[Expired] United Launches Newest Elite Status Promotion [Qualify for 2022]

Update: The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.

If you’ve been following the news, you likely already know that Delta has chosen to extend its members’ elite status through January 2023. American, meanwhile, has opted to allow those who spend a minimum amount on flights in the final quarter of 2021 to retain their status. Now, United has also launched its latest promotion — unfortunately, it’s more in line with American, not Delta. Let’s take a look.

Promotion Details

United has chosen to offer 2 different tracks towards elite status, titled Fly to the Finish and Breakout Bonus.

Fly to the Finish

This offer is only available to existing elite members (as of July 27, 2021), and allows you to re-qualify by flying a certain amount, which varies according to your elite status, through November 30, 2021.

The first option can be met by flying a certain amount of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) combined with earning a certain amount of Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs). These are good for those flying expensive, short-haul tickets, like business travelers.

Additionally, United MileagePlus credit cardholders can earn 1 PQF for every $4,000 spent across their cards, up to a maximum of 2 PQF during the promo period.

The other option involves achieving a higher level PQP only. If you’ve already got elite status, you’ll see that this offer mimics United’s standard elite status earning options.

By accomplishing United’s Fly to the Finish promotion, you’re essentially able to re-qualify for elite status into 2023 by meeting just 20% of the standard requirements through November 30, 2021.

Keep in mind that United calculates PQPs earned based on the cash cost of your ticket: 1 dollar spent equals 1 PQP. This essentially means that in order to earn Premier 1K, you’ll need to spend $3,000 on flights. Of course, this applies only to flights sold and ticketed to United — flight tickets issued on other airlines and credited to United earn PQPs under a different system.

Hot Tip: United is also giving a 1-time bonus of 400 PQPs to anyone whose company has an affiliation with United.

Breakout Bonus

United’s second offering is similar to one it offered earlier this year, where you earned bonus PQPs on up to 3 flights during the promotion period. This is available to non-elite members and those who’ve already re-qualified for elite status:

Like Fly to the Finish, you’ll also need to complete these flights on or before November 30, 2021. United will also automatically enroll elite members who failed to complete the Fly to the Finish program into Breakout Bonus.

This means if you’re a Premier 1K who takes 3 flights but doesn’t earn the 3,000 PQPs associated with Fly to the Finish, once these promotions end you’ll instead receive a deposit of 2,250 PQPs.

Final Thoughts

This is good news for anyone looking to earn United elite status this year. Although it’s not as generous as Delta, United has done a lot to help its members along the way, including decreasing requirements, depositing 1-time bonuses, and offering 3 separate promotions throughout the year to bolster PQPs earned. This final promotion should help tip most, if not all, of its elite members into re-qualification for 2022.

Stay abreast of which popular airlines are extending elite status and miles in our guide, Coronavirus (COVID-19): Airline Elite Status Extensions, Changes, and Updates.