United Airlines mileage pooling - caution!

Thanks for pointing this out. I've been considering pooling with my parents, who no longer intend to fly enough that they would accrue enough miles for an award flight. While I would get the advantage of their miles, it does reduce the ability to use the miles that I would contribute.

My thinking has been that I'll contribute enough for a domestic flight, rather than international, which often includes a Lufthansa leg for my routings.

Then my parents would "leave" the pool so that I am the sole remaining member, at which point I can close the pool and (I believe I read) the remaining miles are distributed equally among remaining members.... namely me, in this specific scenario.

I'll be interested in other learnings before I take the leap - I've started my pool but haven't contributed miles - so thanks for starting this thread.

Thanks very much for the heads up - great to know.

Do you know if codeshare flights work? thx

CWsocial - I'm impressed with your creativity! In theory, it seems like your strategy would work. i.e. I start a pool and invite my wife, who contributes her miles. Then the next day, she withdraws from the pool, leaving me as only remaining member, and I dissolve the pool, so all miles go to my personal account, and can once again be used for any flights including partner airlines. Brilliant! Just a little leery if there's a 'gotcha' anywhere that we're missing. Hoping somebody else will have the guts to try it and report. :)

I do recall there were some time limitations. I think it was from the time of adding miles to the pool and before booking a flight. There may also have been limitations on frequency of joining and leaving pools.

Thank you so much for this information! I was going to be a few thousand miles short for a RT to London, and thanks to your information about miles pooling, I think I'll have enough!

"Do you know if codeshare flights work? thx"

Pooled miles can be used to book United or United Express award tickets only
https://www.united.com/en/us/mileageplus/miles-pooling/

I read that to exclude any flight on a plane that does not have "UNITED" painted on the hull.

I could be wrong, so contacting UAL may be wise

Thanks Joe

CW Social, did you do it? I just thought on doing the same. My issue is that I pooled miles with my husband and after that I noticed I could not use it for partner airlines, and we were needing an austrian airlines ticket, so, I am very frustrated because I will not be able to use them again and are kind of lost, so I was thinking to ask him to leave the pool and then all of his miles would come to my account, but I am affraid to loose more if I do it.

andreacamachoiezzi, I have created my pool but haven't put any miles in it yet. You're right that you can't use the pool to book partner airlines, which rules out most of my international trips. So I won't be able to use anything from the pool until I have a domestic flight or non-stop United international.

As soon as I've had a chance to read a bit more, I will take the plunge and report back. I'm hoping to have my parents join my pool, add their miles and then leave the pool so that I become their sole proprietor. Hopefully.

CWsocial Did it work for the members of your pool to leave and then you close the pool? Did all the points go back into your individual account?

We're just taking the step to pool the miles. It'll be September before we can have one member exit the pool.