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You may be loyal to United, but the airline really wants you to show your loyalty by carrying around a United MileagePlus credit card or debit card. Chicago-based United Airlines announced a major overhaul to its frequent flyer program on Thursday, with better benefits arriving soon for its cardholders. While the airline cheerily billed the changes as giving travelers new reasons to have one of its credit or debit cards, the changes mean that non-cardholders will soon accrue fewer rewards than they currently do. The biggest change is that starting on April 2, United MileagePlus cardholders can earn up to four times more miles on travel booked with the airline than non-cardholdersand even if the flight wasnt booked with that card. That provision ensures that cardholders, which United deems its most loyal members, still reap more rewards for travel, even if they have to book with a different credit card. As the airline lays out in detail, the changes mean that different tiers of membership status or different cardholders will accrue different rewards for travel. But other changes are also designed to benefit cardholders, including a discount of 10% or 15% on airfare and access to a benefit once reserved to the highest-status members: Saver Award seats for less miles in United Polaris business class. MileagePlus is designed to reward loyalty to United, and our best customers deserve the best benefits in the industry,” Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer said in a statement. “MileagePlus members can now earn more miles faster with a United cardand every one of those miles will go further with our always-on award ticket discounts and expanded access to Saver Award fares.” STRAIGHT UP INSULT United claims the forthcoming changes to its frequent flyer program will offer cardholders some of the richest rewards among airline or travel credit card programs. But United frequent flyers who dont have a card will likely view the changes as a considerable downgrade because theyll soon earn less on a ticket than they do today. A standard MileagePlus member without status or a credit card currently earns 5 miles per dollar on travel, which will be cut to 3 miles per dollar starting April 2. Cardholders, meanwhile, will earn 6 miles per dollar. Another significant blow to non-cardholders who dont have elite status is that theyll no longer earn miles by booking the airlines basic economy fares. Not only is the scaling back of benefits frustrating to some United flyers, but also how much the airline is pushing its line of credit cards co-branded with JPMorgan Chase. Several Redditors on the r/unitedairlines subreddit lamented that the changes will hurt United frequent flyers who arent U.S. citizens and cantor dont want toget a credit card, with one calling it a straight up insult. Several people also noted that the changes seem to indicate that United cares more about its banking relationship with Chase than flying, with one person saying the airline has essentially become a subsidiary of the bank. Finally, one Redditor who said theyve achieved both gold and “platinum” status levels with the airline purely based on butt-in-seat miles and flights, declared: There goes the last of my United loyalty. CHANGES TO AIRLINE PROGRAMS The travel reward space has become big business in recent years, as credit card companies and airlines individually and collectively try to up the ante to lure customers. But these companies must balance the perks they offer in pursuit of the biggest spenders versus those they dole out to the hoi polloi. Since airlines started teaming up with banks to offer co-branded credit cards, theyve reserved their best rewards for cardholders. Uniteds latest move goes beyond the changes that other airlines have made to their frequent flyer programs in recent monthsand could test the limits on loyalty. United follows competitors Delta Air Lines and American Airlines in stripping the reward benefits for basic economy travel, after those airlines announced the same change in December. Delta also announced increased rewards for people who have one of its credit cards that are co-branded with American Express. Last year, United raised the spending requirements to achieve its premier frequent flyer status. The latest changes to the MileagePlus program have been in the works for about 18 months and are in response to a changing landscape for travel credit cards, as Nocella told CNBC. The company didnt immediately respond to an interview request from Fast Company. In the credit card space in general, a lots changed over the last five to 10 years in terms of the number of travel credit cards that are out there, Nocella said. What Im thinking about as we make these changes for United is to make sure that if you hold the credit card, you put it top of wallet, and then if you dont hold the credit card, theres a reason to get the credit card that seems incredibly compelling if youd like to fly United Airlines and if youd like to have that … trip to Tahiti or to Rome or wherever we may be able to take you. WILL TRAVELERS BE ONBOARD FOR CHANGES? The rewards space has been a bonanza for savvy customers in recent decades, but those freebies come with more and more strings attached. While many companies have opted for the subscription model, leading to subscription fatigue, United may find that theres some pushback in so aggressively tying its sense of loyalty to what credit cards flyers carry in their wallets Its also happening at a time when Americans are increasingly stretched thin financially. Americans had $1.28 trillion outstanding in credit card balances in the fourth quarter, up 5.5% from the same period in 2024, according to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Meanwhile, 29% of Americans have more credit card debt than emergency savings and less than half (47%) of Americans have sufficient liquidity to cover a $1,000 emergency expense, according to an annual survey conducted by Bankrate. And the changes to the MileagePlus Program werent embraced by investors in the stock market. As of late Thursday, United shares fell nearly 6%.
Category:
E-Commerce
West Virginias attorney general filed a lawsuit against Apple on Thursday accusing the iPhone maker of knowingly allowing its software to be used for storing and sharing child sexual abuse material. John B. McCuskey, a Republican, accused Apple of protecting the privacy of sexual predators who use iOS, which can sync images to remote cloud servers through iCloud. McCuskey called the companys decisions absolutely inexcusable and accused Apple of running afoul of West Virginia state law. Since Apple has so far refused to police themselves and do the morally right thing, I am filing this lawsuit to demand Apple follow the law, report these images, and stop re-victimizing children by allowing these images to be stored and shared, McCuskey said. The West Virginia attorney general said the state would seek statutory and punitive damages, changes to Apples child abuse imagery detection practices and other remedies to make the companys product designs safer going forward. In the new lawsuit, the state cites a handful of known complaints about Apples mostly hands-off approach to its image hosting service. The biggest concern: Apple finds far fewer instances of online child exploitation than its peer companies do because it isnt looking for them. In a statement provided to Fast Company, Apple pointed out an iOS feature that automatically intervenes when nudity is detected on a childs device. All of our industry-leading parental controls and features are designed with the safety, security, and privacy of our users at their core, an Apple spokesperson said. Apple walks the privacy tightrope The West Virginia lawsuit isnt the first of its kind that Apple has faced in recent years, though it is the first coming from a state. In late 2024, a group thousands of sexual abuse survivors sued the company for more than $1 billion in damages after Apple walked away from a plan to more thoroughly scan the images it hosts for sexual abuse material. In the case, the plaintiffs legal team cited 80 instances in which law enforcement discovered child sexual abuse imagery on iCloud and other Apple products. Most tech companies rely on a tool developed by Microsoft more than a decade ago to automatically scan images they host and cross-reference those images against digital signatures in a database of known child abuse imagery. That tool, known as PhotoDNA, flags those images and acts as the first step in a reporting chain that leads to law enforcement. In the U.S., internet platforms are required by law to report any instances of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the organization that spearheads child abuse prevention online in the country. NCMEC collects tips from online platforms through a centralized CSAM reporting system known as the CyberTipline and forwards those concerns, many collected via PhotoDNA, to relevant authorities. In 2023, NCMEC received only 267 reports of suspected CSAM from Apple. During the same time frame, the organization received 1.47 million reports from Google, 58,957 reports from Imgur and 11.4 million reports from Meta-owned Instagram. Apple appears to know the extent of the problem. We are the greatest platform for distributing child porn, Apple executive Eric Friedman said in an infamous 2020 text message that surfaced in discovery during the lengthy court battle between Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games. Friedman made the statement in a conversation weighing whether the companys policies are weighted too heavily toward user privacy rather than safety. Apple is known for robust privacy practices that make its products famously safe from potential hackers. Over the years, those same encryption systems have frustrated law enforcement agencies like the FBI who have sought data locked away on iPhones in the course of their investigations. At Apple, protecting the safety and privacy of our users, especially children, is central to what we do, an Apple spokesperson said. We are innovating every day to combat ever-evolving threats and maintain the safest, most trusted platform for kids.
Category:
E-Commerce
By now, the so-called “Staples Baddie” may have crossed your feed with her tutorials and informational videos exploring her workplace. TikTok creator @blivxx, known online as Oblivion, started getting attention in January for highlighting niche services and products offered at Staples. It’s a distinctly Gen Z approach to social media. Videos from Staples Baddie (whose real name is Kaeden) feature ASMR, heavy slang, and an authenticity that has viewers hooked. Comments on Kaeden’s videos range from tame (“Staples better give you your flowers asap” on a January 21 post about business cards) to unhinged (“Staples did my BBL” on a February 6 video about the one-stop shop). Each video is flooded with users sharing that they went to Staples after seeing Staples Baddie’s (unofficial) promo. The influx comes as much-needed relief for the office supplies provider. Staples has been open about its financial struggles in today’s increasingly online shopping-driven economy. But what’s most effective about this kind of influencer marketing is that, well, it isn’t really marketing. Staples Baddie isn’t a paid micro-celebrity; she’s paid, but it’s her wage for working at the store. The creator’s videos are often filmed on the clock, with her sporting the Staples-branded red shirt, lanyard, and name tag, but she’s still found a way to be authentic about what she’s promoting, something that paid collabs with influencers often miss the mark on. Staples Baddie is self-aware, too: In a January 30 video, Kaeden dryly argues that she deserves commission because “[she’s] like the Paris Hilton of Staples.” And Staples seems to agree. Were incredibly proud of our associate, Kaeden, and the passion she brings to her work,” Staples Chief Marketing Officer Bob Sherwin said in an email to Fast Company. “Its been exciting to see the positive response and enthusiasm shes sparked.” As for what’s next, the plan is simple for now. Kaeden will continue to film her content as Staples Baddie, with the support of Staples, which is mutually beneficial for everyone involved. “Weve connected with her to share our appreciation, and we are exploring opportunities to collaborate and continue supporting her creativity and engagement with the community,” Sherwin said in an email. It all makes sense: When an opportunity arises like this one, for a content collaboration with an influencer who actually has a real connection to the brand, well, companies might be wise to support their local baddie.
Category:
E-Commerce
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