What would happen...

[Daniel]

What would happen if one were to buy a very expensive refundable ticket for far-off date using an airline branded credit card thereby earning (2X, 3X bonus points) and then cancel the credit card (after the miles post) and then request a refund for the ticket?
Will the airline:

A) Put the money back on the closed card and the Bank will send you a check and take back the miles

B) Put the money back on the closed card and the Bank will send you a check and not take back the miles

C) Only give you a voucher

D) Allow you to put it back on a different card or send you a check

[steve2]

What would happen if one were to buy a very expensive refundable ticket for far-off date using an airline branded credit card thereby earning (2X, 3X bonus points) and then cancel the credit card (after the miles post) and then request a refund for the ticket?
Will the airline:

A) Put the money back on the closed card and the Bank will send you a check and take back the miles

B) Put the money back on the closed card and the Bank will send you a check and not take back the miles

C) Only give you a voucher

D) Allow you to put it back on a different card or send you a check

 from some past experience not trying to game anyone or thing. They refunded the CC that was used and since it was closed went in and removed the amount of pts that was given to begin with.

OK what would happen if you already used the pts or miles and wont use that company ever again, I dont know and wont since I have my miles and pts spread all over the place it will take a long time till I reached a program with nothing in my acct, to try it to see what theyd do. I guess nothing stops them from charging your Closed card for what they deem the $$ value to be

 I know for a fact that if you ever sign up for something where they automatically bill you and you close that CC out but your contract hasnt ended that CC will accept the charge and bill you, you dont pay its handed over to Collections and there goes your credit. A fiend said I was Nuts and didnt listen and is stuill paying for doing it till today

[SuperFlyer]

if you do it strictly for the miles, do it differently.

Buy a couple of First Class tix europe to tokyo in First with Luftansa, spend the miles, ask for a refund, and you will have a negative points balance, and then close your card.

[Dan]

I know Chase will take the points back out of your mileage account after a refund.

[steve2]

I know Chase will take the points back out of your mileage account after a refund.

 OK but what if I didnt have say a UA acct before getting the CC , I get the CC use the 50k up for say 2 domestic tkts , then cancel the purchase and I dont use the CC or credit any flight ever again to UA?

[Dan]

OK but what if I didnt have say a UA acct before getting the CC , I get the CC use the 50k up for say 2 domestic tkts , then cancel the purchase and I dont use the CC or credit any flight ever again to UA?

You get 50K for the signup.
All you need to spend is $0.01 at the local gas station.
Which part are you canceling?

[steve2]

You get 50K for the signup.
All you need to spend is $0.01 at the local gas station.
Which part are you canceling?

 Ok you need 3 tkts and charge $25k on a full fare NY-HKG tkt say so now you have 75k in miles and use all of them for the 3 people to fly and they do and now the UA acct has 17 miles in it, although according to the OP theyd be earning 2x or 3x so lets say whatever the amount of miles earned will be burned for free tkts , earn 75k on the $25k tkt then theyd be 5 people using up the 125k in miles for that trip

 the main pt is no matter how many miles will be earned they will be burned ASAP and before Refunding the full fare tkt, at least thats where I thought the OP was going with it

[Dan]

Ok you need 3 tkts and charge $25k on a full fare NY-HKG tkt say so now you have 75k in miles and use all of them for the 3 people to fly and they do and now the UA acct has 17 miles in it, although according to the OP theyd be earning 2x or 3x so lets say whatever the amount of miles earned will be burned for free tkts , earn 75k on the $25k tkt then theyd be 5 people using up the 125k in miles for that trip

 the main pt is no matter how many miles will be earned they will be burned ASAP and before Refunding the full fare tkt, at least thats where I thought the OP was going with it

I know that's where the OP was going with it, it just wasn't what you said in your example.

Regardless, it would be funny to see a negative balance on united.com

[steve2]

I know that's where the OP was going with it, it just wasn't what you said in your example.

Regardless, it would be funny to see a negative balance on united.com

 Ok you GOT me there but Im surprised you didnt understand that that was where I was heading and got caught up on technical stuff and didnt simply then say what I did in your post

 the unknown is what UA or the CC company will do about it, will either try and cahrge the person for a certain value and go after them or simply let it slide? If they let it slide and all of a sudden they start seeing it happening like crazy (they are slow to see things) what will they then do?

[Dan]

Ok you GOT me there but Im surprised you didnt understand that that was where I was heading and got caught up on technical stuff and didnt simply then say what I did in your post

 the unknown is what UA or the CC company will do about it, will either try and cahrge the person for a certain value and go after them or simply let it slide? If they let it slide and all of a sudden they start seeing it happening like crazy (they are slow to see things) what will they then do?

I would guess that UA might give you a negative balance or ban you from having a mileage plus account.

[steve2]

I would guess that UA might give you a negative balance or ban you from having a mileage plus account.

 if thats all and a person has no intent of every flying UA again or crediting to them, then if done Right (say $25k) it can result in some nice savings. But it might be Genava 100%

 personally I have too much at stake to Play that Game, so I wont be doing it anytime soon

[SuperFlyer]

how about reading what i wrote. I'm talking from experience.

[steve2]

how about reading what i wrote. I'm talking from experience.

 Ok but you are based outside the US and you are probably correct but if a person lives over here they might do things differently

 also its a 1 time occurance so if done it better be worth the doing

[E]

This has happened to me with starwoods they give you a 0 balance till u make back the points u owe them , another company I'd rather not say has closed my account after gtting a few hundred thousand points but have never contacted me or said anything at all I still have point in the account but they dont let me log in or use them

[steve2]

This has happened to me with starwoods they give you a 0 balance till u make back the points u owe them , another company I'd rather not say has closed my account after gtting a few hundred thousand points but have never contacted me or said anything at all I still have point in the account but they dont let me log in or use them

 thats why I said it wasnt worth it to me, it might work as a Hit & Run = get the bonus pts and pts from the tkt you will be refunding use those miles and after returning Refund the tkt purchased. then say goodbye to both that carrier and CC even the issuer of that CC so if it was a Chase UA CC then youd have to stay away from all Chase CCs as they will know what you did

 So assuming they wont come after you or charge you anything it will have to bewith BOTH a Carrier and CC Issuer that you Never have any more dealings with to make sure you will be safe, if that

 Not Worth it for me so little return

[Daniel]

if you do it strictly for the miles, do it differently.

Buy a couple of First Class tix europe to tokyo in First with Luftansa, spend the miles, ask for a refund, and you will have a negative points balance, and then close your card.

Luftansa has a CC?

[E]

thats why I said it wasnt worth it to me, it might work as a Hit & Run = get the bonus pts and pts from the tkt you will be refunding use those miles and after returning Refund the tkt purchased. then say goodbye to both that carrier and CC even the issuer of that CC so if it was a Chase UA CC then youd have to stay away from all Chase CCs as they will know what you did

 So assuming they wont come after you or charge you anything it will have to bewith BOTH a Carrier and CC Issuer that you Never have any more dealings with to make sure you will be safe, if that

 Not Worth it for me so little return

the thing is I didn't use a cc or a specific airline point system so I really don't care if I cant use the program ever again

[SuperFlyer]

Luftansa has a CC?

in europe they do.

[silverfaxmachine]

Would this work to hit $15k in spending within the first six months for starwood? Even if they take back the base pts will they take back the spend bonus?