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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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