United and Continental airlines are now handing out miles and other perks to road warriors when they use Facebook and Foursquare to check-in through their social networks at various US airports.
The new product comes through a United-Continental partnership with TopGuest, which just got acquired by ezRez Software. The airlines implemented TopGuest's white-label SaaS social commerce product, although it won't be noticeable to mileage buffs as they check-in.
To get the perks, travelers visit MileagePlus.TopGuest or OnePass.TopGuest to register their frequent flyer accounts, link them with Foursquare or Facebook, and then use these social networks to check-in at Continental or United airports in the US.
Travelers will then receive notifications in their email inboxes about receiving the awards miles plus restaurant, merchant and rental car offers from Avis and Hertz, and others. The airline merchandising offers come through a partnership with Thanks Again.
United-Continental and TopGuest note that participating partners include hundreds of merchants at Denver, Houston-Bush Intercontinental, Newark Liberty and San Francisco Airports, as well as some 10,000 restaurants involved in the MileagePlus Dining program.
Obtaining 50 awards miles won't get you from Baltimore to Beijing, but every little bit helps.
There are a ton of airports where your check-ins will count.
Travelers using the service can accrue 50 award miles once daily and it will take six to eight weeks before they post to OnePass and MileagePlus accounts, the airlines say.
Here are other terms and conditions.
United's MileagePlus program has worked with ezRez Software for an extended period and, with the merger of United and Continental, the latter is newly affiliated.
Note: Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.