$UAL just cranked the perks wars up a notch. They’re overhauling the MileagePlus rewards program so that credit card holders get way better miles and discounts, while folks without a co-branded card earn way fewer miles, and in some cases none at all on basic economy fares. Starting April 2, cardholders will earn up to twice as many miles per dollar on flights and get at least 10% off award tickets, plus expanded access to saver-level seats. Meanwhile, if you don’t carry a United card, your mileage accrual gets cut hard and you lose basic earnings on some tickets. This move is more than perks. It’s about forcing loyalty card adoption and turning frequent flyers into steady revenue, because airline cards and co-branded partnerships are huge profit drivers when base fares aren’t. Credit card battles are getting fierce across the travel world, and United just made it clear: the big rewards go to people who actually link their wallet to the airline.