The goal of UA is to get passengers to buy more expensive seats rather than the cheap seats. So, they give extra credit toward status by purchasing seats that are refundable. All refundable tickets qualify, I believe. I can't find a ticket that is refunable that doesn't qualify. This is great for me since I travel for business and need to be able to switch at the last minute.

I fully sympathize with UAL for this policy. Frankly, UA should go to the Delta/AA model of 0.5 for cheap seats and 1.5 or 2 for full fare or business class. Just a thought.