Note that United limits the number of PQP you can earn from partner flights on reservations that don't have a United ticket number.

The limits vary by partner airline, but for Lufthansa the maximum PQP per flight (segment) is 1,500 for first/business, 750 for Economy. https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/mil....html#earn-pqp

So, if your ticket is $4.5K overall, I'd bet you earn more PQP with a United ticket number. That's because United awards PQP based on the ticket price, minus taxes.

How do you know if your reservation will have a United ticket number?

• If you book directly through United, you will have a United ticket number.
• If you book directly through Lufthansa or another airline, you will almost certainly not have a United ticket number.
• If you book through a travel agency such as Expedia, you might have a United ticket number. It can get a bit tricky to predict.
  • If most/all of the flights on the itinerary have United flight numbers, especially including the overwater segments operated by Lufthansa, it's likely you will have a United ticket number.

Bottom line, if you care about PQP I'd try my best to book directly through United.