United Ends Excursionist Perk, Instant Upgrades, Upgrade Award Chart

United Airlines announced today a spate of changes to its MileagePlus loyalty program that amount to a devaluation, and go into effect later this year.

United is ending the Excursionist perk on award flights, discontinuing instant upgrades for MileagePlus elites on the most expensive economy paid fares, and eliminating the award chart for upgrades using miles.

Let’s look at what this means for United flyers.

The 3 Negative Changes United Is Making to MileagePlus

United Airlines is making 3 major changes affecting its MileagePlus loyalty program. These are largely negative developments, particularly the disappearance of the Excursionist Perk on award tickets.

United emailed media with an announcement of the changes, which all customers will be notified of on Thursday. A detailed description of the changes is also posted on United’s site.

This is what’s changing:

• Excursionist Perk: Starting on August 21, 2025, the Excursionist Perk will no longer be offered on award tickets. This will only affect new bookings and changes made to existing bookings.
• Instant Upgrades: Also starting on August 21, United will no longer offer instant upgrades at the time of ticketing on its most expensive economy fares (fare codes Y, B, and M). Complimentary upgrades based on frequent-flyer status will still happen when available.
• MileagePlus Upgrade Award Chart: Starting November 24, United will no longer display the MileagePlus Upgrade Award chart on its site.

Read below for a detailed look at each of the 3 changes.

The Excursionist Perk Will Be Terminated

The United Excursionist Perk is popular among people who redeem United miles to fly, since it gives them a free flight on award flights.

This perk allows you to add a free one-way award flight within a multi-city itinerary, provided it’s in a different region from the trip’s origin. When booking a multi-city flight using United MileagePlus miles, the Excursionist Perk is built automatically into your flight search.  

An example of the Excursionist Perk in action: You redeem United MileagePlus miles for travel from the U.S. to Paris, then Paris to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt back to the U.S. United will charge you for both legs to and from the U.S., but will give you the Paris to Frankfurt leg free (on partner Lufthansa, since United itself does not fly between the 2 cities).

Notably, the free flight would be in the same class as the others, so if you fly to Europe in business class, you’ll also be in business on the intra-Europe flight. This means enjoying perks like lounge access and fast-track security.

None of this will be possible for flights booked with MileagePlus miles on or after August 21. You can minimize the pain by booking your short-haul flights within a region on a low-cost carrier, for example, Ryanair in Europe or Air Asia in Asia. But even a low fare is more expensive than a free flight, and you’ll have to contend with the restrictions low-cost carriers impose.

The End of Instant Upgrades

Another negative change for MileagePlus members happens on August 21. That’s when United will stop offering instant upgrades at the time of ticketing on its most expensive economy fares. The good news is that complimentary Premier upgrades will still happen, subject to the usual rules based on availability, fare paid, and status.

The 3 fare classes affected are:

• Y fare: This is the highest economy fare, fully refundable and flexible. Until August 21, it offers regional instant upgrades for all elite members when space is available.
• B fare: Less expensive than Y but still offers instant regional upgrades when space is available.
• M fare: This fare offers instant regional upgrades for United’s Premier 1K members when space is available.

The MileagePlus Award Chart Is Going Away

Another feature going away is the MileagePlus Upgrade Award Chart. Starting November 24, United will no longer display the MileagePlus Upgrade Award chart, but this doesn’t mean that upgrades with miles will go away. They will, however, be priced no longer according to a fixed amount in a chart, but presumably according to demand, in what’s called dynamic pricing.

You’ll have to follow new procedures to see the miles needed for an upgrade and to request it, according to United.

To see the miles needed for an upgrade during booking:

1. Go to united.com and select “Advanced search” on the booking widget.
2. Select “Upgrades, certificates, and promotion codes.”
3. In the “Upgrade type” box, select “MileagePlus Upgrade Awards.”
4. Select “Find flights.”
5. Miles required will display in the “Upgrade” columns.

And, to see the miles needed to upgrade a flight that’s already booked:

1. Go to united.com, select “My trips” and choose your current booking.
2. Select “Upgrade cabin.”
3. Select “Miles” in the “Upgrade by” section.
4. Miles required will display in the box.
5. Select “Continue” to purchase or request your upgrade.

Final Thoughts

While this hit to the MileagePlus program may not be as bad as some devaluations we’ve seen from airlines recently, it’s undeniably a negative development for United flyers.

If you plan to redeem United miles for long-haul travel involving regional flights, you can avoid the negative changes by taking advantage of the Excursionist Perk while it’s still around. That means booking your flights by August 21.