A United Airlines passenger scored 98,000 MileagePlus miles for taking a later flight, and offers a useful reminder: if you are flexible, do not wait until the gate to volunteer.
United Passenger Scores 98,000 Miles For Taking A Later Flight
A United Airlines passenger hit the oversold-flight jackpot this week, walking away with 98,000 MileagePlus miles in exchange for taking a later flight from Boston Logan.
The passenger shared the story on Reddit, explaining that while checking in for a Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO) flight, United offered an immediate option to change to a later flight for 7,500 miles or to add himself to the volunteer list. He chose the volunteer route and bid close to the maximum: 98,000 miles. United apparently needed the seat, accepted the bid, and rebooked him on a later flight that same day.
That is a very nice haul!
Why 98,000 United Miles Can Be A Great Deal
There will always be a debate over whether miles or travel credits are better in situations like this.
United allows volunteers to bid either an electronic travel certificate or MileagePlus miles when soliciting volunteers during check-in. The passenger chose miles, explaining that he likes using miles for saver Polaris awards.
Yes, 98,000 United miles may not be worth $2,000 in a strict cents-per-mile analysis, especially after years of MileagePlus devaluations. But miles can still be very useful when used well, particularly for expensive last-minute tickets, Star Alliance partner awards, or premium cabin redemptions when saver space appears.
A travel certificate is more straightforward. Miles offer more optionality. Which one is better depends on how you travel.
Personally, I would probably take the $2,000 ETC in many cases, but I understand why someone who books premium cabin awards would choose miles. Nearly 100,000 United miles is still a good day’s work.
The Useful Tip: Bid During Check-In
The most useful part of the Reddit thread was not the 98,000-mile number itself, but the passenger’s explanation of how United appears to handle these offers…though I cannot independently verify that.
He wrote:
You can bid up to $2000 ETC or 100k miles if United solicits volunteers when checking-in.
ALWAYS bid at check-in if you’re flexible. The gate agents will select the lowest bid first, then process up depending on needed seats.
Gate agent told me they could only offer $1000 ETC or 50k miles at the gate if I volunteered on the spot, not at check-in.
That is worth remembering, even though I’m not sure the gate agent is correct. As far as I know, gate agent are not held to a strict limit (though the policy is not as generous as it was in the post-Dao era, when United went out out of its way to avoid bumping anyone involuntarily).
In any case, I also volunteer on the app during check-in…though unfortunately I haven’t seen much opportunity lately. If United is soliciting volunteers during check-in and you have flexibility, it may be better to place a bid then rather than waiting until you reach the gate. Based on this account, the check-in system may allow higher offers than what the gate agent can offer on the spot later.
Of course, there is no guarantee your bid will be accepted. Oversold flights can change quickly. Aircraft swaps, missed connections, no-shows, and reaccommodations can all quickly alter the math. But if you truly are flexible, there is little downside in entering a high bid and seeing what happens.
CONCLUSION
A United passenger scored 98,000 MileagePlus miles for taking a later Boston to San Francisco flight after bidding during check-in.
That is a great result, and the broader lesson is useful: if United asks for volunteers during check-in and you are flexible, bid then rather than waiting until the gate…just in case.
You may not hit the jackpot every time (most of the time, nothing will happen). But when United really needs your seat, bidding early may be the difference between a modest offer and a very nice haul of miles or travel credit.
How about $980 or up to $10,000 instead? Seems like this passenger settled for way less than they should have. IDB for oversold flights is a big deal, especially after Dr. Dao… #NeverForget
I’d add a caveat. Check if there are appropriate seats on the next flight if the flights are limited.
Example. Past Saturday I was in Polaris to Korea and for whatever reason the ground crew came on board asking for a volunteer to bump for $2k ETC to next flight. I was considering it but checked and there were no Polaris seats left on the next flight, so did not bid as the ground crew would have had to find a next day seat instead.