United deleted its award chart — and miles became whatever United priced them at

For decades, United MileagePlus sold miles against a published award chart: a known price for a known cabin on a known route, with saver caps. On 5 April 2019, United announced the chart's end: from 15 November, award pricing on United flights would be dynamic, with no published minimum or maximum. The same flight on adjacent dates could cost 50% more.

United said partner awards would not change 'in the short term' — and stopped publishing the partner chart too. Members tracked what that meant within a day: East Asia partner awards on EVA and ANA rose 3,000 miles; holiday itineraries jumped 10,000 miles per person; domestic awards once capped around 32,500 miles became uncapped. Over the following years the uncapped ceiling kept rising — first-class awards to Europe that cost 60,000 miles one-way later priced at 175,000 to 295,000.

United's framing was that raising prices on in-demand flights 'lets us offer lower prices on other flights' — flexibility, not devaluation. The member verdict was less diplomatic: 'highway robbery', 'scam', 'stealth devaluation'. The analyst verdict was colder still: United would get away with it, because the program's real customers were credit-card issuers buying miles in bulk, not flyers spending them. The chart had been a contract with members; dynamic pricing converted it into a price the program sets, and the members' miles became whatever United decided they were worth that day.