United Airlines Upgrade Scam: Tip-of-the-Day #314

Just found myself victim to the latest "scam" of sorts, issued by United and Continental Airlines. The skinny: if you are traveling in economy and place yourself on an upgrade list, you will be charged for the upgrade on the day you wait-list yourself, regardless of whether that upgrade ever clears!

I was just in NY for business and I upgraded to economy plus on the outbound and was wait-listed for First class on the return. I agreed to the charge of $125, plus 15,000 miles, should the upgrade clear. Well, the upgrade didn't clear and I just noticed on my recent credit card statement that I was charged for the upgrade anyway!

I quickly Googled this issue, knowing that in the universe of travelers someone must have experienced the same, and sure enough it's been going on for several years now. Apparently a policy change disrupted the way upgrades were processed, upon check in, and instead now processes the upgrade ahead of time irregardless of delivery of service!

The worst part: it can take weeks to get your money and miles refunded!

Not sure what you can do about this except avoid wait-listing yourself and suck it up in coach. Buh.

Maximize Starbucks Rewards: Tip-of-the-Day #313

If you're subscribed to the Starbucks Rewards program, you know that you can earn "Stars" by paying for your purchase with a registered Starbucks Card, using the Starbucks mobile app or by entering Star codes from specially marked Starbucks products in the grocery store.

Collect 30 Stars within 12 months and you’re automatically placed into the Gold level. At Gold level you have access to the "Free Drink or Food Reward Every 12 Stars" which translates to: Earn 12 Stars and Starbucks will treat you to your favorite drink or food. Not bad if you find yourself at Starbucks most mornings.

When I first became Gold (so easy to do when your only coffee option is Starbucks) I assumed that my reward would entitle me to the free cheapest item I was purchasing. Nope. In fact, it's the opposite. My typical order includes a grande latte and a protein bistro box and the item that's removed from my bill is always the bistro box.

This morning I had a reward to redeem and after ordering my "usual" I noticed that my balance, after redeeming my reward, was the cost of the bistro box, not the latte. I asked the barista why the less expensive item was removed from the bill, not the more expensive item. She replied "whoops, didn't see that" and promptly handed me a free food/drink coupon for my next visit.

The reason why this post is important is:
1. Know that at Starbucks your reward is good for the most expensive item you're ordering.
2. Don't be afraid to ask about your balance because baristas are all too human and mistakes do happen. You may just get an extra reward for speaking up!