United's Frequent BUYer Program

David J. Danto

Travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD on

United Finally Says The Quiet Part Out Loud – February 2026

If you have ever wondered why your experience on United Airlines has been so bad, its latest announcement should explain that very clearly. The latest changes to MileagePlus finally explain the rules out loud: this is no longer a frequent flying program – it is a frequent buying program.

Starting with tickets bought in April, United is formally splitting its customers into two tribes: those who carry a United credit or debit card and those who do not. Swipe the co-branded plastic and you get more miles per dollar, automatic discounts on award tickets, and access to the “good” award space. Pay with someone else’s card and you get fewer miles, or, in some fare buckets, none at all. The message is simple: you need to be a frequent buyer, not a frequent flyer.

This is not some small tweak around the edges. United is literally doubling mileage earning for many cardholders while cutting it for everyone else, and tying award discounts and availability to whether you’re helping them sell financial products. Basic economy without the card becomes a kind of loyalty no-man’s-land – you still sit in the same cramped seat, but your loyalty currency meter shows zero regardless of status. The airplane has become the billboard for the credit card, not the other way around.

Why would an airline do that? Because the airline is no longer primarily in the business of selling you transportation from Point A to Point B. MileagePlus itself has become a huge financial asset, a multi-billion-dollar machine that mints its own currency and sells that currency to banks, retailers, and anyone else who wants to dangle “miles” in front of you. Years ago, United literally used MileagePlus as collateral to borrow billions in the middle of the pandemic, and analysts now value these loyalty programs at numbers that rival or exceed the airlines that operate the planes. In other words, flying has become the side hustle. The points business is the main gig.

It becomes clear how incredibly weird and deceptive this model is if you strip away the airline logos. Imagine a supermarket inventing its own currency, selling that currency to a bank at whatever price it feels like, and then telling you that if you use the bank’s co-branded card to earn more of this currency you can use it to buy “free groceries.” Now imagine that the supermarket also sets the price of the groceries in that made-up currency, and can change those prices any time without notice. That is exactly how airline miles work. They sell you funny money, then they unilaterally decide what that funny money buys, and it buys less and less with every day that passes.

United’s latest move is just making that more obvious. “We’ll give you 10 percent or 15 percent off in miles,” they say – while quietly raising the price 10 or 15 percent – moving the underlying award prices around whenever revenue management feels like it. It is like getting a coupon for $100 off a shopping trip (because you’re special) on the same day the store quietly raises all the prices by $120. The sign on the window says you saved money. Your wallet definitely knows you did not.

Over time, the value of miles has done what every airline currency does: it erodes. Award charts vanish, saver levels turn into “starting from” suggestions, off-peak becomes a myth, and dynamic pricing turns loyalty into surge pricing with better branding. Today’s “amazing deal” in miles will cost more tomorrow, and a lot more the next day. United’s latest Mileage Plus restructuring accelerates that trajectory for anyone who is not feeding its card machine. Non-cardholders earn fewer miles, need more miles to redeem, and are nudged, prodded, and shamed toward the inevitable call to action: “Apply now.”

Is this a Ponzi scheme? Legally, no. Psychologically, it rhymes. In both cases, the pitch is that if you get in and keep feeding the system, outsized rewards await. The reality is that the people designing the system control both the inflow (how fast you earn miles) and the outflow (what those miles buy and when). As long as new money keeps coming in from banks buying miles in bulk and cardholders paying interest and fees, the illusion holds. The only ones who reliably win are the issuers and the airline balance sheet. Everyone else involved meets P. T. Barnum’s definition of one born every minute.

So when I say this version of MileagePlus is “only for stupid people,” I do not mean people who are bad at math. I mean people who simply refuse to do the math. If you are proudly earning 10 miles per dollar on a United card without ever asking what those miles are actually worth, you are playing their game on their terms. You are buying a currency from someone who also sets the exchange rate and changes it whenever it suits them.

Smart travelers are quietly walking away from that table. They still fly United when the schedule and price make sense, but they are treating MileagePlus as a rebate lottery, not a retirement plan. Instead of obsessing over mileage multipliers, they are putting most of their everyday spend on simple cash-back cards or flexible bank programs where a dollar earned is a dollar they can see. A flat 2 percent back that hits your statement every month will beat an airline mile that keeps shrinking in value, no matter how breathlessly the marketing promises “up to” double points.

That does not mean you cut up every airline card tomorrow. If you live in a United fortress hub, fly them constantly for work, and can squeeze real value out of a specific card benefit – a lounge you actually use, a free bag you otherwise would pay for, pre-boarding that saves your carry-on, or if you happen to make purchases on-board – then there is a rational case for one carefully chosen card. The key is that you have to evaluate the benefits by running the numbers in dollars, not in airline pixie dust. And you have to use the card as infrequently as possible.

For everyone else, this latest MileagePlus announcement should be the final data point you needed. United has told you exactly what it values now. Loyalty is no longer measured in miles flown or years of sticking with the brand through bankruptcies, mergers, and operational meltdowns. Loyalty is measured in how often you use their preferred piece of plastic for everything from coffee to car repairs.

As a traveler, your counter-move is simple – and it’s the advice we’ve been giving for years now. Choose flights based on comfort, reliability, schedule, and real price. Treat airline miles like coupons that can and will be devalued, not as the primary reason to do anything. And when an airline stands up and proudly explains that the best way to “win” is to help them sell more credit cards, believe them – then go get yourself a card that pays you in real money.

After decades of candid travel commentary – from loyalty program “magic tricks” to hotel check-in roulette – I’ve decided to turn some of that honesty into apparel. These aren’t novelty shirts; they’re the exact truths every road warrior wishes they could say out loud. Whether you’re quietly muttering “My loyalty points devalued while you read this shirt” or admitting “If delays build character then I’m the whole movie’s cast” you’ll find plenty of familiar sentiments… and more. Everything is produced by a reputable outfit, with black tees that work under a sport jacket plus hoodies and wicking travel gear for life on the road. The site also has my honest and snarky takes on technology trade shows. Take a look at Tinyurl.com/TechAndTravelWear. Even if you’re not buying they’re fun to read and commiserate – and if you do buy something, maybe I’ll break even. If you want a style you don’t see, just email me and I’ll add it.

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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As always, feel free to write and comment, question or disagree. Hearing from the traveling community is always a highlight for me. Thanks!