United Airlines is rolling out a suite of new benefits for travelers who hold a United MileagePlus credit or debit card, giving them more incentives to book and redeem through the airline. Starting April 2, primary cardholders can earn up to twice as many miles per dollar on eligible United flights compared to non-cardholders, and even more when they pay with their United card.
For example, top-tier MileagePlus 1K members using a United Club card can earn up to 17 miles per dollar on qualifying tickets. By contrast, members without a United card will earn fewer miles, and general members must now hold a United card to earn miles on Basic Economy fares.
In addition to higher earning rates, United is introducing automatic award ticket discounts for cardholders. All primary cardholders will receive at least 10% off United award flights, while those with Premier status and a United card will save at least 15%. That means a 15,000-mile domestic economy award would drop to 13,500 miles for eligible cardholders, and a 200,000-mile Polaris business class seat could be reduced to 170,000 miles for Premier members with a card.
United’s Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, said, “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. 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.”
Previously limited to Platinum and 1K elites, the exclusive Saver discounts will now be available to general MileagePlus members who hold a United credit or debit card. With the new discounts applied, Polaris Saver Awards can start as low as 72,000 miles for general cardholders and 68,000 miles for Premier cardholders.
United says cardmembers already save an average of 30% when booking eligible Saver fares, and with expanded inventory and automatic discounts, the airline is positioning its co-branded cards as the most rewarding way to maximize MileagePlus value.
Learn more about the MileagePlus loyalty program here.