IN now bookable by all premiers & some credit cardholders (not just Plat and higher)
Sep 5, 2025 | 7:51 pm
#166
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,596
thanks. i applied for the biz card since that wont effect the 5/24 and i was thinking i might have to call reconsideration and offer to take the card w/o points. not ideal, but with my upcoming travel worth it.
i got the 7-10 days notice to eval application, so just have to wait and then call if the answer is no.
I sure do hope that the Biz card activates IN!
i got the 7-10 days notice to eval application, so just have to wait and then call if the answer is no.
I sure do hope that the Biz card activates IN!
Sep 17, 2025 | 12:14 pm
#167
Join Date: Sep 2022
Programs: United Mileage Plus
Posts: 1,674
Blogger theorizes that saver award inventories only available to United Chase card holders.
Back in the day, United released saver level award availability consistently, whether you were a member of MileagePlus, a member of a partner frequent flyer program, etc. However, it increasingly seems like United wants to keep award space for its own MileagePlus members, and not just any members.
Going back a couple of years, we saw United start to only make a subset of saver level award space available to members of partner frequent flyer programs. Then we’ve also seen some partner programs introduce dynamic pricing for United awards, and I have to imagine that’s something that was pushed by United.
So do United MileagePlus members have access to better award availability? Well, sort of. For most MileagePlus members, Polaris business class award availability is virtually non-existent. But here’s where it gets interesting…
United MileagePlus has special types of award and upgrade inventory for select members. For example, while “I” is the saver level business class award fare class, United also has “IN” inventory, which is extra saver business class award availability reserved for a subset of members. However, the airline has recently updated which members have access to this availability:
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/...-availability/
My theory on how & why United award availability changed
This is purely speculation on my part, but let me explain what I think is going on. Obviously loyalty programs are huge businesses for airlines, particularly for carriers in the United States, where much of their profits are generated from the programs.Back in the day, United released saver level award availability consistently, whether you were a member of MileagePlus, a member of a partner frequent flyer program, etc. However, it increasingly seems like United wants to keep award space for its own MileagePlus members, and not just any members.
Going back a couple of years, we saw United start to only make a subset of saver level award space available to members of partner frequent flyer programs. Then we’ve also seen some partner programs introduce dynamic pricing for United awards, and I have to imagine that’s something that was pushed by United.
So do United MileagePlus members have access to better award availability? Well, sort of. For most MileagePlus members, Polaris business class award availability is virtually non-existent. But here’s where it gets interesting…
United MileagePlus has special types of award and upgrade inventory for select members. For example, while “I” is the saver level business class award fare class, United also has “IN” inventory, which is extra saver business class award availability reserved for a subset of members. However, the airline has recently updated which members have access to this availability:
- Until early August 2025, “IN” inventory was reserved for Premier Platinum, Premier 1K, and Global Services members
- Since this change, “IN” inventory is now seemingly available to all Premier members plus all MileagePlus co-brand credit card members
Sep 17, 2025 | 12:33 pm
#168
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,557
Blogger theorizes that saver award inventories only available to United Chase card holders.
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/...-availability/
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/...-availability/
Insulating premium redemptions from e.g. Aeroplan and the myriad of ways to funnel points into the system with less benefit to UA is, in theory, a win for folks in the UA ecosystem. The other side of the sword is that partners may retaliate with similar restrictions, but those are already there in some form (e.g. LX blocking F redemptions outside HON Circle, explosion of LH F cost and more limited inventory, NZ rarely if ever having availability on what for now remains an inferior J product). And for better or worse Polaris metal remains the best J option on the table in most *A cases these days.
Sep 17, 2025 | 3:07 pm
#169
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 8,047
This is at least partly on UA.
Many on here would disagree, especially once you factor in soft product. I'm generally in your camp, though as someone who grew up in the age of reasonably available aspirational redemptions like CX F, I'll say that redeeming miles for Polaris doesn't get me very excited these days.
Sep 17, 2025 | 4:50 pm
#170
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DEN
Posts: 794
I'm sure it's partially due to the changes to IN recently but this seems ridiculous. UA 853 (SFO-TPE) tonight (14 hours from now) is showing 11 J seats available, is IN9 and PZ9 (and RN9, so P+ is wide open too) and still I0. So is the logic here that they'd rather the Polaris seats go to non-revs or remain empty than take someone without status or a branded chase card's 100k miles?
- J9
- JN9
- C9
- D9
- Z9
- ZN9
- P9
- PN9
- PZ9
- IN9
- I0
Sep 17, 2025 | 4:57 pm
#171
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,557
For sure.
I get what you're saying. No doubt the soft product is nothing to write home about (or it is, but that letter will be a complaint), and I think I'm in the minority that doesn't find the hard product great either. But relative to other MP redemptions, I don't find myself finding that many places where the partner redemption a clear winner. Maybe NH J/F, TK J for the culinary novelty? LH F, though less compelling at the recent rates? The use cases where a premium partner redemption is a clear winner exist, but they're infrequent. I suppose for Europe travel that may change as LX and LH transition to Allegris, but the soft product there is spotty, apparently getting worse with how LH is staffing it, and then there's the whole diversity of seating possibilities in J, most of which are probably no better than Polaris even if an upgrade from the current miserable hard product.
Many on here would disagree, especially once you factor in soft product. I'm generally in your camp, though as someone who grew up in the age of reasonably available aspirational redemptions like CX F, I'll say that redeeming miles for Polaris doesn't get me very excited these days.
Sep 17, 2025 | 10:15 pm
#172
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,889
Confirmed by UA to DansDeals that this is a permanent change:
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...-availability/
Big upgrade for cardholders. Big downgrade for Plat/1K/GS.
Disclosure: Link to site in which I have financial interest.
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...-availability/
Big upgrade for cardholders. Big downgrade for Plat/1K/GS.
Disclosure: Link to site in which I have financial interest.
Sep 17, 2025 | 10:39 pm
#173
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DEN
Posts: 794
Confirmed by UA to DansDeals that this is a permanent change:
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...-availability/
Big upgrade for cardholders. Big downgrade for Plat/1K/GS.
Disclosure: Link to site in which I have financial interest.
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tra...-availability/
Big upgrade for cardholders. Big downgrade for Plat/1K/GS.
Disclosure: Link to site in which I have financial interest.
Sep 18, 2025 | 1:51 am
#174
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,596
Why worry about a possible future dearth of partner availability that may or may not come to pass and if it does who knows when it will be? It's better to maximize the opportunities available to you today.
Sep 18, 2025 | 5:41 am
#175
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,355
Every airline is, or will be, looking after its own interest sooner or later. Many airlines have restricted their saver awards to its own program, or a small number of their favored partners in the past, but UA seems to have gone the furthest among major airlines. It probably makes sense for UA since most UA miles are generated via credit card spending than flying these days. That credit card spending won't continue unless cardholders have some chance of success in redeeming those UA miles for somewhat attractive awards. Kirby is probably betting that UA is the least dependent on its alliance partners.
Sep 18, 2025 | 12:49 pm
#176
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA LT Plat 2MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 72,962
Blogger theorizes that saver award inventories only available to United Chase card holders.
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/...-availability/
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/...-availability/
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 18, 2025 at 12:56 pm Reason: cleanup after merge
Sep 19, 2025 | 9:48 am
#177
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA LT 1K/DL Plat/Hilton LT ♦/Hyatt Carbonado/Wyndham ♦/Marriott PE .
Posts: 5,717
I have no illusions about the future. The future will be much worse as UA further monetizes the front cabins and decreases award availability. Kirby loves Kash.
Sep 19, 2025 | 1:21 pm
#180
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA LT 1K/DL Plat/Hilton LT ♦/Hyatt Carbonado/Wyndham ♦/Marriott PE .
Posts: 5,717
I don't begrudge profit making. I'm just pointing out the obvious to those here with false hope; I/IN/PZ availability is not going to get better. Every move UA is making is designed to decrease giving away stuff for free.