Advertiser Disclosure
Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.
James Larounis
Senior Content Contributor
610 Published Articles
Countries Visited: 30U.S. States Visited: 35
We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines have extended elite status levels almost universally across the board. As travel starts to creep back to normal, United Airlines has reduced the qualification requirements for status in 2022, and has now further offered an additional incentive to earn status for 2023 through the depositing of extra Premier Qualifying Points.
United already reduced the 2022 elite status qualification levels in an attempt to woo back flyers that were grounded for almost 2 years:
These are the reduced qualification requirements, down from higher requirements that would normally be offered in a traditional year. United recently moved to a system where you can earn status solely based on how much you spend or based on a combination of flying and spending, where the spend requirement is slightly lower.
Now, United is further lowering the requirements by offering additional free Premier Qualifying Points. Members will soon receive a deposit of 15% to 20% of their elite status level’s PQP requirements as an incentive to earn 2023 status, though the amount members receive will not be standard, unfortunately.
United will take into account a number of things when determining how many Premier Qualifying Points will be deposited, including:
Hot Tip: MileagePlus elites can check their progress towards status in 2023 at mystatus.united.com.
The airline is really trying to ensure that flyers who previously flew with United are going to fly with United in the future. By making status easy to earn, and taking into account that 2022 has already started off rough with the Omicron variant, the hope is that travelers with status will continue to utilize that status and make an effort to meet all requirements in 2022 for the 2023 elite year.
If an airline doesn’t offer big incentives such as this, there is a risk a customer may switch their loyalty to another airline — a move no airline ever wants to see — so the generosity here is certainly strategic (and welcome if you’re a recurring United flyer).
Hot Tip: See what other accommodations your favorite airlines are making for their loyalty programs in our guide: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Airline Elite Status Extensions, Changes, and Updates.
It’s nice to see United extending an olive branch to frequent flyers through an additional PQP deposit. Members will soon see these amounts deposited in their accounts, and these PQPs will provide a head start on earning status in 2023, a process that’s already been made easier through reduced qualification requirements.
![[Expired] Alaska Airlines Offers 2022 Elite Status Requalification Challenge](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alaska-Airlines-B737-900-landing-LAX.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=700)
