What Might Future Devaluation of MM Look Like?
Oct 11, 2019, 8:20 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: United Mileage Plus Premier
Posts: 782
I am in the same boat as shdflyer but I am now retired and traveling less. I had thought about doing some extra TPAC/TALT in 2020 to see more of the world and pile up those last miles but with today's changes I think I am going to just make the one flight I have scheduled in May and do the award trip I have planned for July for the whole family and just close out my UA Explorer card and not worry about the Priemer game.
Oct 11, 2019, 8:49 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 638
UA would have little to gain from reducing MM benefits. The vast majority of MM miles flown are flown by those million milers who already have status. Let's consider only those travelers who don't fly enough to earn premier status and fly based on their MM status alone. My guess is that the average number of such travelers on any UA flight is less than two.
Oct 11, 2019, 9:40 am
#6
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,478
"We've listened to our customers and decided to enhance our Million Miler program by simplifying the benefits . . . ."
Oct 11, 2019, 10:14 am
#8
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,878
Oct 11, 2019, 11:28 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,680
Also, I think we will see upgrade priority by PQP earned this year or last, rather than status level, which basically boots MM folks who no longer fly as much to the back of the upgrade queue. And within each status level, of course, whoever has spent the most, gets the higher priority. And like yesterday's announcement, they'll say that "We’re making these changes to ensure our most loyal members get the best value from their benefits.".
Oct 11, 2019, 11:49 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 1,581
I would not say we fly based on our MM status, but we fly UA based on our MM status
Oct 11, 2019, 11:50 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
If they don't choose to do that -- again, on an alliance-wide basis -- then I suspect that UA Gold will lose *G; it'll be UA Silver / Gold / (Plat?) = *S and (Plat?) / 1K / GS = *G.
Oct 11, 2019, 11:54 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: None - previously UA
Posts: 4,867
I don't think that they will devalue 1MM but they may make it harder to attain, my main fear is that they change the qualification requirements just before I get to 1MM to be PQP based (Since they don't seem to care about BIS miles anymore) So something like 200K PQP + 1MM BIS. I don't see how they can do this without really screwing over a bunch of people though. Do they have the ability to go back and look at historical PQP?
Oct 11, 2019, 12:05 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 812
I think just as important of a question, especially for those of us close to 1MM, is how much advance notice we'll have when the inevitable devaluation comes.
I'm 110k miles away from 1MM. If an announcement gives us a few months before the change takes place, I'll just grind out the remainder when the announcement comes. But if the change might be immediate, then I better start doing mileage runs now.
I'm 110k miles away from 1MM. If an announcement gives us a few months before the change takes place, I'll just grind out the remainder when the announcement comes. But if the change might be immediate, then I better start doing mileage runs now.
Oct 11, 2019, 12:07 pm
#15
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,616
Reading all these MP related change discussions has been interesting - and relaxing. If I hadn’t gone to free agent status a little over two years ago, I’d be angry right now. But I’m not. While I am flying a little bit less than I used to when I was a 1K, I’m enjoying it a lot more.