United Global Services: How To Qualify & All the Benefits [2023]

Many people earn elite status with United Airlines every year. Some road warriors might even earn Premier 1K, the highest level of status available to most travelers. However, there is actually another level of elite status with United that tops them all: United Global Services.

If you are a Global Services member, you can expect to be a top-priority passenger and you’ll enjoy a bunch of fun perks. While this will be out of reach for the vast majority of travelers, it’s still amazing to see what United will do for some customers.

Let’s dig into United Global Services and see what it has to offer.

Table of contents

Elite Status on United
What Is United Global Services?
Qualifying for Global Services
Global Services Benefits
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Elite Status on United
What Is United Global Services?
Qualifying for Global Services
Global Services Benefits
Final Thoughts

Elite Status on United

Having MileagePlus elite status with United comes with a number of perks. The higher level of status you have, the more perks you can expect. For many who travel for work, this can mean fighting to earn Premier 1K status to improve their chances of upgrades on domestic flights.

However, earning top-tier Premier 1K status with United requires you (or your employer) to spend at least $18,000 on United flights each year (plus applicable segments). Premier Silver, Premier Gold, and Premier Platinum status levels are a bit easier to earn.

Each status level requires you to meet a Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) and Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) requirement or a higher PQP goal.

	Earn Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF)	and Premier Qualifying Points (PQP)	…or Meet a Higher PQP Goal
Silver	12	4,000	5,000
Gold	24	8,000	10,000
Platinum	36	12,000	15,000
1K	54	18,000	24,000

United credit cardholders can earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) through their annual credit card spend and can apply this earned PQP toward Premier 1K status.

Hot Tip: You can also check out our in-depth guide on the best ways of earning United miles. Note: Using a United card isn’t the fastest way of accumulating points with United!)

With these basics about United status in mind, you can start to see just how elite you must be to have United Global Services.

What Is United Global Services?

United Global Services is an invitation-only elite status with United MileagePlus that is given to some of United’s most elite and profitable customers.

With a United Global Services membership, passengers can expect a number of perks and customer service that far exceeds anything that other United passengers receive.

Qualifying for Global Services

The eligibility requirements for Global Services remain unpublished, so it is not known exactly how one can earn an invitation. However, these members typically spend thousands upon thousands of dollars per year on full-fare (i.e. changeable and refundable) tickets. You can check your United status at mystatus.united.com.

Some have even estimated that Global Services members spend upwards of $50,000 on airfare with United each year! If you arrange travel for your large company and have influence over travel decisions, you may be offered Global Services.

You can also qualify for Lifetime Global Services by flying a whopping 4 million miles. Obviously, this will take many years to earn.

Global Services Benefits

While it’s hard to confirm all the benefits that Global Services members receive, several specific benefits have been revealed. Let’s discuss some of these perks.

Upgrade Priority

When it comes to upgrade priority, Global Services members are at the front of the line. This can be especially important when booking economy class tickets on transcontinental flights.

Upgrades on Award Flights

Premier members who have one of the co-branded United cards are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) on award flights. To upgrade, there must be space in the RN fare class.

Meanwhile, Global Services members can receive a CPU if there is space in the PN fare class, which often has much better availability. While Global Services members receive access to this PN fare class availability, Premier members do not.

More Upgrade Availability With Miles and Certificates

United Polaris Seat — Global Services members can use Global Premier Upgrades on award flights. Image Credit: United

Global Services members can also redeem United miles for upgrades into the PN fare class. As we mentioned above, the PN fare class has much better availability than the standard upgrade space (RN fare class).

Additionally, PlusPoints can also be used by Global Services members to upgrade award tickets.

Companion Saver Award With a Cash Ticket

United Polaris Middle Seats — Book a business class cash ticket, and a Global Services companion can book a saver level business class award. Image Credit: United

When you consider the fact that those with Global Services are not only spending a lot of money on United but also traveling very frequently, the companion perk is a really nice touch from United.

If a Global Services member books a cash ticket, she or he may bring along a companion for the cost of a saver level award ticket. This allows members to extend a work trip into a vacation with a spouse, loved one, or friend.

Not only that, but these companion saver level awards are available in whatever cabin the Global Services members have booked. That means if a member has paid for a business class ticket, his or her companion can book a business class award at saver level.

Jaguar Transfer Between Flights

Jaguar and United All Electric Gate to Gate Transfer — United and Jaguar have launched the first all-electric gate-to-gate airport transfer service in the U.S. Image Credit: United

Probably one of the coolest benefits of being a Global Services Member is a ride to your flight in a Jaguar. Now, Global Services members won’t receive this every time they connect, as it’s only used for tight connections at specific airports.

The airports with this Jaguar service include Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO).

Global Services Customer Service

Customer service is at its best for Global Services members. They can expect a dedicated phone line that very rarely has any wait time, United staff tracking their flight status to ensure connections are made, and getting served meals before anyone else when flying business class or first class.

United really goes above and beyond for its Global Services Members!

Private Check-in

Global Services members never have to worry about check-in lines when departing Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), Newark (EWR), or San Francisco (SFO). There are dedicated check-in areas just for them, which can be a huge benefit if running late.

Priority Boarding

While United sometimes struggles to get flights out on time and leaves passengers huddling around the gate, Global Services members will be the first to board and get settled into their seats.

Final Thoughts

Though most people will never spend enough to be considered for an invite to Global Services, a look at the benefits of membership is a great insight into how customer service at an airline could work.

Global Services members not only receive a number of benefits, but United really looks after them to ensure their travel experiences are seamless and enjoyable.

Featured Image Credit: United

Frequently asked questions

What is United Global Services?

Global Services is an invitation-only elite status with United Airlines that provides upgrade priority, allows upgrades on award bookings, provides increased award and upgrade space, and more.

How do you earn Global Services status?

The requirements are not publicly available, but some have guessed that you must spend at least $50,000 on flights with United per year. One sure way to earn Global Services is to fly 4 million miles over the course of your life.

How many PQP do you need for Global Services?

United doesn’t officially publish this, but a rough estimate based on public reports is approximately 50,000 PQPs a year.

Can Global Services use Polaris Lounge?

Global Services can use the Polaris lounge, but only when seated in first or business class on a qualifying international flight. Global Services members do not get access outside of flying in a premium cabin.

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About Spencer Howard

Always a fan of flying, it was only natural that Spencer was drawn to finding a way to improve the travel experience. Like many, he started this journey searching for cheap flights to take him around the world. This was fun for a while, but Spencer was intrigued by the idea of flying in business and first class! Throwing himself into what became an extensive research project, Spencer spent 3-4 hours per night learning everything he could about frequent flyer miles over the course of several months (he thinks this is normal).

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

55 comments

Phenex April 11, 2018

40K USD actually is enough, that’s how I did it the last two years.

Reply
Mike June 20, 2018

$40K could be enough but the point is, as the author states, the invitation is “given to some of United’s most elite and *profitable* customers”. So you’re stating revenue ($40K), we can’t tell how profitable your tickets were to United. I’ve hdone over $40K for several years but all on low margin non-refundable tickets so I’ve not been invited. Buying more refundable tickets, or buying business class outright is definitely going to help your chances of getting a Global Services invitation.

Reply
Distant Traveler August 5, 2018

I was confirmed yesterday for GS, YTD I’m ~$70K of spend with 7x Polaris round-trips to EU from NA and eighth R/T in another week plus a lot of mainline United flights (not only regional).

Reply
mwall August 26, 2018

One of your members shoved an oversized bag into an overhead compartment. Flight 4149 Halifax to Newark today after staff told him not to. The “guy” gave the staff member a hard time. He shoves it in and busted the door. We sat in airport for 6 hours to finally be told flight canceled. Now spending night. That “AH” got on the next flight that was booked up. So to let you know you have an “AH” in your program. I’ll spread the word. Hope he wasn’t a united executive. And why can’t your 14 dollar voucher buy booze?

Reply
- Alex Miller August 28, 2018
  
  We are not an airline, we are a blog that publishes content.
  
  Reply
  - Mike January 19, 2022
    
    You know your writing is great when the readers actually think it’s from United, very good blog and content thank you!
    
    Reply
    - Jarrod West January 19, 2022
      
      Hi Mike,
      
      We appreciate the kinds words, and thank you for reading!
      
      Reply
- lmao December 24, 2021
  
  LMAO!
  
  Reply
Nengadai September 7, 2018

It is published that Global Services for Life is a perk after 4 million paid miles. I am at 3.9 million, so UA only has a little time left to close that loophole.
Note also that Global Services is the FOURTH boarding group, not the first, after handicapped, military, and families with children. Boarding Group 1 is FIFTH. UA skirts this by referring to the others as “preboarding”, but they rearely start preboarding until after the published boarding time.
BTW, while GP members may not have United Club automatically, I received United Club for life at 2 million and 1K for life at 3 million. Nice perks, but recently UA reduced the awards miles by roughly a factor of 3, giving 11 miles/dollar instead of 2.5 miles per mile flown. A huge reduction in benefit. THey are compensating slightly by giving free meals and drinks to 1K flyers.

Reply
- Stephen Au September 17, 2018
  
  Hey Nengadai,
  
  Thanks for providing us with this information! It’s very helpful. Congratulations on nearly achieving Global Services for life.
  
  Reply
- Scott Cate January 6, 2019
  
  https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/boarding-process.aspx
  
  Shows GS is 4th now, Pre-boarding before Group 1.
  1. Unaccompanied minors
  2. Customers with disabilities
  3. Active members of the military
  4. United Global Services® members
  5. Families traveling with children age 2 and younger
  6. Premier® 1K® members
  
  Reply
- Van July 30, 2022
  
  Global Services is not the Fourth Boarding Group. It is: 1. Folks needing extra help to board. 2. Active Military 3. Global Services 4. Families traveling with children under the age of 2, 5. 1K , 6. Boarding Group 1.
  
  Reply
  - Christine Krzyszton July 30, 2022
    
    Hi Van. According to United’s website, unaccompanied minors have been added to the pre-boarding group as #1. In practice, however, the order you have described is accurate as we never hear them announce unaccompanied minors who are being escorted through boarding by United personnel.https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/airport/boarding-process.html
    
    Reply
Joost de Jong November 17, 2018

I am not sure about the $40K. I do about $500k miles a year, mostly in business. Only crickets regarding GS so far.

Reply
- Frqt Flr February 11, 2019
  
  Um, sorry, nope. If you spent $500k per year, you would be flying private, not United, and if you spent $500k per year, United would have granted you GS long ago. Nice try though.
  
  Reply
  - AB April 4, 2019
    
    good answer sir, you got this right.
    
    Reply
  - chogne December 13, 2019
    
    I’m pretty sure he meant 500K miles, not 500K dollars.
    
    Reply
- Louie Z. September 9, 2019
  
  Well, let’s talk about what spending $500k a year on business class looks like. The average round-trip business class price w/ tax as the longest flight UA hold, from SFO/LAX to PEK/HND/HKG/ is about $5k and it takes 11+12 +2= 25 hours per round-trip, so basically you spend more than 1/3 of your life on an airplane with no social life and jet lag every second. Can’t imagine how a human being would survive that.
  
  Reply
Elvin Lee January 7, 2019

GS for 2019: 68k PQD, 212 PQM

Reply
Jan Chaddock February 1, 2019

Thank you for this information.

Reply
GO April 7, 2019

I have been given GS status since the United-Continental merger every year but two, when I was Premium 1K.

While I cannot 100 % verify what I am presenting here, I feel that it makes sense and this is what I think.

There is no pre-set $ value for GS, rather they look at the normal distribution of money spent and give it to probably to the top 1%. There is a factor if someone is renewing the GS or has a long continuous history of being GS member.

So if the economy is bad, to be in the top 1% is easier as business people travel less so you would need less revenue to qualify. On the other hand, in a good economy, with more business and flying, the amount needed for qualification would be higher.

One important aspect though, you must fly on actual UA flights, not on a codeshare. You get points and miles on a codeshare, but they do not count toward GS.

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton April 13, 2019
  
  Thank you so much for sharing your perspective, GO. We appreciate you taking the time to comment.
  
  Reply
Samuel Haines June 20, 2019

GS used to be a better program before the United merged with Continental. A downgrade as far as the customer experience is concerned both at airports and flights. Having Newark and Houston as hubs after the merger certainly made it even worse.

Reply
Bob August 23, 2019

My company gets GS if you’re at a certain tier (job level) or above. About 30 people get it. We have United as a preferred partner for all travel. (4k employees)

Reply
Joanna Karatzas August 31, 2019

My husband got GS for 2019 with about 175,000 miles and $43,000 in premier qualifying dollars. He has received the status every year since 2012. We have liked the service although we have never experienced the top tier of other airlines.

Reply
Doug Nelson September 11, 2019

The going spend has been $50k – in the major markets. If you are in a big hub city like SFO where the United loyalty runs deep, the spend requirement is higher than a smaller non-hub city.

On another web site, we did polls of spend and miles flow to hit GS. We found the mileage didn’t matter, I had a co-worker that didn’t even hit 1k, yet his spend was north of $50k and received GS.

$50k was the pretty solid number, everyone on my team that crossed it got GS the following January. Under $50k in our major market and no love.

Reply
- Stephen Au September 11, 2019
  
  Hi Doug! Thanks for your stories and for sharing your experience.
  
  Reply
Plane Princess November 13, 2019

I travel what I feel like is a boat load for work. But my flights are not long. I rack up segments.

I am at 105k miles for the year and 135 segments with multiple flights remaining from now until the end of the year.

I have 1k from last year and clearly achieved for this year.

I have paid $35k PQD.

I am RARELY upgraded and feel no love or perks.

Does this year seem to be easier for people to gain perks with United? It seems everyone is 1k.

I am thinking of switching to delta…. thoughts?

Reply
Lee Cruise November 16, 2019

I am at 254k (PQM) & 160 (PQS) with over $60K spent, with several trips yet to finish this year. Would this get me to GS with United? Almost all flights were Business class.

Thanks

Lee

Reply
- Jarrod West November 18, 2019
  
  Hi Lee,
  
  The eligibility requirements for Global Services are not published, so there is no way to be certain. With that said, I would think those figures would give you a very good chance of being invited.
  
  Reply
  - Lee Cruise December 31, 2019
    
    Jarrod
    
    Thanks for the Info..
    I ended up with the following
    
    PQM 302,988
    PQS. 184
    PQD $81,534.00
    
    99% of PQD was first or Business Class.
    
    Let’s see if that qualifies for GS…
    
    Reply
    - Tiffany February 13, 2022
      
      Did you??
      United reinstate GS 3 years for me from 2019-2020-2021-2022
      
      Reply
- J w December 26, 2019
  
  Keep me posted. I hope to get it this year too. Best of luck, I have had 1k for 5 years and spent $54,000.
  
  Reply
Mike T December 5, 2019

I’m lucky at almost 5M miles so I crossed the threshold at 4m a while ago. My sense is you need ~ 150-200k miles with 4-6 international business class trips to drive up your $. Another benefit across mileage plus program that is great is the spouse/significant other shared status. I think this works at all levels (e.g., 1K as well), but my wife has Global Services status. This is great when she travels, and in helping get upgrades for her family on combined trips. I think it is why she is still married to me …..

Reply
GD January 2, 2020

Is the Private Check-In benefit only useful if one has luggage or is there something else the GS flyer would use it for?

Reply
- Jarrod West January 3, 2020
  
  Hi GD,
  
  It can also be useful when checking in for the flight if you haven’t already done so online.
  
  Reply
Jetsetter January 6, 2020

I just made GS myself with $77k spent in 2019. In order to qualify you have to use United Only, not flying let’s say Lufthansa and think that because they are partners, you get points too with United. So remember:

* Use only United (aka UA metal);
* If you can use business class versus economy, that’s a plus…
* you have to have spent minimum 100k for the past 3 years…
* it also helps if you are not flying out from a very busy airport… like SFO… where people/corporate people are traveling out of big cities and also have a larger portfolio…

I flew $40k in 2018 and didn’t manage to get GS. So now I am GS for 2020 and can’t be happier.
It’s achievable if work allows you to travel, otherwise, I guess you must have to win the lottery. 😉

Reply
- Jarrod West January 7, 2020
  
  Hi Jetsetter,
  
  Thanks for sharing this data point with the community. Congratulations and enjoy GS!
  
  Reply
Helen Hoesing February 12, 2020

Why does my comment state that it “is waiting moderation”? Helen

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton February 12, 2020
  
  Hello Dr Helen. We get dozens of questions and comments each day. These go into a queue and are answered by one of our staff members or writers who is familiar with the topic and can answer your question as accurately as possible. This process can take a couple days. It also ensures spam and profanity are not posted automatically
  to the blog. Thank you for your patience and for reading.
  
  Reply
Dr Helen Hoesing February 13, 2020

I am a global for life united member. Recently I booked a ticket for the least expensive and most restricted fares I read that premium seats for these tickets were not available but were for global members. However, when I tried to book the seat I was told that was not true. Has this changed and if so why? Helen

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton February 17, 2020
  
  Hello Dr. Helen. First, to be clear, we are not affiliated with United Airlines, we are Upgraded Points, a blog specializing in providing travel, points, and miles resources. Regarding your question, I am assuming you are referring to purchasing a basic economy fare ticket. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, these tickets are not upgradeable. Additionally, I was unable to find any information that Global Services members would get upgraded on such fares. You might want to make a call to your Global Services dedicated customer service line and ask them this question for a definitive answer.
  
  Reply
  - Markus August 10, 2020
    
    Basic Economy fares are not eligible for upgrades, no matter what status.
    
    Reply
    - Eric December 22, 2020
      
      Odd, I buy basic economy tickets and I am upgraded all the time. I’m just a gold member. Looks like I will miss platinum by $700.
      
      Reply
      - Christine Krzyszton December 24, 2020
        
        Hi Eric. The official policy is that basic economy tickets are not upgradeable. There are occasions, however, where it does happen and it sounds like you’ve been the fortunate recipient.
Duke Bolter March 8, 2021

I (and my spouse) are GS for life. I used to believe that was our lives that was the metric–now I am thinking it’s UAL life. We usually have our “Welcome stuff” by this time of the year. I wonder if this delay is normal for the times.

Reply
Ex Global Service March 20, 2021

As a global service member for years, during Covid I lost the status and then was given the status challenge option. I met the challenge status and it has been a month and I have not heard anything. I’ve called and emailed several times. First they said it would take 7 days from the point I completed the status challenge to have the status re-instated. It has now been a month. Calling the service center does no help, no one seems to know. Had I known that this was going to be this much delay and painful I would have never bothered. I’ve not lost a month of status flying. Some would say that I’m being extra difficult, but spending the challenge status amount is no small feat. That is still a lot of money. About to dispute the charge on my Amex now and fight to get my money back. Unfortunate that United can’t get its’ act together and continues to polarize its’ top customers.

Reply
- Fred August 30, 2021
  
  No one lost the status during covid, they extended everyone.
  
  Reply
  - Jack Rayburn September 14, 2021
    
    Correct. I’ve been GS since 2016 as 12 NA to EU and 3 or 4 NA to China business class trips a year on United. Several are last minute so full fare tickets.
    
    My last trip was February 2019 back from Europe. United extended my GS for 2020 & 2021.
    
    They have also contacted me to arrange a call as they wanted to understand when my work would resume international travel again. In that call they said it was highly likely to extend again for 2022 as travel has not yet resumed for many and they would make that decision in late 2021.
    
    Reply
Claudio November 16, 2021

To conclude, Yes, all Global Services members were extended till January 2023. Big relief!
That was the right move. United was the last one to extend Global services I believe 2 years ago but this time around, Global services were the first to be extended.

Reply
JB July 30, 2022

I was GS for 8 years between 2008 to 2016. At the time, word was it’s not about the absolute spent, but rather you got to be in the top 1% spenders, with some additional considerations regarding fare types. So during recessions, the threshold is lower and during the gogo years, it’s higher.

Reply
Christian V. September 15, 2022

How do you know what your annual $ flight spend is? I’m Premier 1K and made that after 3.5 months this year (my first full year flying United). I was also 1K last year flying half a year with United. Ever since then, it doesn’t show me my qualifying spend anymore since I already met their top qualification requirements. I have no idea what my $ is so far this year. I am also Executive Platinum on American but recently moved to Denver (United Hub) so fly exclusively now on United. I buy business class on every flight with several International trips. I don’t know if not having a history with united might hurt me for GS invite (or if they look at it fresh every year). Any help or feedback would be appreciated.

Reply
HP January 8, 2023

I just got GS for 2023 after many years as 1K. It took just over 57K PQP in 2022, mostly flying international business class out of SFO. My last flight was mid-dec and the status suddenly showed up on my profile early Jan. No welcome email or package yet but I can access the benefits page.

I don’t see any mention of companion saver award ticket or Jaguar/Benz transfers so those may be discontinued. For upgrades on award trips you have to call in.

Reply
Kevin January 14, 2023

Was GS for 5 years and just got email not in 2023. Flew 51k PQP and did not get including several trips to Europe and Hawaii. I think I did not get as I complained twice this year about the terrible service I got on those 2 trips so payback is no GS this year! Guess United can’t take constructive criticism!

Reply
- CT January 20, 2023
  
  Looks like you sealed your deal for 2024 as well if they read this… (let’s hope they don’t recognize you).
  
  Reply

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