If you’re searching for United Airlines award flights, be prepared to take an extra step: logging in first.
The Chicago-based airline has quietly begun requiring travelers to log into a MileagePlus account before they can search for award availability. In other words, you can no longer simply pull up United’s site to browse flights bookable with miles.
Previously, United merely encouraged travelers to sign in with a pop-up prompt – but searching without logging in was still possible. Now, that option is gone entirely.
While logging in isn’t a major hurdle, this is a notable change – and a first among the big U.S. airlines. Competitors like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta, and Southwest all still allow travelers to search for award flights without signing in. Among international carriers, though, requiring a log-in to view award space is much more common.
It’s unclear exactly when United rolled this out, though reports of the change first surfaced in mid-August. Thrifty Traveler has confirmed that the log-in requirement is now showing consistently across all browsers, suggesting that what may have started as a limited test has now expanded to all users.
Beyond the mild inconvenience for travelers, there’s likely another motivation at play: blocking third-party award search tools like Seats.aero, Point.me, and others that rely on United’s publicly visible award inventory to display flight options. By forcing a log-in, United can make it much harder for these tools to automatically scrape award data, potentially limiting travelers' ability to easily compare award pricing across airlines.
Related Reading: 10 of the Best Award Search Tools to Use Your Points & Miles
Bottom Line
United has become the first U.S. airline to hide award pricing behind a log-in. What was once just a suggestion has become a requirement – and while the change may seem small, it could make a big difference for both casual browsers and the award search tools travelers rely on.
