You can now (almost) earn Premier 1K status in the United Airlines MileagePlus program via credit card spending alone. There is one caveat, though, and an even larger red flag: it’s not worthwhile when you run the numbers.
You Can Earn Premier 1K Status Via Credit Spending, But It Does Not Make Sense
Premier 1K is the top published tier in the United MileagePlus program. In order to earn 1K status, you need to earn 28,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) per calendar year. PQPs are calculated based on airfare, with each dollar spent on airfare (base fare + carrier surcharges) equaling one PQP (government taxes do not count).
With the changes to United’s portfolio of Chase co-branded credit cards announced today, United now offers two card products that offer a pathway to Premier 1K status via credit card spending.
Earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) per $15 spent, up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year (the United Club card, a personal credit card, also provides a “head start” of 1,500 PQPs per year, starting in 2026).
Ok, so do the math…you’d have to spend $420,000 on your card to earn 28,000 PQPs.
Also note that the four-segment minimum rule still applies: in order to earn elite status on United Airlines, you must fly a minimum of four segments on United or United Express (only Million Miler flyers are exempt from this).
But a couple of thoughts. First, why would you possibly spend so much on a United co-branded credit card if you’re not going to fly on United (earning 1 PQP per dollar spent on airfare is far better than earning 1 PQP per $15 spent on the credit card)? Second, even if you are a business that can charge hundreds of thousands of dollars per year on your credit card, why would you put the spending on a United card instead of using a Capital One Spark card (for example), which would give 2% cashback on all purchases plus additional spend bonuses? Or a U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature card which would give 4% cashback?
Take that rebated money and buy premium seats on the flights you want and forget status…Furthermore, with redemption prices significantly devalued, all those earned United miles won’t get you nearly as far as before.
CONCLUSION
It is now almost possible to earn Premier 1K status with credit card spending alone (you just have to fly four segments on United). But while topping off your flight earnings may be helpful, the math doesn’t make sense even for big spenders hoping to earn status by spending alone.
How much spending will you place on your United co-branded credit card?
image: United Airlines
I think I make a decent amount of money, but $400K+ spend for an individual, not a business, is a lot to spend. Lots of big ticket items like cars, mortgage, investments don’t even go on your card. Are people spending 400K on dining and shopping and groceries, but still longing for 1K status? Good for them I guess.
Agreed. There’s a logical disconnect.