United Airlines announced today that MileagePlus members can now gift TravelBank cash to friends and family members. This new feature will allow United customers to easily give the gift of travel this upcoming holiday season.
In an email sent to MileagePlus members, United explained that gifting TravelBank credit is simple. All the gift giver needs is the recipient’s MileagePlus number and last name. Once they have that information, they can use their MileagePlus account to allocate some of their available TravelBank balance to the recipient.
TravelBank is United’s innovative travel bank account that allows customers to store travel funds and use them for future United flights and other services. TravelBank cash can be redeemed for things like airfare, Preferred Seats, United Club passes, and inflight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi.
This new gifting option provides a convenient way for MileagePlus members to share their TravelBank funds with family and friends. It alleviates the stress of picking out physical gift cards or merchandise. Instead, they can provide their loved ones with the flexible gift of travel that can be used however and whenever they want.
In addition to its ease of use, this feature has special significance for certain United customers. Some MileagePlus credit cards and memberships allow cardholders to earn TravelBank cash back as a benefit. This provides an opportunity for them to gift some of those earned funds to others.
The gifting function also introduces an intriguing possibility for travel enthusiasts who engage in credit card point transfers and travel hacking. Travel hackers frequently exchange points and miles with others to accumulate balances. Now they can more seamlessly trade United TravelBank credit back and forth.
While TravelBank gifting is currently only available directly through MileagePlus accounts, United hinted that they are exploring options to facilitate gifting through their mobile app and website in the future.
The launch of TravelBank gifting comes just in time for the holidays. United is making travel easier to give and receive this season. Customers interested in learning more about this new feature can visit United’s TravelBank FAQ page.
