United Airlines Overhauls MileagePlus Program, Prioritizing Credit Card Holders
United Airlines is significantly changing its MileagePlus frequent flyer program, with changes rolling out on April 2, 2026, to more closely tie rewards to credit card usage. The airline aims to incentivize customers to obtain a United co-branded credit card, offering increased benefits for those who do, while reducing rewards for those who don’t. This marks the biggest shake-up to the program in over a decade.
Mileage Earning Changes: A Two-Tiered System
United is implementing a tiered mileage-earning system based on credit card ownership. Customers without a United credit card will earn fewer miles per dollar spent on flights, while those with a card will earn more. This change impacts all members, including those with elite status.
| Status | Current Earning (Miles per $1) | New Earning (Without Card) | New Earning (With Card) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Member | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Premier Silver | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Premier Gold | 8 | 6 | 9 |
| Premier Platinum | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| Premier 1K® | 11 | 9 | 12 |
The changes reduce mileage earning by up to 40% for base members without a card, while increasing earning by as little as 9% for 1K members with a card. United states that cardmembers can now earn twice as much as non-cardmembers at the general member level.
Customers with no annual fee or co-brand debit cards will earn reduced mileage rates until they spend $10,000 in a calendar year, at which point they will earn the standard cardholder rate for the remainder of that year and the following year.
Increased Earning Multipliers with United Credit Cards
United is also increasing the mileage-earning multipliers for purchases made with its co-branded credit cards:
- United Explorer Card: 3 miles per dollar on United purchases (up from 2)
- United Quest Card: 4 miles per dollar on United purchases (up from 3)
- United Club Card: 5 miles per dollar on United purchases (up from 4)
While these increases are beneficial, United cards may still not offer the highest earning potential on United purchases compared to other cards, such as the American Express Platinum Card (5x miles) or booking through Chase’s portal with a Sapphire Reserve card (8x miles). The Points Guy provides a comparison of the best United Airlines credit cards.
Basic Economy Restrictions
Effective April 2, 2026, United is eliminating mileage earning on Basic Economy fares for general members without a United credit card. All other members will have their mileage earning reduced by 3 miles per dollar on Basic Economy fares.
Mileage earning on Basic Economy fares will now be:
- General Member (with card): 3 miles per dollar
- Premier Silver (with card): 5 miles per dollar; (without card) 2 miles per dollar
- Premier Gold (with card): 6 miles per dollar; (without card) 3 miles per dollar
- Premier Platinum (with card): 7 miles per dollar; (without card) 4 miles per dollar
- Premier 1K (with card): 9 miles per dollar; (without card) 6 miles per dollar
Benefits for Children of Cardmembers
Children whose accounts are linked to a primary cardmember’s account will also receive the increased mileage-earning benefits. This ensures that families benefit from the cardholder perks even when children travel.
Award Travel Discounts for Cardholders
United is offering discounts on award travel redemptions for cardholders, mirroring a strategy employed by Delta Air Lines. Cardmembers can now expect:
- 10% or more savings on United flight redemptions
- At least 15% off for elites with a United credit card
For example, a United Economy award ticket priced at 15,000 miles will now cost 13,500 miles for primary cardholders without Premier status. A United Polaris business class seat priced at 200,000 miles will now cost 170,000 miles for primary cardholders with Premier status.
United is also promoting increased availability of Saver Award seats in Polaris business class for cardmembers, effectively limiting access to these awards for non-cardholders and those without elite status. This also impacts the ability to redeem partner program miles for United long-haul business class flights.
Driving MileagePlus Profitability
United CEO Scott Kirby has stated a goal of increasing MileagePlus profits by 50% in four years. CNBC reports that these changes are designed to drive credit card adoption and increase card spend.
Explore United MileagePlus credit cards to learn more about available benefits.