United Airlines has announced the launch of the MileagePlus Small Business Network, billed as the first U.S. travel loyalty program that allows businesses to earn and redeem miles.
Participating businesses earn award miles by purchasing goods and services from more than a dozen of the program’s vendor partners, including providers of printing, shipping, credit card payment processing, office supplies. and computing services.
What’s more, United launched a bonus offer through which companies can obtain 1,000 bonus miles for enrolling in the MileagePlus Small Business Network and conducting transactions that earn at least 100 miles.
Businesses may use their earned miles to purchase travel awards and upgrades, bid for experiences through the MileagePlus Headliners auction program and shop for merchandise, newspaper and magazine subscriptions and dining awards. Companies can also buy, transfer, or gift their miles or donate miles to a MileagePlus charity partner.
United Airlines Public Relations Manager Karen May told Loyalty 360 that the company values their business customers and wanted to provide them one convenient place to find many of the services they need to operate every day.
“We are targeting small businesses to provide them special discounts and offers they may not be able to secure on their own,” May said.
May said businesses can go to: http://smallbusiness.unitedmileageplus.com/to enroll in the program. They only need a tax ID number to join. Businesses can then earn miles by purchasing goods and services from the program’s vendor partners, which offer many of the goods and services businesses use every day, including printing, shipping, credit card payment processing, office supplies and computing.
Vendors participating in the Small Business Network include Vistaprint, UPS, Chase Paymentech, Staples, and the Apple Online Store.
May said businesses can use their earned miles to purchase travel awards and upgrades, bid for experiences through the MileagePlus Headliners auction program, and shop for merchandise, newspaper and magazine subscriptions and dining awards.
May said the program goal is to grow the number of small businesses in the MileagePlus frequent flyer program by “showing them the benefits of participating in our Small Business Network.”