Guide To United Airlines Status Match & Challenge

It’s common for airlines to offer some sort of status challenge or status match program, in order to lure frequent flyers who are loyal to competing airlines, but are considering a switch. In the United States, most major airlines offer some sort of a status match challenge opportunity, including Alaska, American, Delta, and Southwest.

In this post I wanted to take a look at the program offered by United. Now that it’s the second half of the year, this is the ideal time to apply for a status match challenge with United MileagePlus, given that it earns you status for the longest time.

United MileagePlus status match as of September 2023

United MileagePlus has a published status challenge program, which is currently valid for requests received through December 20, 2023.

With this program, you can have your status matched for a period of 120 days, and then your status can be extended based on qualifying activity within that period. As it stands, United is offering this program in order to earn Premier Silver, Premier Gold, and Premier Platinum status.

Officially it’s not possible to get a status match to Premier 1K, though anecdotally there are many reports of top tier elites with other airlines getting matched to this. Global Services matches aren’t possible, however.

What status will United match?

Currently United Airlines is offering to match those who have status with any of the following programs:

• Alaska Mileage Plan
• American AAdvantage
• Delta SkyMiles
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• British Airways Executive Club
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Elite tiers roughly map over as you’d expect, and below you can see a chart with all the details. While not explicitly listed, higher elite tiers can similarly be matched to Premier Platinum. All status challenges give you the status for 120 days, so if you want to keep the status longer you’ll need to complete certain requirements.

How do you maintain United status?

In order to maintain your United status beyond the initial 120 day match period, you’ll have to complete a certain amount of qualifying activity within that timeframe. The ability to maintain elite status is based on earning PQF and PQP:

• PQF stands for “Premier Qualifying Flights,” with each flight you take earning you one PQF
• PQP stands for “Premier Qualifying Points,” with one point being earned for each dollar spent, before taxes and fees

For 2023, standard United MileagePlus status requirements are as follows:

• Premier Silver requires 12 PQF and 4,000 PQP, OR just 5,000 PQP
• Premier Gold requires 24 PQF and 8,000 PQP, OR just 10,000 PQP
• Premier Platinum requires 36 PQF and 12,000 PQP, OR just 15,000 PQP
• Premier 1K requires 54 PQF and 18,000 PQP, OR just 24,000 PQP

With the challenge, you need to earn the following number of PQF and PQP in a 120 day period:

• Premier Silver requires four PQF and 1,300 PQP
• Premier Gold requires eight PQF and 2,600 PQP
• Premier Platinum requires 12 PQF and 4,000 PQP

Those who have been offered a Premier 1K challenge report that it requires 18 PQF and 6,000 PQP.

How long is matched United status valid for?

Assuming you satisfy the PQF and PQP requirements, the validity of your status is dependent on when you complete your challenge:

• If you complete the challenge before July 1, then the status is only valid for the remainder of the program year (which would be through January 31 of the following year, in this case 2024)
• If you complete the challenge after July 1, then the status is valid for the remainder of the program year, and the entire following program year (which would be through January 31 two years later, in this case 2025)

So currently if you started a challenge it would be valid through January 31, 2025. As you can tell, this is the ideal time to request a status challenge, as status could be valid for over 18 months.

How do you request a United status challenge?

To take part in a United MileagePlus status match challenge, complete this form. A few things to note:

• It can take 7-14 business days to get a response and for your account to be upgraded (however, many report being approved for this instantly, which is pretty cool)
• This program is not available to those who have participated in a status match challenge with United in the past five years
• Those who hold trial or temporary status with a competitor aren’t eligible to participate
• Those who earn Premier Platinum through the match will be awarded 20 PlusPoints
• There’s no cost to participate in a United status match

What are the benefits of United elite status?

What are United Airlines MileagePlus status perks like?

Some of the most popular benefits of Premier Silver status include:

• Complimentary upgrades in most domestic markets
• Complimentary Economy Plus seating at time of check-in
• One complimentary checked bag
• A 40% mileage bonus (7x miles per dollar spent)

Some of the most popular benefits of Premier Gold status include:

• Complimentary upgrades in most domestic markets
• Complimentary Economy Plus seating at time of booking
• Two complimentary checked bags
• A 60% mileage bonus (8x miles per dollar spent)
• Star Alliance Gold status

Some of the most popular benefits of Premier Platinum status include:

• Complimentary upgrades in most domestic markets
• Complimentary Economy Plus seating at time of booking
• Three complimentary checked bags
• An 80% mileage bonus (9x miles per dollar spent)
• Star Alliance Gold status

Upgrades are obviously the most valuable benefit, and those are prioritized by status. The higher your status, the better the odds of those clearing. Don’t expect that you’ll be seeing too many upgrades as a Premier Silver member, for example.

Is a United Airlines status challenge worth it?

If you’re genuinely thinking of switching your loyalty to United (whether it’s because you’re fed up with your current airline, you’re moving, your travel patterns are changing, or whatever else), then it’s absolutely worth completing a status challenge. This gives you some status upfront, with the potential to maintain it in the long run.

I know some people also like to status match just for the heck of it, or because they have one trip where it could come in handy. In this case I probably wouldn’t recommend taking advantage of that, since you can only request one challenge every five years.

So while United’s status challenge program isn’t the most exciting in the industry, it is your best option if switching business to United.

Bottom line

United Airlines’ MileagePlus program offers a status match promotion, open to frequent flyers with other major US airlines. You can receive status upfront for 120 days, and then you need to complete certain flying and spending requirements in order to maintain that status through January 2025. Now is a great time to apply for a status challenge, since your status would be valid for over 18 months, if successful.

Have any OMAAT readers taken part in a United status challenge? If so, what was your experience like?