Mar 12, 2015, 5:52 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Initial announcement thread - 2015 MileagePlus Change - RDMs Will Be Calculated by Spend, Not Distance
Update 2019 -- includes all partner flights on 016 ticket
for non-016 ticket , see Earning Status (PQP) on non-016 Tickets and Partner Metal
Spend-based mileage (RDM) earning for all UA metal flights effective March 1, 2015.
Redeemable Miles (RDM) changes highlights:
Multipliers based on Premier status: & (breakeven CPM)
For example, a 1K would earn 1100 miles for a $100 ticket while a Silver would earn 700 miles for the same ticket.
Note that for itineraries which span the March 1 changeover date, the existing scheme will apply to any segment departing prior to March 1 , the new scheme will apply to the segments departing March 1 or after.
Appears no extra mileage for using a Chase MP card than the standard card mileage earning
As there is a maximum number of miles per ticket earned - this disincentives purchasing any ticket (excluding government taxes and fees) over the following:
A way to avoid this is booking one-ways if the fare rules permit.
Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) are not affected by this change.
Announcement Sitewww.mileageplusupdates.com
There is a tool on the site that allow you to enter how much you spent on a ticket along your premier status in order to calculate how many miles you will earn under the new system. The tool is aware of the miles per ticket limit.
There is a FAQ here: http://mileageplusupdates.com/faq.html
Relevant UA Insider posts:
Post 57: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23008349-post57.html
Answered Questions:
Class of service bonuses have been discontinued under the new system. There is already an adjustment for 1K over general members.
For tickets that will earn award miles based on ticket price, the class-of-service bonus and Premier bonus will be included in the number of award miles you earn per dollar. Basically COS has been removed.
E-mail received by GS lists 1K and GS together.
Unanswered Questions:
Unknown, but the FAQ indicates that all UA and UAx flights issued by ANY airline would be subjected to the new earning rates. There are exceptions (group tickets, bulk tickets, etc) like "Specialty Tickets" as mentioned below.
It is mentioned in the FAQ: If applicable, Premier bonus award miles will be based on a member’s Premier status and the lower of the distance flown or miles awarded, per the chart above. Basically the bonus miles will be awarded but based on the lower number (i.e. distance flown for higher fares or the % based on fare). A 1K passenger purchasing F-fare from EWR-SFO would get only a 2565 mile bonus while a N-fare would get (50% of 2565) 1283 mile bonus. Still unclear what are the percentage bonus of each premier level but assume that it is the same (100% GS/1K, 75% Plat, 50% Gold, 25% Silver).
Specialty Tickets:
Update 2019 -- includes all partner flights on 016 ticket
for non-016 ticket , see Earning Status (PQP) on non-016 Tickets and Partner Metal
Spend-based mileage (RDM) earning for all UA metal flights effective March 1, 2015.
Redeemable Miles (RDM) changes highlights:
- Miles earned will now be based on the ticket price instead of the number of miles flown
- Ticket price is defined as base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges (PQD)
- Class of service bonuses have been discontinued (e.g. X% more on A fares).
- There is a limit of 75,000 miles earned per ticket (see below for spending limits by status)
Multipliers based on Premier status: & (breakeven CPM)
- x5 General Members -- (20 cpm)
- x7 Silver -- (17.86 cpm)
- x8 Gold -- (18.75 cpm)
- x9 Plat -- (19.44 cpm)
- x11 1K/GS -- (18.18 cpm)
For example, a 1K would earn 1100 miles for a $100 ticket while a Silver would earn 700 miles for the same ticket.
Note that for itineraries which span the March 1 changeover date, the existing scheme will apply to any segment departing prior to March 1 , the new scheme will apply to the segments departing March 1 or after.
Appears no extra mileage for using a Chase MP card than the standard card mileage earning
As there is a maximum number of miles per ticket earned - this disincentives purchasing any ticket (excluding government taxes and fees) over the following:
- $6818.18 for 1K/GS
- $8333.33 for Platinum
- $9375.00 for Gold
- $10714.28 for Silver
- $15000.00 for General Members
A way to avoid this is booking one-ways if the fare rules permit.
Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) are not affected by this change.
Announcement Sitewww.mileageplusupdates.com
There is a tool on the site that allow you to enter how much you spent on a ticket along your premier status in order to calculate how many miles you will earn under the new system. The tool is aware of the miles per ticket limit.
There is a FAQ here: http://mileageplusupdates.com/faq.html
Relevant UA Insider posts:
Post 57: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23008349-post57.html
Hi everyone,
Today we’re announcing changes to how MileagePlus members will earn award miles in 2015. We’ve posted complete details and a FAQ on united.com, but I wanted to share an excerpt of the key points with you directly:
As of March 1, 2015, the award miles you earn on most United and United Express tickets will be based on your ticket price (that is, base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges) and your MileagePlus status, instead of the distance you travel. The new criteria for earning award miles will look like this:
<portion removed for brevity>
The changes to earning award miles will apply to all MileagePlus members worldwide, and will be based on status at the time of flight on or after March 1, 2015. These changes will not affect the qualification requirements for 2015 Premier status. PQM and PQS will still be based on the number of paid flight miles traveled and the fare purchased. And where applicable, PQD will still be determined by the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges.
As mentioned above, there are more details and a FAQ posted online, and over the next few days we’ll be communicating this information to our members.
Today we’re announcing changes to how MileagePlus members will earn award miles in 2015. We’ve posted complete details and a FAQ on united.com, but I wanted to share an excerpt of the key points with you directly:
As of March 1, 2015, the award miles you earn on most United and United Express tickets will be based on your ticket price (that is, base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges) and your MileagePlus status, instead of the distance you travel. The new criteria for earning award miles will look like this:
<portion removed for brevity>
The changes to earning award miles will apply to all MileagePlus members worldwide, and will be based on status at the time of flight on or after March 1, 2015. These changes will not affect the qualification requirements for 2015 Premier status. PQM and PQS will still be based on the number of paid flight miles traveled and the fare purchased. And where applicable, PQD will still be determined by the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges.
As mentioned above, there are more details and a FAQ posted online, and over the next few days we’ll be communicating this information to our members.
Unanswered Questions:
It is mentioned in the FAQ: If applicable, Premier bonus award miles will be based on a member’s Premier status and the lower of the distance flown or miles awarded, per the chart above. Basically the bonus miles will be awarded but based on the lower number (i.e. distance flown for higher fares or the % based on fare). A 1K passenger purchasing F-fare from EWR-SFO would get only a 2565 mile bonus while a N-fare would get (50% of 2565) 1283 mile bonus. Still unclear what are the percentage bonus of each premier level but assume that it is the same (100% GS/1K, 75% Plat, 50% Gold, 25% Silver).
Specialty Tickets:
Specialty tickets that earn award miles in the current program (including, but not limited to consolidator/bulk, group, tour and other tickets where the fare paid is not disclosed on the ticket) will earn award miles based on a percentage of the distance flown and the purchased fare class as of March 1, 2015. Please refer to the chart below for details.
Eligible fare classes
Flight operated by United and United Express
150% - J, C, D, Z, P, F, A
100% - Y, B, M
75% - E, U, H, Q, V, W
50% - S, T, L, K, G, N
Eligible fare classes
Flight operated by United and United Express
150% - J, C, D, Z, P, F, A
100% - Y, B, M
75% - E, U, H, Q, V, W
50% - S, T, L, K, G, N
RDM earnings for UA tickets / UA operated flights - based on spend (PQD, now PQPs)
Mar 4, 2015, 8:41 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bangkok or San Francisco
Programs: United 1k, Marriott Lifetime PE, Former DL Gold, Former SQ Solitaire, HH Gold
Posts: 11,886
Plenty of reason to remain loyal. We all knew this was coming. Great to see.
Mar 4, 2015, 8:55 pm
#32
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Houston, Tx
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 96
Had two flights on first day of new rules.
IAH-IAD
Miles: 405 base 162 bonus= 567 Miles
PQD: $81
PQM: 1190
IAD-DXB
Miles: 1570 base 628 bonus= 2198 Miles
PQD: $314
PQM: 7069
Not a new fan of the new rules but as long as they don't change PQM to revenue base I'll be alright with it should be a gold or Plat this year and will have to get there on PQD via waiver. So far 24,851 PQM but only 1314 PQD
Mar 4, 2015, 9:18 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,693
BTW, UA says this about how they allocate to each segment:
We use an industry-standard method to determine the portion of the ticket’s base fare and carrier-imposed surcharge value to allocate to each eligible flight segment. This method takes into account both the distance of the flight and the cabin you purchased.
Has anyone been able to come up with the formula, based on what's been posted to their account? It's definitely not just distance, even on a single fare.For example you buy a $200, 3 segment ticket. The full fares for the 3 segments are $400, $500, and $100. The DOT would prorate as $80, $100, and $20.
Mar 4, 2015, 9:33 pm
#34
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 96
Please excuse the lameness herein, but I threw this together to express the way I feel about the situation in this thread. I recognize it could be much better, and it's incorrect in many ways, and the analogy is unfair, etc.. just ignore it if you prefer. I'll put it in a quote box for clarity.
Once upon a time there was a kingdom which was powerful, vast, and divided. Specifically, it was divided into four territories. The lords of these four territories vied for the taxable income of residents, and so they worked to make their territory more appealing than the neighboring ones. The first lord offered free labor for farming, if you were a landowner in his territory. And the people came.
The remaining lords watched carefully and decided that they, too, would offer free labor for farming, and the people slowly came back. The second lord noticed that the first lord had capitalized greatly on his scheme, and so he announced that his territory would offer the finings of the golden currency to the residents of his domain. And the people returned.
Very rapidly, the remaining lords also offered golden filings as well as free labor, and the people slowly returned. The third lord made a new offer - free bread as well as finings and labor. And, of course, the people came. As soon as they’d arrived, however, the offer was reciprocated, and most of them returned.
The fourth lord, having watched his territory income dwindle throughout the competition, decided not to offer any more bonuses. Instead, he would offer a tax break - taxes were one half that of the neighboring territories. What he noticed is that the people not only came, but he nearly monopolized the kingdom. Because his margins were slim, and his popularity was high, he cut the sharing of gold finings. Surprisingly, he lost only a few landowners, despite the other territories continuing to offer the gold finings, and in some cases, offering the silver finings as well.
The other lords were watching carefully. They quickly made the same decision - cut the taxes for the residents another 10% more than the fourth lord. However, they also cut bread as well as the sharing of finings. To their delight, many people returned to own land in their territories.
The fourth lord, not to be outdone, cut all benefits but cut taxes by another 10% atop that of the other three lords. As soon as he’d announced it, all of the other lords matched it. The residents had no longer any reason to be in one territory or another aside from proximity to neighbors and family. The lords had no bargaining power anymore, because the people had spoken - benefits were unappealing. Discounts were motivating, and there was no more space to discount.
By the end, the territories were operating with no benefits, minimal taxes, and miserable residents.
The remaining lords watched carefully and decided that they, too, would offer free labor for farming, and the people slowly came back. The second lord noticed that the first lord had capitalized greatly on his scheme, and so he announced that his territory would offer the finings of the golden currency to the residents of his domain. And the people returned.
Very rapidly, the remaining lords also offered golden filings as well as free labor, and the people slowly returned. The third lord made a new offer - free bread as well as finings and labor. And, of course, the people came. As soon as they’d arrived, however, the offer was reciprocated, and most of them returned.
The fourth lord, having watched his territory income dwindle throughout the competition, decided not to offer any more bonuses. Instead, he would offer a tax break - taxes were one half that of the neighboring territories. What he noticed is that the people not only came, but he nearly monopolized the kingdom. Because his margins were slim, and his popularity was high, he cut the sharing of gold finings. Surprisingly, he lost only a few landowners, despite the other territories continuing to offer the gold finings, and in some cases, offering the silver finings as well.
The other lords were watching carefully. They quickly made the same decision - cut the taxes for the residents another 10% more than the fourth lord. However, they also cut bread as well as the sharing of finings. To their delight, many people returned to own land in their territories.
The fourth lord, not to be outdone, cut all benefits but cut taxes by another 10% atop that of the other three lords. As soon as he’d announced it, all of the other lords matched it. The residents had no longer any reason to be in one territory or another aside from proximity to neighbors and family. The lords had no bargaining power anymore, because the people had spoken - benefits were unappealing. Discounts were motivating, and there was no more space to discount.
By the end, the territories were operating with no benefits, minimal taxes, and miserable residents.
Mar 4, 2015, 10:19 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
Please excuse the lameness herein, but I threw this together to express the way I feel about the situation in this thread. I recognize it could be much better, and it's incorrect in many ways, and the analogy is unfair, etc.. just ignore it if you prefer. I'll put it in a quote box for clarity.
There were seven lords. We'll call them U, A, Us, Aw, D, C, and N.
Aw killed Us, then A, and took their titles.
D killed N.
C killed U but took his title.
With only three lords left, they were free to coordinate - even if tacitly - the reductions in benefits to their citizens. And the citizens were unhappy. And wall street said: "this is good".
Mar 4, 2015, 11:28 pm
#36
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CAK/CLE
Programs: UA Plat/AA,DL Dirt/HH Diamond,Hyatt Something-ist/Hz Prez,Avis Pres Club
Posts: 674
In what way is it correct? How about:
There were seven lords. We'll call them U, A, Us, Aw, D, C, and N.
Aw killed Us, then A, and took their titles.
D killed N.
C killed U but took his title.
With only three lords left, they were free to coordinate - even if tacitly - the reductions in benefits to their citizens. And the citizens were unhappy. And wall street said: "this is good".
There were seven lords. We'll call them U, A, Us, Aw, D, C, and N.
Aw killed Us, then A, and took their titles.
D killed N.
C killed U but took his title.
With only three lords left, they were free to coordinate - even if tacitly - the reductions in benefits to their citizens. And the citizens were unhappy. And wall street said: "this is good".
The consolidation has been bad for many. The remaining lords can play "let them eat cake" and there are very few choices, if any, left for the citizens. Pity.
Mar 5, 2015, 7:54 am
#39
Join Date: May 2004
Location: US
Programs: UA Lifetime Gold, IHG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 973
I still am planning to fly as I have been last year. I still need PQMs and you may get more RDMs for a higher priced ticket, you still wont get more PQMs. There will still be some mileage runs to get the desired PQM elite level. If they change PQMs to match RDMs then the whole deal could be off.
Mar 5, 2015, 8:08 am
#40
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: LBB
Programs: UA 1K 1MM ★G | Marriott LTT | Hilton ♦ | Hertz PC | Global Entry TSA Pre ✓
Posts: 2,820
Just received 9,500 RDM's for DEN-FAT (844 mile segment booked in Y class - ~$860 PQD)... definitely a windfall compared to the ~2,000 RDM's I got on this exact same fare once already this year and 4 times last year. ^^^
My typical 5,000 RDM weekly accrual has now just bumped up to approximately 15,000 RDM's, especially when traveling to Fresno.
My typical 5,000 RDM weekly accrual has now just bumped up to approximately 15,000 RDM's, especially when traveling to Fresno.
Last edited by jjmoore; Mar 5, 2015 at 8:40 am Reason: typo + added thouhgts
Mar 5, 2015, 9:39 am
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 10,000
Mar 5, 2015, 10:20 am
#43
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
Don't forget S. S always liked to play the up-and-coming good guy but has been reducing the heck out of benefits to their citizens too as they have become more like the old lords, especially after killing At.
The consolidation has been bad for many. The remaining lords can play "let them eat cake" and there are very few choices, if any, left for the citizens. Pity.
The consolidation has been bad for many. The remaining lords can play "let them eat cake" and there are very few choices, if any, left for the citizens. Pity.
S is Khal Drogo off with the unwashed masses doing what he do
Mar 5, 2015, 10:27 am
#44
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: LAX,SNA,SAN
Programs: UA GS, Marriott LP, Hertz Gold
Posts: 861
He needs to spend more to get the same, lol. 'Merica. The good old days are over for fly long distances without spending much if earning miles. I can only sit on planes to earn with no real CC spend to accumulate like others.
Mar 5, 2015, 12:45 pm
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 10,000
His fare is $800+ round trip to get 8,000 RDM.
To get 32,000 RDM as before, he needs to spend $3000. Or $2200 extra to make up for the loss of 24,000 RDM.
But $2200 can buy 110,000 RDM?
It's really bad deal to pay higher fare for extra RDM unless it's OPM.