United debuts new way to pay for onboard snacks and drinks

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If you're feeling peckish on your next United Airlines flight, the carrier has some good news.

United is rolling out a new and faster way to pay for onboard dining items: single-tap payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone. The airline first communicated the news in an internal memo to flight attendants and then confirmed the update with TPG.

To use Tap to Pay, you only need to present a valid contactless credit or debit card on board. This includes cards equipped with a wireless chip and digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. United is enabling this technology through the iPhones that it issues to its flight attendants. Apple rolled out support for Tap to Pay on iPhone in 2022, and two years later, United is now using this feature to enable contactless payments.

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United says that this new technology is available immediately across all mainline aircraft. Even though United is adding a new onboard payment method, the airline will still offer top-tier Premier 1K elite members one free snack and drink anytime they are seated in economy.

Furthermore, customers using a MileagePlus credit card for food, beverages and Wi-Fi on their flight receive a 25% rebate on their next statement following travel.

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In recent years, United has been the tech-savviest of all the major U.S. airlines, yet its onboard payment technology felt a bit outdated, requiring travelers to store payment methods in the United app or united.com before travel.

If you didn't perform this multistep process, you'd be out of luck if you wanted to buy a snack box or alcoholic beverage on board. So, for most United travelers, this news is actually a major upgrade.

In fact, United is even playing catch-up here with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, both of which already offer contactless payment for purchases while in flight.

United does a great job of displaying the onboard menu before your flight on the flight status page, and it also allows all travelers to preorder their preferred snack or drink up to 24 hours before departure. This ensures that the airline doesn't run out of your favorite pick before getting to your row. You can find both of these options in the United app and via the "manage trips" feature.

Related reading:

• United Airlines MileagePlus: Guide to earning and redeeming miles, elite status and more
• The best credit cards for United Airlines flyers
• United Premier status: How to earn it — and is it worth it?
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• How to survive basic economy on United Airlines