United Status Guide: Status Levels, Benefits, How To Earn and Requirements
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Written by
Joseph Hostetler
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Edited by
Emily Gadd, CCC™
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Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron, CCC™
United’s elite status offers many of the standard perks you’d expect from an airline trying to sweet-talk you into flying exclusively with them. From seat upgrades to free checked bags, United status is a worthwhile endeavor if you fly often enough.
And if you hold some of the best travel credit cards, you may be able to earn top-tier United status with very little flying required.
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What Is United’s Loyalty Program?
United MileagePlus is among the best airline loyalty programs. After you enroll (and you should — it’s free, after all), you can save your traveler information with United to save you time when booking a flight. Plus, you’ll earn United Airlines miles for paid flights, which you can redeem on both United and its many partners, including Air Canada, SWISS, Avianca and more.
Importantly, you’ll also begin your journey toward achieving United’s valuable elite status.
How Does the United Loyalty Program Work?
United Airlines elite status measures your loyalty in two ways:
- Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs)
- Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs)
To earn the various United tiers, you must earn both of these statuses in varying ratios. For example, all United levels require that you earn a specific number of PQPs — or a specific number of PQFs with fewer required PQPs. No matter which route you go, you’ll need to make at least four flights on United and United Express in a calendar year to qualify for status.
United’s elite status year follows a standard calendar year: Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.
United Status Levels and Tiers
Premier Silver
Requirements:
- 15 PQFs and 5,000 PQPs, or
- 6,000 PQPs
Key benefits:
- One free checked bag in economy
- Free access to Economy Plus at check-in for you and a companion
- Group 2 boarding
- Eligible for free day of departure upgrades
- 7 miles per dollar for paid flights
- Star Alliance Silver status
Premier Gold
Requirements:
- 30 PQFs and 10,000 PQPs, or
- 12,000 PQPs
Key benefits:
- Two free checked bags in economy
- Free Economy Plus eligibility at booking for you and a companion
- Group 1 boarding
- Eligible for free upgrades 48 hours before your flight
- 8 miles per dollar earned on every flight
- Star Alliance Gold status
Premier Platinum
Requirements:
- 45 PQFs and 15,000 PQPs, or
- 18,000 PQPs
Key benefits:
- Three free checked bags in economy
- Free access to Economy Plus at booking for you and up to eight companions
- Group 1 boarding
- Eligible for free upgrades 72 hours before your flight
- 9 miles per dollar on every flight
- Receive 40 PlusPoints
- Star Alliance Gold status
Premier 1K
Requirements:
- 60 PQFs and 22,000 PQPs, or
- 28,000 PQPs
Key benefits:
- Three free checked bags in economy
- Free access to Economy Plus at booking for you and up to 8 companions
- Priority pre-boarding
- Eligible for free upgrades 96 hours before flight
- 11 miles per dollar earned on every flight
- Receive 280 PlusPoints
- Get a free drink and snack in economy
- Star Alliance Gold status
United Airlines Changes in 2026
It’s worth noting that some benefits are changing beginning April 2, 2026. United will drop the current elite status-earning rate and boost the rewards you’ll get for having United Airlines credit cards. But if you’ve got both United status and a United credit card, you’ll earn more points than ever. In other words, United will begin favoring its credit card holders more than its status holders in many ways.
That said, United’s cards are genuinely some of the best airline credit cards, anyway, so it’s worth picking one up if you don’t already have one. And if you’re a frequent United flyer, it’s critical.
How To Earn Premier Qualifying Points and Flights With United
Pay For United and Partner Flights
When you pay for United-operated flights, you’ll earn both PQFs and PQPs.
The PQFs you’ll earn are straightforward: 1 PQF for every flight you take on United or its partners, excluding Basic Economy flights. The PQPs you’ll earn are a bit more convoluted. You’ll receive:
- 1 PQP per dollar spent on United flights (not including taxes and fees)
- 1 PQP for every 5 or 6 award miles you earn on partner airlines, depending on the partner
Book United Award Flights
Even flights that you don’t purchase can get you closer to United elite status. In short, you’ll earn 1 PQP for every 100 United miles you redeem on United flights, as well as on seat upgrades. You’ll also earn 1 PQF per award flight when booking on United.
Spend on United Airlines Credit Cards
United credit cards earn PQPs at varying rates, depending on the card. You’ll get 1 PQP for every $15 you spend on premium cards like the United Club℠ Card and the United Club℠ Business Card — and 1 PQP for every $20 you spend on all other eligible cards.
Each credit card also enforces a cap on how many PQPs you can earn in a calendar year:
- United℠ Explorer Card: 1,000 PQPs
- United Quest℠ Card: 18,000 PQPs
- United Club Card: 28,000 PQPs
- United Club Business: 28,000 PQPs
- United℠ Business Card: 4,000 PQPs
With enough spending, you could earn top-tier United elite status with very little travel (remember, you’ll still need to make four qualifying flights per year to achieve any status).
Use United’s “Premier Accelerator”
The United Airlines Premier Accelerator is an option you can use to buy PQPs whenever you’re booking a United Airlines flight. It’s not something you should do unless you absolutely have to — paying for elite status effectively negates a portion of its value — but if it’s the difference between earning status and completely missing your goal, it could make sense in certain circumstances.
Exchange PlusPoints
United issues a rewards currency called PlusPoints, earned by those with Premier Platinum and 1K elite status. You can redeem them for upgrades on flights, United TravelBank funds, bonus miles and more. You can also trade them for PQPs (a maximum of 1,600 per year) and PQFs (a maximum of four per year).
Earn Marriott Elite Status
Those with Marriott Titanium elite status or higher can earn United Airlines Silver status by linking their loyalty accounts.
How To Redeem Miles With United
You can redeem United Airlines miles in many ways, from seat upgrades to in-flight Wi-Fi subscriptions to United Club membership. But the best value will almost always come from booking award flights.
The real power of United miles is that you can redeem them with dozens of airline partners, from Singapore Airlines to Austrian Airlines to Egyptair. No matter where you’d like to go, United miles can help keep your flight affordable. I’ve used United miles to fly to South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Hawaii and more. I never could have afforded those trips otherwise.
To boot, United doesn’t pass along extra fees like many other airline programs. For example, a seat that may cost $500 or more in addition to miles through one airline program may cost just $5.60 through United. That’s a huge benefit that draws many to United’s loyalty program, even though it typically doesn’t offer the absolute lowest award price.
Is United Status Worth It?
Frankly, unless you’re shooting for high-tier United status, your travel experience may be closely replicated simply by holding and using the right credit card. Whenever I’ve held lower levels of United elite status, I’ve received benefits that are redundant with my United Airlines cards.
For example, perks like two free checked bags, priority boarding, priority baggage handling and even United Club membership can all be achieved with the United Club Card.
However, those with Premier Platinum or Premier 1K status will begin earning United’s valuable PlusPoints, which can be redeemed for things like seat upgrades and bonus United miles. These tiers also receive priority for complimentary seat upgrades. Those are perks worth reaching for.
The information related to the United℠ Explorer Card, United Quest℠ Card, United Club℠ Card, United℠ Business Card and United Club℠ Business Cardwas collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.
Frequently Asked Questions About United Status
How long does United elite status last?
United clocks an elite status year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. When you earn United status, you’ll remain elite until Dec. 31 of the following calendar year. For example, if you were to earn United Premier Silver in June, you’d retain that status for more than 1.5 years.
What are the benefits of United elite status?
The benefits of United elite status depend on which tier you’ve achieved. In general, you can expect a free checked bag or two, bonus miles for paid flights, complimentary seat upgrades and some level of Star Alliance elite status.
