Oct 22, 2018, 3:44 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
GS Qualifying for 2019 Discussion
This will be a discussion thread, for discussing the needed qualifications and timing of notification.
For posing formal notifications (but no discussion), use this thread Global Services 2019 Notifications (ONLY)
2019 GS Timeline
First requal notifications came out on 6 Dec 2018
First-time notifications started about 3 Jan 2019
Numerous reports that all regular notifications will be out by 11 Jan 2019
Initial successful reconsideration appeals reported 15 Jan 2019
First reports of challanges15 Jan 2019
For discussion of GS benefits, please use Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions 2018First-time notifications started about 3 Jan 2019
Numerous reports that all regular notifications will be out by 11 Jan 2019
Initial successful reconsideration appeals reported 15 Jan 2019
First reports of challanges15 Jan 2019
For 2017 qualifications, see the 2017 thread and for 2018, see the 2018 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.
Hello:
To help with collection of qualification metrics for global services, I created a Google Doc. This will be useful for future members. For ease of use, I created a form which feeds into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet and form does not require a google account and is free to use.
Similar spreadsheets were created in years past, so I'm hoping to continue this tradition. Please take the time to enter your stats into the spreadsheet. Many thanks
LINK to entry form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SYm...xRKZ_EUD8/edit
View responses here ( read only ):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
To help with collection of qualification metrics for global services, I created a Google Doc. This will be useful for future members. For ease of use, I created a form which feeds into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet and form does not require a google account and is free to use.
Similar spreadsheets were created in years past, so I'm hoping to continue this tradition. Please take the time to enter your stats into the spreadsheet. Many thanks
LINK to entry form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SYm...xRKZ_EUD8/edit
View responses here ( read only ):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
GS Qualifying for 2019 Discussion / Questions
May 12, 2019, 5:16 am
#841
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: UA GS; Marriott Titanium / LT Plat
Posts: 658
Booked travel through July 1st (UK & Hong Kong) has me at 129,000 PQM and $31,500 PQD… I’ll re-qualify for 1K no problem. Plus I still have one more LHR trip to book in early July, which will put me around ~$36,000 PQD (all UA Metal). I also just learned that I might be going to Barcelona in the next few weeks... that would put me at least in the low $40’s. Not sure what the rest of the year holds yet.
Wondering what the PQD requirement for GS is being TPA-based?? Thoughts?
Previous year spend is $21,000 in 2017 and $24,000 in 2018… so upward trend over 3 years. I’m guessing I’ll have at least $45,000 PQD by the end of the year.
Wondering what the PQD requirement for GS is being TPA-based?? Thoughts?
Previous year spend is $21,000 in 2017 and $24,000 in 2018… so upward trend over 3 years. I’m guessing I’ll have at least $45,000 PQD by the end of the year.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; May 12, 2019 at 11:37 am Reason: split post
May 12, 2019, 4:24 pm
#842
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
Booked travel through July 1st (UK & Hong Kong) has me at 129,000 PQM and $31,500 PQD… I’ll re-qualify for 1K no problem. Plus I still have one more LHR trip to book in early July, which will put me around ~$36,000 PQD (all UA Metal). I also just learned that I might be going to Barcelona in the next few weeks... that would put me at least in the low $40’s. Not sure what the rest of the year holds yet.
Wondering what the PQD requirement for GS is being TPA-based?? Thoughts?
Previous year spend is $21,000 in 2017 and $24,000 in 2018… so upward trend over 3 years. I’m guessing I’ll have at least $45,000 PQD by the end of the year.
Wondering what the PQD requirement for GS is being TPA-based?? Thoughts?
Previous year spend is $21,000 in 2017 and $24,000 in 2018… so upward trend over 3 years. I’m guessing I’ll have at least $45,000 PQD by the end of the year.
May 12, 2019, 4:43 pm
#843
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: UA GS; Marriott Titanium / LT Plat
Posts: 658
May 12, 2019, 4:47 pm
#844
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
May 12, 2019, 5:03 pm
#845
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: 66,861
Neither of those are hard "rules" but most first time GS have met those sort of histories.
May 13, 2019, 6:11 am
#846
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: ORD | LGA | 2E
Programs: UA GS 1.6MM UC | AA CK 0.7MM AC | Bonvoy Ambassador | Hyatt Globalist | Hertz PC
Posts: 1,054
As noted above, your trailing 3-year spend is a little light of where mine was for my first year GS invite ($25K > $36K > $46K) but it isn't totally outside the realm of possible. That's especially true since you said "at least" $45K this year. I'm 100% premium cabin (spare an occasional CR2), predominately domestic.
May 13, 2019, 10:01 am
#847
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: LBB
Programs: UA 1K 1MM ★G | Marriott LTT | Hilton ♦ | Hertz PC | Global Entry TSA Pre ✓
Posts: 2,820
As noted above, your trailing 3-year spend is a little light of where mine was for my first year GS invite ($25K > $36K > $46K) but it isn't totally outside the realm of possible. That's especially true since you said "at least" $45K this year. I'm 100% premium cabin (spare an occasional CR2), predominately domestic.
May 13, 2019, 10:57 am
#848
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
Sometime weird things happened I actually dropped a couple of thousand when I got the invite last year. I had $43K, then jumped in 2017 to about $47K and was frustrated I didn't get the invite and basically stopped "reaching for the ring". Last year (2018) and I think ended up with $43-$44K spend and figured no way. I even started booking with other carriers in January when literally on the last day, about Jan 30th, I got the invite. So strange things do happen. I would add that these numbers were with UA metal only, I did have, particularly in 2015 and 2016 SIGNIFICANT dollars spent on *A but when I found out that those dollars don't count towards GS I changed my travel habits a bit and got my numbers up in 2017.
May 15, 2019, 12:09 pm
#849
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 5
GS chances
First time posting here (after occasionally lurking) and looking for thoughts on GS qualification. Figured I would ask the experts 
I assume I’ll need to wait till year end/Jan to find out rather than asking about a mid-year status upgrade but here are my YTD 2019 stats:
UA PQD = $42,250
UA BIS Miles = 78,421
CPM = 54
UA PQM = 137,900
Other info:
This is almost exclusively international paid business and transcontinental flights out of EWR, with just one round trip upgraded with GPUs and one transcon with RPUs. Most of the flights are booked on corporate fares that get about a 40-50% discount off of list prices. Spend since Jan 2017 is $95k on UA and $102k PQD. Trailing 12 months is $66k on UA. Travel will probably tail off in the second half of the year and as of right now I only have about $3k more booked as an international P fare in June and will likely have another international C/D/Z fare booked in the next month probably in the $5k range.
Thanks all in advance.
I assume I’ll need to wait till year end/Jan to find out rather than asking about a mid-year status upgrade but here are my YTD 2019 stats:
UA PQD = $42,250
UA BIS Miles = 78,421
CPM = 54
UA PQM = 137,900
Other info:
This is almost exclusively international paid business and transcontinental flights out of EWR, with just one round trip upgraded with GPUs and one transcon with RPUs. Most of the flights are booked on corporate fares that get about a 40-50% discount off of list prices. Spend since Jan 2017 is $95k on UA and $102k PQD. Trailing 12 months is $66k on UA. Travel will probably tail off in the second half of the year and as of right now I only have about $3k more booked as an international P fare in June and will likely have another international C/D/Z fare booked in the next month probably in the $5k range.
Thanks all in advance.
May 15, 2019, 12:32 pm
#850
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: TPA
Programs: UA GS, 1MM
Posts: 97
You're in good position. If you end up north of $50K on paid international business class you should qualify without difficulty. I don't know what you mean by "discount off list prices". If you mean Z and P fares then that spend qualifies without reservation towards GS.
I wouldn't hold your breath for a mid year status upgrade though.
I wouldn't hold your breath for a mid year status upgrade though.
May 15, 2019, 12:45 pm
#852
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
I think he's saying a lot of GS spend falls under discount programs of 40-50%. So the guy at Apple who is always flying J to APAC and spending 50K/yr is really only putting $25-30K in UA's pocket...
Last edited by spartacusmcfly; May 15, 2019 at 12:45 pm Reason: typo
May 15, 2019, 12:51 pm
#853
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 5
The spend I gave is what I paid and that is what is reflected in the PQD stats. If not for the corporate discounts then my numbers would be much higher. I assume it would also work the same for Apple, i.e. they pay (and get PQDs for) $25k when it would cost an individual $50k for the same flights.
May 15, 2019, 12:54 pm
#854
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,425
PQD is reduced by the amount of the discount - it's just flying a cheaper fare that is not available to the general public.
May 15, 2019, 1:01 pm
#855
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
Not sure all corporate contracts are structured that way. For many companies, the discount is in the form of a rebate at end-of-quarter or end-of-year. This allows the discount to be variable. 'The more you spend with me, the higher the discount' dynamic puts pressure on travel departments to route traffic to UA.