“An agent informed me she was making an exception and correcting the problem…(by refunding)…me back 65,000 miles and then proceeded to take out 15,000 more.”
After Richard's Bonvoy'd anniversary trip battle of wills, it seems like Ed Pizza is set to give him a run for his money. This week's program that is behaving badly is none other than United MileagePlus. Ed recounts all the headaches and hassles from spending 9 hours on the phone for a simple route change request, only to have 170k miles just go missing. Just goes to show that no matter your status level, sometimes you can't get any love. This week the fellas also dish up an intro to manufactured spend. Best case example? Richard spending $10,000 at a Dollar General in one transaction! Tune in to hear the benefits and risks associated with this type of earning strategy.
Timestamps
2:00 - Richard & Ed = the new Statler and Waldorf
3:25 - Spending 9 hours on the phone with United MileagePlus
7:45 - Ed is a points hoarder
11:00 - Losing options for booking travel when agents give you the wrong info
17:55 - What is manufactured spend?
19:55 - Who drops $10k at a Dollar General?
24:41 - Walking the fine line between legal vs. ethical
27:36 - Risks of manufactured spend
Today's Guest
Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the BoardingArea network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.
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