US Airways: No Mags For Miles, But Here's A Credit Card
You know those too-bad-to-be-true mailings that offer to let you turn expiring frequent flyer miles into magazine subscriptions? Turns out that, at least in some cases, they're even worse than advertised. Google SEO god Matt Cutts had racked up about 15,000 miles on U.S. Airways, and was looking for a way to cash them in before they expired. The magazines seemed like a better deal than just letting the miles turn to vapor, so he went ahead and ordered a bunch, and waited for them to arrive. And waited. And waited.
Eventually, Cutts began receiving emails from 321mags.com, which U.S. Airways had enlisted to fulfill the orders. Of eight magazines and newspapers Cutts tried to order, he got zero. "That's right," he wrote in his blog. "Not a single magazine or newpaper showed up. Instead, eight different times I was told that an 'overwhelming response' meant that title wasn't available."
By the time all of the magazine offers fell through, Cutts' miles had expired. But his saga doesn't end there. A short while later, U.S. Airways came back with a new offer: He could get his miles back — if he signed up for a shiny new credit card. Cutts declined, and added the followng to his blog: "You know what, U.S. Airways? Just keep the miles. Or better yet, if anyone from the U.S. Airways Dividend Miles program sees this post and wants to do something nice, please donate those miles to charity."
Now, we're sure Matt isn't saying — and we're not implying — that the magazine offers were a ruse in order to run out the clock and then send out the credit card offer. But come on: At least admit that you're not sending out Conde Nast Portfolio because it doesn't exist anymore — not due to "an overwhelming response."
Bad Experience with U.S. Airways Dividend Miles [Matt Cutts]
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Comments:
A shiny new credit card with a shiny new annual fee and shiny new 29.99% interest rate is probably it. And a shiny new customer of any other airline but U.S. Airways from now on.
I did that with Delta and started getting my magazines within a month. That was a while ago though.
When I had some expiring America West miles (before they bought US Airways) I donated them to a charity. I figured they would do a lot more good than some magazines. Just about every airline lets you do it.
I wonder if he waits and waits and waits for employees to complete projects.
Re: free magazine deals: I got a free subscription to some music magazine I didn't want for going on a rock cruise.
Last month I got a note saying that magazine went out of business so they were replacing my free subscription with one to Maxim... (Note: I am a heterosexual female). woo.
This happened to me on US Airways, too- I got a letter saying the magazines I picked weren't available, but they started to arrive in the mail anyway! I let my miles expire. I try to fly Southwest or AirTran as much as possible, now that Northwest and Continental don't partner up on miles anymore.
@TheWillow: Maxxxim seems to be the default 'replacement magazine'. I've heard of it replacing others in a non-relevant way, like Coastal Living or something in that vein.
@Tambar: Maxim is the default replacement magazine. I don't think I've paid for Maxim since 1996, but my subscription doesn't end until 2011 thanks to free mag offers and other mags folding. I wonder what will replace Maxim when it folds considering the latest issues are barely 100 pages.
I also redeemed my miles for magazines and all of them arrived just fine. Maybe I just got lucky.
I believe him absolutely. I ordered 5 magazines to use my miles since they were expiring (plus I am never flying again) and I received 1 magazine for the whole subscription, 2 magazines for 2 months and 1 magazine never came.
Well, after this post, I'm beginning to wonder if the charities get the benefit of these miles.
I currently get like 40 bazillion magazines every week thanks to magsformiles. It was my delta miles and i only had like 5,000. Let me tell you, that is enough for about 10-12 magazines. I'm drowning in glossy paper.
I don't know why I thought it would be fun, but I barely get the chance to read any of them. Maybe if i lose my job I'll sit around catching up on my Details, Discover, New York Magazine, Orange Coast, Coastal Living, Sunset, Conde Nast Traveler, Fast Company, and Entertainment Weekly.
Now, we're sure Matt isn't saying - and we're not implying - that the magazine offers were a ruse in order to run out the clock and then send out the credit card offer.
You guys may not, but I sure am. This is absolutely something they'd do
This happened to me recently as well. The airline said it sent the miles, the magazine company said they didn't. Basically, I got screwed. I even called Delta, got them on the line 3-way with the magazine company, told them to give me the miles / magazines...two months later, nothing.
I have about 20K miles with AA. I don't fly with them anymore as Jet Blue and Air tran are my choice of airlines now. I guess I'll try to subscribe to some magazines to use the miles before they expire.
Has anyone ever heard of someone using donated miles? I can't imagine how this would work.
totally off subject, but as an atheist, my one exception to believing in god is matt cutts.
I've had good luck using up my Delta miles for magazines. They come promptly and since I don't fly Delta anymore (and had too few miles to go anywhere anyway), it was a great deal.
That's weird, I'm not sure why it didn't work for him. I pick 4-5 magazines, they expire after a year, a month or two later, I get another letter giving me my mileage balance and I choose them again. I've been doing this for 3 or 4 years now.