Changes to United's Mileage Plus program

[falmouth3]

Annual changes for
the Mileage Plus program

The changes to the Mileage Plus program for 2009 will reward our premium customers with highly competitive benefits, while responding to increased demand for United's new international first- and business-class cabins.

Please keep reading for a brief overview of each program change, then visit united.com for FAQs and details.

Restoration of 500-mile minimum accrual for elite members

Our elite members are the cornerstone of the Mileage Plus program. To reward these members and allow them to requalify for their benefits more quickly, the 500-mile minimum accrual on United flights will be restored for elite members effective January 1, 2009.

This policy change will be applied retroactively to flights between July 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008. For elite members who flew United flights of less than 500 miles during that timeframe, all affected mileage balances and bonuses and earned upgrades will be adjusted by the end of the year to ensure that your elite status is correct for 2009. Please see united.com for full details.

Mileage awards

Mileage Plus continues to offer members more awards to popular destinations. In fact, through August members redeemed 12% more awards in 2008 than in 2007. Also, United continues its policy of no fuel surcharges on award tickets. However, changes will be made to award levels on January 1, 2009. Note that our most popular Saver and Standard awards within the continental United States will stay the same, but other routes and classes will change.
View revised Saver, Standard and partner award charts.

Upgrade awards

As United continues to introduce the new international first and business class, which include lie-flat seats and other enhancements, demand has increased. To ensure that the upgrades adequately reflect the value of a first- or business-class seat, we are generally reducing the mileage requirements and will be collecting a co-pay when miles are redeemed to upgrade an Economy ticket. This change will be effective for upgrade awards requested on or after July 1, 2009.

The co-pay amount will depend on the origin and destination cities, as well as the type of ticket purchased. If you upgrade from a higher fare class, your co-pay will be lower or even non-existent. Upgrade awards from Business to First will not require a co-pay.

And to ensure that all Mileage Plus members have a chance to experience the new international first and business class, beginning July 1, 2009, all paid international Economy-class tickets can be upgraded with miles and a co-pay. Currently, only select Economy classes can be upgraded internationally.

Please visit united.com for details about these changes, including helpful FAQs and examples.

Thank you for choosing United and Mileage Plus.

Sincerely,

Graham Atkinson
President, Mileage Plus

 

[PigsDad]

Here are a few select changes to the saver awards:

OLD LEVELS: Economy / Business / FirstClass
Within U.S.: 25,000 / 45,000 / 60,000
To Hawaii: 35,000 / 75,000 / 90,000
To Europe: 50,000 / 80,000 / 120,000

NEW LEVELS: Economy / Business / FirstClass
Within U.S.: 25,000 / 50,000 / 70,000
To Hawaii: 40,000 / 80,000 100,000
To Europe: 55,000 / 105,000 / 135,000

I am so glad that just two weeks ago we got our business class saver tickets for our trip to Italy next year! If we would have gotten them next year, it would have cost us an additional 50,000 miles!!!

Kurt

 

[Pat H]

Makes me a happy camper that they are restoring the minimum mileage credit. I'll pick up a lot of miles.

 

[philemer]

New award chart eff. 1/1/09 http://www.united.com/ual/asset/saver_space_chart.pdf

 

[camachinist]

I stopped booking my crazy short-hop MR's after they killed the 500 mile minimum. Looks like I'll be 144 EQM's short of renewing my elite status with this retroactive reinstatement of the EQM/RDM/BIS 500 mile minimum. Well, that sucks. Guess I'll have to do that mileage run after all

Everything else will just be a new game. United always shoots themselves in the foot somewhere. I love United

 

[Icarus]

I didn't read FT yet today, and didn't get this email yet. Thanks for posting this.

From Hawaii, according to the award chart, most levels are going up, ranging from 5k to a lot more for Australia, Oceana, Africa etc. F from Hawaii to OZ, will be 180k!

However, they are actually reducing the miles required for Hawaii - South Asia, which is great. (It used to be lower than US mainland to South Asia, then it was raised to be the same as US mainland to South Asia, and now it's going back to lower.)

Also, no upgrade co-pays on SWUs, CR-1s and e-500s.

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52896,00.html?jumpLink=/2009prgterms#jump3

All you can eat here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=884828

-David

 

[Carolinian]

Not good, but at least they did not do the fuel surcharge thing like DL and its new captive NW, or the three tier nightmare like DL. Also, their minium milage to Europe, while worse than the 50K of NW, CO, and US is less than the 60K of DL. There are also none of the partner award fees of DL and AS or huge foreign origination fee of DL.

The idea of keeping the 500 mile minimum for elites follows the lead of CO and is one positive.

All in all, UA is still a better option for NW refugees than being sucked up into DL.

 

[Pat H]

Pat, I'm going to make 1P again but it's going to be on EQS. I have to do a 6 segment MR to make it. I had no clue the beginning of the year that I would have that many EQS. I would have made it on EQM's if my MR to Anchorage hadn't gone bust during the double mile promo.