Originally Posted by
WineCountryUA
Ok, so an 18% increase after 4 years. Inflation on $550 over those same 4 years would make it $594. So this is a 9% inflation-adjusted price hike for renewing members and 0% price hike for new members. If you are trying to winnow your ranks a little, this seems like a reasonable bump.
No one that knows will be talking, certainly not UA. Everyone will be guessing with no knowledge -- just random speculation based on a limited, incomplete view. Anyone's guess will be biased toward a perceived notion. Might as well use a random number generator.
I agree but it was more a thought experiment to say ok there are 8 ways to access a United Club, and only 2 that UA has unilateral authority to change. So if the changes to paid memberships (like restricting to same-day flight on partner, raise in price, etc.) seem harsh, it's in part because the other 6 access methods are inflexible, esp. the *A ones which are not likely to change. And I'd expect the 2 Chase access methods to be changing in the next 12-24 month timespan as contracts come up.
I don't think it takes insider UA knowledge to make basic claims like "more people access the UC as members, *G, or long-haul J than by buying $59 cash entry at the door"...if $59 one-time access is as rare as it appears that really leaves UA with only one knob to tweak and that is the membership knob.