Hey again.
A few days ago I posted asking for help about which United card I should choose. I decided on the United Explorer card. Thanks for the help!
I am going to call customer service about this, but I wanted to do some research first about how the promotion works and the Pay-Yourself-Back feature.
I am being offered a $400 credit and 25,000 miles if I apply, and am immediately approved, for a United Explorer card upon checkout. I intend to take that offer.
Question: After spending $3,000 in 3 months, which I will do fairly quickly, will I also be able to retroactively apply those 25,000 miles (250 USD) IN ADDITION to already having $400 removed immediately as the credit?
Question: Also, will the $400 and $250 deductions not account against the $3,000 I need to spend to trigger the 25,000 mile sign-up bonus? Would I have to spend $3650 to uphold the SUB?
Question: How do I know my flight will be eligible for the 25,000 pay-yourself-back feature? It is obviously over the $50 minimum, and it's a United fair, so I figure it will be eligible.
Thank you so much!
Questions about a United Explorer Promotion and Pay-Yourself-Back
byu/tktk77 inCreditCards
Posted by tktk77
3 Comments
1. No. Those miles are usable for future bookings and are not retroactive.
2. The $400 credit will show upon check-out and will reduce the amount you actually pay. Not sure where you’re getting $250 but presumably that’s from misunderstanding how miles work.
FWIW, the one you’re seeing is a pretty bad offer compared to the current United Explorer public offer, which is 70k for $3k spend and an additional 10k for adding an AU.
I got the same promo as you on this card. The $400 was issued to me as statement credit, not miles so you wouldn’t be able to stack them.
The SUBs are separate from your minimum spend requirement, so you just need to worry about the $3k.
I’d prefer the more traditional 70k miles offer for the card vs the offer you’re referencing to be honest. United miles are roughly at least 1.2 cpp, so that’s worth at least $840 of value vs your planned $650. If you’re laser focused on the ability to use the pay yourself back feature rather than actually earning miles, I’m not sure why you’re interested in this card instead of more traditional cash back cards that can earn higher rewards and won’t have an annual fee in a year.
To your actual questions: if the $400 + 25k is the SUB, then 3k is the required spend. What you do with your miles once you receive them is your business, and the cash is a reward, not a refund, so it shouldn’t impact the 3k either.
You can use miles to offset United ticket purchases (or an annual fee) that posted within the last 90 days. I imagine it needs to be a direct United booking to be eligible, as opposed to a third party like Expedia.