Never studied the T&C for money+miles (nor bought one) before, but now that I do, I see that curiously they includes this:
12. Money + Miles tickets are not upgradable with MileagePlus Upgrade Awards
So seems that they are not considered fully equivalent to cash tickets. Not sure why that would be.
But anyway, relevant to the lifetime miles query, T&C say
10. Accrual details:
a. Premier qualifying points (PQP) are based on the cash portion of the base fare paid excluding taxes and fees. Starting on January 1, 2023, PQP will also be earned on the miles portion of the ticket at a rate of 1 PQP for every 100 miles redeemed on flight segments operated by United or United Express.
b. Premier qualifying flights (PQF) are based on the segments flown if the ticket is eligible; 1 per segment flown.
c. Minimum qualifying segments are based on the segments flown; 1 per segment flown if the ticket is eligible.
d. Lifetime miles apply to the entire flown itinerary.
So here's a third person saying what two have already said twice.
