United Airlines Quietly Kills Off a Beloved Miles Hack

United Airlines has quietly announced a few updates to some of their more granular MileagePlus perks that will upset some of their most loyal customers. These changes will be rolled out in a staggered fashion throughout the coming months, with all of them being implemented by the end of the calendar year. 

Goodbye Excursionist Perk

One of the best sweet spots in the points and miles game will cease to exist by the end of summer as United has said they will eliminate their famed Excursionist Perk offering. 

In the context of the Excursionist Perk, travelers booking a round-trip ticket with miles that start and end in the same region can tack on an extra one-way flight to the itinerary within a different region for a cost of zero miles. While the most common use of this perk would be to see multiple cities in one region for no extra cost (i.e., a free inter-European flight on a round-trip ticket to and from the U.S.), creative minds could come up with some clever ways to score expensive flight segments for free by utilizing partner airline networks and open-jaw itineraries. 

Photo: Courtesy of United

While this perk has flown relatively under the radar for many years, savvy United flyers who have utilized it are sure to be disappointed when it comes to an end. Travelers have until August 21 to take advantage of this perk before it goes away for good. After August 21, reservations that include the perk will remain as booked unless changes need to be made to the reservation, in which case the perk will no longer be honored. 

Upgrade Award Chart Going Away 

While United has dynamically priced its award tickets for a few years now, they have maintained a fixed Upgrade Award chart that would let flyers know exactly how many miles it would take to upgrade a purchased ticket depending on the fare class booked. That is all changing come November 24 as that chart will officially be removed from United’s website, effectively signaling that they will begin to price award upgrades dynamically as well.

Photo: United Airlines, Boeing 737 MAX 9. Courtesy of Henry Siismets / Unsplash

Moving forward, customers will be able to see how many miles it would take to upgrade a purchased ticket at the time of booking by running an Advanced search, clicking the “upgrades, certificates, and promotion codes” dropdown, and selecting “MileagePlus Upgrade Awards.” The required mileage amount will then populate in the “Upgrade” column, which will also show if immediate upgrade space is available or if there is a waitlist. For travel that is already booked, customers can select the “upgrade cabin” option within the booking itself to see how much an upgrade would cost in both cash and miles. 

Instant Upgrades: Eliminated

Up until now, Premier customers booking United’s full-fare economy tickets (Y, B, or M fare classes) have been able to instantly confirm an upgrade without having to waitlist if there was upgrade availability open at the time of booking. This is also ending on August 21, and now all space-available upgrades will be subject to the Complimentary Premier Upgrade waitlist. This does not affect upgrades confirmed using miles or PlusPoints, which can be confirmed at any time, subject to availability. 

Photo: Courtesy of United Airlines

All in all, these changes are negative no matter how you slice it, and they clearly signal an attempt by United to curb the ability to enjoy premium perks without having to spend more money. While the primary elements of the program thankfully remain unchanged (for now), these updates sure do sting for United loyalists.