United revealed details yesterday about MileagePlus elite qualification for 2025 and it’s not good news overall as qualifying for status will get 20%-25% more difficult. For those who manage to earn Platinum or 1K status, you’ll be rewarded with additional redemption options for your PlusPoints.
You can find the full announcement here. Here’s a summary of the changes.
MileagePlus Qualification Requirements
The biggest news here relates to the requirements to earn Premier Silver status or higher. At each level those requirements will be going up (numbers in parentheses are the 2024 requirements):
Earn status via Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) & Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF)
- Premier Silver – 5,000 PQP + 15 PQF (4,000 PQP + 12 PQF)
- Premier Gold – 10,000 PQP + 30 PQF (8,000 PQP + 24 PQF)
- Premier Platinum – 15,000 PQP + 45 PQF (12,000 PQP + 36 PQF)
- Premier 1K – 22,000 PQP + 60 PQF (18,000 PQP + 54 PQF)
Earn status via PQP only
- Premier Silver – 6,000 PQP (5,000 PQP)
- Premier Gold – 12,000 PQP (10,000 PQP)
- Premier Platinum – 18,000 PQP (15,000 PQP)
- Premier 1K – 28,000 PQP (24,000 PQP)
If you’re looking to qualify for status via both PQP and PQF, the number of PQP required is going up by 22.2% for 1K and by 25% for all other status levels, while the PQF required is increasing by 11.1% for 1K and 25% for all other status levels.
For those seeking to earn status via PQP only, that’ll be increasing by 16.67% for 1K and 20% for all other status levels. You’ll also still have to fly a minimum for four flight segments on United or United Express metal during 2025.
Whichever way you’re looking to earn MileagePlus status, that’s a sharp jump that will make it much harder for many members to earn or retain status from 2025 onwards.
Starter PQP Deposits
If you earn Premier elite status by the end of 2024 for the 2025 status year, you’ll start off next year with a head start on your PQP earnings. On February 1, 2025 United will add the following number of PQP to your MileagePlus account:
- Premier Silver – 300 PQP
- Premier Gold – 600 PQP
- Premier Platinum – 900 PQP
- Premier 1K – 1,400 PQP
New PlusPoints Redemption Options
MileagePlus members who earn Platinum or 1K status will gain new ways to redeem their PlusPoints. That includes:
- PQP or PQF
- Gift Premier status to other members
- TravelBank cash
- Bonus miles
Improved PQP Earning Via Credit Card Spend
Most Chase United credit cards provide an opportunity to earn 25 PQP for every $500 spent on those cards. From 2025, those earning rates will improve to some extent:
- United Club Infinite Card & United Club Business Card – Earn 1 PQP for every $15 spent
- United Presidential Plus Card, United Presidential Plus Business Card, United Quest Card, United Explorer Card, United Business Card, United MileagePlus Awards Card, United MileagePlus Select Card, First Hawaiian Bank United & First Hawaiian Bank United World Elite Business – Earn 1 PQP for every $20 spent
That means if you spend $500 on that latter selection of cards, you’ll earn 25 PQP which is the same earning rate as before. However, previously you only earned those 25 PQP if you actually hit that $500 spending threshold. From 2025, if you spend, say, $480 you’ll earn 24 PQP rather than 0 PQP.
Some United cards will also see an increase in the number of PQP earned through spend, with the United Club Business card seeing the greatest increase:
- United Club Infinite Card – maximum 15,000 PQP (previously had a 10,000 PQP maximum)
- United Club Business Card – maximum 15,000 PQP (previously had a 1,000 PQP maximum)
- United Quest Card – maximum 9,000 PQP (previously had a 6,000 PQP maximum)
Quick Thoughts
I imagine these changes will read as bad news for most MileagePlus members trying to earn elite status seeing as most will need to earn 20%-25% more PQF and/or PQP going forward. That’ll be made a little easier for some cardholders due to the ability to earn more PQP through spend, but that still won’t come close to helping out enough for most members.
Considering how (relatively) easy it’s going to be to earn status with other airlines like American and Alaska in 2025, it’s a little surprising that United hasn’t gone further in allowing members to earn PQP through credit card spend or other earning activities (e.g. through shopping portal spend). For example, someone with a United Explorer card would need to spend $120,000 in order to earn Silver status through PQP earnings only, with that being in addition to needing to fly at least four segments on United metal. To earn a similar level of status with American Airlines, you’d only need to spend $40,000 on an eligible AAdvantage credit card without the requirement that you fly four segments either.
Those easily earning Platinum or 1K status might welcome the announcement that there’ll be additional redemption opportunities such as gifting status, earning more PQP and PQF, etc. However, it remains to be seen how expensive those alternative redemption options will be and if people will even want to pick those as it’ll mean forgoing the opportunity to upgrade flights with their PlusPoints instead.
Question
What are your thoughts? Are you a United loyalist who’ll be moving to a different airline program as a result of these changes, or will you stick with the higher earning requirements? Let us know in the comments below.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
At least Delta gives its card holders a 50% head start on MQD’s. Maybe UA will follow? Since they seem to do what Delta is doing mostly. I’ll barely make Silver status.
United is increasingly losing my loyalty. Came over with the Continental merger and status earning ability has decreased every year. Not to mention the abhorrent change from actual mileage to $$$$ spent. Only the wealthy can earn status. Apparently, this is right where United executives want it.
Got off the United status hamster wheel this year after being a 1K for half a dozen years. Not worth it anymore.
I have been a lifelong United loyalist who logged in almost 2 million miles over my carrer. I am now retired and enjoyed the Premier Gold status when flying on occasion. It’s disappointing to be getting screwed by my hometown carrier after a lifetime of loyalty but I have no problem moving on to another carrier.
We need an updated article comparing all 2025 airline status that can be earned by credit card
Yep but we haven’t heard Delta’s requirements for next year yet. I predict they’ll say to United “Only 20% higher elite requirements? Hold my beer…”
No thanks United Mileage Plus changes. Sounds like status match time to a competitor.
same every where
Tier status provides what benefits that a premium cabin ticket doesn’t? As hobbyists, if we aspire to travel in premium cabins paid exclusively with points, that’s a fair question. (Note: Marriott Titanium and Ambassador afford UA Silver.)
This is a common argument against chasing status, and is one that Greg and Nick have made on the podcast, to those for whom it applies.
For many of us, we either travel on attractive cash fares, or travel for work and are required to book economy cash fares, at which point status benefits can be valuable.