United Airlines has announced a major overhaul of its MileagePlus loyalty program, marking one of the most significant changes to the carrier's frequent-flyer benefits in years. The redesign, which takes effect for tickets purchased on or after April 2, 2026, shifts the program's focus heavily toward rewarding customers who carry United's co-branded credit or debit cards—and scaling back earnings for those who don't.
At the heart of the changes is a revamped mileage-earning structure that dramatically favors cardholders. United's primary MileagePlus cardholders will now earn up to twice as many miles per dollar spent on United flights as members without a co-branded card. In addition, cardholders who also use their United card to purchase flights can earn even more miles, creating a clear incentive to both carry and actively use one of United's credit or debit products.
"The most rewarding way to fly United is as a MileagePlus member, and the best way to get the most value from the MileagePlus program is to have one of our credit or debit cards," Andrew Nocella, United's Chief Commercial Officer, stated in a press release. "MileagePlus is designed to reward loyalty to United, and our best customers deserve the best benefits in the industry. MileagePlus members can now earn more miles faster with a United card—and every one of those miles will go further with our always-on award ticket discounts and expanded access to Saver Award fares."
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On the redemption side, the overhaul also brings at least a 10 percent discount on award bookings for MileagePlus cardholders, with larger savings (at least 15 percent) for Premier elite members who hold a United card. Cardholders will also gain access to the inventory of United's lowest-priced award seats on flights to United's more than 380 destinations around the globe, including expanded options in premium cabins that were previously reserved for higher elite tiers.
Conversely, infrequent flyers or members without a United card will find it harder to accumulate miles and unlock traditional rewards, reshaping the value proposition of the program in a way that aligns loyalty benefits with spending behavior.
United says the overhaul is designed to more directly reward its most loyal and engaged customers, and to boost adoption of its co-branded credit and debit cards, which are a major driver of ancillary revenue in the airline industry.
Frequent-flyer programs have increasingly become profitable partnerships with banks, with airlines earning billions annually by selling miles tied to credit card spending.
MileagePlus is free to join. Other benefits include miles that never expire, no blackout dates, ticket purchasing with miles (or a combination of miles and cash), zero change fees on flight award tickets, miles pooling (to combine miles in a joint account), the ability to use miles through the Blue Sky loyalty collaboration, and more.
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