United Airlines Is Coming to Your Wallet: MileagePlus Debit Card Heading to the UK

Something a little different is heading to the UK points landscape. United Airlines — the world's largest airline by available seat miles — is bringing its MileagePlus co-branded debit card to Britain, powered by Currensea. If that name sounds familiar, it's the same fintech company behind the Marriott Bonvoy debit card that launched in the UK a little while back. The United Airlines debit card is currently in waitlist mode, and there's actually a compelling reason to sign up sooner rather than later.

The United Airlines Debit Card powered by Currensea is listed as "Landing Soon" for UK residents, with a waitlist open right now. If you join the waitlist by 16th March 2026, you'll be entered into up to five weekly prize draws to win 100,000 United MileagePlus miles. That's not a bad incentive just for signing up to an email list.

United has officially confirmed that it plans to introduce new cards in Brazil, Canada, and the UK this spring. So this isn't vaporware — the launch is coming, and the UK card will be part of a broader international expansion of the MileagePlus card programme. What we don't yet know are the specific earning rates, fees, or perks for the UK version. Given that Currensea's model has typically focused on debit cards with competitive FX rates and loyalty earn for UK users (see how the Marriott Bonvoy debit card works), I'd expect something similar here — but we'll have to wait for the full terms.

Here's where things get really interesting. On 19th February 2026 — literally this week as I'm writing this — United Airlines announced one of the most significant overhauls to MileagePlus in more than a decade, taking effect from 2nd April 2026. And the core message is simple: if you don't have a United co-branded card, MileagePlus is about to become considerably less valuable for you.

Under the new structure, MileagePlus members without a United credit or debit card will see their base earning rate drop from 5 miles per dollar spent on eligible United flights to just 3 miles per dollar — a 40% cut. Meanwhile, cardholders will see their earning rates increase. General members without a card also lose the ability to earn any miles at all on Basic Economy fares, effective April 2nd. That's a significant structural shift.

On the redemption side, United cardholders will get at least 10% off every award ticket, rising to 15% or more for those who also hold Premier elite status. United is also unlocking Saver Award inventory in Polaris Business Class — previously only available to high-tier elite members — for all cardholders. That's a genuine benefit, not just marketing spin.

The takeaway is clear: United is pushing its loyalty programme firmly in the direction of being a credit card programme first, and a flying programme second. This is a trend we've seen accelerate across US airlines — Delta and American have gone down similar paths — but United is making particularly aggressive moves here. If you're a MileagePlus member who flies United even occasionally and you're based in the UK without access to a US credit card, the arrival of a UK-based United card is genuinely useful.

Fair question. MileagePlus isn't a programme that tends to get talked about much in UK points circles, largely because there's been no native way to earn the miles here — no credit card, no obvious on-the-ground earning. But the programme has some genuinely compelling features that are worth knowing about.

Miles never expire in MileagePlus, which is rare. There are no blackout dates on award flights. You can combine miles and cash for bookings. And as a Star Alliance member, United's award chart covers a lot of interesting ground. For UK travellers, MileagePlus has historically offered strong sweet spots for Star Alliance partners — think flying ANA in business class, for instance, which has been a popular redemption through United's partner awards. The programme prices awards based on distance for some partners, which can yield excellent value on certain routes.

That said, MileagePlus has moved increasingly towards dynamic pricing on its own metal, so the best value tends to come from partner awards rather than United flights directly. Worth bearing in mind.

For those unfamiliar, Currensea is a UK-based fintech that offers debit cards which connect directly to your existing bank account. The key selling point is typically excellent foreign exchange rates (no standard FX markup) combined with loyalty programme earning. The Marriott Bonvoy debit card from Currensea works on this basis — you earn Bonvoy points on your spending without needing a credit card.

This is particularly useful for people who aren't eligible for credit cards, or who simply prefer the discipline of spending their own money rather than running a credit balance. It's also worth noting that the Currensea model has historically provided solid international spend rates, which makes it potentially useful for travel spending abroad — though we'll need to wait for the specific United card terms to compare properly.

For context, the US version of the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card (a different product, powered by Galileo/SoFi and issued by Sunrise Banks) earns 1 mile per $1 on United purchases and 1 mile per $2 on everything else. Whether the UK Currensea version mirrors this or offers something different remains to be seen. Given the different regulatory environment and Currensea's existing model, I wouldn't expect an identical structure.

I'll be frank: for most UK points collectors, Avios remains king, and the suite of American Express cards — personal and business — along with options like the Capital on Tap Business Card will continue to be the most efficient earners for the vast majority of readers. You can see my full roundup of the best Avios-earning credit cards and best business credit cards if you want to compare.

However, the United card is interesting for a few specific groups. If you fly United regularly — perhaps for transatlantic routes or connections through Star Alliance hubs — having a card linked to your MileagePlus account is going to matter a lot more from April 2026 onwards, given the earning rate changes. If you're someone who can't or doesn't want a credit card but wants to earn loyalty currency on daily spending, a debit card that earns miles is genuinely useful. And if you're looking to diversify your points earning beyond Avios, MileagePlus is a programme with some solid redemption options — especially for Star Alliance partner awards.

The 100,000 miles prize draw for joining the waitlist by 16th March is also just free to enter, so there's very little reason not to sign up now and see what the final product looks like when it lands. You can join at united.currensea.co.uk.

When the full details drop, the key things I'll be looking at are: the earning rate on everyday UK spending (in pounds, not dollars), any annual or monthly fee structure, the foreign exchange rate for international spend, and whether there's a sign-up bonus. Given that United's US debit card launched with a 10,000-mile bonus and the UK page is advertising a 100,000-mile prize draw, there may well be a proper welcome offer when the card goes live.

I'll cover it properly once we have the full terms. In the meantime, if you want to search for award availability using MileagePlus miles or other programmes, our Award Travel Finder tool is a good place to explore what's available across British Airways, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Virgin Atlantic. And if you're still building your Avios balance ahead of any big redemption, check out the Avios Balance Booster Calculator to see the most efficient way to top up.

More to come on this one — watch this space.

Jack