Dec 16, 2015, 2:20 pm
Last edit by: FlyHighInTheSky
Hi everyone,
Starting January 1, 2016, you’ll earn more Premier qualifying miles (PQMs) for full-fare and discounted First or Business – up to double the current rate. The higher PQM rates go into effect for flights starting January 1, 2016 regardless of booking date.
New 2016 PQM Earning for United and United Express:
Full-fare First or Business (F, J): 300% (Currently 150%)
Discounted First or Business (A, C, D, Z, P): 200% (Currently 150%)
Full-fare Economy (Y, B): 150% (No Change)
Discounted Economy (M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G, N): 100% (No Change)
Please check back shortly for full details regarding this change at mileageplusupdates.com. In addition to United and United Express operated flights, PQM earnings for select Star Alliance partners are also increasing.
Thank you,
-UA Insider
Starting January 1, 2016, you’ll earn more Premier qualifying miles (PQMs) for full-fare and discounted First or Business – up to double the current rate. The higher PQM rates go into effect for flights starting January 1, 2016 regardless of booking date.
New 2016 PQM Earning for United and United Express:
Full-fare First or Business (F, J): 300% (Currently 150%)
Discounted First or Business (A, C, D, Z, P): 200% (Currently 150%)
Full-fare Economy (Y, B): 150% (No Change)
Discounted Economy (M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G, N): 100% (No Change)
Please check back shortly for full details regarding this change at mileageplusupdates.com. In addition to United and United Express operated flights, PQM earnings for select Star Alliance partners are also increasing.
Thank you,
-UA Insider
Earn more PQMs for premium cabin travel starting in 2016
Dec 16, 2015, 1:05 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
This is great for me, as I always buy F seats! And these new PQM earning rates are already programmed in to the "Accruals for this trip" function in the United app. For example, I've got an EWR-PBI RT next year that shows 3072 PQM for the outbound and 2048 for the return.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:05 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
This is just a match to AA.
Really, United is just saying, if you spend the PQD on premium fares, we don't care so much about how many miles you actually went.
UA would much rather use their free upgrades to keep people who spend $12k/yr (the PQD req for 1K now) on three flights than lower tier elites.
Really, United is just saying, if you spend the PQD on premium fares, we don't care so much about how many miles you actually went.
From IAH, a F-buying passenger now can get to 1K with only two TATL and one domestic trip. Fly three times a year and be 1K 
. Just about every professional staff member working international at the company I retired from will be a 1K. This will definitely bloat the upper tiers of M+ with those looking to use RPUs/GPUs on vacations. CPUs will be even rarer for lower tiers.
. Just about every professional staff member working international at the company I retired from will be a 1K. This will definitely bloat the upper tiers of M+ with those looking to use RPUs/GPUs on vacations. CPUs will be even rarer for lower tiers.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:08 pm
#18
Join Date: Mar 2008
Programs: GGL, UA 1MM
Posts: 486
Hi everyone,
Starting January 1, 2016, you’ll earn more Premier qualifying miles (PQMs) for full-fare and discounted First or Business – up to double the current rate. The higher PQM rates go into effect for flights starting January 1, 2016 regardless of booking date.
Full-fare First or Business (F, J): 300% (Currently 150%)
Discounted First or Business (A, C, D, Z, P): 200% (Currently 150%)
.......
-UA Insider
Starting January 1, 2016, you’ll earn more Premier qualifying miles (PQMs) for full-fare and discounted First or Business – up to double the current rate. The higher PQM rates go into effect for flights starting January 1, 2016 regardless of booking date.
Full-fare First or Business (F, J): 300% (Currently 150%)
Discounted First or Business (A, C, D, Z, P): 200% (Currently 150%)
.......
-UA Insider
As someone who mainly flies International BF, but spends $25-30k pa on tickets this means I will make 1K rather than Gold.
Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but presumably this will make it even harder redeeming upgrades though?
Dec 16, 2015, 1:11 pm
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
Earn more PQMs for premium cabin travel starting in 2016
Now just change RDM to be the greater of multiplier or miles flown and we'll have a real MileagePLUS.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:12 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
I cannot believe United would make such a major change with almost no notice! 
It's not even Friday!
Seriously though, this change will be beneficial for my current flight purchasing behavior, where PQD's are easier to accumulate than PQM's.
I echo this sentiment:
It's not even Friday!Seriously though, this change will be beneficial for my current flight purchasing behavior, where PQD's are easier to accumulate than PQM's.
I echo this sentiment:
Dec 16, 2015, 1:12 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Texas
Posts: 640
On the other hand, that flyer who pays $18k for IAD-FRA for unrestricted F will have already paid way more than the 1K PQD requirement for a year. So they aren't getting off easy.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:17 pm
#22
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,136
One thing I did just realize, though, is that when there's no available F on a connecting route (e.g. the Devil's Chariot or other RJs lacking F), you often pay more $$ for that short connecting segment than the longer one in the front cabin, but it will book into Y and thus earn only 150%.
Shame you can't have it book as F throughout, even if there aren't F segments available...
Shame you can't have it book as F throughout, even if there aren't F segments available...
Dec 16, 2015, 1:36 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: ATL
Programs: DL DM 1.77MM, Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 2,785
Really nice to see this also trickling over to other *A airlines, particularly LH-group where the P-fares has been basically treated as lower-than-B-fares for some time.
Note: upgauge also appears to apply to NH and CA...so basically all the JVs, which makes sense.
Note: upgauge also appears to apply to NH and CA...so basically all the JVs, which makes sense.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:46 pm
#26
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat, Global Entry, Citi Prestige, Chase MileagePlus Club
Posts: 85
The flyers who benefit from this are those who usually travel on OPM. From IAH, a F-buying passenger now can get to 1K with only two TATL and one domestic trip. Fly three times a year and be 1K . Just about every professional staff member working international at the company I retired from will be a 1K. This will definitely bloat the upper tiers of M+ with those looking to use RPUs/GPUs on vacations. CPUs will be even rarer for lower tiers.
. Just about every professional staff member working international at the company I retired from will be a 1K. This will definitely bloat the upper tiers of M+ with those looking to use RPUs/GPUs on vacations. CPUs will be even rarer for lower tiers.As a guy that gets his 1K the hard way, one PQM per BIS mile, this makes me both sad and a bit jealous.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:49 pm
#27
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott/SPG/Hilton Gold, PreCheck + Clear
Posts: 2,306
Phenomenal news. This will definitely help convince me to buy advance A and P fares on my transcons rather than picking 6am flights and playing the CPU lottery.
Dec 16, 2015, 1:49 pm
#28
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,854
However this was also stated
