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Will UA Grant 2019 EliteStatus if I am XXX PQM/PQS/PQD Short of Qualifying in 2018?

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Old Oct 10, 2018, 11:37 pm
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Will UA Grant 2019 EliteStatus if I am XXX PQM/PQS/PQD Short of Qualifying in 2018?

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Old Dec 8, 2018, 12:56 pm
  #31  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SEA
Programs: UA 1K, DL DM
Posts: 15
Will be 27 PQD short of 1K requal - advice?
Falling just short of 1K on PQD, met PQM criteria. Advice?

sorry it’s been awhile since i’ve focused on UA but seems silly not to get over the edge given how close I am.

- Chances they’d grant it to me anyways if I write in?

- is there any kind of PQD buy up offer?

- do buy up upgrade offers work count? I have a $133 upgrade option on an upcoming flight. I know E plus buy ups count but I’m already in E+ since I’m 1K now.

- I cancelled my UA credit cars a few years ago. I guess I could reapply for one and buy something? Which cards count for PQD these days?

thx for any guidance
SEAflyer747 is offline  
Old Dec 8, 2018, 1:10 pm
  #32  
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Join Date: Sep 2003
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Originally Posted by SEAflyer747
...Advice?...
My advice is search for existing thread

Credit cards don't get you PQDs. Some upgrade offers result in PQDs, most don't. More answers in thread below.

[Consolidated] "I need XXX UA PQD's/PQMs/PQSs in 2018 for Elite Status in 2019"
Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Dec 8, 2018 at 1:45 pm
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Old Dec 8, 2018, 2:10 pm
  #33  
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Join Date: Oct 2001
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Originally Posted by SEAflyer747
- do buy up upgrade offers work count? I have a $133 upgrade option on an upcoming flight. I know E plus buy ups count but I’m already in E+ since I’m 1K now.
The online buy-up offers don't give you PQD, but if you call and ask to be re-fared into first class, it will. The key is to make sure that the amount you're being charged is the difference between what you paid originally and the current cost of the flight. Note that if you have a connection, you need to upfare the entire journey, not one leg at a time.

If you explain what you're doing, you may be able to get a sympathetic agent to let you buy up to a more expensive economy fare without charging the change fee. That could be cheaper than buying all the way to F.

UA may give it to you anyway, at 27 PQD short, but personally I wouldn't risk it. If they didn't, you wouldn't really have much recourse.
jsloan is offline  
Old Dec 8, 2018, 2:19 pm
  #34  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA LT Plat 2MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,956
Originally Posted by SEAflyer747
Falling just short of 1K on PQD, met PQM criteria. Advice?
- Chances they’d grant it to me anyways if I write in?
Links to prior year discussion and outcomes are in the wiki of this thread

- is there any kind of PQD buy up offer? ...
Likely, but the fees in the past have been ugly
2018 UA MP elite status buy-up offers (for higher status than earned in 2017)

- do buy up upgrade offers work count? I have a $133 upgrade option on an upcoming flight. ...
Up-fares work BUT upgrade fees generally do not work
Some Paid Upgrades Count Towards PQD & mileage bonus and some DON'T!

I know E plus buy ups count but I’m already in E+ since I’m 1K now....
do the E+ purchase without your MP account on the ticket

- I cancelled my UA credit cars a few years ago. I guess I could reapply for one and buy something? Which cards count for PQD these days?
none

and as already suggested
[Consolidated] "I need XXX UA PQD's/PQMs/PQSs in 2018 for Elite Status in 2019"
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Dec 13, 2018, 8:37 pm
  #35  
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 698
Does anyone have experience with UA granting upgrade certificates at the next tier if you're very close to the next PQM milestone? I'm about 25 PQM away from 2 RPU and 2 GPU and was hoping I wouldn't have to do a SDC to get the remaining miles.
VWang1111 is offline  
Old Dec 14, 2018, 6:47 am
  #36  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,854
Originally Posted by VWang1111
Does anyone have experience with UA granting upgrade certificates at the next tier if you're very close to the next PQM milestone? I'm about 25 PQM away from 2 RPU and 2 GPU and was hoping I wouldn't have to do a SDC to get the remaining miles.
my suggestion: do the SDC
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Flying Machine is offline  
Old Dec 19, 2018, 12:12 pm
  #37  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Platinum, AA Gold
Posts: 93
Currently set to end the year at 73,579 PQMs but $17,922 PQDs. Consensus seems to be that it's possible but fairly unlikely that they'd bump me to Plat, right?

I have one remaining trip and could try to SDC my way to enough PQMs, but doing so would require figuring out a way to route to California and then back east on a DFW-IAH-IAD ticket. Doesn't seem to worth it to me.
shutter41 is offline  
Old Dec 19, 2018, 12:18 pm
  #38  
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
UA better let 8 miles slide w/ $30k spent.
At $30k ... yeah, UA will bump you ... it is near certain. A colleague of mine was last year short 5k miles to Gold but she had $25k PQD ... they gave her Gold automatically, no request needed.
cfischer is offline  
Old Dec 19, 2018, 5:31 pm
  #39  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 6
I feel like this is similar to many of the questions in this thread. I will be 88 PQM short of 1K status with about $16k in spend. I already have a few flights booked in January.

I am wondering if I will have a chance to get 1K as is. I called UA Premier and they said it was possible that Premier marketing would bump me, but couldn’t say for sure. I should call back in January. Our travel management partner thought the same, but I would hate to be so close and risk it.

I fly out of ORD and I remember a few years ago doing a ORD-SPI-ORD run for 500 or 1000 miles to keep gold status. I would have to do that on the 24th and would hate to tick off the fam for being away on Christmas Eve day.

*** UPDATE ***
I answered my own question - I found the ORD-SPI-ORD on the 24th for $155 leaving at 8am and getting back at 11am. I lose the morning, but then I know for sure I have 1K and it doesn’t cost me that much. I may even be able to take advantage of the status on my award travel from the 26th to the 1st.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 19, 2018 at 9:18 pm Reason: merged update / consecutive posts by same member
HighZ is offline  
Old Dec 19, 2018, 5:45 pm
  #40  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
UA better let 8 miles slide w/ $30k spent.
Originally Posted by cfischer
At $30k ... yeah, UA will bump you ... it is near certain. A colleague of mine was last year short 5k miles to Gold but she had $25k PQD ... they gave her Gold automatically, no request needed.
If this was AC they would've insisted you fly the extra 8 miles to get your status! Penny wise, pound foolish!

-James
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Old Dec 19, 2018, 7:19 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by HighZ
I answered my own question - I found the ORD-SPI-ORD on the 24th for $155 leaving at 8am and getting back at 11am. I lose the morning, but then I know for sure I have 1K and it doesn’t cost me that much. I may even be able to take advantage of the status on my award travel from the 26th to the 1st.
I would say the odds are good on being comped the status, but it's really not worth tossing the dice.
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findark is offline  
Old Dec 27, 2018, 9:12 pm
  #42  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: YYC
Programs: United 1K Hilton Diamond
Posts: 21
In a weird spot. But I wonder if I have a possibly at plat.

yyc based flyer that likes to head back home to ord that could really use the extra econplus allowances for family. Additional flights not an option.

I'm currently

68,995 pqm
but 13,659 pqd.

granted I'm not required to have any pqd but hell its worth a shot right with 2x pqd?
OccasionalCanuck is offline  
Old Dec 28, 2018, 11:51 am
  #43  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,854
Originally Posted by OccasionalCanuck
In a weird spot. But I wonder if I have a possibly at plat.

yyc based flyer that likes to head back home to ord that could really use the extra econplus allowances for family. Additional flights not an option.

I'm currently

68,995 pqm
but 13,659 pqd.

granted I'm not required to have any pqd but hell its worth a shot right with 2x pqd?
I’m no expert, by any means. However I have never read status being granted for being 6000 miles short of any status regardless of the PQD.
Flying Machine is offline  
Old Dec 28, 2018, 12:16 pm
  #44  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Originally Posted by OccasionalCanuck
In a weird spot. But I wonder if I have a possibly at plat.

yyc based flyer that likes to head back home to ord that could really use the extra econplus allowances for family. Additional flights not an option.

I'm currently

68,995 pqm
but 13,659 pqd.

granted I'm not required to have any pqd but hell its worth a shot right with 2x pqd?
It's worth a shot but unlikely UA will grant Platinum given how far behind you are! Most likely there will be an offer in January to upgrade for a thousand dollars it so.

N.B. Platinum is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things: a couple upgrade certs, sure, slightly higher pecking order when you're in contention to upgrade but what else? 1K is a whole other story and is something you should aim for after Gold.

-James
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Old Dec 28, 2018, 3:41 pm
  #45  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA LT Plat 2MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,956
Originally Posted by j2simpso
....N.B. Platinum is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things: a couple upgrade certs, sure, slightly higher pecking order when you're in contention to upgrade but what else? ...
There is a bit more that matters to some -- such as up to 8 can be guested into E+ (a significant benefit for families), lower award fees, access to IN, higher bag allowance, .... any of those can be significant in the right set of circumstances. See Is it worth it to stretch for Plat (over Gold)? [2018 Consolidated] for a more complete discussion.

Originally Posted by j2simpso
...1K is a whole other story and is something you should aim for after Gold. ....
True 1K is a significant step up BUT is also a large gap to artificially overcome for those can not focus on just getting status.
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