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Anyone who’s sat through an inflight credit card pitch or glanced at an airport billboard knows how heavily airlines have leaned into credit cards.
But one of the largest U.S. airlines just took things to a whole new level.
This week, United Airlines arguably went further than any competitor, so far, in drawing a distinction between customers who carry one of its cards — and those who don’t.
Beginning in April, United flyers who don’t have one of the airline’s cobranded cards will earn fewer miles than they do today.
Members who do have a card in their wallet will earn more than they do today.
United is also sweetening the deal for cardholders with automatic award pricing discounts and more access to the airline’s cheapest “saver” award space. That means cardholders won’t just earn extra miles — they’ll get access to the best mileage deals when they go to book a flight.
Non-cardholders will not.
United’s rationale?
“We just know that when somebody has a credit card they are more valuable to United,” Jill Doyle, the airline’s managing director of its MileagePlus program, told TPG Friday, explaining the company’s thinking. “It was really just a way for us to double down on that continued evolution of really rewarding the customers that are giving the value to United.”
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Read more: 13 travelers each did 15 United MileagePlus award searches: Here’s how pricing differed across accounts
Doubling down on cards like never before
Airlines offering elite-like perks to customers who carry a credit card is, of course, nothing new.
For years, cards have given frequent flyers a way to earn miles on their everyday spending — while gaining some travel freebies like complimentary bags and lounge access.
And over the last decade, card spending has become almost as integral to earning status as racking up hours in the sky.
But until this week, we hadn’t seen an airline go as far as United in using both proverbial carrot and stick to push travelers to add a card to their wallet.
Come April, it’s not just that you’ll earn more miles and get better deals if you carry a United card — it’s that, if you don’t, you’ll be demonstrably worse off than you are today … even if you already have Premier elite status.
Also, if you don’t have elite status or a card, you’ll now earn zero miles on your flight when you book one of the airline’s cheapest basic economy fares.
Without a doubt, MileagePlus members who would rather not add a United card to their wallet will lose ground with these changes.
And if that’s frustrating — “I totally understand the sentiment,” Doyle acknowledged
“The reality is the ecosystem has changed over the last several years,” she said, alluding to the myriad of travel credit cards in the marketplace today, which make for a competitive landscape.
“We really are trying to match value with value,” Doyle added. “And there is value to our MileagePlus members having a card.”
Read more: United won’t hike Premier status requirements in 2026, but announces big upgrade, PlusPoints changes
Giving customers reason to click ‘apply’
Another detail that’s hard not to notice: United has also carefully constructed its mileage incentives so that members feel the pull to both carry a card and pursue status.
For instance, cobranded cardholders will receive at least 10% off award flights, going forward. Cardholders who are also Premier members will get at least 15% off.
The reality? If you’re even a semi-frequent United flyer that’s up to play its game, the changes unveiled this week certainly do add value in carrying one of the cards in its lineup, which range from one with no annual fee to another that comes with United Club lounge access — not to mention a new debit card.
But if you’re someone who already has plenty of other options in your wallet, that’s obviously a calculation you’ll have to make based on your own travel and spending habits.
TPG’s take: Best United credit cards
The business of flying … and credit cards
Not all of United’s changes this past week are unprecedented.
Delta Air Lines already offers many of its credit cardholders 15% discounts on award flights. It also gave its cardholders strong status accelerators after its own wholesale loyalty changes back in 2023.
When it comes to basic economy, Delta and American Airlines have stricter mileage policies than what United just announced.
And United’s tactics this week do evoke some (recent) memories of Southwest Airlines, which over the past year made sweeping changes to its seating policy — while contending that its revamped credit card and status benefits would allow frequent flyers to largely keep the status quo.
Zooming out, all of this is the latest reminder of how critical credit card portfolios have become to the airline business model of 2026.
The construct brings in billions of dollars annually across the industry and regularly invites jokes about airlines being de facto banks that fly planes — quips that surely won’t end with United’s recent moves.
Delta made $8 billion last year through its tie-up with American Express, a partnership that’s widely believed to be the industry’s most lucrative.
And in an industry where airlines often emulate one another in making policy changes, one wonders how many carriers will soon follow United’s heavier-handed approach to wooing cardholders.
Bottom line
As for the Chicago-based carrier, these changes came after months of United executives leaving breadcrumbs about a big shakeup in the carrier’s loyalty program, and alluding to new ways it might find to drive more revenue through its existing card partnership with Chase.
Step one, it appears? Nudging more members to click “apply.”
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