United makes 3 big negative devaluations to MileagePlus

United Airlines is toying with its MileagePlus loyalty program by changing up three perks.

While the updates don't affect the program's most popular aspects, they do hurt travelers who've grown accustomed to these benefits over the years.

The airline announced the changes on Thursday via customer emails and by posting the full extent of the changes on its "What's New with MileagePlus" webpage.

Here's everything you need to know.

Goodbye Excursionist Perk

Beginning Aug. 21, United will eliminate the Excursionist Perk for new award bookings.

The Excursionist Perk first debuted before the coronavirus pandemic, and it allows travelers to add a free one-way award (or stopover) as part of a multicity ticket.

After Aug. 21, any existing award redemptions that include an Excursionist Perk will remain intact, but United won't honor the perk if you make additional changes to your reservation after this date.

Of all the changes, this one perhaps stings the most for the savviest flyers. The Excursionist Perk has been a lucrative sweet spot for flyers looking to maximize the value of their MileagePlus miles. United didn't share the reasoning behind the change, but it's unquestionably a devaluation to MileagePlus.

United eliminates instant upgrades

United's next big change is eliminating instant upgrades for eligible Premier members on full-fare tickets. This, too, will take effect Aug. 21.

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Previously, if eligible travelers purchased the most expensive economy fares (in the Y, B or M fare classes) and there was upgrade availability at the time of booking, flyers could instantly confirm their upgrade without needing to remain on the waitlist.

Going forward, all space-available upgrades (not supported by PlusPoints or MileagePlus miles) will be processed via United's Complimentary Premier Upgrade program. Those who purchase the most expensive tickets will simply be prioritized higher on the upgrade list than those within their elite rank who purchased a cheaper ticket.

For those who have taken advantage of this benefit, this change will hurt. I, for one, have sometimes used this perk when booking pricey last-minute tickets, and it definitely softened the blow to get an instantly confirmed upgrade, pending availability.

Now, all travelers will need to wait their turn on the waitlist.

Dynamically priced upgrade awards

United's final change is eliminating the MileagePlus Upgrade Award chart. This change takes effect Nov. 24, and it's the airline's latest move to dynamically price as many mileage redemptions as possible.

In the past, the upgrade award chart has allowed travelers to know exactly how many miles a given upgrade would cost. Going forward, upgrades will seemingly be priced dynamically based on demand and other factors.

Once this change goes into effect, there will be two ways to see how much a MileagePlus upgrade will cost. During the booking process, you'll need to do an advanced search for "upgrades, certificates and promotion codes" and then select "MileagePlus Upgrade Awards." The results page will then show the number of miles required for each upgrade.

Meanwhile, if you've already booked travel, you can see the number of miles required to upgrade by clicking the "upgrade cabin" button when managing your reservation.

United didn't share any further details about how availability and pricing might change with the elimination of the award chart, but if it's anything like the move the airline made with its traditional award charts, I'd expect prices to rise — especially on busy flights.

Bottom line

Overall, United's three MileagePlus changes won't change the program's core value proposition, but they certainly will sting.

The elimination of the Excursionist Perk will make it more expensive to plan multi-leg trips, while the changes to upgrades will simply make it harder and more expensive to sit up front.

Fortunately, the airline isn't (currently) changing other aspects of the program, such as how PlusPoints work. But could this be a harbinger of what's to come?

Stay tuned to TPG for the latest.

Related reading:

• 6 things you need to know about United Airlines MileagePlus
• The best credit cards for United Airlines flyers
• What is United Airlines elite status worth?
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• How to survive basic economy on United Airlines