the flights that would work. If you try doing it that way you would be very unlikely to get an agent who would spend more than 5 minutes to find something that works and it likely would have been a more expensive option than what you eventually got.

Yeah, that's about it. I did know exactly what flights I wanted. It seems easy enough, eh? Yet it took two full hours. I did not try to get UA to make the change but, of course, didn't realize it wasn't going to be so bad.

 

[Talent312]

BTW, if you use ITA - https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ -
you can find the booking code and fare structure. Pretty simple, actually.

In my case, I wanted a later flight w/o paying anything. I used the "old people" excuse...
We had get up at 4AM for the 7:30 flight, and now they want us to get up at 3AM?
... We're old people and it's not so easy for us...
We got a 10AM flight and a better connection w/o paying the difference or change fee.

 

[alwysonvac]

Nope. I couldn't even get to that point. On the United site, there's an option to "change flight". When I clicked on it, I get the message : "This ticket cannot be changed through United since it was purchased from a third-party. Please contact your original ticketing agency to make changes. You can select alternate flights during check-in for same-day change or if your flight has been impacted with a delay or cancellation."

I could have waited and tried same-day change but that would have been more expensive. The new flights price out cheaper than my original ticket. Plus, it's a bit stressful to try and change flights 24 hours before departure.

Yikes, I went into my United reservations made back in December. I can still select my seats but I see that message if I try to change the flight.

Thanks for the warning.

 

[WinniWoman]

If you use your chase points for airline tickets, be extra sure that you won't be changing your flights. I just spent 2 hours on the phone with clueless reps trying to change a flight. You can't do this through their website or directly with the airline.

The first rep couldn't even find the flights for the correct airline. I hung up after 20 minutes and tried my luck with a second rep. At least the second one tried really hard but it was incredibly tedious and exhausting. I need to lay down with a cool compress on my head now.

This is how it is with most customer service today. Beyond frustrating. Makes blood shoot out of my eyes. Good luck. I feel your pain, though I am dealing with other (not travel) issues at the moment, not Chase points.

 

[SandyPGravel]

If you use your chase points for airline tickets, be extra sure that you won't be changing your flights. I just spent 2 hours on the phone with clueless reps trying to change a flight. You can't do this through their website or directly with the airline.

The first rep couldn't even find the flights for the correct airline. I hung up after 20 minutes and tried my luck with a second rep. At least the second one tried really hard but it was incredibly tedious and exhausting. I need to lay down with a cool compress on my head now.

I was easily able to change my flights. I called American Airlines and was done very quickly.