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Having elite status with United Airlines can make flying so much more pleasant. As a United Premier member, you’ll enjoy perks like preferred seating, upgrades, points bonuses, and more.
But, understanding how to earn elite status with United can appear a little complicated at first. Do you know what a PQP is or what counts as a flight segment? Don’t worry, we’ll spell it all out for you.
This post will show you everything you need to know to get United Airlines elite status, plus we’ll review each status level’s benefits and discuss whether or not it’s even worth it.
MileagePlus Premier is the name for elite status membership within the United MileagePlus loyalty program.
Before we can talk about how to earn United Airlines elite status there are a few terms you’ll need to understand, so let’s have a quick vocabulary lesson.
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF): This represents the number of flight segments flown. To earn status, at least 4 flight segments need to be flown on United or United Express in addition to other requirements.
A flight segment is simply a takeoff and a landing. Basic Economy tickets do not earn PQFs.
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): This is based on the base fare of the flight, including carrier-imposed surcharges but excluding taxes and other fees. Seating purchases and paid upgrades are included in this number. All tickets, including Basic Economy, earn PQPs.
You’ll earn PQFs and PQPs when you fly United or United Express plus these partner airlines:
The PQPs you can earn per flight on partner airlines are limited.
| Class of Service | Preferred Partner PQP Maximum | MileagePlus Partner PQP Maximum |
| First and Business | 1,500 | 1,000 |
| Economy and Premium Economy | 750 | 500 |
PQFs and PQPs are credited to the MileagePlus member that flies, not the member that purchases the ticket.
You can earn PQPs toward Premier status based on your annual spending on select United MileagePlus credit cards.
The following credit cards earn 500 PQP per $12,000 spent. There is a maximum of 1,000 PQP earned per card unless otherwise noted:
The following cards are no longer open to new applicants but existing cardholders can still earn 500 PQPs per $12,000, with a maximum of 1,000 PQPs (unless otherwise noted):
The United Gateway℠ Card and United MileagePlus card with no annual fee (no longer available to new applicants) do not earn PQP.
PlusPoints is an elite status upgrade benefit for Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members. They can be used to upgrade flights on United and United Express as well as the following partner airlines:
PlusPoints can be used to upgrade multiple segments on the same itinerary and they won’t be deducted from your account until your upgrade is confirmed. Premier Platinum members will receive 40 PlusPoints on qualification. Premier 1K members will receive 280 PlusPoints upon qualification and can earn an additional 20 PlusPoints for every 3,000 PQP earned after 18,000 PQP (not including PQPs earned from credit card spend).
PlusPoints upgrades are based on flight distance (short-haul vs. long-haul), fare purchased, and the requested seat.
For short-haul flights, here’s how many PlusPoints you’ll need to upgrade:
| Upgrade From | Upgrade To | PlusPoints Cost |
| Economy | First or Business | 20 |
| Premium Plus | 20 | |
| Premium Plus | Business | 10 |
Short-haul flights are those without United Polaris business class and include flights within the U.S. and flights between the U.S. and Canada, Bogota, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Quito, and intra-Asia flights.
For long-haul flights, here’s how many PlusPoints you’ll need to upgrade.
| Upgrade From | Upgrade To | PlusPoints Cost |
| Discounted Economy | United Polaris | 80 |
| Economy | United Polaris | 40 |
| Premium Plus | 20 | |
| Premium Plus | United Polaris | 30 |
Long-haul flights are those that include United Polaris business class between the U.S. and Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand, South America, and Tahiti.
United is offering Premier elite members a chance to jumpstart their elite status earnings for the 2024 elite year. Based on the elite status earned in 2022 (for the 2023 elite year), members will see extra PQP automatically added to their accounts.
| Elite Level Earned in 2022 for 2023 | Extra PQP Deposited in Account |
| Premier Silver | 500 PQP |
| Premier Gold | 1,000 PQP |
| Premier Platinum | 1,500 PQP |
| Premier 1K | 2,500 PQP |
These extra PQP will be awarded to anyone holding Premier status (except for trial elite status) as of February 1, 2023.
To qualify for United elite status you’ll need to earn a minimum number of PQP and PQF or a higher number of PQP. For either option, a minimum of 4 segments must be flown on United Airlines or United Express.
| Elite Level | PQP and PQF | PQP Only | Flight Segments on United or United Express |
| Premier Silver | 12 PQF and 4,000 PQP | 5,000 PQP | 4 |
| Premier Gold | 24 PQF and 8,000 PQP | 10,000 PQP | 4 |
| Premier Platinum | 36 PQF and 12,000 PQP | 15,000 PQP | 4 |
| Premier 1K | 54 PQF and 18,000 PQP | 24,000 PQP | 4 |
It’s easy to track your progress toward United elite status.
You can log in to your United MileagePlus account and scroll down to Premier progress for a quick glance at your progress (or you can use this link). To see a detailed look at your progress including your PQPs, PQFs, and a comparison of benefits offered at each status level click on View Premier status tracker.
If you have elite status with another airline, you can request a status match to United Premier status through June 30, 2023.
After requesting a status match challenge, United will offer Premier status for 120 days. Your matched status can be extended by completing a required number of PQFs and PQPs on United and United Express flights.
Here’s a look at the status match levels for some of the most popular airlines:
| Airline Program | Match to Premier Silver | Match to Premier Gold | Match to Premier Platinum |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | Silver Medallion | Gold Medallion | Platinum Medallion |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Gold | Platinum | Platinum Pro |
| JetBlue Airways TrueBlue | Mosaic | N/A | N/A |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | A-List | A-List Preferred | N/A |
| British Airways Executive Club | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Silver | Gold | N/A |
Here are the requirements for maintaining matched status after the initial 120-day period:
Bottom Line: If you have elite status with another airline, you can request a status match challenge from United Airlines. You’ll get United Premier status for 120 days and have the opportunity to extend the status by completing a required number of PQF and PQP.
Having United MileagePlus Premier status comes with lots of great benefits. Each level has its own unique perks but there are some basic benefits that you’ll be able to enjoy at any level of United elite status:
United Premier Silver is the base level of elite status but it still offers some great benefits:
In addition to the benefits offers at Premier Silver status, you’ll enjoy these additional benefits when you achieve United Premier Gold status:
United Premier Platinum members receive the same benefits as Premier Gold status, plus these additional benefits:
United Premier 1K Status is the highest level of elite status you can get. It comes with all of the benefits of the lower levels plus these premium perks:
United Global Services is the fifth level of United Airlines elite status. This invitation-only status is reserved for only the most loyal and high-spending United customers. The qualifications are not published so it’s unknown exactly how to score an invitation to this cream-of-the-crop elite status.
You’ll earn lifetime Premier status when you qualify for the Million Miler Program. This is based on the actual distance flown on United and United Express flights. The level of lifetime status you’ll receive is based on the number of miles flown.
| Number of Miles Flown | Lifetime Status Level |
| 1 million | Premier Gold |
| 2 million | Premier Platinum |
| 3 million | Premier 1K |
Bottom Line: There are 4 main levels of elite status within the United MileagePlus program — Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K. In addition, there’s an invitation-only level of elite status that’s reserved for only the best United customers called United Global Services. Plus, when you fly at least 1 million miles on United and United Express, you’ll earn lifetime Premier status through the Million Miler Program.
We’ve gone over in detail the value of United elite status at the airport and on the plane (seating and upgrades) in other posts so we’ll just take a quick high-level look here.
United Premier members get 3 free checked bags in premium cabins plus 1 to 3 free checked bags in economy class. United baggage fees can add up quickly, so you can save a lot of money with this perk. Let’s say you fly United 6 times a year in economy and check 1 bag each time — you’ll save $360 at a minimum and your savings could be much higher depending on how often you fly.
If you want to save on checked bags but don’t have United elite status quite yet, check out one of the United credit cards that come with free checked bags.
Getting complimentary preferred seating can be a huge savings. With this perk, you won’t have to pay the $20 to $40 average cost per flight segment for a preferred seat. If you fly 6 direct round-trips a year and pay an average of $30 each way, this perk could save you $360. That number can dramatically increase when you factor in flights that aren’t direct since you pay for preferred seating per flight segment.
Economy Plus offers a few extra inches of legroom and is located in the front of the economy cabin. The price for these seats varies by route but can be as much as $199! Assuming an average of $100 per flight, you’d save $1,200 if you fly 6 times a year and get an upgrade to Economy Plus seating each time.
United offers a subscription to Economy Plus which starts at $599 for 1 person flying domestically and goes up to $1,299 for up to 8 people flying globally, so you may want to use these numbers when you’re determining the value of United status.
As a United Premier member, you’ll earn 2x to 6x miles more per dollar on United, United Express, and select partner airlines. A Premier Silver member who spends the minimum of $5,000 on flights per year would earn an additional 10,000 United miles (versus a member without Premier status). A Premier 1K member who spends the minimum of $24,000 would earn an extra 144,000 miles — worth $1,872 based on our valuations.
Bottom Line: The value of having United Airlines elite status adds up quickly. Even just taking into account a few elite status perks, you’re nearing $1,000 in value pretty easily. This number will only increase the more you fly and the more you take advantage of your other Premier status benefits.
Having United Airlines elite status comes with lots of benefits and perks. The 4 levels of United Premier status all offer different benefits but some things like priority check-in, free checked bags, and free preferred seating are offered to all Premier members regardless of elite level.
The information regarding the First Hawaiian Bank United® Card, United MileagePlus® Awards Card, United MileagePlus® Business Card, United MileagePlus® Card, United MileagePlus® Platinum Class Visa Card, United MileagePlus® Select Card, United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Business Card and United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
To become a United MileagePlus Premier member, you need to achieve a certain number of PQF and PQP. To earn the base level Silver Premier status, you’ll need to earn 12 PQFs and 4,000 PQP or 5,000 PQP. In addition, you’ll need to fly at least 4 flight segments on United or United Express.
No, you can’t buy United Airlines elite status.
Yes, if you have elite status with another airline you can request a status match from United.
The highest elite status for most United flyers is Premier 1K. However, there is also an invitation-only status called United Global Services that’s reserved for only the most dedicated and high spending flyers. The requirements for this level of elite status are unpublished so it’s unclear exactly what you have to do to earn this status, but it’s safe to say it’s out of reach for most of us.
To earn United Premier Gold status you’ll need to earn 24 PQF and 8,000 PQP or 10,000 PQP. In addition, you’ll need to fly at least 4 flight segments on United or United Express.
PQP and PQF are terms United uses for qualification levels for elite status.
PQP stands for Premier Qualifying Points. It’s based on the base fare of the flight including carrier-imposed surcharges but excluding taxes and other fees. Seating purchases and paid upgrades are included in this number.
PQF stands for Premier Qualifying Flights, which is the number of flight segments flown.
Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members can use United PlusPoints to upgrade their flights on United, United Express, Copa Airlines, Lufthansa, and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
Premier Platinum members get 40 PlusPoints. Premier 1K members get an additional 280 PlusPoints. Plus, 1K members can earn an additional 20 PlusPoints for every 3,000 PQP earned beyond 18,000 PQP.
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Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure and Forbes Advisor.
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33 comments
Louis
February 17, 2022
Is it possible to get Silver status just from credit card spending without actually flying?
Christine Krzyszton
February 17, 2022
Hi Louis. Unfortunately not. Regardless of how many PQP you earn by spending on your United credit card (note that maximums apply to each card), you must fly 4 qualifying flights on UA to earn any status.
Piers Vaughan
February 17, 2022
Hi! I’ve just received an invitation to join Silver Status for a dollar amount. My question is this: if I were to purchase my Silver Status, does that mean I ‘d only have to get 8 PQFs and 3,000 PQPs to get to Gold Status, or would I have to get the full 16 PQFs and 6,000 PQPs to qualify?
Piers Vaughan
February 17, 2022
I just spoke with United’s Chatbox, and it’s correct: if I buy Silver that’s the equivalent of paying the 3,500 PQP for a significantly educed rate, so I can get Gold for only 3,000 PQP and 8 PQFs! Given that Status lasts till Jan 2024 that’s actually quite a good deal! I was expecting to get Silver this year, so now I can pay up front and go for Gold!
Jarrod West
February 18, 2022
Hi Piers,
You’d still have to get the full 16 PQF’s and 6,000 PQP’s to qualify for Gold status.
Alan Weisberger
May 27, 2022
If I accumulate enough to earn 1K status in mid year, do I gain anything immediately or not until the next year begins on February first of next year?
Chris Hassan
May 27, 2022
Hi Alan,
You would receive most of the benefits immediately, no need to wait until the new year.
Uche A
August 13, 2022
If I use my points to book UA or UE segments, would those still count toward the segment requirement?
Jarrod West
August 15, 2022
Hi Uche,
Unfortuantley, only cash tickets count towards the segment requirement.
Jyll
September 29, 2022
I’m short 50 PQP’s to reach gold. Without purchasing another flight, how can I earn 50 PQP’s?
Jarrod West
October 03, 2022
Hi Jyll,
You can also earn PQPs without flying by using United credit cards.
Thomas
October 03, 2022
I have 39 flights so far this year on United…enough for 1K status.
BUT, I’m behind in the PQPs. I need about 4000 to fully qualify for 1K.
My flights are usually domestic and not too expensive, I guess.
What’s my best strategy to get over the line here?
Jarrod West
October 03, 2022
Hi Thomas,
Have you considered using United credit cards to earn extra PQPs? For instance, you can earn up to 3,000 PQPs each year with the United Quest card, and up to 4,000 PQPs each year with the United Infinite card.
Jamie
November 29, 2022
When do these PQPs come through for using United credit cards? I’ve used mine plenty this year and don’t see where these are coming in. I’m behind on PQPs and almost have PQFs for 1K, but worried Platinum will be short because of the way these PQPs are being chosen by whomever. They make no sense from Costa Rica to domestic flights. I’ve seen more with a domestic, 2hr flight PQPs, than a 4hr international flight segment. How is this possible for the bean counters to selectively hand out PQPs? This doesn’t make sense.
Christine Krzyszton
November 30, 2022
Hi Jamie. You earn very few PQP for spending on United credit cards, just 500 for $12,000 in spending. Once you’ve reached that spending level, the PQP will post after the credit card statement closes. PQP are also earned based on ticket price so it is possible that an expensive short flight would earn more than a long international flight, depending on the ticket price. To learn more about how PQP are calculated, here is some more information:https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/premier/qualify.html
Greg
October 24, 2022
If I am between Gold & Platinum status on United – is there a fee I can pay to qualify for Platinum?
Jarrod West
October 24, 2022
Hi Greg,
Usually, towards the end of the year, United will offer the opportunity to buy up to the next status level. The fee for this can vary — generally speaking though it is usually not a great deal.
Kin M
October 31, 2022
I have 19 PQF but only 4000 points so still only quality for Silver. Any chance I can request United to upgrade me to Gold based on this years activities? I wanted to qualify for Star Alliance gold status
Jarrod West
October 31, 2022
Hi Kin,
You can always ask, but I would say that it is unlikely they will do so.
Kin
November 01, 2022
Thanks Jarrod. Is there a dedicated mileage plus status email for united?
Jarrod West
November 01, 2022
Hi Kin,
The exact details of the email vary from year to year, but offers are usually sent out in December.
Greg H.
February 04, 2023
Hi,
I believe you’re incorrect about award travel not qualifying for PQF. https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/help/faq/premier-qualification.html. Award travel on a partner airline does not qualify, but if you travel on United with award travel it will be counted towards status PQF.
Jarrod West
February 24, 2023
Hi Greg,
Thanks for pointing that out. We have corrected the post.
richard h
February 14, 2023
Your article above mentioned “A flight segment is simply a takeoff and a landing. Basic Economy tickets and award travel tickets do not earn PQFs.”
I believe that is partially incorrect. Per UA’s website “Members will earn PQP when they travel on award tickets based on the number of miles redeemed at a rate of 100 miles to 1 PQP. So, if you fly on an award ticket that required 10,000 miles, you will earn 100 PQP. Each flight segment on an itinerary will earn 1 PQF.”
This is part of the “new” changes
Katie Seemann
February 15, 2023
Hi Richard,
Yes, you are correct and this post is going through an update right now. Thanks for reading!
TNP
March 24, 2023
My ticket to Europe on United has a segment from Frankfurt to Copenhagen operated by Lufthansa. Does that leg count as a PQF?
Christine Krzyszton
March 24, 2023
Yes, United Star Alliance partner flights count as PQF. These flights do not count toward the 4 minimum flights you need on United metal to qualify for any Premier Elite Status.
Michael Karr
April 15, 2023
I applied for the Quest card in February this year and nearly have the spend completed for an 80K signup bonus. About a week after I was approved, I had a Club card offer for 90k come to me in the mail. I’m guessing by the time I was approved for the quest, that club mailer was already on its way.
I called Chase and had two different reps tell me different things about being able to take both sign up bonuses within a year. Am I able to grab the Club card sign up bonus as well if I am approved and meet the spend requirement? Should I hold the Quest for the full year and then downgrade it to a Gateway after the account anniversary?
For the long term, I think the Club card will be worth it since I usually fly United 8-10x a year on a consistent basis. I have not had either card in the last 24 months either and am 3/24
Katie Seemann
April 17, 2023
Hi Michael,
As long as you haven’t earned a bonus on either card in the last 24 months, you should be eligible for the welcome bonus. The only exception would be if there are different terms listed in the Club card mailer you received. I would double check that that offer has the usual terms and if so, you should be able to get both bonuses.
Madeline Gonzalez
June 13, 2023
How do credit card PQPs work for a couple? I’m assuming the 500 PQPs after spending $12,000 would go ONLY to the primary cardholder. Is this correct? So, if we always travel together, we would have the same PQPs granted on travel, but one of us would have more PQPs because they were earned on the credit card. Does this mean that one spouse could potentially have silver status and the other one gold?
Jarrod West
June 13, 2023
Hi Madeline,
That is correct. You will each earn PQPs based on how expensive the fare was, and one of you will earn slightly more by using the credit card for these purchases and meeting the PQP threshold.
Chris
August 19, 2023
I don’t see anymore the option “Upgrade to business buy Premium Economy” anymore when searching for PQP Upgrades on United.
Jeff H
September 21, 2023
Unfortunately I just found out that the statement “A flight segment is simply a takeoff and a landing.” is not quite true.
I recently booked a round trip from SFO to MSP through Denver both ways. Unbeknownst to me, my travel department booked the outbound on what is called a “through flight” – both flight segments have the same flight number (even though there was a change of planes in DEN). United treats this as a single flight segment – in more ways than one.
My PQF credit for the the SFO-MSP via Denver was only 1, not 2. As explained to me by multiple people at United, it is because this is a “through flight with a stop in Denver” where the 2 flights are on the same flight number. It is considered a single segment – just as if I had flown nonstop from SFO to MSP. The “takeoff and landing” definition does not apply.
The other issue with the “through flight” is that I didn’t show up on the upgrade list for the 2nd DEN-MSP flight. The DEN gate agent tried her best to get me added to the upgrade list and called several people. The system would not let her (or the others) add me to the upgrade list even though there were 3 seats empty and I was the only 1K on the flight (so certainly would have got the upgrade). According to them, if I had been upgraded on the 1st leg (I wasn’t – I was #1 on the list when we took off) then I would have been upgraded on the 2nd leg. But since I was not upgraded on the 1st leg, I was not upgraded on the 2nd.
This is even weirder when you consider that some people booked only the 2nd leg (DEN-MSP) and the 2nd aircraft was a different seat configuration – so how could they guarantee that if I was upgraded on the 1st leg I would be upgraded on the 2nd?
So as one of the persons the Gate Agent in DEN spoke with said “Never book a through flight on United!”
BTW, the gate agent moved me to an exit row seat and blocked the other seats, so at least I had an exit row to myself.
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