United is migrating its prepaid PassPlus program to its Jetstream portal. PassPlus is a product for corporate customers to load funds onto UATP cards for flights and amenities, and it includes options based both on discounts and on last-seat availability.
United VP of sales strategy and enablement Glenn Hollister expects the move to be done this year. He said it will enable PassPlus customers to renew contracts through the portal, check their balances and apply amenity dollars toward such perks as MileagePlus status and United Club memberships for travelers. Currently, Hollister said, the process is "less automated and less convenient."
United has been working over the past few years to boost membership in PassPlus. Building it into Jetstream addresses what current members said they want to see in the program, he said.
In late 2017, United enabled companies to use both PassPlus and corporate contracts rather than choosing one or the other. Moving PassPlus into Jetstream will enable those customers who use either corporate contracts and PassPlus together or the midmarket product Propel and PassPlus to manage them together. "There are many of kinds of companies out there, and we want to make sure we have products to fit their needs," Hollister said. "For those corporations that have multiple kinds of products with us, we're going to be enabling the ability to manage it with one login and in one place."
The 2017 changes to PassPlus also lowered the minimum threshold for corporations to $50,000—$10,000 per traveler for a minimum of five travelers. The improved automation means United will be able to lower that further. "We're not quite ready to say what the new minimums will be, but we will be reducing them so the product will be available and make sense for a larger number of companies out there," Hollister said.