I&#x27;ll disagree that the perks are almost useless. But they can be a bit subtle. In comparison to people&#x27;s typical experience flying, as a United 1K:<p>When I call the 800 number, a real human being picks up right away and helps me.
If I&#x27;d like to catch an earlier or later flight, if it&#x27;s within 24 hours, I can usually make the change with no charge. I use this perk dozens of times a year, and it even enables me to book cheaper flights because I&#x27;ll usually be able to make adjustments on the day of travel.
If I end up on the standby list, I&#x27;m put at the top (because it goes in order of highest status before first come first served).
If I use miles to book a flight, I can cancel or change the flight at any time. This lets me speculatively book a vacation flight to Maui months ahead of time when availability is good, even if I&#x27;m not sure I&#x27;ll be free then.
My entire family gets free bags and free extra legroom seats when they travel with me.
I get to sit in fancy lounges when traveling overseas.
And the first class upgrades are a nice bonus.