Premier status qualification
Premier status qualification requirements
Our approach to Premier® status qualification is designed to ensure that our program is valuable for all Premier members, whether you travel hundreds of miles each week, or a few thousand miles multiple times a year. Now, you'll earn Premier qualifying credit based on just two factors: the value of the tickets you’ve purchased, and the number of flights you’ve taken.
A minimum of 4 flights on United or United Express is always required to achieve Premier status
Why did we update our program?
Measuring Premier qualification based on the dollars you spend and number of flights you take rewards customers equally. We updated the program to ensure our most loyal members get the best value from their benefits.
We also wanted to get rid of factors like fare class multipliers, which made it harder to track your qualifying activity.
Read on to delve into the details of Premier qualification.
About Premier qualifying flights and Premier qualifying points
With Premier qualifying flights (PQF), every flight you take gets you closer to status. And by a flight, we mean a takeoff and landing — no more fare class multipliers and confusing segment math.
Basic Economy tickets will be eligible to earn Premier qualifying points, but will not accrue PQF. Award tickets also do not accrue PQF.
You’ll receive 1 Premier qualifying point (PQP) for each U.S. dollar you spend. Only the base fare of your flight earns PQP. Taxes and fees don’t count toward your spend requirements.
The following purchases earn PQP:
- Base fare + surcharge
- Economy Plus® seating or subscriptions
- Preferred seat purchases
- MileagePlus Upgrade Award co-pays
- Paid upgrades on flights operated by United and United Express
- Flights ticketed and operated by our Star Alliance™ partners
Qualification requirements for Premier status through 2023
We lowered our requirements for all Premier levels so it’s easier to qualify through 2023. In addition to flying a minimum of 4 flight segments on United or United Express, here’s what else you’ll need to qualify for each Premier status level beginning on January 1, 2022, for status through the 2023 program year1:
| 2023 Premier status | PQF + PQP | Or PQP only |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 8 PQF and 3,000 PQP | 3,500 PQP |
| Premier Gold | 16 PQF and 6,000 PQP | 7,000 PQP |
| Premier Platinum | 24 PQF and 9,000 PQP | 10,000 PQP |
| Premier 1K® | 36 PQF and 13,500 PQP | 15,000 PQP |
Jumpstart your 2023 Premier status journey
In early 2022, we automatically added PQP to your MileagePlus account based on the 2022 Premier status you reached at the end of 2021, giving you a head start on your 2023 status goals.
Earning PQF and PQP on partner flights
Previously, if you flew on a Star Alliance™ partner airline and your flight was not ticketed by United, you couldn’t earn Premier qualifying dollars. Today, you’ll receive spend credit on these flights in the form of Premier qualifying points. Your PQP will be equal to award miles* earned divided by 5 if you’re flying on a preferred partner; for other MileagePlus partner airlines, it will be award miles earned divided by 6.
For Star Alliance airlines as well as Air Dolomiti, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Eurowings, Edelweiss, Juneyao Airlines and Olympic Air:
| Airline partner | PQP total |
|---|---|
| Preferred partner PQP | Award miles divided by 5 |
| MileagePlus partner PQP | Award miles divided by 6 |
For example, if you earned 360 award miles for your flight, you’ll receive 72 PQP if you flew with a preferred partner, and 60 PQP if you flew with a MileagePlus partner.
The maximum PQP that can be earned per flight on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines are as follows:
| Class of service | Preferred partner PQP | MileagePlus partner PQP |
|---|---|---|
| First/Business | 1,500 | 1,000 |
| Economy/Premium Economy | 750 | 500 |
You’ll earn PQF on non-Star Alliance partner airlines as well, except when flying on light fares, basic fares, and award tickets. Learn more about earning with partner airlines.
While we no longer waive the spend requirement for members with international addresses, we have expanded the ability to earn spend credit for these members, which makes qualification consistent for all our members.
Information for co-branded MileagePlus credit cards
For the 2022 program year, we’re making changes to the way some of our cards earn PQP and qualify for Premier status. Now you can apply PQP earned from your United MileagePlus credit card toward Premier 1K status, when the PQF requirement is met. Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Premier qualifying points are a metric we have for awarding Premier status for 2023, which is earned based on 2022 flight activity. For each U.S. dollar you spend on United flights or flight tickets issued by United (base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges), you’ll earn one PQP. You can also earn PQP for certain ancillary purchases, such as paid upgrades, Economy Plus®, preferred seating, and MileagePlus Upgrade Award co-pays.
You can now earn PQP on flights ticketed and operated by Star Alliance airlines and certain MileagePlus partner airlines.
Premier qualifying flights are similar to Premier qualifying segments, but we’ve removed fare class multipliers. A takeoff and landing is equal to 1 PQF.
Mileage, or distance flown, will no longer factor into qualification for Premier status. However, our Million Miler program, which awards lifetime status to our longest-tenured fliers, is still based on lifetime miles flown.
There are two possible paths to attain Premier status in the new program. You can either qualify for status through a combination of PQP and PQF, or meet a higher PQP goal.
If your ticket was issued by United, the ticket number will begin with 016. You can find the ticket number in your email confirmation.
These changes do not impact the way you qualify for Million Miler status, which is based on the actual distance you fly.
As a special promotion in 2022, we’re making it easier to earn extra PlusPoints after you reach Premier 1K status. Once you reach 1K status and earn 15,000 PQP you’ll receive an additional 20 PlusPoints for every 2,000 PQP you earn thereafter, instead of every 3,000 PQP.*
You’ll continue to track your qualification progress through mystatus.united.com and through My Account on united.com and in the United mobile app.
Qualifying for Premier status through 2023
The 2022 requirements are a reduction from the standard Premier status qualification levels we originally announced for the 2020 program year. In April 2020, we reduced the standard Premier status requirements by 50% for 2020 activity due to interruptions caused by COVID-19.
We recognize that while many members are returning to travel, most members aren’t necessarily flying as much as they used to. For this reason, we updated Premier status requirements for status through 2023, automatically deposited PQP in accounts based on the 2022 Premier status reached at the end of 2021, and we will allow PQP earned from your MileagePlus co-branded credit card to count toward 1K status, when the PQF requirement is met.
If your status was extended through the 2021 program year, flight activity during 2021 will determine if you have status during the 2022 program year and will help you maintain status after January 31, 2022.
In addition to the normal travel you’ll do in 2022, you can take comfort in the fact that PQP earned from your eligible co-branded MileagePlus credit card will count toward Premier status all the way up to 1K status. Members must still fly a minimum of four United flights to be eligible for status, and members using PQP earned from their eligible credit card toward 1K status must also satisfy the PQF requirement for 1K.
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1 New qualification requirements will be effective on January 1, 2022, for status in the 2023 program year.