Two more big reasons to like United’s travel club

Yes, I have covered Ameniti a lot recently. What’s up with that? I think the carrots United has been handing out to Ameniti members make the program an increasingly good deal. There are two current promotions: a 25,000-mile bonus for signing up—but you must use promotion code ADL8-2787—and a 50% rebate on mileage award travel. Ameniti membership is $295.

‍Together these promos solve two of your biggest headaches.

1. The first gets you a nice chunk of miles, which you can use for inexpensive upgrades.
 
2. The second promotion removes the difficulty of using your miles.

Promo One: 25,000-mile bonus equals fast-track to upgrades That’s more miles than needed for a domestic First Class ticket (when using promo number two’s 50% rebate offer, see below), bringing the cost of domestic First Class to less than $295.

It’s just 5,000 miles shy of a domestic round trip upgrade (you can buy the balance at ual.miles.com for $177.82). So for about $475, you can upgrade a $300 transcon fare that could otherwise cost $1,200-$2,500.

It’s almost enough for a one-way upgrade to Asia, Australia, Europe, or South America. Have a family member or friend sign up, too, and use their 25,000-mile bonus to upgrade your return flight, for a round trip upgrade total of only $950.

Promo Two: 50% rebate on companion mileage award tickets For both Saver (regular) and Standard (“anytime”) awards, this is your hot ticket, good for travel through May 15, 2006. It solves the expense problem by making domestic First Class available for 22,500 miles or less than the $295 Ameniti sign-up cost, which got you a 25,000-mile bonus.

And the 50% rebate solves the “availability” problem by, in effect, making the mileage requirement for a Standard award equal to that of a Saver.

Of course, there’s a catch—you have to buy a coach, Business or First Class ticket—but it’s not a bad one because most fares, even most “heavily discounted” ones, qualify. The one exception is Z class, the “heavily discounted” Business Class fares to Asia and Europe. This makes the promotion best for North American travel or short-notice, full-fare travel to Asia or Europe.

The fine print: Companion must depart on or after the member’s outbound flight, and return on or before the member’s return flight. That’s flexibility that companion offers do not usually permit. Round trips, circle-trips, and open-jaw itineraries are allowed for the revenue passenger. Blackout dates: April 13 and April 17. More fine print is found at (877) 263- 6484 or http://www.ameniti.com/ac/browse/offers.ac.

The obvious question: Why not just go with the program’s normal “paid” free companion ticket offer?

Well, it’s only available with full fares (usually C and F)they can easily cost thousands more than the discounted Business and First Class fares permitted with the offer. In other words, for a relatively small number of miles you can save 30 to 70% in cash.

So, Ameniti, what’s next?

[table_opt style="gray-header" id="1834 " width="" alignment="center" responsive="all" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter"]