Nowadays the major airlines in the United States earn much of their profits from their loyalty programs, and in particular, their co-branded credit card businesses. Even though the “big three” carriers are already raking in billions per year from these programs, they still see a lot of upside.
As a result, a lot of the decisions that we see at airlines are based on trying to increase credit card revenue. Free inflight Wi-Fi? It’s all about getting loyalty program sign-ups, so that airlines can market to members. New destinations? They’re also about getting people interested in the loyalty program, by creating appealing destinations for redeeming miles.
Along those lines, huge changes have just been announced to the United MileagePlus program, and they center around one thing — making sure that customers pick up United’s credit cards. These changes are good for those with a co-branded credit card, and bad for those without… it’s that simple.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
