Update Your United App This Weekend if You Stream Movies on Your Phone In-Flight
Travelers who use flight time to catch up on movies and TV shows should update the United app on their iPhones and iPads this weekend. The airline announced an upcoming app update on Tuesday, August 13, stating that older versions of the United app would no longer support personal device entertainment after that date.
Airlines began offering personal device in-flight entertainment several years ago, when the relentless onslaught of technology updates made it cost-ineffective to keep aircraft refreshed with the latest software and hardware updates. Instead, carriers opted to phase out seat back screens in favor of offering free movies, TV shows, music, meditation apps and more, directly to their customers' cellphones, iPads and laptops.
Are travelers missing out on the quintessential in-flight movie experience by not having access to built-in seat back screens? Most likely not. According to the Pew Research Center, 96% of Americans now own cellphones in 2019. Smartphone owners make up 81% of the adult population, up a staggering 56% from the same statistics from 2011. And some carriers such as Alaska Airlines are beginning to retrofit their existing aircraft with seat back ledges designed specifically to support tablets and cellphones at optimal viewing height.
Personal device entertainment technology does mean, however, that the responsibility for in-flight amusement rests squarely on the traveler's shoulders. Customers who forget to charge their cellphones, update their airline apps or otherwise lack access to a Wi-Fi enabled device will have to resort to old-school methods of keeping themselves occupied for the duration of the flight. So #firstworldproblem as it may be, we highly recommend following United's advice and updating your app before your next trip.
TPG reached out to United for additional insight, but had not received a response as of the time of publication.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app