Aug 28, 2019, 10:20 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
United Airlines Announces MileagePlus Miles Never Expire
Airline continues to make improvements to its award-winning MileagePlus loyalty program
CHICAGO, Aug. 28, 2019
-- United Airlines announced that effective immediately, MileagePlus award miles never expire, giving members a lifetime to use miles on flights, experiences, hotels and more.
"We want to demonstrate to our members that we are committing to them for the long-haul and giving customers a lifetime to use miles is an exceptionally meaningful benefit," said Luc Bondar, vice president of loyalty and president of MileagePlus at United. "Our MileagePlus program provides customers more ways to earn and use miles than any other U.S. airline. More customers used miles to book award trips in 2018 than in any year before, and we expect with today's announcement that even more will use miles to travel the world in the years to come."
Airline continues to make improvements to its award-winning MileagePlus loyalty program
CHICAGO, Aug. 28, 2019
-- United Airlines announced that effective immediately, MileagePlus award miles never expire, giving members a lifetime to use miles on flights, experiences, hotels and more.
"We want to demonstrate to our members that we are committing to them for the long-haul and giving customers a lifetime to use miles is an exceptionally meaningful benefit," said Luc Bondar, vice president of loyalty and president of MileagePlus at United. "Our MileagePlus program provides customers more ways to earn and use miles than any other U.S. airline. More customers used miles to book award trips in 2018 than in any year before, and we expect with today's announcement that even more will use miles to travel the world in the years to come."
United announces "MileagePlus Miles Never Expire" (effective immediately 28 Aug 2019)
Aug 28, 2019, 10:35 am
#61
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: The World!!!
Programs: Some of them not all ...
Posts: 1,532
The big devaluation is here with the dynamic pricing. That totally destroys the sweet spots. One of the reasons Avios are gold. IB will open J award during middle of the summer season at a fix (chart) cost. That is all gone for DL, UA and AA. So, hopping UA still has availability on partner Star Alliance carriers at fix (chart) cost for miles.
Aug 28, 2019, 10:39 am
#63
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Bucks County
Programs: UAL GS & Million Miler; Delta Lifetime Gold; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Platinum; Legion Etrangere
Posts: 1,609
Superfluous if you fly often. Inconsequential in relation to devaluation through “dynamic pricing”. A slight incentive to consider alternatives to the Chase card. Essentiall cost-free PR gesture by the gnomes in Willis Tower
Aug 28, 2019, 10:51 am
#64
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
This is a benefit for families with younger kids that can’t have CCs and fly “once in a while”
Yes dynamic pricing is bad but let’s not be so cynical, this on its own is a good move for customers.
Yes dynamic pricing is bad but let’s not be so cynical, this on its own is a good move for customers.
Aug 28, 2019, 10:54 am
#65
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,419
Anyone who flies less than once every 18 mos. on United probably is accruing fewer than 10,000 miles/year (except the rare one-off paid biz ticket), if not less. At that rate it will take 3-5 years to accrue enough for a domestic Y ticket in most instance. Hardly going to lead to a large uptick in redemptions.
Aug 28, 2019, 10:58 am
#66
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Aug 28, 2019, 11:04 am
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,891
Like most of us on here, this change won;'t affect me, since I easily do multiple transactions with UA that earn miles. But, my comments:
Doubt this is much of a response to Chase. If I had to guess, more for a handful of travelers who might fly once or twice a year, who might think ahead that eventually, they'll get something, and don't have to worry about them expiring. They might fly UA one trip, spirit the next, then back to UA, and they always know they'll have something,
They certainly can...and already do. Thing FlexMiles on the PP card, and the Choices program on the older UA cards - while you can't redeem for PQM, you can still use those miles earned on a CC to redeem for the card annual fee, or a credit for booked travel (I think its $0.01/mile...not great, but its an option).
Copying DL? From multiple years ago? Does it really matter? This either won't matter to you (because you already earn/redeem within the previous 18 month period), or it benefits you because you only travel occasionally, and now don't have to worry about expiry. Either way, not sure what it matters of UAs motivation.
Correct.
Doubtful. I'm guessing they don't want to pass up that revenue.
Thanks. Any chance, speaking of TravelBank, that we'll be able to once again make deposits again at some point somehow? Aside from the United.com Club (which is in the process of closing), and through the TravelBank card, I don't think there are any other ways to do this anymore. Would love to see the gift registry come back.
They already did before. At one point, miles didn't expire (I can't remember if that was pre- or post- UA merger), and they changed it back. Never doesn't really mean never....for now it does.
I don't know if no choice is really correct. It's not like you have to redeem an award every 18 months, just that you need a transaction.
This. They may have more outstanding miles in the system, but they have an unprecedented amount of control on how folks can redeem with dynamic pricing - allowing them to change pricing at will to basically whatever they want, and still having the ability to not allow redemptions on specific (busy) flights. They still have all the control, and really, more control then ever.
If this is the case, I don't understand how they could separately keep track of UR miles versus UA-earned miles in an account, short of implementing entirely new software to recognize and track two different flavors of miles. At the moment these two earnings are invisibly co-mingled.
We’ve heard feedback from customers that mile expiration is a pain point. We believe that miles are earned, and we want them to be used, so we are excited to announce, starting today, MileagePlus award miles will never expire!
There are no changes to the expiration of TravelBank cash, flex PQMs, RPUs and GPUs.
Learn more: Redirecting...
- UA Insider
There are no changes to the expiration of TravelBank cash, flex PQMs, RPUs and GPUs.
Learn more: Redirecting...
- UA Insider
This. They may have more outstanding miles in the system, but they have an unprecedented amount of control on how folks can redeem with dynamic pricing - allowing them to change pricing at will to basically whatever they want, and still having the ability to not allow redemptions on specific (busy) flights. They still have all the control, and really, more control then ever.
Aug 28, 2019, 11:10 am
#68
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DAY
Programs: Rapid Rewards, Skymiles, Hilton HHonors, SPG/Marriott Rewards
Posts: 4,955
No need to wait, go ahead and look now. Although, I am not sure I see much difference before and after November 15th (it all looks terrible).
Aug 28, 2019, 11:11 am
#69
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,258
Let's face it: this is United's BIG RESPONSE to the fact that every other rewards card (Amex Blue, Gold, Plat; Chase Freedom, Sapphire, Ink) is eating their lunch. I used to run up around $100K/year on the UA Club Card. Now it's about $2K. UA did their survey and everybody told them they don't want worthless miles at a low earn-rate. So instead of maintaining the miles' value or increasing the earnings rate, they did this pathetic measure. It's not going to work. I'm surprised they're that obtuse.
Last edited by porciuscato; Aug 28, 2019 at 11:18 am
Aug 28, 2019, 11:18 am
#70
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: UA GS ,QF Plat
Posts: 686
Not cynical.......an experienced optimist
Aug 28, 2019, 11:24 am
#71
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,470
Let's face it: this is United's BIG RESPONSE to the fact that every other rewards card (Amex Blue, Gold, Plat; Chase Freedom, Sapphire, Ink) is eating their lunch. I used to run up around $100K/year on the UA Club Card. Now it's about $2K. UA did their survey and everybody told them they don't want worthless miles at a low earn-rate. So instead of maintaining the miles' value or increasing the earnings rate, they did this pathetic measure. It's not going to work. I'm surprised they're that obtuse.
Aug 28, 2019, 11:49 am
#72
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: UA1K | *A Gold
Posts: 767
Makes sense. Majority of expired miles probably only had a couple thousand miles at best. They’re probably hoping to incentive those occasional flyers to select UA basic over the other basic fares/budget airlines for the “lifetime miles”.
The real problem for UA is that this lifetime thing won’t mean anything or have any advantage once the other airlines add the lifetime wording to their miles...
The real problem for UA is that this lifetime thing won’t mean anything or have any advantage once the other airlines add the lifetime wording to their miles...
Aug 28, 2019, 11:58 am
#73
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Bronze, United 1K, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,477
This comes about 5 years too late for my wife and myself. In 2014, we both lost our United accounts. We had tried to save the miles by getting magazines but 3 weeks was not enough time for the process to occur. At that time, we had other worries such as selling our house for a move to the UK so let it go. After all, our main airline was US Airways...... And then it became BA....
Two years later, we did come back to the US to a location where United was the common sense choice. When my account was closed, I did not lose many miles as I had only occasionally flown with United. My wife did not lose many miles as she had used her miles for Business Class tickets on international long-hauls. But, now, that reluctantly she rejoined United (in her mind we were going to keep our BA Gold and Silver levels), she realized that she lost 300,000 United lifetime miles. She had that lost account since 1986.....
Two years later, we did come back to the US to a location where United was the common sense choice. When my account was closed, I did not lose many miles as I had only occasionally flown with United. My wife did not lose many miles as she had used her miles for Business Class tickets on international long-hauls. But, now, that reluctantly she rejoined United (in her mind we were going to keep our BA Gold and Silver levels), she realized that she lost 300,000 United lifetime miles. She had that lost account since 1986.....
Aug 28, 2019, 12:24 pm
#75
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: The World!!!
Programs: Some of them not all ...
Posts: 1,532
