5 Big Changes Coming To United Airlines In 2026

Has the travel bug hit you for 2026 yet? If so, there are some upcoming changes that may affect which destinations you're planning to visit, and how you collect and spend your airline points. Just like Delta Air Lines, which made some big changes for the upcoming year, United Airlines has some new routes, a new partnership, and changes to its rewards program coming in 2026. 

The new routes largely affect those flying from Newark, New Jersey, and they're opening up some great cities to explore. In addition, United Airlines is partnering with Lyft to give you another way to add miles to your rewards totals for the year. There is new information on extra PlusPoints on credit card purchases, as well as increased access to Polaris Saver Awards and bookings at lower mileage. However, before we begin with the good news, you should also know what's coming in 2027. United is switching to a dynamic PlusPoints system in February 2027. The pricing for upgrades will now be affected by the route, demand, cabin, and more. While that might be a bummer, the news for 2026 is all positive.

If you've become tired of begging friends to drive you to the airport, and the parking fees are enough to make you consider a staycation instead of a flight, you've probably chosen to take rideshares instead. Starting in early 2026, according to a November 2025 press release from United, there is a new partnership between the airline and Lyft.

With the new partnership, MileagePlus members can link their accounts to Lyft, using the rideshare service's app, and earn miles for flights. Once linked, you'll get 1,000 bonus miles when you select United MileagePlus for a rewards partner and take two rides within 30 days. You'll earn four miles for each dollar spent on pre-scheduled rides back and forth to the airport. You'll get three miles for each dollar spent on Extra Comfort, Lyft Black, and Black SUV rides (which applies to non-scheduled rides back and forth to the airport, too). Finally, two miles hit your account for each dollar you spend on Standard, Priority Pickup, and LX rides if you use your company business profile, and you'll receive one mile per dollar when using a regular account.

According to United, your 2026 MileagePlus Premier status won't change, including the qualification thresholds for Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K. In addition, if you reached Premier status in 2025, you'll continue to get the same start deposits in your Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) account early in 2026. That's 300 PQP for Silver, 600 for Gold, 900 for Platinum, and 1,400 for 1K.

However, starting on the first day of 2026, any Premier 1K members and above can earn more PlusPoints through eligible United credit cards, with no limit. Any PQP points earned through the use of those cards count towards PlusPoints. Starting on February 1, 2026, both PlusPoints and Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) can be used by Premier members for upgrades on any award tickets.

If you plan on flying a lot this year, but you're not a MileagePlus member yet, PlusPoints are earned once you hit Premier Platinum status or higher. You can use them to request upgrades for United and United Express flights as well as some partner airlines like ANA, Lufthansa, and Copa.

There are two more changes if you have eligible United credit cards. First, if you're using a United Chase credit card, or you're a Premier Silver or Premier Gold member, you are eligible to have more access to fares with Polaris Saver Awards, which can be used to book United Polaris business class seats when they're available. If you're not familiar, United Polaris business class fares give you two free checked bags and priority check-in and bag-handling with Premier Access. Long-haul international flights allow you to visit the United Polaris lounges. You'll also have private seats; dining from the United Polaris menu; free beer, wine, and liquor; noise-reducing headphones; a larger in-flight entertainment screen; and a Therabody amenity kit. The beds in these seats recline into lie-flat beds, and you can even request mattress cushions. 

Next, there are some changes to the way you earn PQP with certain credit cards. If you have the Bam MileagePlus credit card, you get one PQP for each $20 spent up to 1,500 PQP for 2026. United Airline credit cards from First Hawaiian Bank can get one PQP per $20 as well, but the cap for this one is 2,000 PQP for the year. 

If you live in the northeast of the U.S. and generally fly out of Newark International Airport in New Jersey, there are some changes on the way, and you might want to start doing some trip planning. It was announced in November 2025 that while there are a few routes to Europe being cut down in terms of flight numbers, there are new cities you can fly to as well. There will now only be one daily flight from Newark to Brussels, Belgium, and Edinburgh, Scotland, down from two. In addition, weekly flights from Newark to Frankfurt, Germany, will be cut down from 11 to eight.

Here's the good news: It was announced in October 2025 that there will now be summer flights three times a week from Newark to Split, Croatia's second-largest city, beginning on April 30, 2026. In addition, United is adding a nonstop flight from Newark to Italy's Bari International Airport-Karol Wojtyła four times a week, beginning on May 1, 2026. On May 8, United is bringing back service to Glasgow, Scotland, a city travel pro Rick Steves says is underrated and definitely worth a visit. Starting on May 27, there will also be seasonal, nonstop service to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, three times a week. The United flights to both Bari and Glasgow are the only ones available from a U.S. carrier.