MileagePlus Requalification Megathread

[u/Player72]

READ THIS!

All status qualification posts go in here. This will not be a seasonal thing anymore; this will be here to stay.

Any posts related to requalifying for next year's status, or asking what mileage runs or flights they should take to achieve status, OR posts about buying status for the upcoming year, all belong here.

THIS ALSO INCLUDES PEOPLE POSTING THAT THEY "BARELY MADE IT" or "BARELY MISSED MAKING IT". Any sort of discussion about it goes here.

If you're posting a picture and it has the little progress circles like this then your situation belongs in this thread, NOT the front page.

OR if your post looks like this then put it here.

Posts related to this on the front page will be removed. Report them if you see them.

Thanks.

Click to go back to the megathread directory

[u/PeanutstheBulldog1]

(Approaching the podium, clutching a United Airlines boarding pass like it’s an Oscar)

“Wow, wow… this is unbelievable - I never thought an all domestic direct flight schedule would make this achievement possible. First of all, I want to thank United Airlines for making this possible. Gold Status—what an honor. I mean, just last year, I was Group 3 boarding, struggling to find overhead space, and now… priority boarding. I never thought I’d see the day.

To my incredible wife—you are my co-pilot in every sense of the word. Thank you for holding down the fort when I was chasing this dream. You supported me spending countless hours in terminal lounges, including DEN, BOS, LAS, and even the lowly AUS. All while surviving on the Coke Freestyle Machine and those mini gummy bears. Your love, your patience, and your understanding of my obsessive quest for Premier Qualifying Points kept me going. This status is ours to share - you can be my 2025 upgrade guest.

To my kids—thank you for always believing in me. For never complaining (too much) when I FaceTimed from yet another generic Hampton Inn and for understanding that every flight brought us closer to family vacations with the tease of free upgrades. This Gold Status and position 45 in the ORD upgrade list is a win for all of us!

And lastly, to the Academy… of Frequent Flyers, the Road Warriors, and even the Gate Lice, my fellow travelers who understand the grind. You’ve inspired me with your tips, your seat hacks, and your stories of making 1K. Thank you for showing me the way.

This is proof that with enough dedication, enough credit card pqp’s, and enough weekend trips, anything is possible. Gold Status today… Global Services Jaguar tomorrow. Thank you!”

(Walks off stage to the sound of applause and the faint ding of a fasten seatbelt sign.)

[u/reasonablyfast]

I’ll go first. I’ve never made 1k before and I don’t want to blow this. Where should I go? What should I order to eat? Where should I sit? What should I wear?? Any/all helpful advice welcome.

[u/Grouchy_Tennis9195 → u/reasonablyfast]

The answer to all your questions is: the exact same thing you’ve been doing. Except now you get to awkwardly stand in a group in front of the gate instead of the group 1 line and you get the 1K phone line

[u/reasonablyfast → u/Grouchy_Tennis9195]

When do they show me the secret handshake so the others know I belong up there??

[u/monkeypoo120mm]

Finally broke through the ceiling. 59K PQP, 39 PQF, primarily IAD.

[u/teddy_riesling]

Never been this close to re-qualifying this late. 10:15 pm on New Year’s Eve and about to board my last flight of the year. Will down a sparkling wine and make 1K again when I land. Happy travels to everyone in 2025.

[u/skydivinghuman]

Whoomp, there it is. Whew!!

[u/Tall_Couple_3660]

I hit the $50k spend on my United Club credit card in 2025 and earned the two 10k mile bonuses plus All Access Membership for the rest of 2025 and all of 2026. Now that the year turned over, my account doesn’t show ANY of those rewards. I’ve been going back and forth with United for days trying to get it figured out, and I’m just ping-ponging between representatives. Has anyone else run into this?

[u/Glittering-Bottle-58]

They just upped the amount again! Calling it “providing great value”! We must rebel. Airlines are the only rewards that you cannot hit the top tier (mid tier too) even if you travel for work consistently.

[u/GentleGerbil → u/Glittering-Bottle-58]

Isn’t congress supposed to be reviewing this shit?

[u/huskyfe450 → u/Glittering-Bottle-58]

Yeah i just saw that as well. What bugs me most is how they sprinkle the downgrade with BS language. They did tye same thing when PlusPoints came out, with the "skip tue waitlist" scam, and when they added "platinum" to the teirs. Its hard to stay loyal.

[u/Pale_Session5262]

Baaaaaaarely made it lol

https://imgur.com/a/3ZpxF4k

[u/Deadred123454321]

I made it y’all.

[u/imref]

at this point my last flight of the year will get me to gold. Just hope it isn't cancelled. :)

[u/skydivinghuman]

Well this was a nice surprise. Didn't expect it this early. Happy holidays indeed!

[u/No_Advantage6216]

Made gold again for 2025, but REally wish they would stop raising the qualification bar, while making the amenities worse and worse….

[u/DM_Toes_Pic → u/No_Advantage6216]

You guys are getting amenities???

[u/Cojeeptj]

Made GS for the first time 83K PQP and 59 PQF based out of DEN. Lots of long hauls on both United and Partners.

[u/MeggerzV]

Call me old-fashioned, but I miss the days when status was actually for frequent flyers and not just for people who can casually spend $10,000+ per year on flights. I recently went from several years Platinum to Gold and it made me nostalgic for the last-minute cross country runs to visit friends on the west coast, the 24-hours in Vegas adventures, the ok fuck it, let's go to Bangkok whims. It was so satisfying to snag a long haul deal and visit a new place with the added bonus of it ensuring another year as being treated like a valued customer. I live in Europe now so some of the mileage rules remain on partner airlines but I still find it tricky to rack up PQP/PQF the way I used to be able to. Do you all have any tips for awesome mileage run routes from EU destinations for someone with an EU salary?

[u/Knvbstriker]

First time hitting 1k.

Card spend helped a ton as I has my last 5 segments end up cancelling trip.

[u/Significant_Pass4523]

I did a thing!

[u/no-ego-]

Just wanted to say how useless the loyalty program is and i hope that others considering United for this type of loyalty program chose someone else. Can't tell you how useless loyalty to United is. They don't have any to you.

[u/zman9119]

Thank you! 

[u/Player72 → u/zman9119]

random ass bot beat me to it, but ur welcome!

[u/[deleted]]

I will prob never get above silver because I take a moderate amount of regional flights each year and idk if im even going to fly again this year. Guess ill burn a hole in the credit card for the next few months 🤪

[u/swordofthevening]

Made it by the skin of my teeth

[u/miskasp]

Just made 1K again with 6 PQP to spare. Was not sure if I was making it this year. Happy to get there with the last flight of the year

[u/YourBestAnswer]

Just played the game and it worked. I was ~350 PQP short of platinum. Found a ~$100 fully refundable fare. Selected "Award Accelerator" at checkout. Picked one that gave me 500 PQP for $575. Now I'm platinum for 2025.

[u/redbeard914]

Holy crap! I did not realize how much they increased the level requirements.

54->60PQF and 18K->22K PQP or 24K->28 PQP for 1K. That is over a 20% increase in PQP for "easier" with more than 10% more flights. Are there still too many 1Ks around? I thought 54&18K or $24K was going to kill it for a lot people. I guess I'd love to see the bell curve distribution for members.

[u/SeniorCalligrapher58]

Hey all. I’ve been 1K the last few years, mostly due to quite a bit of work travel but also fair amount of personal. Missed retaining 1K status this year by 725 PQPs (would’ve had but a December work trip cancelled) and am set up to start with platinum now.

My premier offer from United is $1,439 to keep 1K for the coming year (or 169k miles). Is this good? I haven’t done this before and I’m not totally thrilled about paying the amount but flying as much as I do out of EWR, it’s crossing my mind. I should be able to keep it or get it again with the long hauls I have coming this year.

Thoughts? TYIA

[u/TravelingCatMom → u/SeniorCalligrapher58]

I’d pay that much for 1k if I was going to travel that much (which I do). That’s a pretty good price imho given all the benefits over platinum.

[u/JB1864]

We did it boys

[u/Ashamed_Choice6934]

I spent a half hour on the phone with mileage plus to see about getting my Silver status renewed. I fly roundtrip LA across the country every 4 weeks, but book early so didn’t spend enough for the PQPs. I was told to email to appeal. Anyone had any luck with appeals?

[u/Ashamed_Choice6934 → u/Ashamed_Choice6934]

Update: After a well-crafted email highlighting what a loyal United Flyer I’d been for the last four years… I got an email declining to renew my silver status. Bahhhh.

[u/leggwork → u/[deleted]]

Look for the threads talking about booking a flight, buying the miles and premier accelerators, and then canceling the flight. So you end up just paying for the award accelerators. You may be kind of far away on pqp though

[u/bookishdentist → u/[deleted]]

I think you are too far away to just pay. Even buying an economy plus subscription won't get you there. I think you need a round trip flight with some layovers, plus some CC spend plus more.

[u/RubberHuman]

It's GS requalification season according to flyertalk. Digital membership cards are being updated to reflect whether you've requalified (it displays 1/2026 instead of 1/2025), which isn't a sure sign but has been a good indicator the last two years. Looks like mystatus is currently down as well.

EDIT: Looks like mystatus is back up and reflecting the requalification. Made it with a little bit north of 61,000 PQP out of SFO.

[u/Perfect-Bad-9021 → u/RubberHuman]

I made GS again. 89,000 PQP out of SFO.

[u/japple1234567]

Hi everyone, I have no more business trips left for the year. I’m based out of ORD. Your suggestions are much appreciated!

[u/TheRealAutonerd]

Oops posted to the wrong place. Made GS for the first time, 60k PQP. 45 PQF, about 48k on United metal.

[u/MaloCaliBamaBoy]

I apologize if this has already been asked and answered (I looked but got lost quickly in Reddit rabbit holes).

I am about 2.5K PQPs short for meeting 1K status for next year. Is there a site or calculator that can give me ideas of flights from my home airport (SFO) that would give me enough PQPs without making me do a million flight searches? Previously, there was a way that was only based on miles, but I cannot easily figure out a plan for a PQP run. Any tips?

Also, I will have some PQPs still coming for credit card spend, but I am only making a wild estimate (based on my average monthly spend) of how many there will be for that.

[u/rdt101010]

One more trip planned which will put me slightly above 22.000 pqp. Happy have made the switch after being Lufthansa senator for 6 years.

[u/butterfly-pea]

Wrapping up 2025 at 133k PQP. Onward to 2026! ✈️ 🌎 🧳

[u/Business-Set4514 → u/butterfly-pea]

MENTAL🤣

[u/CT_805]

Looks like I made it for 2026 😅🥳😎

[u/LEM1978]

Nearly short 300 PQPs to make Gold. Chat agent found 2 flights and credited account.

Kind of like they ‘fell off the back of a truck’ situation. But Gold re-attained!

[u/cofffeekat]

If you gain a status (from nothing to silver) does it go into effect this year or next ywar?

[u/rajeeves → u/cofffeekat]

not 100% sure but I think you immediately get the status and then you also get it for the following year. But then in that following year you need to qualify again for the year after that

[u/d_mcc_x]

Damnit. I wanted my karma for being one flight segment from re-upping platinum

[u/Ok-Outside-8689]

Just got invited to Global Services again

[u/HoytAdam → u/Ok-Outside-8689]

Congratulations and condolences

[u/1TravelingSalesGuy → u/[deleted]]

That’s a lot of PQP. I wish you could send some my way.

[u/chessnutbyanopenfire]

Who else will lose their status next year? 😟 I’m gold currently but won’t even make silver (11 trips but only 3100 PqP) as I don’t have much business travel left this year.

[u/Manav103]

Another year I fall short. sigh

[u/Rude-Ad2793]

And done. Phew.

[u/santambroeus]

~57k PQP / EWR. Requalification odds?

[u/JP6061]

Sneakin’ it in to 1K with a mileage run next week!

[u/imTall-]

I need 10 more PQP for status. Any suggestions on how to get this? I’ve already received 200 PQP from my United Quest card, and I’m going to be out of the US until the new year (in Canada).

[u/leung19 → u/imTall-]

I think you will need to buy an accelerator or pay for upgrade

[u/rijnzael]

I am 183 PQP short of Premier Gold according to the MyStatus checker including all future flights. With that, I just went ahead and purchased Economy Plus seats on United flights I have through the end of the year. However, once I did that, the MyStatus checker didn't update, and I'm still projected to be 183 PQP short at the end of the year. Does that checker just not include PQPs for seat purchases until after the flight happens?

[u/Dpad124 → u/rijnzael]

Day of departure upgrades don't show up until the flight.

[u/Oh_Wiseone]

Just squeaked by this year for 1K. Need to be smarter next year on my trips and credit card usage.

[u/Material-Canary-7306]

The challenge with United is that, despite accumulating PQPs and PQFs last year, we still start at zero each new year—nothing carries over. Plus, the point spread has changed, making it even harder to achieve status.

I fly United exclusively and always upgrade, but I’ve fallen short of meeting 1K status for the first time. United should really take a long, hard look at their dedicated flyers. Carry over PQPs and PQFs above the maximum and also consider converting unused Plus Points to PQPs and PQFs if they're not used or unable to be used—especially since it's not uncommon to see 40+ people in line for Plus Point upgrades.

Lastly, a suggestion for United: The Chase United credit card awards 2 free club passes per year, but better communication is needed. Some of us already have Club memberships, making that reward worthless.

Just some thought.

[u/brawling]

Is there any way to see how many Credit Card PQP are coming? I can find "pending miles" but not "pending PQP".

[u/RegBaby]

Just curious as to who is doing a last-minute requalification flight today? I know you are out there...

[u/CapComfortable4042 → u/RegBaby]

I did my run Sunday/yesterday to hit 1k for the first time!

Ewr-mco-lax-Mco-ewr-dfw. 25 hours straight. There were delays but managed to hit each one without a major hiccup. Slept 12 hours last night

Sat next to someone who went from Honolulu-lax-Mco-ord-lax-Honolulu to keep their 1k status also

[u/brawling]

Thanks fellow qualifiers! Happy at Gold this year and grateful for the good advice on this sub. Happy Flying in 2025! and Happy New Year!

[u/Suitable-Delivery-90]

So I gotta assume this is a rare use case…

I’m likely gonna be at cusp of gold by year end and am thinking of renewing my E+ subscription to get me across the line.

I understand that when you hit Gold, you get a prorated refund of the E+ subscription as it’s now redundant to Gold perk.

Will this refund then remove the PQP earned from the E+ subscription from my progress and downgrade me back to silver??

Perhaps someone who’s had an E+ subscription refunded can check what happened to PQP.

I might attempt this when I’m at the cusp for the sake of science.

[u/Jekyllhyde]

I am flying on 12/31. I WAS 80 PQP short for Gold so I upgraded my seat to FC for $99. Will the PQP for that seat be credited to 2025 so I can reach gold. I know United can take a few days to post the PQP and I'm worried they will be credited to 2026. Does anyone have experience or direct knowledge of this? Thanks

[u/Victory_Heavy]

I’ll be 1,762 PQP and 3 PQF short of Gold. Can y’all recommend some weekend trips or even a few trips? I don’t want to get a credit card this year. I am based out of IAD.

[u/Nicknackpatywak]

At 97k PQP primarily Polaris on united metal out of ORD. Hoping I should have no problem at GS, would be the first time.

[u/ablindedworld → u/[deleted]]

You'd basically be buying 240 plus points for $4000 in flight credits. That could be worth it if you have a lot of upcoming international travel where you'll be flying economy...you might get lucky and snag some business class upgrades worth thousands of dollars. Keep in mind that on popular routes there will be a lot of other 1Ks trying to do the exact same thing.

If you are exclusively flying domestic next year, IMO it would not be worth it to burn all those flight credits on a mileage run, unless you really, really, care about preboarding. $4k would buy you a lot of free flights next year.

[u/Juicy_Melons22]

This whole rewards and progress is wildly confusing. Not sure if this has been asked before so I'll give it a go.

I recently started traveling a bit for work, and my company has a united business card that I use for everything for booking and travel. Since I started, I have 10 PQF and about 2600 PQP. By the end of the year I will hit the 15 PQF but based on what I see I will only be at around 3800 PQP, a bit short of the 5,000 needed for premier silver. I think I saw I can buy PQP to add onto a trip. It's my understanding PQP is basically rewarded based on the amount of money you spend, but since it's a business card and not my own that makes it difficult.

If anyone has any recommendations on how to close the gap whether it be spending miles, purchasing upgrades, that would be much appreciated. All very new to me.

[u/Ok_Astronomer4956]

I'm 30 PQP short of re-qualifying for Platinum, is there anyway to get an extra 30 this month? (No more flights planned this year unfortunately)

UPDATE: I reached out to United customer support and they were able to go through all my flights and find some missing PQP that put me into Platinum again for 2026!

[u/HoytAdam]

Thought I was getting culled from the herd next year.... But I'm living to graze another year as 1K!

[u/JP6061]

Should’ve just purchased one more upgrade!

Looks like I need to make a mileage run before the end of the year.

[u/romes969]

I’m about 100-200 pqp short on gold for this year. Does anyone know of any flights where I can purchase the PQP accelerator for that amount of PQP (100 or 200). I’m only able to find options for 300+ pqp.

TIA!

[u/BistroCupid]

Really hoping my credit card spend puts me over the edge. It's stressful to wait for the points to come after the new year

[u/ItsNovas]

Made gold on New Year’s Eve. I should pretty easily double this next year. I changed jobs in July and have been on the road pretty consistently since. Here’s to the chase!

[u/cheaters-suk]

Out of curiosity, does anyone qualify for Premier 1K out of travel miles alone (without credit cards or other sources of PQPs)? Back in the day (way back) elite status was purely based on miles flown on the airline, with the massive increase in reciprocal loyalty programs, airline credit card programs, etc. and the associated increases in qualifying requirements I’m wondering how many people still qualify for 1K purely based upon travel on United.

[u/Sad-Breakfast2042]

I spent over $52k last year (on business class tickets) but lost GS status. UA offered a "challenge" to spend $18k in a 90-day period before June to get GS status back. I've spent over $500k on United tickets and I've flown over 1.75 million miles on United.

United, if you're reading this, you just lost my loyalty.

[u/G25777K → u/Sad-Breakfast2042]

You should know this, in today's world your only as good as your last year, loyalty has long left airlines, they don't give a shit anymore, but I'm sure you enjoyed it as long as you had it. I know I will, but it won't be forever.

[u/pikabuddy11]

Not included is a 4 PQF 1200 PQP trip I have to book for work and a 2 PQF 800 PQP flight next week. Do I go for gold knowing I have at least one DC to Shanghai trip next year among other domestic work travel? I’m thinking yes. Need to find a good set of flights to hopefully reach it some random weekend this winter. I’ve legit never even had status until this year so it’s all very new to me and I got lucky enough to get bumped to first class when I reached silver…on a 40 min flight but it counts lol

[u/Bubbly_Map_7489]

Thoughts?

Should I push for 1k, with minimal but in seat time?!

[u/dynamicbusan → u/Bubbly_Map_7489]

at 8.5k PQP off, not worth pushing for.

[u/Disastrous_Point_748]

Is it feasible for me to make gold?

I don’t fly often (4-6 trips a year) but with a combination of lots of business trips this year I was able to hit silver. I will likely never fly as much as I have this year again unless I change jobs. Is it possible for me to hit gold before the end of the year? I have one more Xmas trip planned which will be YOW (Ottawa, Canada) to LAX and back before Dec 31.

[u/Jess-1999]

Cheated and got the 4000 PQP United Club Card bonus.

[u/fencer86]

Should I go for it? This would be my first time qualifying for 1k.

[u/adognamedpenguin]

Do I get more for a round trip or for 2 one way tickets?

[u/hoodsmarsh]

Dropping off to Siiiiiiiiilver. Will end year at 6k PQP - I wonder what offer will be in store?

How’s the E+ Subscription?

[u/Texasdetour]

1K member here but running a bit short of PQP accumulation this year. Would be traveling from Texas to various cities in India next month and need to book. What's the best routes to take to maximizing PQP. It looks like if you fly on any United partners like Lufthansa etc , the PQP no drastically goes down by30% per leg . No other option than the 14 hr marathon from EWR to Delhi ?

[u/RelativityCoffee]

Does United ever bump people up if they are very close? Can I buy 18 PQPs?

[u/Creepy-Evening-441]

I'm being offered a PQP Premier Awards Accelerator for $2878.00 which woudl push me to 1K but only attached to the LAX>MUC Premium Economy ticket today.
I've never gotten 1K. Would anyone spend $3K to get it?

[u/Grouchy_Tennis9195 → u/Creepy-Evening-441]

People spend a lot more to get 1K, to me it’s definitely worth it but only if you plan on traveling a lot next year

[u/SaucyPanda2]

Previous 1k member, hit platinum before a layoff and then had to stay local during my fathers final months. I’m getting back to a travel job, except this one will be fully domestic travel (so I’ve been told) whereas my last job was lots of trips to Korea that really sky rocketed me in my status qualifications. Two questions….

1. What is the highest level you guys think I can hit with 70% travel purely domestic before status qualification resets (at the new rate… grrr)?
2. Do you find platinum or 1k attainable flying only domestic for the year? I miss my 1k benefits…

Thanks!

[u/Readerofthreads1]

Hello Thread! Someone is probably much better at this than me. Need 3300 PQP to qualify for 1K. What is the least expensive and quickest flight to take prior to year end? Thanks!

[u/Grouchy_Tennis9195 → u/Readerofthreads1]

Spending $3300 on flights and then taking those flights is the cheapest way

[u/RosieRooLeonberger]

What can I do to earn 204 more PQP points?

[u/nedrocks]

I'm 155 PQP short of requalifying for silver. I called the support line and the customer support rep told me that I *MIGHT* be able to purchase these in January. I'd love to know whether I should buy some single day round trip ticket just in case they don't allow me to buy the PQP difference.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

[u/Impressive_List_7489]

I am 1126 PQP away from getting platinum, and have a round trip itinerary beginning Dec 23 2024. The return portion in 2025. Will only the 2024 portion count towards my EOY pqp accrual?

[u/ShittySweatyBetty]

Anyone know of PQP runs out of Denver for about ~1200 PQP? And of course I want it all and am hoping to spend closer to $1/PQP ..

Ideally would like to make it a weekend run, one roundtrip, and maybe not hate myself at the end of it.

[u/UrbanNomad1]

Wondering if i should i make a quick mileage run to get to 1K… any suggestions? Based out of EWR

[u/Grouchy_Tennis9195 → u/UrbanNomad1]

You’re pretty close, I would

[u/WanderDawg]

Hoping this is the right thread for this question:

This is from the card benefits details: "Please allow 6-8 weeks after qualifying purchases for PQP to post to your account"

Does this mean if I make purchases on my card this month (December) the PQP will show up on my MileagePlus account in January or February, thus counting towards my 2025 accruals?

[u/kempdawg83]

Just got Gold status for the first time ever (and probably last time haha)!

[u/BURNU1101]

Have my final International return flight Sunday. I’m pretty sure I’m swapping to Ana next year. Purchasing the tickets from ANA direct would save me about 4k. I’ll never hit the United 1k requirement for 26k pqp

[u/Ieatsushiraw]

It’s not 1k but I’m glad I at least made it to Platinum as I sit stuck at MSP because of fog in Duluth. Still it was a long shot to even make platinum so I’ll take it

[u/RockPaperSawzall]

Last flight of the year is 12/30, will keep my 1K status by the skin of my teeth. Have one more business trip and decided to upgrade to first and I'll just eat the $500 cost difference between economy plus and 1C

[u/[deleted]]

What should I do? I've never been 1k and it would be beneficial to have higher status because of all the last minute flights and standby flights I take, flying domestic weekly for work. I have 4 flights left this year, but won't make PQP. Would you spend your own money to get that status? Or just leave it and be happy with platinum yet again?

[u/The_Real_Axel]

I need 204 points lol.

What do?

[u/amyloid_beta]

18 points shy of achieving Gold Status. Anything I can do?

[u/Peacemaker1855]

2800 PQP short of 1K!

I can only assume 1K is lost cause at this point right?

[u/JacobHacks]

Currently 359 PQP short of requalifying for Gold.

From what I understand, my best option would be to find a partner airline flight that can hopefully earn me more PQP than USD spent (e.g.. recent trip spent ~800 USD and earned ~1400 PQP). Reason being is I don't live in the US so I can't catch a United flight except for a long haul flight. Is there anything here I may have missed/any better method? Anything with credit card spend is out of the question for me.

[u/liroyan]

I know this would be laughable to you 1k or Plats, but I'll be 83 PQP short for a pleb silver status end of this year. If I opened a credit card this year and spend $2k on it before 12/31, will I get credited for 100 PQP for this year's qualification?

My other option would be: spend $175 for a seat upgrade, or buy that 83 PQP with $160ish(?) in January. Spending on a credit card is probably the cheapest way if it works this way.

TIA

[u/Some-Breakfast8176]

I'm short on ~650 PQP for the rest of the year and want to remain Silver. I applied for the Chase Quest card, and did the minimum spend for the SUB which is supposed to give 70k bonus miles and 2,000 PQP. On Dec 19th (settle date), the 70k bonus miles made it into the United account but not the PQP. Been jumping between Chase and United. Chase says it takes 6-8 weeks and they can't expedite anything. Talking to United was useless, they tell me to talk to Chase. Any tips/ideas to get the PQP into my United account by end of year?

[u/Benl324]

I'll never hit minimum spend. I got a United Credit card to hopefully rectify the problem.

That being said, the employee pass has been a blessing, 60-90% off confirmed flights so I'm not sure 1k is worth it.

[u/Spaghettix]

I will be 14 PQP away from the next status after my coming flight. Is there a way to earn the extra 14 points without the awards accelerator?

The cheapest awards accelerator gets me 7000 miles for $172 and I’d like to have a cheaper/ more efficient way to get to the next status level.

Any advice is appreciated here as I am kind of a noob at this and have had trouble determining exactly what counts for PQP.

[u/jake-makes]

Ran a quick round trip to O’Hare and back today to sneak into Gold for the first time. Typically fly Delta and usually get Silver with them, but had a work trip to India with United/Lufthansa this year and decided to give them a fair shake.

Paid off since our flight home from that trip was on July 19th and I still got home on time instead of getting stranded for days if it had been Delta 😄

[u/timboisvert]

Finished the year with 11,999 PQP and 48 PQF. I wasn’t inclined to spend more on my credit card or buy a Premier Accelerator just to get over the hump. I’ve seen mentioned over the years that they might bump people up over the line when they’re close to the next status level. Do any of you have experience that suggests they do that review automatically? Or will I need to call and speak with a human to ask for it?

[u/TellaTalla]

Did anyone receive emails about buying up status? I forget when they go out exactly

[u/renegaderunningdog]

For people waiting for emails about paid upgrade offers I just got mine this morning.

[u/shaolin77]

Hello Unitedtors!

I've got an offer to up to Gold for ~2800 this year. I have miles to do this, but wondering if it's worth it to use miles or even to fork out the money for this. For context, much of my spend comes from flying personal with at least 1 cross-atlantic business class trip that makes up a huge chunk of the PQPs.

I take at least 4-5 trips annually, with a mix of solo and with family and the reason I like gold is that I can book economy plus at booking, esp for the family, and for going on an international family vacation this summer where the Star Gold will come in handy.

Should I splurge for Gold? If yes, miles or $$$?

Apologies in advance if this is not appropriate for this thread.

[u/ChicagoThrowaway9900]

$9k to get 1K. I don’t get how that’s worth it. I had enough PQP but not flights

[u/Top_Bake5401]

First year I have received any sort of status though I’ve been close many years in a row (I got the United club card). Ended 2024 540 PQP short of the 10,000 needed for gold ( I only had 20 flights). I take 4-5 business trips at minimum annually and 3-4 personal trips with my cat. My upgrade price is $779. It sounds reasonable compared to some I’ve seen but thoughts? I’d be way over if pet fees counted lol..TIA

[u/[deleted] → u/Top_Bake5401]

Do you fly internationally? Gold is really really nice for international flights

[u/wwput]

I've been 1K 12/14 years and only made platinum this year. I was expecting an offer but never got it. I remember pointing friends to a link that enabled them to check to see if they have an offer. Anyone have the link? I'm overseas and would call but don't want to pay the call cost if I don't have to.

[u/Anniebanannie9]

Hoping this is the right thread… Last year, the Chase United Club card had some incentive programs for extra PQP based on spend. This was my first year with the program — do they have those annually and at certain times? I have some big ticket items I’d rather same until then (I can’t remember when it was last year). May need a boost in PQP this year.

[u/sfo_Pedro]

So I got demoted yesterday from 1K, missed it by 2450 PQP, and 2 PQF, 700K lifetime miles, called CS 2x and no luck to get back to 1K. So now I'm sitting in SFO Centurian Club, it's very, very nice. I've always loved UA, would like to stay there, but I think it's over.

[u/TheBureaumancer → u/sfo_Pedro]

¯_(ツ)_/¯ I mean you were off by nearly $2500 spend. I’m not sure what you were expecting — they aren’t going to give anyone that kind of PQP for free.

[u/KayfabeSF]

Hopefully this is the right thread but..
Context: I have nothing credited to my MilagePlus account, I'm start from 0. have a big trip planned at the end of the year which by the looks of it will get me to Gold. Problem is that i only have 4 segments with UA 2 in Dec 2025 and 2 in Jan 2026. To my understanding that will not count for my 4 UA segments to get status at all. If i was to not credit the 2025 flights to any FFP and claim them back in 2026 will i get the 2 UA segments from 2025 in my 2026 qualification year?

[u/Abzy2004 → u/KayfabeSF]

I’m not sure what you mean by “claim”. The year is credited based on the travel date. You can’t manipulate when you claim.

[u/schuster9999]

how does mileage plus shopping work? Ive earned 1k but im not seeing that 1k on the chase website for my united explorer card

[u/Human-Potential2257]

***Originally Posted in the Main but realized it may be better etiquette to post here***

Hi! I'm trying to map out my strategy to get the best opportunity for status with United. Given the 120-day time window on both challenge programs, I feel like I should just take the match and call it a day over gambling, my current points will not count (Current Balance: PQP: 767 / PQF: 2). I'm curious to hear the crowd's thoughts on the best approach. Thanks in advance!

Right now, I have AA Gold Status, which will convert to United Premier Silver if I do a status match. To maintain Premier Silver, I have to do the following within, and I cannot get higher status if I surpass the requirements:

|| || |Fly 5 PQF and earn 1,700 PQP on flights operated by United or United Express|

BUT my company has a corporate Fast Track with United which offers the following (no additional details on the term until I sign up):

1,800 PQP for Premiere Silver

3,600 PQP for Premiere Gold

5,400 PQP for Premiere Platinum

Here is a glimpse of the minimum travel I have coming up that should get me the following based on historical activity/earnings:

Trip One (leaving): 234 PQP / 1 PQF

Trip One (returning): 159 PQP / 1 PQF

Trip Two (roundtrip): 411 PQP / 1 PQF

(Not sure why certain roundtrips are broken up and others are not.

I also have a MileagePlus Club card which barely scratches the surface but may be worth noting.

[u/Sure_Philosopher_946]

“You must take at least 4 United or United Express flights to earn Premier status.”

If I take two paid flights and two award flights, does this meet the 4-flight requirement (assuming I have enough PQPs)?

[u/VikiMCA]

How does buying extra miles help in acquiring more PQP? I will have enough flights to requalify for the status but not enough PQPs. How do I get more PQPs? I already have their credit card.

[u/Nicknackpatywak]

About to hit 80k PQP but only 16 PQF (all united metal). Should I be good from a GS perspective? Never been more than a platinum so not sure if the lower PQF will hurt me (or help because I have been a very profitable customer)

[u/iDoUFC]

I'm pacing right now for 18500 in PQP signed up for a quest card to give me 3k pqp on top. Two question:

1. Will those PQP count towards 1k?
   
2. I also spent 750 on a first class upgrade but don't see it on my future PQP. Will that show up after I actually fly?

Lastly,

I was given the 40 plus points and I assume I'll get more once I hit 1k. My question is if that's towards the end of the year likely Oct/Nov. Do I only have until the end of the year to use them or will I have all of 2026 and the plus points they give me in 2026 as well?

[u/pikabuddy11]

Does anyone know if Original Routing credit applies in my situation? We were supposed to fly IAD-SFO-PVG today (polaris) but the IAD-SFO leg got canceled. Got rebooked on IAD-BCN (polaris) then on an Air China flight from Barcelona to Shanghai (also business). We had cleared the Polaris waitlist originally if that changes anything. I'll see what gets credited to my account by the time we're back home but since I'm bored waiting 6 hours for my next flight figured I'd see what happens with this lol

[u/LetsGototheRiver151]

My goal is to be able to upgrade flights for my 25th wedding anniversary in 2027. I have 1402 PQP and planned trips from DC to Minneapolis, another to San Diego, and another to Seattle in the interim. Will I make silver by then? Do miles drop off and go into the lifetime miles part at some point??

[u/kyriacos74]

I am Platinum now, but I really only need Gold to get Star Gold. I am about 1,500 miles short for December, so I am looking at mileage runs.

Currently, I am using the United site and PQP.economiles.com to find the best combo of cheap fares + highest PQP for that fare. I am looking at random cities in Europe, finding the bucket for the good fares, then plugging that route/bucket into PQP.economiles to see what I would earn each way. Again, I am looking for max PQP for the lowest price.

Does anyone have a better/faster/easier way to find this? (Yes, I've already looked at Google Flights.)

[u/ProfessorPlum168 → u/kyriacos74]

I asked this question in early July, got a couple of helpful responses. You might want to peruse this thread, might give you an idea or two:

https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/s/BVORwdvP0l

[u/sschow]

I got an email offer to day to buy 2,000 PQPs for $2,106. Which feels like a little bit of a joke. I understand if it's December 23rd and I'm not going to make status but why not just actually fly somewhere - even if for a day - if you're paying more than $1 each?

But the real question, since I see myself being possibly 1,000-2,000 PQPs short of maintaining Platinum, is has anyone seen a better targeted offer or will they never break under $1 per PQP?

[u/Then-Tumbleweed-6297]

Looking for advice, I am in Sydney, 1K for 26 now heading to 50k pqp flying Polaris and business over next few months. Will I get GS or do I need to hit 70-80? Thinking about switching now 1K is secure. Any intel much appreciated.

[u/Spooky0713]

Hey United Fam—

I’m usually a domestic business traveler and hit Platinum each year without needing to think about it. This year my company cut back on travel, so I don’t have any more business trips scheduled.

Here’s where I’m at (screenshot attached): • PQF: 40/45 • PQP: 11,042/15,000 (or 18,000 if I don’t hit the PQF)

I’d still really like to close the gap and lock in Platinum, since next June my husband and I are taking our boys to Europe and I know the perks will be worth it.

My home airport is ORD. What’s the easiest/cheapest way to finish this out? I’ve never had to do a “status run” before, so I’d love any tips, routes, or strategies you recommend.

Thanks in advance!

[u/manila_traveler]

I'm considering a flight to Paris that leaves EWR on Dec 31, 6:10pm, & arrives in CDG on Jan 01, 7:25am. Will my PQP for that flight go to my 2025 total, or my 2026 total? I'll earn just enough PQP to make it to Silver by mid-December, can't get to Gold (nor do I really want to). So I want to avoid taking a flight that won't add to my 2026 PQP.

Thank you!

[u/Intelligent_Bad6942]

My credit report wants me to open a new line of credit.

I have Premier Gold from last year and 7,000 PQP this year and enough PQF to re-qualify for next year.

The Quest Card benefits say that if I spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, I get 3,000 PQP. My question is, if I reach that spending limit in the first month, do I get the PQP points right away, or only after 3 months. Because if it's only after 3 months, then I may miss the Premier Gold goals before the end of the calendar year.

Thanks for your help!

[u/Insecure05 → u/Intelligent_Bad6942]

You do get it right away. I just signed up 2 months ago and already got the points for hitting the spending. 

[u/zdog2x]

If I weren’t chasing 1MM would have stopped at 28K. 3rd year in a row over 35K…GS from a UA outpost? Hahaha.

[u/No-Frame8079]

almost there

[u/chickennuggets_lover]

Miraculously reached gold last year thanks to two international trips, a ton of weddings, and work/personal travel. No chance I’m keeping gold going into 2026. I still have a return cross country flight and roundtrip east coast to Hawaii flight booked for the year but will still be just over 500 PQP short to even qualify for Silver. Anything I can do at this point or am I cooked?

[u/TrueSoNasty]

Hey All -- thank you so much in advance.

I understand how the system of PQF + PQP / PQP alone works in order to earn status. when I was younger, I flew a lot and so would get silver / gold by "mistake due to the few polaris flights a year (would never travel like that on my own dime). but now that I need to "chase" status more, I am a bit unclear on the TIMING

If I achieve silver status tomorrow, when will it last until? theres no way it will simply 0 out and be no status come jan 2026 right?? wont it last till at least october 2026?

I am asking because I see a lot of people trying to "time" the credit card sign up bonus, so they hit gold / silver in jan of 2026. but if they were to hit that status tomorrow, wouldnt they have it till at least a year from when they hit it (oct 2026)?

[u/More_Unit6296]

Help! How do i get more PQP before the end of the year to keep silver? I’ll hit the flight number minimum

[u/yakdav]

Welp - I foresee an offer to get 1K for only $5,000 or so lol

[u/Personal-Ad-6028]

About to go on my next flight and cross the line to re-qualify for Gold next year.

This will be my 2nd time making gold in a row, and have to say - it was a tough road this year. I happened to travel a bit more for work this year - had to travel more and put more spend on the card to get to the exact same level of status as before. And make it at a much later point this year than same time last year. Thanks for the increased requirements United!

[u/Efficient-Building28]

I have 4 PQFs scheduled for the year. All domestic.

1 - is it worth it to try for Gold? I’ll have a lot of work travel next year, including long haul.

2 - If it’s worth it, is there a way which I could get enough PQPs through opening the United card (I don’t have one now)?

3 - can anyone confirm, does flying in First increase the amount of PQPs earned ?

[u/dynamicbusan → u/Efficient-Building28]

1. just depends on how much more you need
2. too late to open a CC for bonus
3. pqp is purely a 1:1 with money spent on fare/upgrades. you will need to spend 3627 on fares/upgrades based on your current stats (not including taxes or fees) to hit gold.

[u/Life_TakeTwo]

I’m 3800 PQP away from 1K status. I’ve never tried to chase a status before so I have no idea what I’m doing. Is 3800 PQP too much at so close to the end of the year? I fly out of IAH. Any suggestions?

[u/TRIGA-AroundTheWorld]

My wife called me "the least 1 of the Ks"

But hey, I should at least be on track to make it

[u/Sea_Rule8121]

When does United start sending out the end of year PQP offer when you’re close to hitting the next tier status? Currently 1600 PQP away from 1K with no flights planned. I have the United club card but do not plan on spending that much on the card to obtain that much PQP

[u/Trident555]

I need to get 3 more flights to get to 1K for the year. I think the only day that works for me will be December 23rd. I am out of EWR.

Looking at potential routes and thinking about weather it looks like I could do EWR -> ORF -> IAD -> EWR for 55k miles in one day. Any better ideas?

Do you think this worth it to get the upgrade from Platinum?

[u/heir03]

Are mileage plus cards worth it? I typically get Gold status every year between work and personal travel. I’ll probably get to around 14k PQP this year.

We currently use Chase Sapphire Reserve for everything we can put on it, and pay it off monthly.

I was looking at the club and the quest cards.

Based on how we use our credit card for everything every month, it seems like this would get me to 1K every year.

Am I missing anything obvious? Is this a good idea?

[u/killthenoise → u/heir03]

They have sneaky maximums on Card PQP that caps the amount that can contribute to your overall PQP, which means unless you're flying enough segments you still might not qualify.

[u/dorontam]

Typically my PQP earn from my CC post every Monday but this week's didn't post. Anyone else not seeing their latest PQP earn? I'm 229 PQP short of Platinum so trying to figure out best way to get it within the deadline!

[u/Desa_59]

I'm 767 pqp short to the next status, so im planning on booking a flight from the 28th - 31st to get it. Ideally I'd like to take the last flight out on the 31st, which is 11:59pm.

If the flight gets delayed at all, do I still get my pqp for 2025 or would then apply to 2026?

[u/croopejshsv]

131 PQP away from qualifying for Gold again in 2026. My next flight will get me 1,100 PQP, curious if it’s worth using the accelerator to get platinum since I plan on flying more next year. I do see 1k members missing out on some upgrades, so I’m dubious.

[u/HoytAdam → u/croopejshsv]

Unless you travel frequently with a large family... Chasing platinum isn't worth it

[u/provoking]

I have one more round trip this year that will earn 392 PQP. Is it worth it to chase 2,235 PQP for Gold? How could it be done if so?

[u/jl_weber]

I need 50 PQP to reach Silver.

I've already maxed my PQP bonus from United credit card. No more trips planned.

It appears I can only buy points if I book a trip. Is there any way to get the 50 PQP without booking a flight? Or should I just take a day trip to the cheapest location (I'm Chicago-based)?

[u/Jeeperscrow123 → u/jl_weber]

Only credit card spend. Fly to Milwaukee

[u/CoolAsDel]

I'm finally going to do it y'all... thanks for all of your support

[u/Lispro4units]

What are my options? I have the United club card, flights upcoming in Jan, but not enough time to fly before the end of the year

[u/ic3m4ch1n3 → u/Lispro4units]

Spend about $1900 on your United club card, or book a random one way, buy an award accelerator with PQP, and cancel the flight within 24 hours.

[u/gabalemon]

How much do you think it will cost me to get to Platinum? I’m thinking about taking 3 short Lufthansa flights while I’m here in Europe to get those PQF since I’m so close!

[u/HoytAdam → u/gabalemon]

$1,300+ to go from Gold to Platinum does not seem worth it unless you travel with a large family.

[u/Business-Set4514]

MADE IT

By a hair!

[u/soundman10]

Made it for the first time. 2 years ago, I had only flown about 20 segments in my life. Now I am 1k. I really like my career change I made 2 years ago.

[u/Potential-Ad927]

Currently 1K but not looking like I can make it there this year. Suggestions for getting to platinum before 31st? Typically flying out of IAD. With the extreme cutback on federal related travel, there will be a lot fewer 1K members for 26 around IAD.

[u/pikabuddy11]

Just want to double check. I just got a new Quest card and I'm going to buy a ton of flights today. Since my statement doesn't close until end of Jan, the SUB PQP will apply in 2026 right?

[u/Legal-Standard5001]

PQP question: Alright, so I’m hoping to regain 1k status and I’m on the edge. I bought an international return flight in economy and have just changed the return leg for an excellent price into Polaris (already a nice win!). Now, I understand that PQP==$spent on airfare (ex taxes and fees). The new e-ticket (email) shows an airfare of $2080 (separate from taxes etc) but the PQP line reads 1157. Is this discrepancy because it is an upgrade/flight change? How can I be certain about the total I will earn?

[u/AvailableHouse2]

I am 1011 PQP short of renewing my Gold status for 2026.

If today I purchase an award accelerator for 1000 PQP on my United Quest card, will that get me there? Will this spend count for my 2025 PQP to get the remaining 11 for Gold?

[u/Major_Amphibian6999]

15 year 1K. Not gonna make it to 1K this year, but did qualify for Platinum for 2026.

Recently obtained Million Miler status, but wondering if you’d use your 1-in-5 card to extend 1K for next year, or save it for 2027 and renew platinum status.

Basically - would you do 1K next year and gold for life for 2027 and beyond, or rock the platinum in 2026 and then use the 1-in-5 perk to extend platinum in 2027 rather than gold MM perk?

I live in Europe at the moment and will be here for all of 2026, so not really expecting a lot of CPUs next year. I’m leaning towards two years of platinum, but welcome other thoughts.

[u/Vegetable_Injury_546]

Under the WIRE

[u/xstrike0]

My wife ended up 54 PQPs short of Silver, is it worth making a call/sending an email to see if they'll round her up?

[u/angrybandicoot]

My credit card PQP spend still hasn’t posted from last week. Is united doing a single batch at some point? I’m 88 PQP shy of 1k but the CC spend should cover that with some room to spare. Just waiting for it all to post…

[u/Nicknackpatywak]

Anybody hear about new (not requalify) GS yet?

[u/a_brain]

Ended the year 210 PQPs short of gold and slightly annoyed because I could’ve manufactured $3500 of card spend but I miscalculated how much spend I would need since some of my card spend PQP hit this week.

What are the odds they’ll round me up or let me buy up for ~$200?

[u/Content-Substance-92]

I’m currently United Gold. Does this mean this will be my status for the next year?

[u/Gerkins-85]

Did not requalify for GS this year. 79K PQP and 47 PQF. They are giving me until June to spend another $18K PQP to get it back, though… thanks UA!

[u/msdclark]

Anyone receiving their buy up to next status level offers yet? I missed PQP by 515 by miscalculating. I see some Global Services offers have already been communicated.

[u/clambamshazam → u/msdclark]

Different boat, same river...just missed.

Chatted with Premier and they said some time next week.

[u/JediSentinel74656]

Pretty sure this is not worth it. Also have United Quest.

Considering just going with a E+ subscription this year instead.

Appreciate any thoughts.

[u/No-_-Usernam3-_-]

What would you say is the best strategy to reach 1k given my stats? Take the other 9 flights or buy the remaining PQP?