United Airlines has announced significant changes when it comes to accessing United Clubs. This announcement comes at the same time that Chase and United are overhauling their credit cards, which I’ve covered separately. Let’s cover all the details…
In this post:
United Club memberships now come in two tiers
Up until now, United has sold a single type of annual United Club membership, with pricing determined by your elite status, based on the below chart.
Effective immediately, United is introducing two tiers of United Club memberships:
- A United Club individual membership offers access exclusively to United Clubs (and not partner lounges), and only for the primary member
- A United Club all access membership offers access to United Clubs and Star Alliance lounges, for the primary member and up to two guests
So, how much are these memberships? An annual individual United Club membership costs $750 or 94,000 MileagePlus miles.
Meanwhile an annual all access United Club membership costs $1,400 or 175,000 MileagePlus miles. However, for this type of membership, discounts are available for higher tier elite members. Premier Platinum members can pay $1,300 (or 163,000 MileagePlus miles), Premier 1K members can pay $1,200 (or 150,000 MileagePlus miles), and Global Services members can pay $1,000 (or 125,000 MileagePlus miles).
This new pricing applies effective immediately or on account renewal (for those who are existing members).
United Club access updated for credit card members
We’ve just seen major changes to United’s co-branded credit cards. The United Club Card and United Club Business Card each have a $695 annual fee, and offer United Club access. What’s interesting is how the United Club membership being offered with these cards has been updated.
The cards will be getting somewhere between an individual and all access membership in terms of guesting privileges. Those who have an eligible card will be able to bring one guest and any children under the age of 18.
If card members want to unlock an all access club membership (which would allow them to bring two guests, and access partner lounges), they can do so in one of two ways:
- By having United MileagePlus Premier Gold status or above
- By spending at least $50,000 on their eligible card in a calendar year
United Club three-hour time limit for one-time passes
We’ve increasing seen airport lounges introduce new access restrictions, regarding how long before departure you can access lounges. United is doing that as well, though in a limited way.
As of May 1, 2025, those using one-time passes can only access United Clubs up to three hours before departure. However, this doesn’t apply to those on connecting itineraries, and there are no new restrictions for those accessing lounges based on their class of service or elite status.
My take on these United Club changes
These changes to United Club access are unarguably negative. We’re seeing a massive increase in the cost of a membership. I mean, a basic membership that doesn’t allow guesting or partner lounge access now costs significantly more than a full membership used to cost. That’s obviously not great.
That being said, I also can’t say that I’m surprised by these changes, and this seems straight out of the Delta playbook:
- The goal is to get people to get the United Club Card or United Club Business Card, and use that to access lounges, since there’s so much more revenue potential if someone has a co-branded credit card
- Then there’s an additional incentive to either have elite status with United, or to spend on United cards, to be able to bring in guests
United has been lagging Delta when it comes to revenue from its loyalty program, and obviously wants to change that. Presumably that partly comes down to the time the contract was last renewed, and also comes down to how terms have been negotiated. United is now going full steam ahead with trying to increase revenue through its cards, and we’ll see how it works out.
One last thing stands out to me. It’s interesting how low United’s valuation is of MileagePlus miles if trying to redeem miles for a United Club membership. You get around 0.8 cents per mile, while both American and Delta let you redeem miles toward a lounge membership at the rate of 1.0 cents per mile. That sure makes you wonder…
Bottom line
United has made major changes to United Club access. The airline has greatly hiked membership fees, all while introducing two tiers of memberships. Furthermore, for those with one-time passes, lounge access is now restricted to three hours before departure.
These updates come at the same time that United is overhauling its card portfolio. The goal is to get people to access lounges through co-branded credit cards, given the potential for increased profits that way.
What do you make of these United Club changes?
What about lifetime United Club members. Any changes to the two guest policy for them. No mention of lifetime members at all in this article.
The United clubs are a frickin' daycare now. They need to restrict the amount of kids they allow in, not limit the adults. Families are bringing in 2, 3, 4, 5 kids at a time. Not a good experience when you have kids screaming and running all over like it's a Ronald McDonald play land. United is making some really poor decisions these days and they are going to start feeling the hurt of lost...
The United clubs are a frickin' daycare now. They need to restrict the amount of kids they allow in, not limit the adults. Families are bringing in 2, 3, 4, 5 kids at a time. Not a good experience when you have kids screaming and running all over like it's a Ronald McDonald play land. United is making some really poor decisions these days and they are going to start feeling the hurt of lost Club card members and United fliers. The clubs used to be full of quiet respectful business professionals and now they are literally a circus of pajama wearing families. The company that claims to be the "leading airline" and "good leads the way" is just turning into another greedy company and we all know what happens when these companies jump on the greed wagon...it eventually falls off the cliff.
A "Global Services" member needs to pay for Club Access? Suddenly my Lufthansa HON Circle Membership has significantly improved in status.
US carriers Lounge access policies and their intention to even press the last penny out of customers for a serving of bland wine in a plastic cup are… just a disgrace. Bought an overpriced domestic first ticket recently (my mistake!) having forgotten that First in the US gives you access to nothing except if you have an additional Admirals, United or whatever membership. Seriously?! People here will likely disagree, but then I even prefer intra-EU...
US carriers Lounge access policies and their intention to even press the last penny out of customers for a serving of bland wine in a plastic cup are… just a disgrace. Bought an overpriced domestic first ticket recently (my mistake!) having forgotten that First in the US gives you access to nothing except if you have an additional Admirals, United or whatever membership. Seriously?! People here will likely disagree, but then I even prefer intra-EU business in a standard seat (my ass comfortably fits a standard seat for 2h) but with proper lounge access that makes the waiting for the flight more comfortable.
I used my united club card almost exclusively to access international star alliance lounges when flying economy, which I do all the time. Ugh. Gonna cancel the card now. No way it is worth $700 for UA lounges.
Why would anyone with 50k (star gold) status or higher pay for the all-access partner club membership level? At that point, your status gets free access to any partner lounge when flying international anyway, and that's mostly when you're going to be using it.
UA is just responding to demand. The last few times I visited a UA lounges in SFO it was "standing room only." Yet people keeping buying memberships.
I'm actually fine with these changes, although I am very lucky the price increases don't impact me.
The most annoying thing to me is the blatant breeder privilege.
There's a major imbalance in value when I'm limited to only two adult guests, but someone who has 4 children under the age of 18, for example, gets to bring in 2x the amount of people. They all still require seating.
FWIW, I'm not...
I'm actually fine with these changes, although I am very lucky the price increases don't impact me.
The most annoying thing to me is the blatant breeder privilege.
There's a major imbalance in value when I'm limited to only two adult guests, but someone who has 4 children under the age of 18, for example, gets to bring in 2x the amount of people. They all still require seating.
FWIW, I'm not against people having children (I don't personally want them), but perhaps consider introducing a pricing structure that allows people to specify how many guests they want their membership to cover, and charge accordingly?
Just ban the ankle biters.
Higher level elites should pay MORE, not less. After all, they use it more. Letting higher level elites pay less is like giving tax breaks to billionaires and taxing the poor at a 50% tax rate.
Unless you need a shower and the lounge has a shower, lounges are becoming rubbish. Just buy your food with the poor people and do some work at a gate that is not too crowded.
Ben, any idea what the pay with miles to offset the AF will be? It was surprisingly a good deal at 30,000 miles in the past.
I got food poisoning at the United Club at SFO.
United: bundle lounge access with premium cabin fares and see your revenue soar (hint: that's how the rest of the world does it, for a good reason).
Selling access via "memberships" that are attractive only to those who are located in United hubs seems very stupid, as it shrinks the size of the market to which lounge access is attractive.
United screws the Chase club cardholders again.
Next pay toilets and only two sheets only unless you are Gold then three.
These changes are “unarguably” negative? Well here’s an argument: Airport lounges are so overcrowded now, the main terminal is often more comfortable and convenient. Price increases and restrictions may not make a big difference overall but the airlines had to do something to address the chronic overcrowding.
The blatant cash grab just continues.
My club membership renewed on March 1st last year. I just checked because I didn't recall seeing the reminder email yet this year and surprise, it's renewing April 30th. Seems a little too convenient for them that the renewal date was magically pushed back to after the prices were increasing.
Yup. United has lost a customer. This is an insane set of changes. They are greatly reducing the benefit while increasing the cost. I will be finding a different credit card instead of the Club card and will no longer be loyal to United.
Yeah this offer might appeal to stupid wealthy people. UA Clubs are pretty nice but they can't make a simple cocktail like a moscow mule or even a margarita its not possible or available. At least in New Orleans. Even Polaris Lounges aren't that great the menu rarely changes. The burger is great but it's been on the menu for years. Finally, i don't think now is the right time to raise membership fees in an uncertain economy. Good work Marketing Team lol
Who is actually going to pay this?!? I'm a 1K, I fly a lot. On international segments I'm covered. On domestic I'm always going to show up fairly last minute. When I have to connect, I try to minimize connection time. There's always a place somewhere in the airport to sit down quietly with a power socket if you want to work. And if I want to I can pay for a meal. I would...
Who is actually going to pay this?!? I'm a 1K, I fly a lot. On international segments I'm covered. On domestic I'm always going to show up fairly last minute. When I have to connect, I try to minimize connection time. There's always a place somewhere in the airport to sit down quietly with a power socket if you want to work. And if I want to I can pay for a meal. I would never spend $1.5k on this membership. The clubs range from awful to just fine. If they were centurion lounges _maybe_.
what about current LIFETIME MEMBERS?
Ben you have missed the point of getting control of overcrowding at the Clubs. Maybe if you visited clubs in the afternoon you would have a different spin on how these changes are developed. It’s not always negative.
It’s fascinating how changes like this are pretty zero-sum — there are clear winners and losers.
At the end of the day, I think it can both be a simple money grab but also net good for most consumers.
Feels like a missed opportunity to at least pretend like the food/beverage offerings will be better as well.
Thank you for summarizing the updates!
Any word on how this affects those of us with lifetime club access? (In my case, my Continental Presidents club lifetime membership was converted to a United lifetime membership; my husband receives a spousal membership as well.) Curious where we will fall when this all shakes out!
Lifetime club members will receive All-access.
Seems cheap to set a time limit for one time pass holders. I've purchased them for friends at Delta, and they don't do that.
Nobody can enter a DL lounge more than 3h before departure.
Except DeltaOne customers when entering either DeltaOne lounges or SkyClubs - they can enter at any time prior to departure.
I think I’d rather opt for à la carte airport food and beverage.
I wonder what the pricing for one time passes will be now? Almost might make a membership a bad buy for even 1x per month users without guests.
Happy to pay $1400 if they actually tackle crowding with these changes…
As a United Club member (firm paid membership) this is great news to me. I frequently roam the EWR C123 gate club looking for a seat and I’m an equity partner at a top law firm who should be above that kind of mall food court level of desperation.
The class level of the median United Club guest has dropped over the last 15 years from Gibson Dunn levels to Fox Rothschild levels
Only poor saps who have to work for a living need to hang out at airline clubs.
Those with real money and prestige don't work, or retire at 35, and never have to worry about airline lounges.
And yet you’re there, name-dropping, casting judgment, and feeling extreme envy because you can’t fly private.
One who has a healthy self-image doesn't seek external validation by boasting. But, certainly, none are impressed.
I agree with you. I really hate having to drink Miller Light and eat cheese cubes with people who don't even pull seven figures annually. The other day my wife almost spilled her glass of house chardonnay when she saw a family of yokels walk in wearing blue jeans and t-shirts. They were flying to LIT, so they couldn't help it and obviously didn't know better, but back in the Smisek Days, Red Carpet Clubs were bastions of dignity in an otherwise ghastly EWR.
Dirty Carpet Clubs, I called them.
Confusing: "A United Club individual membership offers access exclusively to United Clubs (and not partner lounges), and only for the primary member"
"The cards won’t be getting somewhere between an individual and all access membership in terms of guesting privileges. Those who have an eligible card will be able to bring one guest and any children under the age of 18.
If card members want to unlock an all access club membership (which would allow...
Confusing: "A United Club individual membership offers access exclusively to United Clubs (and not partner lounges), and only for the primary member"
"The cards won’t be getting somewhere between an individual and all access membership in terms of guesting privileges. Those who have an eligible card will be able to bring one guest and any children under the age of 18.
If card members want to unlock an all access club membership (which would allow them to bring two guests, and access partner lounges), they can do so in one of two ways:"
Seems to be contradicting statements. If individual membership is member only and no guests, then a club card WOULD be between individual and all access, right?
@ JoePro -- Sorry, that should've read "will" and not "won't." Updated now.
What category are Lifetime Memberships?
As Agent Smith said to Neo, "It is inevitable."
This is terrible news.