One of the unique benefits of lifetime status at United Airlines is that the designated companion of the million miler inherits their status. This benefit is changing.
- A lifetime Gold can gift that status to their spouse or partner
- And if a lifetime Gold has higher status than that in a given year, for instance they are actually a 1K or Global Services member, that higher status confers to the spouse or partner as well for that year.
Unfortunately United is making a change so that starting in 2027 the second part of this benefit only applies to members that have earned 2 million lifetime miles or more.
Starting in 2027, companions of 1 Million Milers will get Premier Gold status. Companions of 2 Million Milers, 3 Million Milers or 4+ Million Milers will receive their sponsor’s highest earned status during the applicable program year.
This year and next year, companions of million milers inherit their current status. Then starting in 2027 they will inherit just Gold status, even if the million miler is a Global Services member. However, companions of 2 million mile members and higher will continue to receive the million miler’s current status level each year.
United, which has gotten very good at celebrating million mile achievements inflight, recently eliminated the daisy chain loophole where million milers could confer their status on a Million Miler companion, who could then confer status on a Million Miler companion, and so that if the first one had Global Services status everyone had Global Services status.
There’s a long history of lifetime benefits and status changing. Nothing is forever, even when it is ‘lifetime’.
- AirTran’s A+ Rewards and Aegean Miles & Bonus used to offer lifetime status once status was earned in a year. Then they each moved to annual requalification. To be sure, their programs were both too generous! But lifetime status stopped being lifetime in both cases. (Aegean’s was especially valuable because it was also lifetime Star Alliance Gold, which meant United Club access even when flying United domestically.)
- When British Airways acquired british midland, bmi’s lifetime status holders did not have their lifetime status honored by BA.
- And, of course, United Airlines famously took away annual confirmed upgrades from its lifetime elites. Despite explicitly promising in late 2011 not to take away benefits or confirmed upgrades from million mile flyers as part of the Continental merger, United did exactly that in early 2012.
United said in October 2011 “[y]ou will continue to receive your benefits as you always have” and then take away the specific benefit of annual confirmed regional upgrades.
United even specifically said that the confirmed domestic upgrades would continue:
Members sued, and United told a judge lifetime only means until they change their minds.
Judge Hamilton: To understand the difference between lifetime and fingers crossed? That lifetime doesn’t mean lifetime?
United: That lifetime means lifetime unless…
Judge Wood: Unless we change our mind.
Judge Hamilton: Unless we change our mind.
United: Yes, that’s exactly right. That’s the case.
Judge Hamilton wrote an opinion summarizing United’s behavior towards million milers:
United’s defense here is that the airline’s very best customers—its Million Mile Flyers—should have known better than to believe United’s promise of “lifetime” benefits. This defense amounts to a confession of consumer fraud. United could not—honestly and legally—promise “lifetime” benefits while reserving the right to cancel its promise at any time and for any reason.
I don’t make a quest for lifetime elite status because I don’t promise that the benefits will always be there. Sometimes that leaves me wanting.
- I’m still only 85% of the way towards lifetime Globalist with Hyatt.
- And I’m stuck less than 200,000 miles from lifetime Platinum Pro with American Airlines, with their new higher lifetime status tiers when I could have been well on my way towards lifetime Executive Platinum .. even if I had taken advantage of a period during the pandemic where miles earned from co-brand card spend counted towards lifetime status.
But I’m comfortable with my approach overall. I lost my lifetime Aegean and AirTran status, which was more than fair, I’d been granted both via status match! And I was not far off of earning lifetime bmi lifetime Gold when British Airways acquired them.
Here at least United gives plenty of notice about the change, but they aren’t giving a lifetime of notice.
(HT: Zach Griff)
Well, to be fair…YOU earned that status…THEY did not. Why should United have to reward them for your loyalty?
Your spouse? (1) that was a part of the articulated value proposition of what you got for your lifetime loyalty, and (2) how you treat a spouse often matters more to the individual member than how they are treated – taking care of the people who matter the most to your most important members is exactly what a loyalty program should strive to do! (Cf. Hyatt Guest of Honor)
So I do see this change as disappointing, even if it is nearly two years into the future.
Just in time to change just after I make million miler!
They correctly figured it won’t change my behavior now, but annoying none-the-less.
Is it really lifetime status if they reduce the benefits?
Also United reneged on lifetime United Club members who purchased lifetime memberships on the promise that they could enter with any airline boarding pass, until United reneged/changed policy to Star Alliance boarding passes only around 2019.
I have been them my business for over 25 years, now I have to print my own luggage tags, and wait as three or 4 agents stand around and enjoy their morning coffee. I am one of those lifetime folks. I did not we were costing the company that much money as we have put with higher and higher prices every time fuel goes up and never comes down. I guess since it is two years away, I will retire by then or dead. Hope that this will them to cover their carbon footprint, as if there is such a thing.
As a UA Million Miler and multi year Global Services customer, I see first hand the 1) erosion of benefits, and 2) the devaluation of miles, and 3) the complex formula for upgrades with Plus Points which seem, as others have commented across the industry, that the company would prefer minuscule revenue from an infrequent flyer purchased upgrade over rewarding high spending loyal customers.
IMO, a short sighted policy looking at current revenue over long term.
This, no doubt, reflects the short tenure of many executives that favor this year’s bonus criteria, quite similar to Congress who are looking at re-electability over anything else.
It seems like the trend in recent years is not to promise lifetime benefits. Rather, promise lifetime status (that comes with benefits). Want to change lifetime benefits, just change the status benefits. And offer the benefits as “annual milestone” awards, which gives them to annual qualifiers but not lifetime members.
I’m with you, Gary–this is disappointing, especially for those of us working towards these milestones. It’s really as if most major corporations have become ‘too big to care’ anymore.
@Christopher J Raehl — I’m nearly there as well. They know we’re hooked…
@Rick Hagan — Stick around, sir, if only to spite them!
@Gregory B Cotten — The ‘complex formula’ you describe (for upgrades) is indeed purposely convoluted. You could describe this entire era of business and politics as ‘short-sighted.’ When are we going to get beyond this myopic approach? Honestly, it feels like some gate agents are just going to start taking cash bribes. Any day now…
@swag — As with the erosion of the social safety net, this reduction in ‘lifetime’ benefits is not unique to United. It’s like prior eras of strategic bankruptcies and mergers to jettison corporate pensions. A lot of folks who ‘earned’ their benefits, pensions, and probably Social Security and Medicare are about to get screwed with little recourse–and will probably blame the wrong people as it happens (man, the propaganda is good compelling sometimes).
@Steve — No one has to do anything, but United (and other airlines) *used* to care about their loyal passengers–not anymore–the ‘customer’ is now the majority shareholders–screw the passengers (and their ‘designated companions,’ too!)
The current takeaway from UA only really affects spouses/partners who travel separately. They will still have all the same perks for family travel.
And really what do they lose? Preboarding with 1Ks and maybe a higher spot on the upgrade list (they still won’t clear!)
What is more interesting is why UA is making the changes. Because it is hard to see how UA is gaining much revenue from this change as the spouses will still be *G. Maybe a small fraction will buy-up to F but they are probably already doing that if so inclined.
Did UA have complaints from high status travelers that were losing out on upgrades to GS spouses? Does this foreshadow more negative changes in the lifetime program?
@Boraxo — Here’s the thing: Sometimes, those spouses, they ‘decide’ which airlines we fly for personal travel. Like, if they feel United or someone else ‘hates’ them (and a move like this will give that impression), then it doesn’t matter what the ‘head of household’ prefers. Spouses will be like: ‘Ok, fly United all you want for ‘business,’ but we’re taking Delta to the Florida or Paris!’
Yeah this seems like a needless stick in the eye to people who spent a lot of money on UA. I mean, when lifetime doesn’t mean lifetime, it erodes trust. And UA/CO coaxed people into buying lifetime club membership with a representation that no travel on Star Alliance partners was required for admission. It has the effect of making us free agents, using our lifetime status when we fly UA, but now happy to fly other carriers with good equipment. fares and customer service.
@ Gary — Screw all of the programs, including Hyatt and any others that are only delaying screwing us over. The time will come much sooner than later.
@Gene — Well said. It really is only a matter of time. Status. Loyalty. Points. All dying. Alright, sir. You’ve convinced me to let go of some of those ‘spare’ Amex Platinums that I kept holding onto.
About time! Wish UA did this years ago. All too often a person who was designated but on their own have no status would fly by themselves and end up with an Upgrade while a person who flew but wasnt at the same status level ended up not getting Upgraded. But it should start in ’26 and not ’27
Why should a Plat Pro end up sitting in coach when a partner of say a 1K flying on their own gets Upgraded, when they had attained no status on their own and may not even be a Silver on their own
UA has way to many 1ks. So this is a better way to chill them that make status cost $30,000 next year
@Gary I believe we were promised lifetime Gold status, which is *not* changing. There was no explicit promise of other benefits in perpetuity. As disappointing as this change is (particularly for my better half), I don’t believe United broke their promise here.
I’d be much more concerned if they made a change a la Marriott where they tweaked Gold benefits to no longer include E+ at booking or *A Gold or UC access on international itineraries. *That* would suck…though technically speaking still not break the lifetime promise.
@isaac — I think you’re mixing up the programs there (I’m sure you didn’t mean it). ‘Plat Pro’ (Platinum Pro) is American Airlines; 1K is United. The third tier with UA is Premier Platinum. No biggie. But if you’re ‘in the know,’ reading what you originally wrote… was like nails on a chalkboard.
@ legalalien — Don’t worry, those cuts will come soon enough. The cuts will never stop.
@1990, THX for the correction, yes I meant Plat Premier, but my point still stands why should whom ever I gave my status to get upgraded before a person who has a less Elite status but earned it = why should my wife w/o any status get upgraded due to my granting her my 1K LT status when on her own she is just a Silver. while flying by herself. It didnt make sense at least to me
Lying to customers is part of airline culture. All airlines do it, just to differing degrees. Blaming the weather for bad operations when other airlines are not having problems is common. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that United is walking back the benefits for it’s million milers. Of course, most of them are not one million in the seat milers so that also has to be considered. Still, they complied with the program rules to gain that status. Of course, the whole mileage program is at the discretion of the airline. Would you invest your money with a known liar? It didn’t work out well for those investing with Madoff but most didn’t know he was a liar.
Really short sighted move. I can get making it policy for people who haven’t yet earned Million Miler…or who will cross Million Miler Jan 31, 2026 or later.
But pulling the rug on existing Million Milers is petty and will backfire. This is taking away from tenured people who are actively giving you more revenue to get more than what their tenure provides.
If they want to be innovative to offset, give Million Milers a head start on status every year equivalent to the status their Million Miler offers.
@ Gene, Oh, I don’t expect anything less. Hopefully not all at once, and not before I’m too old to travel (a.k.a. “dead”).
I’ve learned to enjoy it while it lasts and I’m really surprised so many are surprised or upset at the benefits being slowly chipped away. At the end of the day, there’s a sure way to sit upfront together with your spouse/partner/friend/companion: pay for it.
@1990 No, United and other airlines never cared about their loyal customers. Bricks never, ever loved you back, even if it kinda felt that way.
They just never had enough data and computing power to figure out which customers they should go after to be more profitable. Until now. Now they actually know that frequent flyers do not necessarily contribute to the bottom line. I hate it as much as the next FlyerTalk subscriber, but I get why they do it and there isn’t much I can do about it. United knows much more about us than we know about them.
The faster we all recognize that, the lower our collective blood pressure will be.
No acknowledgement on my 1 mm mile flight. It was an RJ but that shouldn’t matter. I spent a ton of money to earn the status; I have a bitter taste in my mouth.
Over-entitled. The problem is some folks were making GS and 1K so the “partner” could also get status, like a BOGO. Those benefits do end up costing a lot if the “partner” works it.
@Nick they could have done analysis of which companions rarely fly together but each fly a lot. Good flag for “partner” exploitation that was often coworker vs genuine travel companion in a household. Then figuring out a way to tighten that loophole without ruining it for spouses / domestic partners who travel together often.
@Greg It’s not ruined when traveling together though, they inherit the status on day of travel for upgrade priority etc.