United Airlines Eyes Major Price Hikes for Club Access – While Restricting Benefits
United Airlines Eyes Major Price Hikes for Club Access – While Restricting Benefits
United Airlines is surveying changes to their United Club – from higher costs for memberships and for their premium co-brand credit card, to limitations on benefits. They are also contemplating changes to give some customers priority getting into the lounge, getting help with their bookings, and finding seats. Much of this is inspired by Delta Air 
United Club Infinite Card Included
The premium version of the membership would run either $1250 or $1400, and I’ll discuss those benefits – some of which come with a basic membership today – in the section below.
Meanwhile, in these surveys the United Club card sees higher annual fees – currently $525 but moving up to $675 – while reserving some benefits for those spending $50,000 a year on the card or who have MileagePlus Gold status or higher.
Are Some Options United Is Considering
United offered three versions of prices and benefits to consider. In all three, basic club membership – now more expensive – would no longer include access to lounges for guests.
Club membership currently comes with access to Star Alliance lounges but this would be taken away from basic members. (United Golds and above shouldn’t care though – they get this access via their status.)
And basic members would also have lower priority at some clubs for getting into the lounges, finding seats in the lounges, and for getting help from agents with their reservations.
The new expensive premium membership would be required for 2 adult guests (or 1 adult guests and dependent children under 21), and would also come with premium beverages sold to base members.Meanwhile the credit card would become less attractive with a higher annual fee, but with United status or $50,000 annual spend would come with premium drinks and priority line for club entry and in-person customer service as well as priority seating at some locations. With spend or status, guest access would mirror what premium members receive. In one version guest access becomes more limited for the card, with dependent child access a function of status or card spend.It seems that they’re centering around limiting guest access and partner lounge access to basic club members, and carving out priority for other customers to get into these lounges.
Meanwhile at substantially higher fees some customers would see premium alcohol and skipping the queue for entry into lounges as well as some seating in some lounges set aside.
United flyers who gain lounge access via their credit card, however, and who have Gold status or higher should do quite well under this model despite the higher fee considering priority access to the lounges and its services, and for some preferences the premium alcohol.
This survey did not ask about limiting the number of visits per year offered to credit card customers like Delta has done.At The United Club Some Customers May Be More Equal Than Others
United may be considering taking a page from Delta on priority access lines for clubs.
They’re surveying this as an option, which would be bundled with the club’s premium membership and for credit card customers who have Gold status or higher or who spend $50,000 or more per year on the card.They’re also considering priority lines for in-person help from an agent, especially useful during irregular operations (like weather delays), and taking a page from American Express which sets aside seating in Centurion lounges for Black Card customers by offering some seats in some clubs reserved for those who pay the premium membership or spend $50,000 or more each year on the card.
It’s unclear how broadly these priority services might be offered. Many clubs probably wouldn’t have priority lines to get in, not all may have priority seating, and it’s unclear whether enough seats would be set aside considering the cost.
