A few months ago I received a targeted sign-up offer of 70,000 United MileagePlus miles for the United MileagePlus Explorer card from Chase. In the past I avoided opening a United credit card for two reasons. First, I try to avoid co-branded credit cards as I find the points too limiting. Secondly, I rarely fly United so in my mind it didn’t make much sense to carry a United card.
Receiving the targeted offer however peaked my interest in the card. I’d just recently redeemed United miles for a Lufthansa First Class flight which was incredible. I started having separation anxiety from that glorious first class cabin. At the time I was looking for nearly any way possible to get back into Lufthansa’s premium cabin cheaply.
The 70,000 miles were great, but when I started looking into the card’s benefits I realized the card made a ton of sense for me. Most importantly, the card came with two one-time United Club passes annually. Those passes are easily worth $50 each which effectively eliminates the $95 annual fee. Now that I have the card (and the passes) I figured I’d take some time to discuss how to use the Untied one-time passes. Keep in mind that these aren’t the exact same as one-time passes purchased from United, but some information still applies.
Receiving The United Club One-Time Passes
As with any card when you open the United MileagePlus Explorer card you receive several mailers of information. About a week after receiving the physical card I received another standard mailer discussing the card’s benefits. I almost threw the mailer away without opening it. Before tossing the envelope I noticed wording on the front which stated my United One-Time passes were enclosed.
Typically within that envelope, at the bottom of the welcome page, your two one-time passes are attached. For me however the passes were missing. I decided to reach out to United and Chase on Twitter and within two weeks my actually one-time United Club passes arrived.
Once you receive the one-time passes it’s important that you keep them in a safe place and don’t lose them. These passes aren’t tied to your frequent flyer number as is the case with other card benefits. Likewise these MileagePlus Explorer club passes won’t show up in the United App.
Using Your United Club One-Time Passes
As I mentioned above, United doesn’t tie one-time passes to your frequent flyer account. That means these passes won’t show up in the United App’s United Club tab. You must have a physical one-time pass, per person, to enter a United Club location. On top of the United Club pass you must also have a same-day boarding pass for travel with any airline.
To get into a United Club you must present the barcode and corresponding pass number to the United Club agent. The agent enters that information into the computer and you should then have access to the club. Once you use the pass it will become invalid. Keep in mind that one-time passes are technically only valid for one “visit.” This means that once you enter the lounge you will not have in/out privileges. Keep in mind I’ve found if you notify the agent that you’ll be stepping out for a few moments you can generally re-enter.
Also, you won’t have access to any other lounges that day either. The pass is good for one visit, to one lounge, per one person. Got it?
Can I Present A Photo Of My Paper Passes?
For one reason or another United doesn’t allow you to upload one-time paper passes into the United app. This doesn’t make any sense to me from a customer service point of view, but to each their own. Luckily many FlyerTalk users report using a photo of the cards to gain entry to a United Club. If you plan on presenting a picture of your one-time pass make sure to photograph both the front and back of the card. If you maintain the paper copy make sure to note when you use the photo to avoid future embarrassment.
Personally, I keep both of my United one-time paper passes in my Bose QC35 headphone case (since I travel with them), but also maintain photos of each pass on my phone in the notes app. I maintain the photos just in case I forget my headphones, but find myself in need of a lounge.
When To Use United One-Time Passes?
If you get your United one-time passes from the United MileagePlus Explorer card you’ll want to make sure to maximize this benefit. It doesn’t make sense to visit an old, dated, and overcrowded lounge for a short period of time. Likewise, I find that lounge access is most useful during flight delays and cancelations. Because of this I’d recommend only using lounges during IRROPS (Irregular Operations) when flying with United. If you don’t end up flying United prior to the passes expiring I’d also recommend using the passes at United Club locations with full amenities (showers) during a long layover.
However you choose to use your United Club one-time passes just make sure to use them prior to their expiration date. There are some reports of lounge agents accepting expired passes, but I wouldn’t count on this strategy.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret that I’ve recently become a huge fan of the United MileagePlus Explorer card. I love the card most because it gives me two free one-time United Club passes which help eliminate the annual fee. Rarely do I have the opportunity to visit United Clubs, but I hope to use both passes for lounge reviews in the future.
That being said, I hope this helps other card holders understand how to use the one-time paper passes. A friend recently told me they were denied from a lounge because they weren’t carrying the passes. They incorrectly assumed United tied the one-time passes to their MileagePlus number and that the passes were included in the United app.
