United Now Posting Award Miles and Elite Credits Right Away

US airlines are pretty good about awarding credit automatically after passengers complete travel, but it's not unusual to expect redeemable miles, elite-qualifying miles and elite-qualifying dollars to post at least a couple days after each flight segment. Delta has been an exception — credits sometimes post within a day of travel — and now United's following suit, with the airline explaining that "miles will now post within minutes of a flight arriving at the gate for United/United Express flights."

I noticed the change this week — on Sunday, I flew from Newark to Hong Kong to try out United's new Premium Plus product. The flight landed on Monday, and miles posted on Wednesday, as expected. Yesterday, however, when I pulled up the United app to see how early my return flight had arrived after stepping off the plane, I noticed that the miles for that second segment had already posted — within minutes of us pulling up to the gate in Newark.

As it turns out, I'm not alone — other flyers have noticed the change as well, including our own Summer Hull, who heads up TPG Family:

Other frequent flyers chimed in as well:

Speedier posting can be especially helpful as the end of the year approaches, since flyers who may just slightly miss the mark might opt to go on a mileage run to close the gap. Having an almost-real-time tally will make it easier for frequent flyers to determine whether or not a "run" may be necessary, and which one to book.

You'll also earn elite status more quickly — a flyer on a weekend trip may start the journey without any perks on Friday, and find themselves eligible for Economy Plus seats, free upgrades and other benefits in time for a Sunday return.