Old Nov 8, 2017, 5:41 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: FlyHighInTheSky
Global Services Qualifying Discussion- 2018
Qualification Form
Please only fill out the above form once you are 100% certain that you have made or not made Global Services for 2018.

Qualification Spreadsheet
This will be a discussion thread, for discussing the needed qualifications and timing of notification.
Use "Global Services 2018 Notifications (ONLY)" to report your actual notification.
For discussion of GS benefits, please use Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions 2017
For 2017 qualifications, see the 2017 thread

To find your PQDs if >than $12K
Go to MileagePlus activity since my last statement and it is in the "Account summary" table at the top of the page.

Note this is not just the UA operated PQDs (which is commonly believed to be what matters for GS) but rather your total PQDs.

Definitions

BIS is actual scheduled flight distance (Great Circle Mileage Distance -- GCM) between airports with 500 mile minimum for elites. This is the standard used for Lifetime miles also. Those flying mostly sub-500 segments sometimes prefer to not use the minimum rule.

The definition for CPM is a bit vaguer, especially since CPM is used in multiple different situations.

Believe for the purpose of this thread, GS qualification, folks are using

PQD CPM = UA PQDs / UA BIS

Note there is no direct evidence UA uses this CPM number for GS Qualification but it is a number FTers like to use.

As for BIS, UA does not report this number your account and it needs to be manually tracked.

One way is to make use that PQMs are based on BIS but there may be a multiplier / bonus for high end fares. If always in 2x PQMs, you could divide by 2 to get BIS.

rwsteelers had a good method for determining UA BIS -- the change in Lifetime Miles from the first of the year.
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2018 GS Qualifying Discussion

Old Nov 18, 2017, 1:27 pm
  #331  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 9
Hey,

Will finish the year with the following numbers:
PQD: ~$60K
PQM: 240K
BIS : ~120
PQS: 42
Mainly international business and domestic first on UA metal. Based in SFO. What are my chances making it?

Thanks!
shriri is offline  
Old Nov 18, 2017, 1:49 pm
  #332  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,761
Welcome to FT!, shriri

Originally Posted by shriri
Will finish the year with the following numbers:
PQD: ~$60K
PQM: 240K
BIS : ~120
PQS: 42
Mainly international business and domestic first on UA metal. Based in SFO. What are my chances making it? ..
Things would help
-- Is that PQD all United operated flights? No partner flights?
-- What is your prior history with UA? Have you been close in the past? It is not clear, but UA infers they look at previous history for bounderline cases.
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Nov 18, 2017, 3:58 pm
  #333  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 9
PQD all on UA flights
was 1K on/off for several years but never GS. Do you think I am borderline?
shriri is offline  
Old Nov 18, 2017, 4:04 pm
  #334  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,250
Originally Posted by bldr1k
Nobody really knows for sure, but I suspect $51K PQD on 140K BIS (36 cpm) would make GS and $51K PQD on 275 BIS (18 cpm) would not. 18cpm is a pretty average customer.
The qualifiying spreadsheet lists a significant number of qualifiers who had under both $50K and 25 "CPM." There are even a few under 20 "CPM." "CPM" is just Flyertalk myth and lore.

Originally Posted by shriri
PQD all on UA flights
was 1K on/off for several years but never GS. Do you think I am borderline?
I would say you are way beyond borderline. It's very unlikely that you would not make it.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Nov 18, 2017 at 4:10 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
porciuscato is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 5:38 am
  #335  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: UA
Posts: 1
I have read through the tread and believe I understand the normal qualification levels; as secretive and Byzantine as they may be.

I would love to get the group's opinion on a question. I am a US citizen who lives outside of the US in India. My Indian residence is coded in the United system. I traveled 187k miles (PQM) in 2017 thus far with another 48k PQM yet to do in December. Obviously most of those miles are via Lufthansa. All tickets were purchased through United. I am currently 1k and have always been either Premier or 1K when I lived in the US and Houston was my home airport. I never crossed the thresh hold for GS before.

Any thoughts on my chances for GS in 2018?

Sorry. Should have added it doesn't even show PQD. That line simply says, "YTD Premier qualifying dollars: Over $12,000".

Thank you for your input.
Brian

Last edited by bsqnaz; Nov 19, 2017 at 5:55 am Reason: Added Information
bsqnaz is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 7:22 am
  #336  
Used to be 'thiti'
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA-PP 1MM, Hyatt-Globalist, Bonvoy-LT Titanium, Hertz-Pres Cir
Posts: 189
Originally Posted by bsqnaz
I have read through the tread and believe I understand the normal qualification levels; as secretive and Byzantine as they may be.

I would love to get the group's opinion on a question. I am a US citizen who lives outside of the US in India. My Indian residence is coded in the United system. I traveled 187k miles (PQM) in 2017 thus far with another 48k PQM yet to do in December. Obviously most of those miles are via Lufthansa. All tickets were purchased through United. I am currently 1k and have always been either Premier or 1K when I lived in the US and Houston was my home airport. I never crossed the thresh hold for GS before.

Any thoughts on my chances for GS in 2018?

Sorry. Should have added it doesn't even show PQD. That line simply says, "YTD Premier qualifying dollars: Over $12,000".

Thank you for your input.
Brian
Knowing most of your flights are LH, I think your chance is shot.
Sawasdee is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 9:20 am
  #337  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,413
Originally Posted by bsqnaz
Should have added it doesn't even show PQD. That line simply says, "YTD Premier qualifying dollars: Over $12,000".
That's what mine says too, and no way I'm making GS

You can check your year to date PQD by clicking "view activity since last statement." The bare minimum for GS is around $40K on UA metal. LH flights do not count.
Kacee is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 10:31 am
  #338  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: United GS/MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 242
Anybody else here receive the Illy Coffee gift set from United this week?
supergabe is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 10:52 am
  #339  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,761
Originally Posted by supergabe
Anybody else here receive the Illy Coffee gift set from United this week?
See the discussion of this in Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions 2017

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 4:33 pm
  #340  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: BOS+SFO+SIN
Programs: UA GS 2MM+, JetBlue Mosaic, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, & Hertz PC
Posts: 113
Hi all - great information as always in this thread and in the google docs stats. I'm following my 2017 activity closely as there may be a chance for GS based on following estimates for 2017:

PQM: 317,000 - Flown to Japan/Singapore 10+ times - combination of economy and business (C/D), plus first class BOS/SFO and back 5+ times this year.
PQD: $56,543 - this includes some ANA/Singapore Airlines,
UA only PQD is about $48,000
PQS: 95
BIS: 178,418
CPM is likely 0.28

Home airport = BOS (after SFO & ORD for many years)
1-K for last 3 years, GS from 2010 to 2014 (100K PQD annually) then stopped flying internationally so much.
Million miler - 1.5 M miles

Any thoughts from everyone? Is it worth another BOS/SFO mileage run in First/Business class at end of year to get me closer to $50K UAL spend in hopes of getting back to GS? Thanks in advance!
telemark27 is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2017, 5:03 pm
  #341  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,250
Originally Posted by telemark27
Any thoughts from everyone? Is it worth another BOS/SFO mileage run in First/Business class at end of year to get me closer to $50K UAL spend in hopes of getting back to GS? Thanks in advance!
I don't think so. Recall that $50K Pass Plus gets you GS. But that includes taxes. If you add back taxes, your $48K is probably well over $50K.

Looking at it another way, there were a couple of flyers from BOS last year that made it in the low $40s.
porciuscato is offline  
Old Nov 20, 2017, 10:24 am
  #342  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Pacific
Programs: UA GS, Lifetime 4 MM, BA Gold, , Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, Marriott Ambassador Elite
Posts: 476
Originally Posted by supergabe
Anybody else here receive the Illy Coffee gift set from United this week?
NO! I received Golden State Warriors tickets early this year, but nothing since.
MostlyUA is offline  
Old Nov 20, 2017, 5:50 pm
  #343  
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Mileage Plus, Global Services
Posts: 22
Getting close to the end of the year, I've got a few more flights..
It looks like by mid Dec, I'll be:
PQD: $58k (All UA metal except 1 LH flight - $900)
PQM: 270k
PQS: 70 approx.
2.4M lifetime miles
Was GS for 4 years 2006-2010, the rest of the time 1k till now (except in 2014).
Flying out of SFO

Should I make some space in my mailbox for the invitation?
gilbnx is offline  
Old Nov 20, 2017, 7:45 pm
  #344  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,413
Originally Posted by gilbnx
Should I make some space in my mailbox for the invitation?
Only if you want to jinx what otherwise looks like a pretty safe bet.
getagb and gilbnx like this.
Kacee is offline  
Old Nov 21, 2017, 4:59 am
  #345  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: RDU
Programs: United
Posts: 14
Hoping for a re-qualify
Home airport RDU
PQD - 49,083
PQM - 222,846
BIS - 121,882
PQS - 136
CPM - 0.4027

What do you guys think?
mb1anchette is offline  

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