(NEXSTAR) – United Airlines is now allowing passengers to “pool” their frequent flyer points and share them with family and friends. However, the web page where users are invited to start the process is currently down and will not be accessible for some time. United Airlines says it will take several more days.
On Thursday, the company promoted its new MileagePlus mile pool program as a “new way for MileagePlus members to contribute and consolidate miles into joint accounts.”a press release indicated the option was available as of Thursday, but links provided to the pool program’s webpage or its terms and conditions were redirecting to United’s home page on Friday.
A spokesperson for United’s media department claimed the program’s unavailability was due to technical issues.
“While we experienced an unexpected technical issue overnight, we look forward to bringing back the new mile pool functionality soon,” a spokesperson told Nexstar.
The representative did not say when the feature would be available. However, a member of the carrier’s customer service team acknowledged Friday morning that it could take 48 to 72 hours for the webpage to be available to customers.
According to our customer service member, there is no option to initiate the pool process over the phone.
United Airlines explains that when the program is available, a “pool leader” can select up to four other people to set up a joint account in the MileagePlus program. The leader of the group requires that she be at least 18 years old, but there is no minimum age for other leaders, so parents can register their children. All pool participants must have their own United Airlines Mileage Account.
jet blue airlines, spirit airlines and frontier airlines They already offer pooling, but each has slightly different rules. However, United Airlines is the first major airline to implement a similar program.
Frequent flyer programs remain popular despite complaints that the value of miles and points decreases over time as airlines increase redemption requirements for tickets and other products.
This program is valuable to airlines by increasing customer loyalty and giving consumers a reason to obtain an airline-branded credit card. United Airlines credit cards are issued by Chase.
United points are middle of pack It’s the best value among U.S. and international airline programs, according to a recent analysis by consumer site NerdWallet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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