Airline frequent flier programs are not regulated or governed at all. Any complaint sent to the DOT or BBB will not be acted upon as it is a loyalty program and nothing more. Miles do not have any real value, to the consumer, until they are redeemed for travel or other awards/merchandise offered by the airline.
If you have a large mileage balance it is important to stay informed of all of the terms and conditions of the program especially when it comes to expiration of those miles. Here are some relevant T&Cs from United's website:
Quote:
General Conditions
- Mileage Plus membership and its benefits are offered at the discretion of United Airlines and its affiliated companies (collectively, "United"), and United has the right to terminate the Program or to change the Program Rules, regulations, benefits, conditions of participation or mileage levels, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice, even though changes may affect the value of the mileage or certificates already accumulated. United may, among other things, withdraw, limit, modify or cancel any award; increase the mileage or number of certificates required for any award; modify or regulate the transferability of awards or benefits; add an unlimited number of blackout dates; or limit the number of award seats available to any or all destinations. Members, in accumulating mileage or certificates, may not rely upon the continued availability of an award or award level, and members may not be able to obtain all offered awards or use awards to all destinations or on all flights.
Account activity
Any member who has failed to earn mileage for a calendar quarter may, at United's option, be excluded from receiving newsletters, statements, correspondence or other materials, including notifications of Program changes or special promotions, until the next quarter in which he or she earns mileage. Any member who fails to earn mileage during the first twelve months after enrollment in the Program may be removed from the Program.
Effective December 31, 2007 miles will expire if there is no current activity for 18 months consecutive. Therefore if the expiration date on your Mileage Plus summary is December 31, 2007 or after, your new expiration date will be 18 months after your last activity. Activity includes flying, using your Mileage Plus Visa and more, for example:
- Fly UA or a Star Alliance partner
- Use your Mileage Plus credit card
- Do business with a Mileage Plus partner
-Redeem miles for award travel
-Buy miles or transfer miles
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I'm guessing the $199 is a fee to re-instate the account. I do not think it is necessary to "pay full price for a round trip ticket" as you stated. All you need to do is have some sort of miles earning activity once in an 18 month period to keep your account active. That could be simply purchasing miles, a purchase from a Mileage Plus partner, a hotel stay with a partner hotel chain, or taking a cheap flight on UA or one of it's partners.