Airline loyalty programs started out as being similar to frequent buyer programs that you see in many retail businesses. The gist was that, if you’re a loyalty member, you get a free flight after taking a certain number of flights. Over time, the concept has evolved dramatically, with some airlines switching to distance-based earning systems, while allowing customers to use points and miles for a wide variety of purposes, such as seat upgrades or even allowing passengers to pay with miles and cash.

However, most recently, the industry has been increasingly shifting towards a spend-based earning system, with mileage earnings directly corresponding to ticket prices. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines switched to a revenue-based system in 2015, while American Airlines made the move in 2016. With this and with subsequent devaluations, along with increased incentives towards credit card spending, airline loyalty programs at the ‘big three’ are increasingly becoming reserved for the ultra-wealthy.

How To Achieve Elite Status With The Big Three

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All three US carriers grant elite status to their members on the basis of qualifying spending. Members have a wide variety of options to earn miles, but the means to earn qualifying points for elite status are more restrictive. American calls them Loyalty Points, while Delta SkyMiles members need to earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars, and United awards elite status on the basis of Premier Qualifying Points. United also offers its members the opportunity to earn elite status using a combination of PQPs and Premier Qualifying Flights.

Members earn elite points by purchasing flights, but also through qualifying credit card spending. While United requires MileagePlus members to take at least four United or United Express flights in a calendar year to qualify, American and Delta have no such requirements, meaning that you can earn elite status without ever setting foot on an airplane. However, even United’s policies heavily reward members who use their co-branded credit cards rather than those who frequently travel with the carrier.

As a whole, these airlines no longer reward ‘frequent flyers’. Instead, they’re designed to reward people who frequently spend large amounts of money, and that too, within their co-branded ecosystem rather than on flights. To receive any real benefits, members need to spend tens of thousands of dollars annually within an airline’s ecosystem, essentially reserving elite status for the wealthy or those who are extremely savvy at the points and miles game.

Why Airlines Reward Frequent Spenders

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When it comes to the business of selling tickets and operating flights, American, Delta, and United all lose money. However, Delta and United are two of the world’s most profitable airlines because of the size and strength of their loyalty programs. In a nutshell, these programs make money through the sale of miles, which are bought in bulk by program partners. Credit card companies are by far the largest buyers of miles, offering them as sign-on bonuses and rewards for everyday spending.

These miles are typically sold at high margins, as it costs the airline virtually no money to issue them. What’s more, miles that go unused or expire are essentially pure profit. It’s in an airline’s best interests to ensure that demand for their miles remains high, which is why airlines continue to reward frequent high spenders.

Airlines especially favor credit card users since card providers are by far a loyalty program’s largest partner. While carriers still earn revenue from selling tickets to frequent customers, it’s less lucrative than the miles aspect of the business.

Currently, the airline market in the United States favors premium carriers with large international networks, and airlines have increasingly been appealing to these customers. While premium revenue is generally much more lucrative than selling economy tickets, having an aspirational brand with a large long-haul network also further drives frequent flyer engagement, and some new route decisions are made to encourage new sign-ups and increased credit card spending.

What You Actually Need To Earn Elite Status Today

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AAdvantage, SkyMiles, and MileagePlus each operate four elite tiers. AAdvantage Gold requires 40,000 Loyalty Points to be earned each year, while its credit cards have a base earning rate of one Loyalty Point per mile spent. However, members can earn additional Loyalty Points on certain purchases. Delta requires $5,000 MQDs for Silver Medallion status, while United requires either five PQFs and 5,000 PQPs for Premier Silver status or 6,000 PQPs.

These requirements are not that high, but the entry-level tiers also have fairly limited benefits. With each stage, however, airlines significantly increase the spending requirements for each tier, requiring members to spend upwards of $15,000 per year on flights or on their co-branded credit cards to take advantage of real benefits. This includes priority boarding, added complimentary checked bags, complimentary access to preferred or extra legroom seats, higher placement on complimentary upgrade lists, and added mileage bonuses.

Notably, however, even top elite tiers are still lacking in certain areas. Instead, benefits such as club access are granted from a loyalty program’s top credit cards. While high spending will grant you elite status for the most part, it’s really the credit cards that are the most lucrative aspect of a loyalty program, as carriers profit the most from these agreements. As such, they’re increasingly incentivizing passengers to obtain a co-branded credit card, and one of them has just made the biggest pivot yet.

United’s Revisions To MileagePlus Earnings

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In February 2026, United Airlines announced a new revision to its MileagePlus earnings system. Airlines typically attempt to incentivize members to pick up a co-branded credit card, but United’s changes instead disincentivize members to spend without a co-branded credit card. Whereas the carrier previously had separate earnings rates for its four main elite tiers, the carrier now has a separate, higher earnings rate in each tier for credit card holders. These changes went live in April 2026.

Compared to before, credit card holders now earn miles at a higher rate, while those without credit cards earn fewer miles than before. In addition, basic tickets booked by customers without elite status no longer earn miles unless passengers use a MileagePlus credit card, while cardholders are now entitled to discounts on award tickets. Furthermore, credit card holders now also receive access to additional saver award seats compared to non-cardholders.

Perhaps the biggest quirk of MileagePlus, however, is that the carrier caps mileage earnings at 75,000 miles per ticket. American and Delta previously also capped mileage earnings on tickets, but have removed these restrictions, and it remains to be seen if United will follow in their footsteps. However, with its most recent changes, the carrier has clearly signaled that credit cards are the way forward, and while it’s the most explicit push towards card spending in recent years, it’s likely that United’s peers will follow.

The Bottom Line

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Airlines are continuously aiming to sell as many miles as possible while providing just enough benefits to keep elite members engaged. Not all airlines operate revenue-based programs: even in the US, Alaska Airlines allows its customers to choose between segment-based earning, distance-based earning, or spend-based earning. As a whole, however, the trend has been towards revenue-based systems, because it’s simply more lucrative for the airline than the other two systems.

With airlines having also continuously devalued their miles, loyalty programs have become far less lucrative than in the past. Delta SkyMiles is perhaps the most extreme example, as the program’s miles are typically valued at only 1.1 cents per mile today, but even United miles are only worth roughly 1.2 cents per mile today, while AAdvantage miles are typically valued slightly higher.

Today, loyalty programs have become a hamster wheel, with members racing to earn as many miles as possible while rarely extracting the full potential value of their miles, and the truly valuable benefits are only accessible to extremely high spenders. Some customers have shifted their business away from one specific airline, instead favoring booking with different carriers, and this arguably offers passengers better value than being loyal to one airline.

However, with the Big Three being as dominant as they are and with credit cards being so prominent in the US, it’s likely that the current trends in the industry will persist. Specifically, high credit card spenders will be rewarded by major airlines, while everyone else becomes largely irrelevant to such carriers.