Before he ran United Airlines’ MileagePlus program, Jarad Fisher was the type of traveler who went “all-in” for elite status.
He read TPG, collected miles and occasionally went on ambitious end-of-year “status runs.”
“My wife thought I was nuts,” he joked, recalling an epic out-and-back trip to Hawaii 12 years ago — where he never even left the airport — in order to qualify.
Now, Fisher is in charge of United’s loyalty program as it undergoes one of its biggest transformations in recent memory.
Ironically, one of his first orders of business was eliminating flight segments as a status metric.
Starting in 2027, “Premier Qualifying Flights” are out. That means United loyalists will no longer be “graded” on how many actual flights they rack up.
Instead, the carrier will rely exclusively on PQPs, which are based on a combination of members’ spending, both on flights and on their United credit cards.
United has framed the change as a way to make qualifying for status simpler — though it could make it more challenging for some United flyers.
It will also end the need for eleventh-hour “segment runs” that once had frequent flyers (like Fisher) crisscrossing the country in December to rack up enough elite-qualifying flights.
“That was an old relic,” he said, speaking about United’s recent changes in an exclusive interview with TPG.
“You’re taking seats away from people who actually want to get to a certain destination. It’s not great for the environment. It’s not a great use of time,” he explained. “We thought it made more sense for them to have one, consistent metric.”
That’s not the only change United has made to MileagePlus in 2026.
United’s 2026 MileagePlus changes
Earlier this year, the carrier upended several of its loyalty policies, heavily tilting its program toward members who carry one of its credit cards.
Together, these moves were among the most aggressive any U.S. airline has made to nudge flyers toward its cobranded credit cards.
It’s part of a larger strategy Fisher often sums up with this mantra:
“It’s good to fly United, it’s great to be a MileagePlus member,” he said. “But the best way to engage with us is to be a MileagePlus member and actually have one of our cards.”
Expect more changes along those lines.
United’s loyalty shake-up isn’t done
Speaking publicly this year, United’s chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella, has hinted that United’s loyalty shakeup isn’t done.
It appears some changes may have to wait until the airline can re-negotiate its credit card deal with banking partner Chase.
“While we continue to work under a long-term cobrand contract,” Nocella said on an earnings call in April, “We’re making changes to what we can control today.”
United’s current Chase deal is set to run through 2029, according to past TPG reporting.
For now, the carrier has significantly upped the incentives for customers to carry one of its cards in the first place: Over the past year, United’s cobranded credit card holders have clearly gained the upper hand in its program.
Fisher said the airline plans to continue adapting the program in ways “that will be more consistent” with that ethos in the coming years.
“And so I think as a function of that, we’re looking at not only the core loyalty program, we’re looking at our partnerships,” he said. “And we’re trying to make it so that we will continue to be — not just the best airline loyalty program — but we’re really aspiring to be the best loyalty program in the world.”
What could be next for MileagePlus?
What future changes could MileagePlus members ultimately see when they go to redeem miles, earn on their Lyft rides or enter a United Club?
All of that remains to be seen.
And Fisher will play a big part in those decisions, after taking the helm of MileagePlus this year with an intriguing pedigree.
Seven years ago, he was heavily involved in the launch of Apple Card.
Before that, he spent time at top rival Delta Air Lines, helping turbocharge its partnership with American Express — which today is the industry’s most lucrative tie-up, set to bring Delta $9 billion this year.
That resume has Fisher thinking beyond earn rates and status benchmarks as he looks to build on changes that gave United flyers plenty to digest in 2026.
“We’re really trying to think about what will truly help us break away from the pack,” he said of the carrier’s future plans.
Of course, that’s easier said than done in the airline world.
Flight delays are inevitable. Loyal flyers can grow frustrated when they go to book a redemption and are shocked by how many miles they’ll need.
Not to mention, complimentary status upgrades don’t clear as often as they used to, as first-class seats are increasingly filled by customers who actually paid for their tickets. By the way, balancing paid first-class seats with those long upgrade queues is a dilemma Fisher said the airline is “consistently looking at.”
“More folks are paying for [premium seats], which of course is putting pressure on the system,” he acknowledged.
But for an airline that has made plenty of waves in recent years — from its on-board internet to its international routes — it’s safe to say United won’t shy away from trying new things on the loyalty front, either.
And it’s a likely bet that customers who carry its credit cards will benefit most.
“If you think about the amount of time people spend with us, and on board our aircraft, we want them to feel known. We want them to feel recognized,” he said. “You will continue to see us become even more focused and deliberate about that approach.”
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