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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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United teases 'really big ideas' for future of MileagePlus program
Sean Cudahy is an aviation reporter covering news about airlines, frequent flyer programs and consumer travel issues.
December 3, 2025 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
United Airlines has invested heavily in onboard amenities and its loyalty program to attract and retain customers.
The airline aims to double profits from its loyalty program by 2030, focusing on expanding partnerships and benefits.
Executives have hinted at major upcoming changes to the loyalty program but have not provided specific details yet.
United is expected to further develop a loyalty ecosystem, allowing members to earn and redeem miles across a broader range of experiences and brands.
What to consider
Details on new loyalty program features or cardholder benefits remain unannounced, so future changes are still speculative.
United's loyalty program already includes partnerships with nonairline brands, with more integrations expected.
The airline's approach may include new ways to redeem miles beyond flights, such as rideshares or experiences.
What you'll miss from the article
Insights into United's evolving loyalty strategy and how it compares to competitors' approaches to customer retention and rewards.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
In recent years, United Airlines has poured billions of dollars into fresh onboard amenities and new products it sees as key to standing out in the highly competitive airline industry.
Have miles to burn? That flight to an exotic destination like Nuuk, Greenland, or Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, could be the perfect redemption — but you’ll get there faster if you pick up one of its cobranded credit cards, the thinking goes.
United Airlines pilots commemorate the carrier's launch of Nuuk, Greenland, service. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
This race to lock in customers — and United’s “make money to spend money” approach — has certainly paid off for the Chicago-based carrier.
In recent years, United has consistently ranked near the top of the U.S. airline industry’s profits, trailing only perennial leader Delta Air Lines.
In 2025, the carrier also climbed to second in TPG’s Best Airlines Report, bolstered by its global route network and loyalty program.
Up next? It appears United has something big up its sleeve.
Earlier this fall, United executives teased a grand vision, of sorts, for the future of its MileagePlus program.
“We have some really big ideas on the loyalty program,” CEO Scott Kirby said while speaking during the company’s earnings call in October.
Cue the United loyalist wondering about the future of their miles, Premier statusperks and United Club access.
But for now, United isn’t offering specifics beyond a prediction that sure perked up plenty of ears on Wall Street.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Loyalty is king ... and a moneymaker
By 2030, Kirby said, United expects to double the profits it pulls in from its loyalty program.
"I think we’re just beginning to realize the full potential of the loyalty program," he said. "And there’s a lot of runway there.”
That would be astronomical growth for an already booming business.
Five years ago, when United used MileagePlus as collateral to secure debt financing during the down days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the carrierestimated the value of its loyalty program at roughly $20 billion.
And airline loyalty programs — along with the cobranded credit cards that help power them — have only surged in popularity and membership since then.
What MileagePlus maneuver could possibly make United so much cash in the next five years?
The answer, as it so often is in the airline industry, likely surrounds credit cards, said Conor Cunningham, industry analyst at New York-based Melius Research.
And the airline, Cunningham said, has long watched with envy as its Atlanta-based competitor has raked in eye-popping profits through its own card tie-up with American Express, which is set to bring Delta $8 billion in 2025.
“I think that part of the advantage that Delta has is that American Express is obviously very intertwined with them. And United has less of that with Chase right now,” Cunningham told TPG.
Delta and Amex collaborate closely in a number of areas, from their cobranded credit card lineup to their lounge networks: Delta's Sky Clubs and Amex's Centurion Lounge portfolio. And it’s a safe bet United could look to strike a more lucrative deal with its banking partner.
Delta Sky Club at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Could that mean new cobranded cards or cardholder benefits? Only time will tell.
A loyalty ‘ecosystem’
Beyond that, Cunningham expects United to wade more deeply into creating a true loyalty “ecosystem” — a term airlines use to describe a setup where customers earn and redeem miles (and perks) both when they’re flying and when they’re not.
But airlines have gone even further in recent years, expanding well beyond the bounds of what we once knew as “frequent flyer programs.”
Today, airlines offer mileage redemptions on everything from vacation homes and car rentals to high-end experiences like celebrity chef dinners and courtside seats at NBA games.
At the same time, passengers increasingly have been able to leverage their airline memberships for more access or value with nonairline consumer brands.
For instance, Delta flyers can get Paramount Plus access inflight and for a short time after landing. American Airlines passengers can claim two months of Apple Music by flying.
United, for its part, has an onboard tie-up with Spotify — and just announced a new loyalty arrangement with Lyftthat will soon open up MileagePlus redemptions on rides.
United's first-class seats on an Airbus A321neo. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
“It’s just this whole thought process around loyalty being more than just an airline redemption and whatnot,” Cunningham said. “To me ... there are further things [United] can do over the long-term that could drive value for you as a consumer.”
A race to win 'brand-loyal' customers
United is far from the only airline ramping up investment in alluring new products meant to win customers’ business.
Recent years have seen lower-cost airlines rapidly add higher-end seats, ponder lounges and beef up credit card perks.
Meanwhile, American — seeing the moves of Delta and United — has rushed to invest in new customer-facing products over the past year that, it hopes, will close a glaring financial gap with its two top rivals.
United executives, though, believe the carrier has already seized an insurmountable advantage over every U.S. airline but Delta — a lead that, in Kirby’s oft-repeated words, is “structural, permanent and irreversible.”
How true that ultimately rings remains to be seen — but United’s latest comments around loyalty, however vague, suggest no letting up on the airline’s relentless push to be at the top of customers’ minds when they book a flight ... or swipe their credit card.
“We’re going to be working very hard to make sure consumers fully understand the distinction between our [loyalty] program and the alternatives. And the rewards, and the value, that can be achieved at United," chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said this fall before stopping well short of offering specifics. “I think that's enough of a hint for now."
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
