United guts earning without UA linked credit / debit cards

[Flashback]

Via an e-mail I woke up to this morning - UK will be getting a UA linked card, albeit it's the latest fashion of debit linked cards (which are rubbish).

United Airlines Debit Card

Turn everyday purchases into MileagePlus℠ miles with the new United Airlines℠ Debit Card. Join by March 16, 2026 for a chance to win 100,000 miles.

united.currensea.co.uk

Without holding the card, base mileage earning will go down across all status levels (base, all the way to the top status) and less access to award availability, which UA were already doing anyway on Polaris cabins.

Will be interesting to see if a card pops up in Australia too, or whether it's somehow linked to the *A card that's already out there.

 

[clifford]

As a UA Mileageplus lifetime Platinum, this is just another reason to avoid UA (if you're not living in the USA). The only good thing about my status is lifetime *G for myself and my wife. In my wildest dreams, I would never book a paid fare on UA now.

UA is a waste of space (and money) as far as I am concerned. YMMV.