United Airlines is making some changes to its program due to a rebound in travel demand.
The thresholds for attaining status are being raised by the Chicago-based carrier.
The message across the airline industry is clear: travel is booming, and people are taking to the skies at levels not seen since last year.
To that end, United wants to make sure that its frequent flyers get the benefits they're promised.
United has a plan to do that.
You'll need a bunch of PQFs and PQPs in order to get status in 2023.
| Tier | Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) + Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) | Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) only |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 4,000 PQPs + 12 PQFs | 5,000 PQP |
| Premier Gold | 8,000 PQPs + 24 PQFs | 10,000 PQP |
| Premier Platinum | 12,000 PQPs + 36 PQFs | 15,000 PQP |
| Premier 1K | 18,000 PQPs + 54 PQFs | 24,000 PQP |
There are two ways to get to the premier level. The first combines PQPs and PQFs and the second is a higher PQP only goal. The tracks all require at least four flights on United or United Express metal.
The change is due to travel demand, according to Luc Bondar, president of Mileage Plus. He said that the travel frequencies they're seeing from their customers are reflected in this.
These thresholds are familiar to long-time United flyers. The PQF and PQP metrics are the same ones that United shared.
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The travel industry was shut down by the Pandemic just a few months after United introduced the reworked premier program.
United became the second airline to extend their status. The thresholds for aspiring elites were halved by United.
The requirements were reduced by 25% to 30% depending on the tier you were targeting in order to make up for lower demand during the Pandemic.
With no signs of travel slowing down, United is bringing back the requirements it first unveiled back in 2019.
The move will sting those who were used to the reduced requirements. You need to spend and fly more if you want to get status.
As airfares have gone up over the past few months, more and more flyers have been able to find themselves in elite status.
It's hard for airlines to deliver on their promises when there are so many people. Ask the team how many complimentary upgrades they got this year.
Bondar shared that "one of the things we expect to see is the volume of members that achieve status at each tier getting in line with our ability to ensure that we are delivering great value to members once they achieve that level."
Everyone will have to crunch the numbers to find out if the new metrics work for them.
The airline is trying to make up for the blow by introducing new ways to earn premier status.
In the new year, you'll get a starter pack of PQPs that will give you a head start on re-qualifying.
You'll get a number of PQPs in 2023 based on your status at that point in time.
The deposits will be processed soon. Free PQPs will not help you requalify for status. You have to do a lot of flying to cross the finish line.
The same head-start deposit will be made in 2024 if you achieve the premier status.
It's easier for someone to requalify if they get a starter bonus. You will need to earn the full set of PQFs and PQPs if you want to rise to the top tier.
This one is large. PQPs and PQFs will be granted for the first time by United.
You'll earn 1 PQP for every 100 miles redeemed as well as 1 PQF for every flight taken when you redeem your Mileage Plus miles. Only flights operated by United or United Express are eligible for premier qualification.
In this case, United is trying to catch up to Delta, which made a similar improvement earlier this year.
It will be interesting to see if this feature is extended beyond 2023.
This could change the calculation of whether to redeem miles or pay cash for a flight. It's important to crunch the numbers before you make a booking.
If you redeem 35,000 Mileage Plus for the same flight, you will earn 350 PQPs, compared to 500 PQPs from the cash ticket.
Bondar said that United was making this move because of competition from credit card travel portals that allow people to redeem points for flights.
Bondar said that other types of currency outside of aviation have had a perception of competitive advantage in providing award mile earning and status contribution.
It gives our customers a reason to choose our products over those of our competitors, and I think that's a good thing.
If you spend on a co branded United credit card, you will get closer to premier status.
The maximum number of PQPs that can be earned from the United Club SM Infinite Card will be doubled. The thresholds are going from 3000 to 6000 PQPs and from 4,000 to 8000 PQPs. Up to the increased PQP limit, you'll still earn 500 PQPs for every $12,000 spent on these cards.
The total annual PQP limit is going to increase if you have multiple co branded United cards.
United won't allow you to spend your way to top-tier perks like American introduced earlier this year with Loyalty Points.
If you're going to spend your way to 1K, you'll need 54 PQFs and 3000 PQPs, because the PQPs earned from co branded spending will not count towards the PQP-only track.
Bondar said that they wanted to make sure that they were protecting the integrity of the value that they give to their 1K members and that they were truly reflecting a program for their very best flyers. That's different from some of our competitors, and everyone chooses to run their business the way they choose to.
It does happen if you go above and beyond the thresholds. You will be rewarded with more PlusPoints if it does.
You can earn 40 PlusPoints if you qualify for Premier Platinum and another 280 if you qualify for premier 1k. You will get 20 additional PlusPoints for every 3,000 PQP you earn.
If you're a premier 1k who qualifies on the PQP-only track, you'll earn 40 PlusPoints if you cross Platinum, 280 if you cross premier 1k and 40 if you cross 40.
The first airline to completely eliminate change fees was United. Other U.S. carriers dropped a lot of ancillary fees related to changing travel plans.
Even though United joined most of its competitors in removing other fees, it still charged an award redeposit fee for tickets canceled within 30 days of departure.
Redeposit fees will no longer be charged by United immediately.
United is getting ready for a busy year of travel with some changes to its program.
Higher requirements to earn status is the main change. If you don't fly 54 flights a year, you'll need to spend $24,000 on United tickets to keep your status.
Bondar said that the higher requirements are designed to allow United to deliver on its promises.
The ability to earn status credits from award tickets and double the number of PQPs you can earn from co branded credit card spending is being introduced by United.
If travel demand stays at the current level, it shouldn't be hard to requalify.
It will be interesting to see if United needs to adjust these thresholds at some point next year as the economy teeters on the verge of collapse.
Best of luck in earning United status next year, but we will have to see how the year goes.
If you want to stay up to date with United's MileagePlus updates, be sure to follow TPG and visit the airline's landing page: www.united.com/mpnews.
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