United Airlines has confirmed that select MileagePlus members were granted a status extension and also announced that elite qualification requirements will be reduced once again next year.
United Confirms Elite Status Extension – Limited To Select MileagePlus Members
In a statement to Live and Let’s Fly, United confirmed it had extended the status of “select” Premier members as an “extra gesture” to show appreciation for their loyalty:
“We know many of our most loyal customers haven’t been able to travel and earn like they used to, so as an extra gesture to show that we understand and appreciate their loyalty, we’re extending PlusPoints and select Premier members’ status. On Monday, we will distribute a customer email with this news to qualifying Premier members.”
United also confirmed that it will extend the expiration of PlusPoints for all members, depending upon their 2021 travel patterns. Those who earned re-earned elite status at the same or highly tier by reaching published levels or through the Fly to the Finish Promotion will see their PlusPoints have been extended one year to 1/31/2023. Other flyers will see their PlusPoints extended six months to 7/31/2022.
Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members who were gifted a status extension will not receive additional PlusPoints in the new year.
While it not clear whether a specific formula was used to consistently choose elite members which qualified for the gifted status extension, United looked at members who were impacted by closed borders, restricted international travel, and company travel restrictions.
Reduced Requirements For Earning Status Will Continue In 2022
Live and Let’s Fly has also learned that United will again offer a reduced threshold for elite status qualification in 2022. It will resemble the 2021 structure, with the following spending and/or segments required to earn elite status in 2022:
- Silver – 3,000 PQP/8 PQF or 3,500 PQP
- Gold – 6,000 PQP/16 PQF or 7,000 PQP
- Platinum – 9,000 PQP/24 PQF or 10,000 PQP
- 1K – 13,500 PQP/36 PQF or 15,000 PQP
United will continue to monitor travel trends and restrictions in deciding whether to offer bonuses or gifted Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) as it has each quarter this year.
CONCLUSION
United Airlines has confirmed it has offered a number of MileagePlus elites a complimentary status extension, but not everyone…at least not yet. PlusPoints will be extended for all members and United will maintain lower earning thresholds for elite status next year.
image: United Airlines
A high-risk move from United here, if I’m one of the folks who didn’t get an extension, what does that say to me about how United values my loyalty? Interested to learn more about what proportion of all elites got an extension, if it’s a large proportion, I don’t really see how this is a better move than a universal extension.
I’m thrilled they didn’t extend everyone, already way too many people have status! Now we just need to stop charging $129 for a first class upgrade and charge $500 again so elites can actually get upgraded. In the last few months I haven’t even been able to use PlusPoints on most hub to hub routes.
I belong to the folks who received an extension (premier gold, based in Germany). Had very limited access to the United network due to the travel ban.
Just curious, why not go for status with Lufthansa instead if you live in Germany?
I am also LH Senator.
“The promotion [FttF/BB] cements United’s decision not to award another year of status extension in the USA, though Vice President of Loyalty Luc Bondar told me that there may be promotions for non-US addresses, particularly in East Asia and Australia, depending upon how travel bans progress in the weeks ahead.”
I’m GUM based but United categorizes us as international/APAC but didn’t get the Plat extension but qualified for Gold while my spouse got a Silver extension. Another based in SPN also didn’t get a Silver extension. There was government mandated quarantine for everyone during the first half of 2021, but I think the requirements were still in reach with all the promos.
But I just don’t understand how even some Japan based flyers with their ongoing quarantine restrictions didn’t get extended while US based flyers did. Seems to somewhat contradict with comments shared with you by UA’s Loyalty VP on the last United promo.
Lol, very funny for United to come up with a very complicated and confusing promotion, just to then extend status for some people right after it ended.
Promos were before Omicron, which changes everything.
Fun fact: I’m in a United club in Chicago right now. They said the Polaris lounge will reopen on Tuesday.
Sorry this is only tangentially related, but any idea why there’s a dearth of Lufthansa award space (bookable via MileagePlus) right now? Lufthansa was my reliable friend in booking I-class awards from the US to South Asia for years, but now I hardly see a single seat available via FRA, MUC, or ZRH. United, as usual, is charging an exorbitant amount of miles for a JN-class seat, with zero I-class availability.
Strange, I haven’t noticed a shortage for space to Europe. I’m still seeing business space all over that’s cheaper than United seats. I have, however, noticed I have to scroll down several pages on the mobile app to get to the long distance award space. Also I haven’t been looking at South Asia specifically so it might be the onward connections that are in short supply.
Yup, onward connections are the problem
I’m a US-based Platinum flyer who has taken 1-2 trips to India each year for the past five years, along with short domestic travel (20 trips/year) up to the start of the pandemic. United extended my platinum status another year.
As someone who actually met the spending thresholds I’m a little annoyed that everyone got extended who didn’t have to spend . I can understand extending global services and some premier 1k and ( to some extent) platinum as well assuming they flew . So everyone that worked to hit status threshold just got their status diluted ? No consideration for people who actually flew during this pandemic and kept the airlines going ?
Dec 15 now and UA still hasn’t officially announced the reduced 2023 (flying in 2022) requirements… Their site is still all 2021/22. Are the reduced thresholds for 2022/23 again confirmed??
They are – same as this year (according to a UA spokesperson)