United Mileage Plus Explorer Card

annoyed to find out about a benefit change. Used to be first free bag for you and those on your booking. Seems it's now good for just you and ONE companion. Trip with kids and 5 people coming up. If I had know this, would have booked as 2 separate reservations with each of our cards and gotten 4 bags free instead of 2. Heads up!

Not a recent change, at least based on our card.

conandrob240 said:

annoyed to find out about a benefit change. Used to be first free bag for you and those on your booking. Seems it's now good for just you and ONE companion. Trip with kids and 5 people coming up. If I had know this, would have booked as 2 separate reservations with each of our cards and gotten 4 bags free instead of 2. Heads up!

must be fairly recent. Granted it's been about a year and a few months since I travelled with more than 2 people but it's always been whole party and I've had the card at least a decade.

i do understand what it is now but that's not what it was previously. I just called and was told the switch happened 3 years ago. I suppose that's possible as I haven't flown United with a group for almost 2 years and the reservation I made before that may have been booked under the old rules.

I just wish they would have made cardholders aware because I would have just booked as two reservations under our two different cards. I detest carry on luggage.

I am sure they made the cardholders "aware" but as part of a long notice in small print. But I go caught by it awhile ago.

Yeah, they mail out those annual update things with 6 pages of fine print- I am sure that's where it was.  Annoying that it could have been easily fixed if I had been aware and now I'll have to pay at least $100 extra

American still gives a free bag to each passenger booked with their card.

that's good. I don't typically fly AA and don't have their card. Now that I know, I can just split the reservation for 5 people across 2 cards which is what I would have done this time if I had known!

I had not typically flown American either but the last two trips American came up cheaper than United. For the first trip I took a card because the first year is free. Will decide at the end of the year if it is worth keeping.

Yeah, AA has been coming in with decent prices lately.  On the other hand, Delta had become one I flew more often past 2 years but every time I check them lately, they are a lot more $ than anyone else. JetBlue to the Caribbean has been super-cheap lately.  We're trying them to Barbados because at $350 RT, why not?

if you check the luggage curbside, it might be worth handing the agent both cards with a nice ($10 or more) tip and asking if you really have to pay for additional luggage because you didn't know to split the reservation for your family between the two cards.

conandrob240 said:

that's good. I don't typically fly AA and don't have their card. Now that I know, I can just split the reservation for 5 people across 2 cards which is what I would have done this time if I had known!

Doesn't it only apply if the cardholder is on the reservation?

No sure what you mean.  My husband and I are traveling with 3 kids.  Instead of booking it as one reservation and getting 2 free bags, I could have booked it as two reservations with each adult booking on their United card getting us 2 free bags per reservation for a total of 4 instead of 2.

And, yes, soresident, I will try that for sure.

Since this thread is on the topic of United, I recently was on a flight and assigned an Economy Plus seat. It was a work trip, government fare, so I don't get to choose my seat, so I thought I was lucky to get the extra legroom. Come to discover because the row was in front of an exit row the seat didn't recline. If I had actually paid extra for that seat, I would have been plenty pissed. Beware of these rows! Jerks!

it says it right on the seat selector if the seat reclines and it'll pop up before you make the purchase. They are cheaper than the other plus seats

conandrob240 said:

No sure what you mean.  My husband and I are traveling with 3 kids.  Instead of booking it as one reservation and getting 2 free bags, I could have booked it as two reservations with each adult booking on their United card getting us 2 free bags per reservation for a total of 4 instead of 2.

And, yes, soresident, I will try that for sure.

If you each have a card, then you're fine.  I thought you meant there were two cards in the same (one) name.  My mistake.

no, we each have separate cards in our names. Not a shared account

My husband and I each have a United Plus card, his with his name, mine with my name, but it's the same number. Since he signed up for the card, and I guess they then issued me a card (it was awhile ago, I can't remember), if I fly without him, I don't get a free bag. I find this ludicrous! As the main card holder, he has to be on the reservation. 

When I don't feel like paying to check my bag, I simply take my bag through security, and walk right up to the gate and gate check it. I've never had a problem with this.

Yeah but its Disney and Magical express so if I gate check it, it does not go right to my resort with the other bags and I'll have to wait at baggage claim.  Don't want to do that so I am going to try the generous tip first and then just suck up paying for 1-2 extra bags if that doesn't work.   Lesson learned though to split the reservation. 

noseygirl99 said:

My husband and I each have a United Plus card, his with his name, mine with my name, but it's the same number. Since he signed up for the card, and I guess they then issued me a card (it was awhile ago, I can't remember), if I fly without him, I don't get a free bag. I find this ludicrous! As the main card holder, he has to be on the reservation. 

When I don't feel like paying to check my bag, I simply take my bag through security, and walk right up to the gate and gate check it. I've never had a problem with this.

Same with my spouse and me, but we each have an account with the other having a second card on the account and it was always my understanding that only the main account holder (the one whose MileagePlus account gets the miles) could get the perks like this.  

Yes, it is dumb that the 2nd card added to a main account doesn't carry the perks. We each have our own account.- signed up to get the bonus miles and we both travel alone enough that it makes sense to have them be separate.

I'd say it is one set of free bags per annual fee, rather than one per card issued.  Not dumb, just part of the deal being offered for a certain price.  

You want two offers, you pay two annual fees -- well worth it if you travel a lot, as you've already said.

conandrob240 said:

Yes, it is dumb that the 2nd card added to a main account doesn't carry the perks. We each have our own account.- signed up to get the bonus miles and we both travel alone enough that it makes sense to have them be separate.

Or pay $395 for the club card.

they revamped their points system as well.  try getting a direct flight for 30,000 points to anywhere these days.  

I noticed that.  Only the flights with stops are typically available at the lower price point.  Ridiculous.

And it most certainly is pretty dumb that a 2nd card doesn't carry the benefits. 

No interest in the Club card- I don't travel enough anymore.  I do wish the Platinum Amex still had them as a partner though.  That lounge access was a great bonus.

they also increased their econ plus international fares.  

how recent?

we flew into sfo and out of lax this past nov for 35k miles , which i thought was decent.  (direct flights each way)

Robert_Casotto said:

they revamped their points system as well.  try getting a direct flight for 30,000 points to anywhere these days.  

it used to be easy to get US flights for 25k miles. Now, those 25-35k flights are usually with a stop. I'd say I noticed this trend past 6-8 mths

oots said:

how recent?

we flew into sfo and out of lax this past nov for 35k miles , which i thought was decent.  (direct flights each way)

Robert_Casotto said:

they revamped their points system as well.  try getting a direct flight for 30,000 points to anywhere these days.  

more on the international side.  was a time (pre-merger, mostly) one could fly to more international destinations on 30K direct flights.  Now you're lucky to get only 2 stops on a tier 2 EU destination for 30K.