United Airlines continues to hint that a major MileagePlus announcement is on the way, though the specifics of the announcement remain closely guarded. Even so, I have a theory.
United Airlines Teases Major MileagePlus Loyalty Announcement
For months, United Airlines has teased that a big change is coming to MileagePlus in 2026. United CEO Scott Kirby and other leaders have repeatedly hinted about this in public remarks and that this week was no exception.
On its latest earnings call, United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella listed several points of focus for United in the coming year, including its MileagePlus loyalty program:
“Our fourth focus will be MileagePlus, enhancing the growth potential in the coming years via drawing a larger distinction between true loyalty programs and reward programs offered by others. We have a legacy contract that continues with our banking partners regarding core economics, but we still have plenty of ideas to boost growth in revenue in the meantime.”
(The others include seasonal capacity adjustments, enhanced merchandising, greater connectivity, and increased premiumization)
During the call, David Vernon, an analyst at Bernstein Institutional Services LLC, asked Nocella if he could elaborate. Nocella welcomed Jarad Fisher as new head of MileagePlus (“He has experience in credit cards, strong brands and airlines which make him a perfect fit to lead MileagePlus into the next chapter”) and added:
“I know I often talk about these changes at MileagePlus without a lot of details. But what I’ll tell you is Jarad and I will have a lot more to say about this, and we’re going to say something within the next 10 weeks to accelerate growth and pull levers that we can pull that are in our control.”
What Could This Big Change Be?
I don’t think the change is going to be on the elite earning side (as much as I’d like to see a return to some path to earning status based on miles actually flown) or on the mileage earning side (such as better ways to earn miles with co-branded credit cards).
United clearly believes MileagePlus is an increasingly important driver of revenue, and it talked about continued loyalty growth as part of its broader premium strategy. That is the lens through which you should view this teaser. The airline is telling us that MileagePlus can be monetized even more effectively.
With the deal with Chase not up for renewal until 2029, the issue is how? How can this be done in such a way that is beneficial to customers?
Fisher comes to United after leading the launch of the Apple Card and the cool thing about that credit card is that you receive rewards daily, almost instantly…not just a monthly basis. If I had to guess, I’d wager that United will introduce a way for real-time mileage earnings after purchases, much like flights now credit minutes after landing rather than hours or days. Chase is taking over the issuing of the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs and has confirmed that “Daily Cash” will continue once the integration is complete (in about two years).
Ultimately, that’s not a huge change in substance, just in form, but I do think it will drive loyalty engagement if people see practically in realtime the addition (and of course, subtraction) of miles in their MileagePlus account.
That’s my guess right now on what this “big change” will be. I think it is also possible we might see better dynamic pricing for United flight awards as Untied seeks to drive more loyalty into Chase’s co-branded card products and MileagePlus itself.
I’ll again add, however, that if Nocella is concerned about MileagePlus being a “true loyalty program” versus a “reward program,” then it should offer a path to elite status for those who fly a ton, even if their overall spending is not at the high levels now required for elite status. That can capture discretionary flyers on the margin, like me, who are willing to be more loyal, but free agents now because it makes more sense in terms of a simple cost/benefit analysis.
CONCLUSION
United is signaling that a significant MileagePlus announcement is coming, and the language it keeps using suggests a rather huge change. With the airline highlighting loyalty growth and keeping 2026 status requirements steady, the next move could reshape how members earn and use miles. Until we see the details, treat this as a teaser with real potential, for better or for worse. My guess is more real-time earnings and perhaps dynamic pricing that is a bit more consumer-friendly.
Whatever the change is, United is preparing to reframe the program in a way that is more profitable for itself, and then market it as a win for customers. As to whether that marketing claim reflects reality…well, we will have to wait and see.
What do you think the big MileagePlus announcement is?
image: United Airlines
Wouldn’t making award pricing more dynamic run the risk of driving DOWN card spending? Every time I see a business class award to Paris for 250,000 miles I’m reminded of how little the currency is worth.
Makes me think of my Bilt question of the day – from the T&Cs: Card Purchase Rewards: Bilt Points and Bilt Cash earned from Bilt Card purchases typically post within 2-5 business days after the transaction posts to your Account. That’s.. a different model and more like the Apple Card model and what you are thinking UA will announce. Most of us are stuck in monthly statement land.
And it makes sense – why not do it DoubleCash style – get half of the miles at booking and the other half once you take the flight. Not sure how it will work with adjusting for loyalty status.
And boy, does UA really want to get out of that Chase contract. Could have done that announcement without throwing Chase under the bus. Have to imagine C1 will be making a huge play for UA.
If C1 would actually approve churners, I’d celebrate that move. However, I doubt it; Chase wants to keep United. I just wish CSR $75K travel credit was for UA, not SW.
Two observations:
(1) Fisher seems like a bad hire given the lack of success of Apple Card. GS took a $20bn hit exiting that business.
(2) If airline profitability comes from higher income individuals, I fail to see how gimmicks aimed at lower income individuals (oh boy, your miles post instantly! Just like Uber them daily as well….) is going to be a meaningful source of revenue.
Goldman are not a consumer centric business. That’s where the losses came from. Their underwriting team not keeping up with consumer card fraud trends.
Caution: Enhancements Coming Soon. Bend over, and have some lube nearby, you’re gonna need it.
My prediction: YQ coming in a big way. Because, you know, it’ll make things easier.
Makes sense to copy AA’s program – much simplier. The United program is needlessly complex.
Could well be…
Must everything be spoonfed? Part of what makes UA’s system special is that it’s more rewarding for that that invest the time to understand its nuances. Making it too simple would also make it less rewarding. If everyone wins, nobody really wins.
I gave up on United status chasing. Plus points I that go unused, hardly ever have an upgrade go thru.
I’m much happier going with the most direct airline and flight then paying for upgrades when I want first which is most of the time. My company pays for business on international so I care even less.
Life is too short to be a United status chaser.
Doesn’t Delta / Amex post points daily or is it just the MQD?
All I’ve gotten so far from United/Chase is five emails about “Account benefit notice reminder!” Not sure why I needed the reminder 5x, but I’m thoroughly reminded that if I spend $20,000 or $40,000 on the card, I get a few relatively worthless benefits. Hard pass.
My guess is United throwing everyone off by doing a revaluation to counter the last few years of removing value for engaged members. Kidding of course: This is Kirby we’re talking about.
The only thing I expect from Mileage Plus is devaluation…. Awards are outrageously priced — especially business and given the actual business product quality … it’s a joke really. If this real time thing is actually what they’re so excited about … well I’m sorry I just don’t see the big value add of that for the consumer