aacharya

Curious as to why you would do this now versus later in the year when you know how much you've flown.

narvik

Don't actually need them, as such, just didn't want them to expire (some would have on March 31).

HoustonConsultant

I had the same thought process yesterday. Someone on here mentioned their flex miles getting ready to expire, so I wandered over to look at mine.

I made 1k again, so I don't need (or can't use) flex miles, but I did have a set of flex miles expire in 2018, and I have 20k expiring in March 2019. I have no idea if I'm going to need it this year, but I knew I would forget all about it, so I transferred those 20k miles yesterday.

I'm not the smartest person in the world, but the way they explain the options and the years for redemption was mighty confusing.

It implies we have until March 2019 to go back in time and apply flex miles to 2018 (which I did not want).

Steve M

That's right. Some people may want to wait until all of their 2018 flights have posted, so that they know if they need to use any FPQM's to (re)qualify, and if so, exactly how many. This may take a few days into 2019 (or a few weeks if partners are involved). Also, there's no benefit in doing it before the end of Jan 2019, assuming they had Premiere status last year and the FPQM's won't raise their status level.

Someone already mentioned the issue of FPQM's expiring Mar 31 and not wanting to forget about it. There are other situations where it makes sense to move them now. Consider a passenger that will have a higher status after moving FPQM's then they currently do. For example, someone with 25K FEQM's that currently doesn't have any status might want to move all of them now: they'll instantly get Premier Silver, which will be valid through Jan 31 2021.

Some passengers use FPQM's to "top off" their PQMs when they fall below a threshold. Some passengers qualify for Premiere entirely based on FPQM's. Some passengers use FPQM's to help maintain existing status, and others use it to newly qualify when they had no (or a lower) status before. The particulars of the situation will dictate what makes the most sense to apply the FPQM's.

BTW, since it's not otherwise obvious from this thread, and since I'm sure some are wondering: FPQM's are a feature of the Chase Presidential Plus United credit card, which earns FPQM's for credit card spend, and has not been open to new cardholders since around the UA/CO merger (it was a legacy CO product). Existing cardholders have been grandfathered into the FPQM program.

narvik

Phew, THANKS for posting, as I was seriously doubting my sanity. At least now I know I am not alone in my confusion!

cece4

I qualify for Plat solely through the use of Flex PQMs earned on my Presidential card.
It seems I may only need to make a 375K spend every OTHER year in order to maintain my status (by waiting till Jan every other year to apply my accumulated Flex PQMs).

I think my only loss in applying every other year would be giving up my 2 extra RPU's by qualifying annually.

Sound right?

(Stats are below in the much longer post from Jan 3, if anyone has the time or interest to peruse)

Xyzzy

That sunds right to me.

PsiFighter37

Used my FPQMs for the first time in several years, as I hit a spell where I didn't use my Presidential Plus for general expenses. Applied ~12k to start off the year...have 40k expiring next year, but I will need every one of them to hit some kind of status (most likely).

cece4

Thanks for confirming.
I may just give it a try this year - although it scares me to do so. Probably they will change the rules by the time my plan actually comes to fruition. The way I see it - I really don't "need" to get the 375K for another 5 years at this point. But then again...that means I would be continuing to pay the $450 a year (or whatever the annual fee is these days) in the interim for only the other perks of the card - I guess its probably still worth it if I add them up...at least I think it is!! I sure wish I had figured this out many years ago - could have a lot more UR or MR by now instead of useless throwaway FPQM's.

caseminole

I have a different perspective as I am coming into this from needing to obtain lower tier (Silver) elite status

I used to get it by flying but in the last 3 years or so, my BIS miles are typically around 15K

Since i typically get Marriott Platinum, I have been able to make use of the complimentary RewardsPlus to keep Silver, but I have to wait for confirmation that THAT program will continue into the next year.

I actually lose status Feb 1, and some years, my Marriott Platinum status also expires Feb 1, but its not "effective" until later in Feb.. Then I get a bump to Platinum (dont ask, that one is a secret), re-link United to Marriott RewardsPlus, then I get my Silver status.

After thats done, I apply the "expiring" miles to the new qualification year so they're not wasted

PsiFighter37

mahasamatman

No. FPQM have no use once you've passed Platinum.

8MiHi

I agree.
As the Wiki above points out, FPQMs can only be used to move up to Silver, Gold or Platinum. The system is likely to reject any attempt to use these beyond 75K PQMs. Using them to move to 1K or to advance to the next GPU/RPU level above 100K PQMs is not an included feature.

dsteveman

I'm probably one of the few people who still use the United Presidential Plus Mastercard on a regular basis for business spend (along with my Amex Platinum). Typically I use my FPQMs to help me reach Platinum but this year I flew enough to reach Platinum for 2020 and have around 50000 expiring at the end of this year. Am I able to "transfer" those FPQMs to my spouse's Mileageplus account? Would hate to see them go to waste esp since I can't use them towards 1K.

bmw303

unfortunately no.