A friend of mine hit me up last week because he realized that he didn’t book his United flight on his United card. The bummer part was because the United card provides him with one free checked bag when he flies. I told him that I was pretty sure that if he showed the card at check in that they would waive the checked baggage fee. Worth a shot! He was also bummed that he was going to be leaving for the trip and he hadn’t received his 2 free United Lounge passes yet that come with the card.
Well not only did he get a free checked bag, but he scored a free lounge visit too!! Here’s his story:
“Good Afternoon David,
Hope this finds you well! I’m writing from the United Club in Washington DC, enjoying my complimentary scotch and snacks!
The Penn State Glee Club (85 member men’s choir that I conduct) has just wrapped up it’s spring break tour around the area. We sang concerts at schools, the national cathedral, and the capital building and got to spend plenty of free time exploring the city. Now I’m headed home for the last half of break to see college friends and family before finishing out the semester.
So here’s my story:
In January, I applied and received the Chase United Mileage Plus Explorer card. Being new to the miles and benefit game, I purchased my flight using another card (to make a minimum spend for another card). I later found out that to use the free baggage on United, I needed to purchase the ticket with the card. Whoops! Also, the two free Lounge passes had not arrived in the mail. It seemed as though I was out of luck, flying economy, paying for my checked luggage and not enjoying the free snacks, drinks and comfort of the lounge.
My original itinerary was from DCA to ORD to OMA departing at 5:30pm and arriving at 11pm. I was finished with my business at 11am so I decided to head to the airport and try to catch an earlier flight.
At check-in, I asked the agent why it was charging me for my luggage even though I was a cardholder. He said no problem and checked me in manually, with free checked luggage. Then I asked if there were any earlier flights that I could catch. He checked and told me no, so I thanked him and went through security.
I decided to head to the Lounge to try to explain that my complimentary passes hadn’t come yet, and if there was a way to access the lounge without buying a daily pass. The woman asked for my card and said, “You can just be my guest today.” This was great! I decided to stretch my luck, one ounce further and ask if she could check if there were any earlier flights. Sure enough, after 20 minutes she found another flight leaving at 1pm and arriving at 6pm.
Free checked luggage, free lounge access, and an earlier flight that supposedly wasn’t available. I’d call that a success!
All my best,
Chris”
Wow, how amazing is that?! I figured he would get his checked bag for free, but I would not have thought he would score free lounge access or an earlier flight bump! That’s pretty impressive. This is why we do what we do.
Have you had anything like this happen? Comment below or email me, b/c I want to hear about it!
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