United is overhauling MileagePlus elite status for 2027, cutting the PQF shortcut and raising Premier 1K's threshold to 32,000 PQPs.
*making a fresh bucket of popcorn*
480k!!!!!!
That's double of what Carl paid to break his back for a lifetime.
4k is indeed meaningless to OPM flyers, there are many ways to manipulate yourself into higher "spend" when its not your money.
This is the behavior United wants, get your max OPM dollar.
There are too many 1Ks overall so I dont mind the concept of making that tougher, but putting the CC spending side by side with Delta and American is stark.
UA either needs to address this or, like AA (and maybe Delta, but less familiar with their program) expand the routes to earning additional PQPs on hotels and what not.
If the ranks gets swelled then the benefits, specifically chances of being given a complimentary upgrade get deluded. Chances are if you're in the top published tier (not the invite only tier) but towards the bottom in qualifications your upgrade success is likely not that good.
Loyalty programs have become about profitability, not just how much you fly on an airline.
After just squeaking by as a 1K for many years, I can confirm that my upgrade success rate was low.
Fuel is up which means airfare is up. Same distance flown but a higher number attached to it
Off-putting.
Think I’ll exit UA’s hamster-wheel.
United is dominating the US airline industry. Delta is sinking and United knows they will dominate for the next 5 to 8 years. I'm glad top tier status is harder to obtain. I don't want the exodus from Delta to United to limit my upgrade chances.
@ TJ Hart -- Genuinely curious, what's your current complimentary upgrade rate on eligible flights as a 1K?
@Ben, as a 1K out of SFO for the last 5-6 years, mostly flying hub-to-hub, I basically never get upgraded, even if I apply PlusPoints. The front cabin almost always sells out, and the 1-2 seats that are open go to the many Global Services people that are on every flight to or from SFO. I would consider switching, but there is no other airline with remotely comparable flights out of SFO. The only flights I get upgraded on are random short-hops on the occasions I need to connect to a smaller airport -- think ORD to MSN, 35 minutes in the air on an Embraer jet where I'd be getting upgraded even as a Silver or Gold.
hold onto that thought over the next week as UA reports its financial results and over the next 2 years as DL further expands its TPAC network, the only region where UA has a significant size advantage over DL.
AA and DL are about the same size domestically in revenue. UA's size to Europe is largely because of narrowbody flying and to second and third tier cities, most of which are seasonal.
UA is larger than DL to Latin America on its own metal but add in JVs and DL is quite a bit larger.
and the basis of your comment is unsubstantiated to begin with. Please document this supposed exodus from DL.
DL Q3 net income $756m down 47% YOY and refinery lost $33m due to "volatility in crude pricing and the negative impact from a temporary outage that halted production at the refinery beginning in the middle of June."
UA Q3 earnings estimate is ≈ $1.13b and even the bottom of UAL's range is > $800m net income. UA is doing great.
BTW UA is now bigger domestically than WN (TTM) even without UAX.
@Conrad/Tim/WorldTraveller/Tomm767,
Why does every article have to involve DL with you? Stop! This is about United and MileagePlus. We all know about your prognostications about DL's roaring to success in the TPAC, and with the A350s, no matter how flawed the argument (and we just hear that AA is doubling don on LAX at their TPAC gateway, so good luck to DL).
But as a 3M miler on UA, and for now, still 1K for life. I'm made I made it over the threshold before these changes were made.
Lol there's no way you're clearing significant upgrades as a 1K unless you fly some really off-peak, low-demand routes.
I'm currently 1K and I don't even bother checking the upgrade lists anymore. I think I've cleared 1 complimentary upgrade this year and 2 domestic upgrades with PlusPoints and otherwise I've ended up paying to upgrade or buying the desired class of service outright.
I mean for the people who hit 28,000 PQPs each year, the incremental 4,000 doesn’t mean anything.
@ aerodro -- Sure, but presumably a good number of 1Ks also earn status through 60 PQFs and 22K PQPs. A 45% increase in the requirement for PQPs is significant.
As someone who generally flies enough PQFs and will get close to the current 28k PQPs - I just have to say: why get rid of the PQF/PQP requirement option.
Raise it - fully fine iwth that - make it hte same 60 PQFs and 26k PQPs or something. As I agree there are too many 1Ks, and as a result the perks, including the key one of the upgrades, is less valuable, but to just take out a route for qualification, which is probably only the small minority of 1Ks anyway, is sad.
I realize United was the holdout here and DL/AA already got rid of a flight-based route, but UA to do so along with making it tougher than any other airline to reach their top tier is a rough look.
It's crazy United no longer wants international flyers because we can't get ANY points with credit card spending.
You’d be surprised. A vast majority of 1Ks end up accruing beyond the minimum threshold for 1K, even with the new requirements. Many of whom don’t even track it as closely as the miles/avgeek world does. This tier will fly UA as work dictates (quite a lot obviously) and on personal trips, they will also continue to fly UA or a Star partner.
Yeah for the majority of flyers on OPM, the $4k increase is meaningless...chasing status and remaining loyal is not worth the headache nor hassle anymore except in IROPS but even then there is no guarantee you are getting on the next flight or out the same day.
4k is indeed meaningless to OPM flyers, there are many ways to manipulate yourself into higher "spend" when its not your money.
This is the behavior United wants, get your max OPM dollar.
I'd reckon that United has seen some more stickiness due to how they've improved own metal redemptions in terms of availability and pricing with the credit cards, so they feel comfortable making this change.
Regardless, it just goes to show you all those people bragging about how amazing United is and how much they've "improved" have a lesson to learn still.
"Have a lesson to learn still" - how so exactly? These days, I don't think it really makes sense to blindly align to any US carrier in terms of status. You can find United significantly improved as an airline, appreciate the product they offer (the new interiors and Starlink wifi), and yet no longer focus on achieving status with them.
These days, the main area I find challenging with United is their regular United Club food and in flight food. Everything else (mobile app, Starlink wifi, IFE, Polaris experience, self-service capabilities, operational reliability, route network) is excellent in my personal experience. That is more than enough to win my typical business given they're the dominant carrier at my home airport (ORD), and separately I no longer find status worth prioritizing for any airline.
Yes, you might individually already understand that. And so if you already do, then this wouldn't apply to you.
I'm talking about all the sheep that brag about how much "better" United are and how they're "jumping ship", not thinking that changes like this are possible.
Yolo says, "I'm talking about all the sheep that brag about how much "better" United are and how they're "jumping ship", not thinking that changes like this are possible."
Who doesn't know "changes like this are possible"? Ever heard of Sky Pesos? Such changes are as old as loyalty programs. It's a simple matter of supply & demand.
As Jetset said, "Everything else (mobile app, Starlink wifi, IFE, Polaris experience, self-service capabilities, operational reliability, route network) is excellent in my personal experience. That is more than enough to win my typical business given they're the dominant carrier at my home airport."
The increase in the credit card spend is for Chase. The bank is driving the change. Lifetime status changes will be next.
United lost my business years ago, and they will never, ever get it back.
It's tough to get status as a Canadian because United does not have an credit card with "spend"
I write this with no claimed expertise other than living in Chicago and flying both United and American regularly. United has a better overall experience - nicer planes, more courteous staff/crew, and they keep you better informed on delays and cancellations. American planes just feel older, less comfortable and the flight/crew just seem crankier/stressed. I will say when there is a cancellation and American finally does announce it, they are better than United when it comes to rebooking and comps.
For 2026, I believe you also need a minimum of 4 flight segments on UA / United express metal for elite status. This in addition to the other requirements.
Just recently started re-engaging with United MileagePlus status due to varied travel patterns.
Status has always been with BA / OW and SQ / *A
I am so glad that I no longer chase status with any carrier(s), though I end up with status anyway (AF, EK, SQ), but that status is still meaningless for me.
This piece just reinforces the sense of freedom I have when choosing carriers, and the fact that I've made the right decision in *never* flying any US carrier internationally.
UA just recognizes that loyalty costs the company alot more than alot of people that chase status realize. The revenue opportunity cost is much higher on international routes and UA needs to be able to fill seats at higher fares in order to offset high fuel costs.
The US airline industry has a cost problem right now; there appears no cracks in the high revenue model that DL built its financial success around and UA has been able to successfully deploy esp. over the past 5 years.
getting fares up high enough to offset high fuel costs and keep them there even if fuel comes back down (anyone's guess when that will happen) is what UA and the rest of the industry that wants to be around in 5 years has to do
When fuel falls, fares will fall. That is not going to change, no matter what airline executives dream of. Plus, let's not fool ourselves in thinking the economy is so great. Its not, and the idiot in charge doesnt care.
@Gene, you'll probably find that a part of the increased fares from the current fuel shocks will remain if the fuel goes down again.
TD is actually right for once. I always laughed at 'Sky pesos'. Loyalty is just like air fares in that it is a matter of supply and demand. The more demand for an airline's tickets/status benefits, the higher the price.
If you spit out words "roughly the same length as War and Peace and Moby Dick combined" you're probably going to say something right once or twice.
Once the airlines went revenue based, they do need to adjust the requirements regularly, or they would be diluting the status levels. Airfares will increase along side general price levels, plus the post pandemic world with first a strong growth in premium travel, and the various international conflicts extending flight routes and increasing fuel oroves, there is probably quite a bit of a back log of spend requirements adjustment. Otherwise the elite members will balloon. I'd expect DL and AA to follow quickly. If they can make it with decent warning for the next qualifying year.
I expect we will see DL increase MQDs to match. Those levels were already what I expected, but this announcement practically guarantees that DL will move to 32,000 MQDs for Diamond. That said, DL status is FAR easier to achieve than UA due to unique earning opportunity via AMEX cards.
This is why I gave up my 1K at the end of 2024. In this instance, it was the increase in PQP from 18000 to 22000 that drove me into the status of Executive Platinum. I was in that ill-defined middle ground for PQPs between those two figures. 32000 with no PQF reduction is a complete disincentive to going back. With AA, I stay.
This is just a gigantic Go Pound Salt to loyal customers. It's also a huge disadvantage to those of us who live in their headquarters town, given the artificial depression of PQPs due to lack of distance and lower fares based on geography. I can live with Group 2 boarding on the short (and rare) flights I take on UA, and I still have the credit card so I have United Club access.
Is it really though? If United provides the product, routes, and convenience that I need out of ORD, why does it matter if they reward us with status any more? I don't need them to say "you're more important than 72% of other customers on this flight!". Were you really benefiting from anything that came along with 1K in recent history and similarly are you significantly benefiting from Executive Platinum? If you are, great, though I wouldn't count on that lasting significantly longer with AA either (unless they decide to differentiate on loyalty as a means of winning business).
For me, United has a better product and better route options out of ORD than AA so regardless of what status I end up hitting with UA, I'm going to continue to fly them. If AA is better for you in terms of routes, then it makes sense but I don't think it makes sense to preference either airline purely based on marginal perks in a world where loyalty programs are being deprioritized.
Yes. I do not check in any baggage. Therefore I need open space on board for my bags. The benefit of 1K in boarding during pre-boarding (and Executive Platinum in Group 1) gets me that space without having to gate-check. I also want to be seated as the parade of human misery passes down the aisle because I am actually better than them. Status is a reinforcement of that. I want to be rewarded and pampered for my patronage. I'm spending money on my flights and I want ackowledgement of that.
You make it sound as if only Group 1 gets overhead space. I laugh everytime I fly at the people aggressively trying to board first that then run to their coach seats as if 100 people are in front of them and they are about to run out of bag space. Relax, or better yet, buy First and then status is meaningless.
That’s quite the view to have ORD of your fellow brethren while sitting in…. Economy!
Do whatever with status levels, United, but PLEASE raise the bar on entry to United Clubs, which are overcrowded, hot, nowhere to sit, and featuring messy buffets. Also, O’Hare is practically disabled, with 30-60 min tarmac taxis, rendering this connecting airport nearly useless and a frequent trap for missed flights.
Who cares about the Grand Tour? O'Hare is my destination. I just want to get to the gate, get to my car, and go home. I do not care about your plans.