Nov 1, 2013, 4:08 am
Last edit by: aacharya
Moderator Note: Please keep the wiki post limited to just the facts.
New UA Award/Upgrade Chart (vs. Current Chart)
Changes took effect for travel booked starting February 3, 2014. See UA Insider's post linked here for more info about the date change. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22263212-post2366.html
Awards with *A partners now cost more than similar awards flown only on UA metal.
See below for the round-trip increases on partner metal :
Changes to upgrade policy for intra-Asia and northern South America flights
Questions and Answers
Q: If I book an award in January 2014 and then make changes in February or beyond (in routing, airline, origin, destination, etc), will it be repriced according to new mileage requirements, or will I keep the old pricing on that ticket?
Additional details on changing tickets booked prior to 2/3/14 per UA Insider:
Full details are in post #2588 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22283437-post2588.html
Q: Do these rates apply for tickets purchased after Feb 3 or for travel after Feb 3? That is,if one purchases a ticket now, to fly on Mar 15, will that be new or old pricing?
Q: How will award pricing apply to mixed-carrier Saver Awards?
(reverted to J.Edward's rev)
New UA Award/Upgrade Chart (vs. Current Chart)
Changes took effect for travel booked starting February 3, 2014. See UA Insider's post linked here for more info about the date change. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22263212-post2366.html
Awards with *A partners now cost more than similar awards flown only on UA metal.
- F awards on partners went up 40-80%
- J awards on partners went up 20-40%
- F and J awards on UA metal (or mixed carriers where UA metal is in premium cabin followed by partner segment in lower class) as well some Y awards increased by 5-20% (US to Europe in F up 19%, US to Middle East in F up 20% for example)
See below for the round-trip increases on partner metal :
US ✈ Southern South America: +10,000 J, +5,000 F
US ✈ Europe: +40,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Northern/Central/Southern Africa: +40,000 J, +110,000 F
US ✈ Middle East: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +130,000 F
US ✈ Central Asia/India: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ South Asia: +15,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ North Asia: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +100,000 F
US ✈ Japan: +5,000 Y, +30,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Oceania: +30,000 J, +70,000 F
US ✈ Australia/New Zealand: +25,000 J, +100,000 F
RTW: +20,000 Y, +90,000 J, +100,000 F
US ✈ Europe: +40,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Northern/Central/Southern Africa: +40,000 J, +110,000 F
US ✈ Middle East: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +130,000 F
US ✈ Central Asia/India: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ South Asia: +15,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ North Asia: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +100,000 F
US ✈ Japan: +5,000 Y, +30,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Oceania: +30,000 J, +70,000 F
US ✈ Australia/New Zealand: +25,000 J, +100,000 F
RTW: +20,000 Y, +90,000 J, +100,000 F
Changes to upgrade policy for intra-Asia and northern South America flights
- Complimentary Premier Upgrades and instant upgrades are not applicable
- Regional Premier Upgrades (for any fare class) and Global Premier Upgrades (for flights booked in fare class Z, P, S, T, L, K, G or N) can no longer be requested on or after November 1, 2013
- There is no co-pay exemption for MileagePlus Upgrade Awards requested on or after November 1, 2013
- The above changes do not apply to Copa-operated flights.
Questions and Answers
Q: If I book an award in January 2014 and then make changes in February or beyond (in routing, airline, origin, destination, etc), will it be repriced according to new mileage requirements, or will I keep the old pricing on that ticket?
Our existing change process will apply. Changes to awards that require a change in date do not result in a change to the award price. Any other change will require an add/collect in miles and fees for changes or cancellations will still apply as per our existing policies.
Changes that will not trigger a re-price for itineraries ticketed before February 3, 2014 include:
- Date/time (cabin, region, and award type can't change)
- Carrier on one or more segments (cabin, region, and award type can’t change)
- Origin/Destination within the same regions (carrier and cabin can’t change)
Q: Do these rates apply for tickets purchased after Feb 3 or for travel after Feb 3? That is,if one purchases a ticket now, to fly on Mar 15, will that be new or old pricing?
Updated handling for mixed UA-Partner United/partner award itineraries: As we shared with the initial announcement, the Star Alliance/Partner partner award pricing will apply to Business or First awards for itineraries that include at least one flight segment operated by a MileagePlus partner carrier in Business or First.
However, as a customer benefit we have made an exception for most itineraries which require connecting onto a MileagePlus/Star partner in First or Business for a short distance. Specifically, if a United/Copa award itinerary contains a connecting segment on a MileagePlus/Star partner that is wholly within one MileagePlus award region, then the United award price will apply.
However, as a customer benefit we have made an exception for most itineraries which require connecting onto a MileagePlus/Star partner in First or Business for a short distance. Specifically, if a United/Copa award itinerary contains a connecting segment on a MileagePlus/Star partner that is wholly within one MileagePlus award region, then the United award price will apply.
- For example: IAD-FRA in United BusinessFirst connecting to FRA-FCO in Lufthansa Business, will be priced at the United mileage award amount.
- Note that this exception will not apply to a few specific regions and routings, such as intra-Africa connecting segments and certain fifth-freedom routes (e.g. BKK-KUL operated by Lufthansa)
Changes to MileagePlus Award and Upgrade Policies - Eff. 3-Feb-2014
Nov 2, 2013, 8:42 am
#946
Moderator, Hertz; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: KRK
Programs: UA 1MM, BA GGL, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond and others
Posts: 12,689
Well for me it's not that horrible.
90% of my intl flying (and family flying) is USA-Europe. If I can just find C space on a UA flight then a Y conx in Europe to KRK will fall under the United award chart. And C intra Europe sucks, so it's not too bad.
Though I will still write/email to the wiki links as this is still unfair of allowing 2 award charts.
90% of my intl flying (and family flying) is USA-Europe. If I can just find C space on a UA flight then a Y conx in Europe to KRK will fall under the United award chart. And C intra Europe sucks, so it's not too bad.
Though I will still write/email to the wiki links as this is still unfair of allowing 2 award charts.
Nov 2, 2013, 8:46 am
#947
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: LAS, ZQN
Programs: UA PP (2MM), BA gold
Posts: 2,195
I passed the 2MM on Wednesday to get the devaluation notice on Thursday. I have 1.7MM in my account.
I live in the US and NZ. There are no UA flights to NZ. 90% of my flights to NZ are on UA via SYD instead of partners. I have over 150K miles this year. I pay my own tab. I just tried to book a Biz/FC award ticket to NZ March 10-31 departure- not available. Are we reducing available seats too?
I will be contacting AA for a status match.
I live in the US and NZ. There are no UA flights to NZ. 90% of my flights to NZ are on UA via SYD instead of partners. I have over 150K miles this year. I pay my own tab. I just tried to book a Biz/FC award ticket to NZ March 10-31 departure- not available. Are we reducing available seats too?
I will be contacting AA for a status match.
Nov 2, 2013, 8:50 am
#948
Moderator, Hertz; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: KRK
Programs: UA 1MM, BA GGL, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond and others
Posts: 12,689
I passed the 2MM on Wednesday to get the devaluation notice on Thursday. I have 1.7MM in my account.
I live in the US and NZ. There are no UA flights to NZ. 90% of my flights to NZ are on UA via SYD instead of partners. I have over 150K miles this year. I pay my own tab. I just tried to book a Biz/FC award ticket to NZ March 10-31 departure- not available. Are we reducing available seats too?
I will be contacting AA for a status match.
I live in the US and NZ. There are no UA flights to NZ. 90% of my flights to NZ are on UA via SYD instead of partners. I have over 150K miles this year. I pay my own tab. I just tried to book a Biz/FC award ticket to NZ March 10-31 departure- not available. Are we reducing available seats too?
I will be contacting AA for a status match.
If you have 1.7MM on your account, then it's def time to plan your trips for all of next year.
Nov 2, 2013, 9:01 am
#949
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: BA EC Gold, Southwest A-List/Companion Pass
Posts: 74
Sorry if this has been asked already, but where did the (non-United) *A Standard awards go? In the chart (p. 3) I'm only seeing "lower" amounts which must correspond to Saver.
Nov 2, 2013, 9:02 am
#950
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
In case it's useful, there are tables here for a side by side comparison of United's new chart with American and Delta
http://milecards.com/7620/how-united...you-should-do/
Scroll down past the 'what you should' do section to see them
http://milecards.com/7620/how-united...you-should-do/
Scroll down past the 'what you should' do section to see them
Similarly some of the talk elsewhere in the thread of complaining to Chase, cancelling cards, etc. is tilting at windmills. Maybe some small number of FT-type folks will cancel cards over this...not a noticeable hit to Chase in any way.
Not to say this doesn't stink to high heaven, but it's like the old saw "you can't fight city hall"
Nov 2, 2013, 9:04 am
#951
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
Nov 2, 2013, 9:08 am
#952
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,988
Nov 2, 2013, 9:11 am
#953
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA LT Plat, UA 1k/1mm+, National EE, IC Plat, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,605
I won't speak to the relative scope of this devaluation of MP and or any particular awards, but there are a few themes I would love to cover:
1) There is no doubt in my mind that this is an attempt from management to prop up 4Q results.
2) There is no doubt that the profligacy of manufactured spend and the crapload of old and new bloggers who are advocating for it and teaching it may represent a relatively small number of MP members, but I posit that they create a significant liability to UA. It should not come as a surprise that their legs were eventually cut off at the knees.
3) There is no doubt that having F cabins full of 20 year old college students taking pictures and writing critical trip reports for all to see, is frowned upon by paying F customers and by extension the Star Alliance Carriers.
4) There is no doubt that AA will devalue at some point in the next 12 months...merger or no merger. While the transfer options to AA are less lucrative than UR, Citi has whored out the Aadvantage cards for churning at nauseam, and even without manufactured spend, large points balances could be racked up. Those points 'gotta go somewhere' at some point.
5) For all those of you who are upset about award redemption levels, I suggest a massive caveat emptor before you switch your flying to AA. As an EXP and AA fanboy supreme for over a decade, let me tell you that the AA today is a far cry from the AA a few years ago and that they have devalued MASSIVELY over the last year or two.
On the award front, they have simply chosen a different devaluation method than UA...namely to restrict availability to near zero for Saaver awards and thereby forcing AAnytime redemptions and Saaver redemptions on BA as much as possible.
A while ago, I was looking for award inventory to Europe for my wife and kids (I was goi to pay my way) in Y class for March of 2013. There was really zero availability on AA metal, so I looked at BA, and lo and behold, there was plenty of availability. But the award I was trying to book (AUS-LHR/CDG-AUS) came up as $2200 in fees and YQ. Revenue Y tix for the same days would have come out to $2900. So 120k miles would have bought me $700. So I redeemed MP miles instead with minimal taxes.
But BA has also put the ax to the most desirable routes, especially during heavy travel times...try getting to CPT on BA in 2014 for example...not what it used to be. AB and IB are better, but AB cannot be flown if you check bags and IB YQ has been on the rise as well.
AA also has some other issues now (since the great status match floodgates were opened) that i will dive into in my next post...I have to run to catch a flight.
1) There is no doubt in my mind that this is an attempt from management to prop up 4Q results.
2) There is no doubt that the profligacy of manufactured spend and the crapload of old and new bloggers who are advocating for it and teaching it may represent a relatively small number of MP members, but I posit that they create a significant liability to UA. It should not come as a surprise that their legs were eventually cut off at the knees.
3) There is no doubt that having F cabins full of 20 year old college students taking pictures and writing critical trip reports for all to see, is frowned upon by paying F customers and by extension the Star Alliance Carriers.
4) There is no doubt that AA will devalue at some point in the next 12 months...merger or no merger. While the transfer options to AA are less lucrative than UR, Citi has whored out the Aadvantage cards for churning at nauseam, and even without manufactured spend, large points balances could be racked up. Those points 'gotta go somewhere' at some point.
5) For all those of you who are upset about award redemption levels, I suggest a massive caveat emptor before you switch your flying to AA. As an EXP and AA fanboy supreme for over a decade, let me tell you that the AA today is a far cry from the AA a few years ago and that they have devalued MASSIVELY over the last year or two.
On the award front, they have simply chosen a different devaluation method than UA...namely to restrict availability to near zero for Saaver awards and thereby forcing AAnytime redemptions and Saaver redemptions on BA as much as possible.
A while ago, I was looking for award inventory to Europe for my wife and kids (I was goi to pay my way) in Y class for March of 2013. There was really zero availability on AA metal, so I looked at BA, and lo and behold, there was plenty of availability. But the award I was trying to book (AUS-LHR/CDG-AUS) came up as $2200 in fees and YQ. Revenue Y tix for the same days would have come out to $2900. So 120k miles would have bought me $700. So I redeemed MP miles instead with minimal taxes.
But BA has also put the ax to the most desirable routes, especially during heavy travel times...try getting to CPT on BA in 2014 for example...not what it used to be. AB and IB are better, but AB cannot be flown if you check bags and IB YQ has been on the rise as well.
AA also has some other issues now (since the great status match floodgates were opened) that i will dive into in my next post...I have to run to catch a flight.
Nov 2, 2013, 9:14 am
#954
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Rust belt
Posts: 300
Changes to MileagePlus Award and Upgrade Policies - Eff. Feb. 2014
I'm sure most of everyone in the forum is in "Chris Brown" mode the last day or so, but shouldn't anybody that can just hedge against UA devaluation with MS if they have it available to them. Conservatively just multiply the award cost by .008 and you would have your cost.
Nov 2, 2013, 9:16 am
#955
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: MHT
Programs: UA
Posts: 121
burned my MP balance in last 12 hrs
well, I did not get much sleep but I managed to book 3 more trips for 2014 and bring my account balance to <70K (basically a starting point for any chase cc holder), all in C with a stopover and mostly on *A metal: to KEF/VIE, IST/LIS and ZRH/PRG. Did not explore much Asia and South America since I'm frequent there on business anyway. And I did move several upcoming biz trips from UA to OW.
I hope I understand the reasons why UA made a move (Chaseholics, mileagerunners, balance sheet whatever) and I WILL VOTE WITH MY PERSONAL AND BUSINESS $$$ AGAINST IT.
I hope I understand the reasons why UA made a move (Chaseholics, mileagerunners, balance sheet whatever) and I WILL VOTE WITH MY PERSONAL AND BUSINESS $$$ AGAINST IT.
Nov 2, 2013, 9:18 am
#957
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,504
Complaining is a waste of time. The only thing they will pay attention to is people voting with their feet, and since they believe most of us are captive, they believe they can continue to screw us when and wherever they wish.
Nov 2, 2013, 9:23 am
#958
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
Wow. If UAMP members keep burning their miles that fast as it is showing in this thread, then UA will have the lowest FFP miles liability at their year end balance sheets amongst all major airlines 
Nov 2, 2013, 9:28 am
#959
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
Nov 2, 2013, 9:29 am
#960
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: UA GS/4 MM, AA Exec Plat, Lifetime Hilton D, Hyatt G, Marriott Titanium earned Ambassador
Posts: 7,553
We stop as of yesterday morning using our Chase MP visa cards. One of the only ways UA can feel the ouch. When I return into the office will work on using all of our MP points for multiple "once in a lifetime" trips.
At the new award point requirements there is no reason to use our Chase product to gather points. Our regular accumulation keeping status is sufficient going forward for what will be our minimal award booking needs out of UA.
That all being said devaluation has been occurring and can only see it continue with airline, car and hotel programs. Gather and spend!
At the new award point requirements there is no reason to use our Chase product to gather points. Our regular accumulation keeping status is sufficient going forward for what will be our minimal award booking needs out of UA.
That all being said devaluation has been occurring and can only see it continue with airline, car and hotel programs. Gather and spend!
