Jan 5, 2015, 11:45 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Previous thread -- Presidential Plus Card Changes
Related thread - General Questions re: MileagePlus Flex PQM
This legacy Chase credit card is not taking new applications. Compiled below is a comparison of current card-derived vs. status-derived benefits.
Overall, the current benefits of the PP and the replacement Club card are nearly identical. The key trade-off is increased redeemable mile (RDM) earnings with the Club card vs. FPQM with the PP card. Basically, the Club card earns an incremental 0.5 RDM / $1 vs. the PP card’s 0.2 PQM / $1. This sets a 2.5 RDM : $1 PQM ratio, which puts a price on PQMs earned this way at $0.025 to $0.050. Given that PQMs cost atleast $0.08 or more each if purchased early in the year via award accelerator, this is a pretty good deal for those who anticipate falling short of the upcoming year’s desired Silver / Gold / Platinum threshold.
Benefits unique to the PP card:
- 1000 FPQM per $5,000 spend (or 0.2 / $1)
- FPQMs are only valid for Premier Silver / Gold / Platinum status, expire 3 years after earning
- 1 RDM / $1 card spend (x2 hotel & rental cars for personal card, x2 restaurants, gas, office supplies for business card)
- Premier Qualifying Dollar (PQD) waiver (no minimum card spend, doesn’t apply to 1K)
Benefits unique to the Club card:
- 1.5 RDM / $1 card spend
- PQD waiver (with $25,000 minimum card spend, doesn’t apply to 1K)
Benefits shared between PP and Club cards:
- $395 annual fee
- United club membership (vs. $450 1K/GS, $500 Platinum, $550 Gold, $550 Silver, $550 GM, +$550 with spouse)
-Waiver of 4 segment on United flights for Premier qualification (removed in 2020)
- Premier Access (group 2 boarding)
- 2 free checked bags (vs. 1 Silver, 2 Gold, 3 Platinum)
- Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum
- Hertz Hertz President's Circle status (vs. Five Star for Premier Silver / Gold) (expiring 31 January 2023)
- CPU on award tickets
- No <21 day award booking fees (vs. $50 Silver, $25 Gold, $0 Platinum)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Concierge service
Benefits compared to Explorer card:
- only $95 annual fee
- only 1 free bag for cardholder and 1 companion
- 1 RDM / $1 card spend, +10,000 bonus after $25,000 card spend)
- 2 single-use club passes
- Premier Access (group 2 boarding)
- Premier Qualifying Dollar waiver (with $25,000 minimum card spend)
Sources (accessed Jan 1, 2015):
Chase United Card Benefits
https://www.chase.com/online/Credit-...ewards-new.htm
United Premier Status Benefits
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...r/default.aspx
United Premier Status Qualification Requirements
Premier status qualification requirements
Prior FlyerTalk thread on Presidential Plus card changes
Presidential Plus Card Changes
Based on post by pstrasma
Related thread - General Questions re: MileagePlus Flex PQM
This legacy Chase credit card is not taking new applications. Compiled below is a comparison of current card-derived vs. status-derived benefits.
Overall, the current benefits of the PP and the replacement Club card are nearly identical. The key trade-off is increased redeemable mile (RDM) earnings with the Club card vs. FPQM with the PP card. Basically, the Club card earns an incremental 0.5 RDM / $1 vs. the PP card’s 0.2 PQM / $1. This sets a 2.5 RDM : $1 PQM ratio, which puts a price on PQMs earned this way at $0.025 to $0.050. Given that PQMs cost atleast $0.08 or more each if purchased early in the year via award accelerator, this is a pretty good deal for those who anticipate falling short of the upcoming year’s desired Silver / Gold / Platinum threshold.
Benefits unique to the PP card:
- 1000 FPQM per $5,000 spend (or 0.2 / $1)
- FPQMs are only valid for Premier Silver / Gold / Platinum status, expire 3 years after earning
- 1 RDM / $1 card spend (x2 hotel & rental cars for personal card, x2 restaurants, gas, office supplies for business card)
- Premier Qualifying Dollar (PQD) waiver (no minimum card spend, doesn’t apply to 1K)
Benefits unique to the Club card:
- 1.5 RDM / $1 card spend
- PQD waiver (with $25,000 minimum card spend, doesn’t apply to 1K)
Benefits shared between PP and Club cards:
- $395 annual fee
- United club membership (vs. $450 1K/GS, $500 Platinum, $550 Gold, $550 Silver, $550 GM, +$550 with spouse)
-
- Premier Access (group 2 boarding)
- 2 free checked bags (vs. 1 Silver, 2 Gold, 3 Platinum)
- Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum
- Hertz Hertz President's Circle status (vs. Five Star for Premier Silver / Gold) (expiring 31 January 2023)
- CPU on award tickets
- No <21 day award booking fees (vs. $50 Silver, $25 Gold, $0 Platinum)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Concierge service
Benefits compared to Explorer card:
- only $95 annual fee
- only 1 free bag for cardholder and 1 companion
- 1 RDM / $1 card spend, +10,000 bonus after $25,000 card spend)
- 2 single-use club passes
- Premier Access (group 2 boarding)
- Premier Qualifying Dollar waiver (with $25,000 minimum card spend)
Sources (accessed Jan 1, 2015):
Chase United Card Benefits
https://www.chase.com/online/Credit-...ewards-new.htm
United Premier Status Benefits
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...r/default.aspx
United Premier Status Qualification Requirements
Premier status qualification requirements
Prior FlyerTalk thread on Presidential Plus card changes
Presidential Plus Card Changes
Based on post by pstrasma
PresidentialPlus credit card - Benefits, Q&A, ....
Feb 14, 2024, 4:25 pm
#1277
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: PHX
Programs: UA 1KMM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AVIS President's Club
Posts: 100
4 miles per $1 spent on purchases from United, including tickets, Economy Plus®, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges.
2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel purchases, including airfare, trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, resorts, ride share services and tolls.
2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services.
1 mile for everything else.
Feb 14, 2024, 6:12 pm
#1278
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,008
I held onto my Presidential Plus card for 2024, mainly because the main added benefit (double the miles on UA bookings), while nice, didn't strike me as immediately meaningful. I am also paranoid that UA might revert the new cards to worse benefits at some point, so I figured I would give it at least a year to play out.
If nothing changes, then I fully anticipate getting one when the signup bonus is ample and rolling forward with the Infinite Club Card starting next year and saying adios to the Presidential Plus.
If nothing changes, then I fully anticipate getting one when the signup bonus is ample and rolling forward with the Infinite Club Card starting next year and saying adios to the Presidential Plus.
Feb 15, 2024, 1:19 am
#1279
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: HNL
Programs: MileagePlus Premier Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 148
A lot depends on what your Presidential Plus annual fee is. Mine is grandfathered at $375 a year and it just renewed this month. Although U.S. based, most of my recent flying has been on Star Alliance carriers (mostly ANA), so it's nice to be able to get United Club membership and Premier Access benefits as well as spend based PQPs with this relatively low annual fee, although I have qualified for at least Premier Gold for the past few years and Premier Platinum for this year. I don't see the benefit yet for me to upgrade to the Club Card, but the calculus may be different for others.
Feb 15, 2024, 7:44 am
#1280
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
Programs: CO, NW, & UA forum moderator emeritus
Posts: 35,432
A lot depends on what your Presidential Plus annual fee is. Mine is grandfathered at $375 a year and it just renewed this month. Although U.S. based, most of my recent flying has been on Star Alliance carriers (mostly ANA), so it's nice to be able to get United Club membership and Premier Access benefits as well as spend based PQPs with this relatively low annual fee, although I have qualified for at least Premier Gold for the past few years and Premier Platinum for this year. I don't see the benefit yet for me to upgrade to the Club Card, but the calculus may be different for others.
r lifetime members). So I keep the PPMC around for things like the upgrades on award tickets, rental car coverage, and free additional cardmembers.
Feb 15, 2024, 8:11 am
#1281
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston
Programs: UA GS 2.6MM & Lifetime UC, Qantas Platinum, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum, HawaiianMiles
Posts: 8,700
Indeed -- as a lifetime UA club member my annual fee is $100. I'm not willing to pay UA again for a club membership just to have the new card (which they do not discount fr lifetime members). So I keep the PPMC around for things like the upgrades on award tickets, rental car coverage, and free additional cardmembers.
r lifetime members). So I keep the PPMC around for things like the upgrades on award tickets, rental car coverage, and free additional cardmembers.
Feb 15, 2024, 8:42 am
#1282
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA 1K 1MMer & LT UC (when flying UA); Hyatt Credit Cardist; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold via UA 1K
Posts: 6,956
Indeed -- as a lifetime UA club member my annual fee is $100. I'm not willing to pay UA again for a club membership just to have the new card (which they do not discount fr lifetime members). So I keep the PPMC around for things like the upgrades on award tickets, rental car coverage, and free additional cardmembers.
r lifetime members). So I keep the PPMC around for things like the upgrades on award tickets, rental car coverage, and free additional cardmembers.
Apr 3, 2024, 7:14 pm
#1283
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,596
The Presidential Plus card has been devalued slowly.
At one point you could spend your way to Platinum 75k PQM and get Flex PQP which could be rolled over.
Then your PQP could be applied to 1k while others could not.
Now it is the same as the Club card and only gets you 10k PQP = Gold Premier level
And if my memory is right in 2023 there was no limit to the PQP from this card?
At one point you could spend your way to Platinum 75k PQM and get Flex PQP which could be rolled over.
Then your PQP could be applied to 1k while others could not.
Now it is the same as the Club card and only gets you 10k PQP = Gold Premier level
Apr 3, 2024, 7:35 pm
#1284
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,008
I agree that it has been devalued, and if UA does not decide to give it any benefits versus the Club Card, I am going to jump ship on it for the signup bonus and better benefits in time for 2025 PQP season, even if the annual fee is higher.
Last edited by PsiFighter37; Apr 3, 2024 at 7:43 pm
Apr 3, 2024, 7:45 pm
#1285
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Apr 3, 2024, 10:39 pm
#1286
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Verdi, NV, SFO & Olympic (aka Squaw )Valley.
Programs: Ikon Pass Full + AS Gold + Marriott Titanium + Hilton Gold. Recovering UA Plat. LT lounge AA+DL+UA
Posts: 3,823
As one of those with the $99 grandfathered fee, hope the PP and UC cards are consolidated with the fees remaining the same.
Apr 4, 2024, 8:05 am
#1287
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston
Programs: UA GS 2.6MM & Lifetime UC, Qantas Platinum, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum, HawaiianMiles
Posts: 8,700
Apr 4, 2024, 9:43 am
#1288
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,596
Apr 4, 2024, 1:10 pm
#1289
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: EWR
Programs: UA 1.65M , Platinum, 1K Emeritus, UC Lifetime , HHonors Gold, Presidential Plus card holder
Posts: 697
Spend requirement was waived through 2019 for PP cardholders and you could generate FPQMs that would last for 3 years without limit that were good for Platinum but not 1K. The 10K limits you to Gold on spend only but you still need 4 PQFs on UA metal.
I have been led to believe that the $100 AF on the Presidential Plus card was for that subset of cardholders who were also Lifetime President's Club members (now LT UC members).
It would surprise me if there were a similar discounted price for the United Club card.
It would surprise me if there were a similar discounted price for the United Club card.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 4, 2024 at 2:10 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member
Apr 4, 2024, 1:17 pm
#1290
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,621
Agree I just don't see it happening. I am sure UA wants the sun to set on all of grandfathered LT PC members who were rolled into LT UC members. I don't think they want anything to do with making life easier for those Pres Plus card holders. JMHO