United Airlines has announced three major program changes coming in the second half of 2025 that will significantly impact MileagePlus members.
These modifications continue the airline’s pattern of reducing valuable benefits while maximizing loyalty program revenue. All three changes eliminate predictability and transparency that members have relied on for years.
Elimination of United Excursionist Perk
United will eliminate the Excursionist Perk on August 21, 2025, removing one of the program’s last remaining sweet spots. This benefit allowed you to add a free one-way award flight within multi-city bookings, essentially providing a “buy two, get one free” structure that could save thousands of miles on complex itineraries.
The perk required your trip to start and end in the same region, with the free segment occurring in a different region. You could use this to score free flights within expensive regions like Europe or Africa by positioning them between other award segments. Advanced award travelers regularly extracted tremendous value by booking costly intra-regional flights for zero additional miles.
United introduced the Excursionist Perk in 2016 as a replacement for the much more generous free stopover policy that existed previously. The current removal feels particularly disappointing since it eliminates what was already a consolation prize from earlier program cuts.
If you have existing bookings made before August 21, 2025, United will honor them. However, any changes to these reservations after the cutoff date will void the Excursionist Perk benefit. This creates urgency if you want to lock in final trips using this valuable feature.
Elimination of Instant Upgrades
United is also removing instant upgrades for Premier members on full-fare tickets, effective August 21, 2025. Previously, elite members purchasing Y, B, or M fare class tickets could receive immediate upgrade confirmation at booking when space was available in the appropriate upgrade inventory.
The instant upgrade benefit required specific availability in upgrade buckets – PN space for Premier 1K and Global Services members, and PZ space for lower-tier elites. These inventory buckets were notoriously limited, making instant upgrades relatively rare but highly valued when available.
After August 21, all complimentary upgrades will process through United’s standard waitlist system, regardless of your fare class. Higher-fare tickets will still receive priority within each elite tier, but you’ll lose the certainty of instant confirmation.
This change particularly impacts business travelers who purchase expensive last-minute tickets and previously enjoyed guaranteed upgrades when space was available. You’ll now face the uncertainty of waitlist processing regardless of how much you paid for your ticket.
Dynamic Awards for United Upgrades
United will remove the MileagePlus Upgrade Award chart on November 24, 2025, completing the airline’s move toward dynamic pricing across all program aspects. Fixed upgrade pricing previously allowed you to plan and budget your miles usage with certainty.
Dynamic upgrade pricing follows the same pattern United established when it eliminated award charts for free tickets in 2019. While some upgrades may occasionally cost less, history suggests the overall trend will move toward higher prices, especially on popular routes and peak travel periods.
The new system requires you to perform searches during booking or check individual reservations to determine upgrade costs. This process adds friction and eliminates the transparency that award charts provided for trip planning.
You’ll no longer be able to compare upgrade costs across different routes or dates without conducting individual searches. United’s justification for hiding upgrade prices likely stems from their intention to adjust pricing based on demand, route popularity, and other revenue optimization factors.
The Verdict
These three changes collectively represent a significant devaluation of the MileagePlus program’s value proposition. United is systematically removing benefits that distinguished it from competitors while moving toward revenue-maximizing dynamic pricing models.
The timing of these changes suggests a coordinated effort to reshape the program’s economics. United appears to prioritize short-term revenue gains over long-term member loyalty and satisfaction.
For award travel experts, these changes eliminate some of the last remaining reasons to credit flights to United over other Star Alliance carriers. Many redemptions can now be accomplished more efficiently through partner programs that offer superior value.
The removal of the Excursionist Perk is particularly significant because it was one of the few remaining features that could justify United’s often higher award pricing compared to partners. Without this benefit, United miles become less attractive for complex international itineraries.
You should consider booking final trips using the Excursionist Perk before August 21, 2025, to lock in this valuable benefit. However, remember that any changes to these bookings after the cutoff date will void the perk entirely.
