What happened
One Mile at a Time plans to raise its MileagePlus valuation from 1.1 cents a mile because reasonably priced Polaris space is now largely limited to MileagePlus elites and co-branded cardholders.
United used to load most saver long-haul business awards into partner inventories, not only MileagePlus. Those partner bookings were often the cheaper way to fly United metal. United keeps most Polaris business awards inside MileagePlus. Award prices for United in other programs have become more dynamic. United's own award prices did not drop. The author credits exclusive access and thinner industry inventory for the higher relative value of the miles.
After the 2023 partner-award devaluation the author cut MileagePlus from 1.3 cents to 1.1 cents each. The author values Delta SkyMiles at 1.1 cents and American AAdvantage at 1.5 cents. Partner award rates were often 20-50% higher than other programs. Reasonably priced Polaris now requires MileagePlus rather than a partner program.
- Numbers
- 1.3 cents cents per mile: author's MileagePlus valuation before the 2023 partner-award devaluation
- 1.1 cents cents per mile: author's MileagePlus valuation after the 2023 partner-award devaluation
- 1.1 cents cents per mile: author's Delta SkyMiles valuation
- 1.5 cents cents per mile: author's American AAdvantage valuation
- 20-50%: how much higher MileagePlus partner awards were versus other programs after devaluation
- Who qualifies
- MileagePlus members; reasonably priced awards are mostly limited to MileagePlus elite members and co-branded MileagePlus cardholders