PQD requirement for foreign members, will it ever happen?
Feb 22, 2019, 1:51 pm
#46
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Feb 22, 2019, 1:55 pm
#47
Join Date: May 2016
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I am one of these foreign 1K members... Honestly I don't know how much I spend, but I tend to travel in expensive J class (when I don't pay the bill 
)
Travel is about 40-60% on UA Metal. If UA would stop the PQD waiver, I´d stop flying UA on quite a few routes (TATL or to south america) and certainly would stop accruing miles with UA, since Oneworld nowadays offers better connections on many of my typical routes (and AA now flies direct to my home town..). If the PQD thing would become real, other airlines would offer better programmes.
I have quite a few friends with similar cases, and I think they'd do the same.
United would be really stupid if they stop the PQD-waiver thing.
)Travel is about 40-60% on UA Metal. If UA would stop the PQD waiver, I´d stop flying UA on quite a few routes (TATL or to south america) and certainly would stop accruing miles with UA, since Oneworld nowadays offers better connections on many of my typical routes (and AA now flies direct to my home town..). If the PQD thing would become real, other airlines would offer better programmes.
I have quite a few friends with similar cases, and I think they'd do the same.
United would be really stupid if they stop the PQD-waiver thing.
Feb 22, 2019, 2:34 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Understand foreign 1K members would make a choice of OALs if there were a PQD requirement. As a US resident I am in the same position with the PQD - is it worth it to fly internationally with United to meet the PQD for 1K?
Feb 22, 2019, 3:50 pm
#49
Join Date: Apr 2014
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That's fair; and if that happens, I'll be more than happy to credit my flights on NH instead. I'll probably only be a NH Platinum, but at least I get semi-lifetime *G through a NH credit card.
See, everyone's happy!
In all seriousness though, IMO sticking with UA is a harder and more inconvenient decision for overseas members than it is for domestic members. So I feel only slightly guilty that I hit 1K with $3000 PQD.
See, everyone's happy!
In all seriousness though, IMO sticking with UA is a harder and more inconvenient decision for overseas members than it is for domestic members. So I feel only slightly guilty that I hit 1K with $3000 PQD.
Last edited by Kannai; Mar 2, 2019 at 7:53 pm
Feb 22, 2019, 4:08 pm
#50
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I primarily travel internationally so am in the same GPU moshpit as 1K members who do not reside in the USA. We all have a choice of carrier for international travel whether we reside in the USA or outside the USA. GPUs can only be earned by 1K members so do wonder if United will bring in the same 1K requirement. I still think my original musing about the percentage of non-US resident 1K members in 2020 would be an interesting statistic.
I do agree with your proposition as it relates to domestic travel (which is not my concern as my domestic travel is quite limited and generally short hops and I travel South West as often as I fly United for domestic travel).
I do agree with your proposition as it relates to domestic travel (which is not my concern as my domestic travel is quite limited and generally short hops and I travel South West as often as I fly United for domestic travel).
Feb 23, 2019, 4:29 pm
#51
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
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This. As an overseas 1K I mainly do it for the GPU's when I do fly to the states otherwise I'm using it for the star alliance benefits. Last time I did a longhaul UA flight was in June, otherwise I was on EVA for the majority of the rest of my longhauls. They are REALLY competitive price-wise out of Asia (unfortunately it means connecting in TPE though)
Mar 2, 2019, 9:00 am
#52
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i get that, but see UA walking a line to encourage those living in foreign countries to continue using UA where they can, where it’s much harder to earn PQD unless they are exclusively doing home-US trips. If you are, say, EU-based, and do half of your travel to the US, and other half to EU/Asia, what incentive is there to use UA on those US trips, unless you are consistently buying full-fare or close to it and might make PQD anyway. Zero if you can’t make status - much easier to use LH group in that case (even with M&M’s own drawbacks).
I could see see an argument where if they devise a way for PQD to happen when flying on partners, that PQD is required no matter where you live. But until then, I’m guessing the calculation from those who have access to the numbers is that it would cause UA to lose too much business.
example, when I was an expat in India, and when PQD and dollar-based earning first started, there would have been zero incentive for me to use MP or UA on my trips back home to US and Canada when as much or more of my travel was within India and Asia and therefore impossible to do on UA. In that case, it would make more sense for me to use one of or some
combo of LH/TK/SQ/AC (etc.) when there would be no possibility of earning UA status. Also, probably would have been much easier to do my Asia travel on non *A, where instead, I typically used SQ and TG almost exclusively. The PQD waiver kept me on UA when possible. Alternatively, needing to meet PQD with a reasonable PQD rate on partners would have done the same.
Mar 2, 2019, 9:12 am
#53
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And, for lower status levels, there are no credit card waivers for foreign residents as, at least in theory, the UA ccs are available to US residents and prohibited for non-residents.
Mar 2, 2019, 10:45 am
#54
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As stated am going to join the pool of nonresidents in 2020 where I will choose which airline to fly TPAC/TATL as those TODs (on any airline) look very good when you are not concerned with PQDs.
Mar 2, 2019, 12:11 pm
#55
Join Date: Sep 2009
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It's a legal issue. Price discrimination is illegal in most jurisdictions outside of the U.S. Companies can not offer lower prices, discounts, rebates or other benefits to customers who spend more. It's only legal in the US where the airlines have co-opted to their cronies in Congress to exempt them from the anti-price discrimination laws.
Mar 2, 2019, 12:12 pm
#56
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It seems to me some of this also relates to how Star Alliance and JV partners will work together on one hand and compete on another? How does UA use Star Alliance and the JVs to its advantage but keep customers, especially those most valuable ones, on UA metal when it benefits UA?
How do you structure Star Alliance when all the partners think this way (the Chinese calls it "Same Bed, Different Dreams.")? How do you structure MileagePlus when you want to achieve what UA wants to achieve?
I don't know the answer. I think PQD world-wide will eventually be implemented. I just wish they would change MileagePlus so award tickets on UA operated flights count toward lifetime status.
How do you structure Star Alliance when all the partners think this way (the Chinese calls it "Same Bed, Different Dreams.")? How do you structure MileagePlus when you want to achieve what UA wants to achieve?
I don't know the answer. I think PQD world-wide will eventually be implemented. I just wish they would change MileagePlus so award tickets on UA operated flights count toward lifetime status.
Mar 2, 2019, 2:08 pm
#57
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
It's a legal issue. Price discrimination is illegal in most jurisdictions outside of the U.S. Companies can not offer lower prices, discounts, rebates or other benefits to customers who spend more. It's only legal in the US where the airlines have co-opted to their cronies in Congress to exempt them from the anti-price discrimination laws.
Mar 2, 2019, 3:15 pm
#58
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: UA1K | *A Gold
Posts: 767
UA and DL have a PQD/MQD waiver with their US credit cards partners, and DL waives the MQD req for foreign addresses like UA. I believe AA gives "bonus" EQDs but doesn't actually waive the req with their US credit cards. That's probably how AA gets away with having a EQD for non-us residents.
On the other hand, AA allows Oneworld elites access to their version of economy plus, so I wonder if united would do the same to try to get more foreign flyers onto UA metal if they decide to "enhance" like AA and get rid of the PQD waiver.
Edit: UA*G also lacks access to United Clubs on domestic, so that's like a negative $450 cost when comparing to foreign based frequent flyer programs.
Last edited by mr8; Mar 2, 2019 at 3:24 pm
Mar 2, 2019, 5:31 pm
#59
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Not at all. My annual spending yield isn't what it used to be in the early/mid 2000s ($45,000-$55,000 on domestic fares). I am generally between $30,000 and $40,000 (not quite GS material). The best part is I may pay for one or two trips a year when I go on vacation (amounting to less than $750-$800 of my own dollars). The rest is paid by someone else due to the nature of my profession.
Jealousy ........ no. I have been a 1K for 22 of the past 25 years, GS 3 out of the first 4 years that program came to be, all on someone else's dime. I'll be lifetime 1K in 9 years or so courtesy of my customers so I wouldn't say I'm really jealous.
Jealousy ........ no. I have been a 1K for 22 of the past 25 years, GS 3 out of the first 4 years that program came to be, all on someone else's dime. I'll be lifetime 1K in 9 years or so courtesy of my customers so I wouldn't say I'm really jealous.
Mar 2, 2019, 5:49 pm
#60
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The program is already inherently unfair to people outside the U.S. For one thing, 90% of all Mileage Plus promotions only apply to U.S. residents. If you make the requirements the same for everyone, you need to level the benefits and opportunities as well.