Earlier this week, United Airlines devalued its MileagePlus awards program with three new changes. While the core of the program is unchanged, this will be frustrating to some MileagePlus frequent flyers. Unsurprisingly, the airline is trying to spin this as a positive, stating, “we’re always updating the MileagePlus program to help you get the most from your miles.”
United Eliminates Upgrade Award Charts
Beginning November 24, 2025, United will no longer display the MileagePlus upgrade award chart on its website. Instead, passengers looking for the miles needed to upgrade their ticket will need to follow the following steps during the booking process:
- Search for a flight
- Select “Advanced search”
- Select “Upgrades, certificates and promotion codes”
- In the “Upgrade type” box, select “MileagePlus Upgrade Awards”
- Select “Find fights”
- Miles required will display in the “Upgrade” columns
For travel that has already been booked, the following steps are needed to determine upgrade pricing:
- Find “My trips” and choose your current booking
- Select “Upgrade cabin”
- Select “Miles” in the “Upgrade by” section
- Miles required will display in the box
- Select “Continue” to purchase or request your upgrade
While this isn’t a major change, it is annoying. Thankfully there are still roughly six months between now and this change going into effect.
United Eliminates YBM Instant Upgrades for MileagePlus Premier Members
Starting August 21, 2025, United will eliminate instant upgrades at the time of ticketing on Y, B, or M fares for Premier members. Currently, the airline offers instant upgraded on a space available basis for Premier members that book a full fare ticket in one of the aforementioned categories.
Once this benefit is eliminated, United MileagePlus Premier members will still be eligible for complimentary upgrades when available under the existing upgrade hierarchy.
United MileagePlus Eliminates Excursionist Perk on Award Tickets
The biggest devaluation for frequent flyers and points and miles junkies comes with the elimination of the Excursionist Perk. The carrier will eliminate the perk for tickets booked on or after August 21, 2025. This also applies to changes to existing bookings after August 21, so be aware of the date.
For those that aren’t familiar, the Excursionist Perk allows for a free, one-way, award within select multi-city trips between at least two award regions. Members who book a trip with three or more one-way awards can get the first award for free, if the trip meets all these conditions:
- Your trip starts and ends in the same region.
- The free Excursionist Perk flight starts and ends in the same region.
- Your trip starts in a different region than the free Excursionist Perk flight.
- The free Excursionist Perk flight’s cabin and award tier must be the same or lower than the flight before it.
While most MileagePlus members don’t utilize this perk, it is a significant hit for those looking to maximize their miles.
Summary
United is making three changes to its MileagePlus program which represent a devaluation for passengers. While all three can be considered minor, the loss of the Excursionist Perk stings the most for passengers looking to stretch their frequent flyer miles.