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 15, 2019, 2:08 pm
#856
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K | Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 459
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.
Back to the original point though - that really doesn't matter. Just because your PQD count is lower than what a general consumer with the same flying habits would have (i.e. for your 46k in spend, a normal consumer would have had to spend 70k to fly those fares), doesn't mean United cares or tracks this anywhere. They would just look at your actual, not hypothetical, PQD and impact to the top line.
May 15, 2019, 2:33 pm
#857
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
Agreed. I've always wondered whether this goes into GS qualification assessment. The traveler knows nothing more than PQD, but UA knows what they netted after final discount and rebate. Might be a contributing factor to why some GS qualify with spend in low 40s and others struggle at low 50s.
May 20, 2019, 6:14 am
#858
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
I do think the fact that you're nearly 100% premium cabin helps even if you're ~$45K spend. I've cleared GS on pretty light numbers (~$40-45K out of ORD) but 99% of my travel is booked in discounted business/full fare business. I haven't attempted a CPU in over two years. I do think the GS equation takes into account what your cost of carry is as a GS and if you're doing a few incredibly expensive international tickets but then taking a lot of upgrade space on dozens of domestic trips your implicit "cost" to UA is higher from a potentially foregone revenue perspective. Maybe that's assuming too much sophistication out of UA. Outside of the occasional premium award ticket for my MM GS wife, I don't really take a lot of revenue opportunities away from UA via my status. I concentrate spend with UA almost entirely for the irrops benefits.
May 20, 2019, 3:37 pm
#859
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
I do think the fact that you're nearly 100% premium cabin helps even if you're ~$45K spend. I've cleared GS on pretty light numbers (~$40-45K out of ORD) but 99% of my travel is booked in discounted business/full fare business. I haven't attempted a CPU in over two years. I do think the GS equation takes into account what your cost of carry is as a GS and if you're doing a few incredibly expensive international tickets but then taking a lot of upgrade space on dozens of domestic trips your implicit "cost" to UA is higher from a potentially foregone revenue perspective. Maybe that's assuming too much sophistication out of UA. Outside of the occasional premium award ticket for my MM GS wife, I don't really take a lot of revenue opportunities away from UA via my status. I concentrate spend with UA almost entirely for the irrops benefits.
May 20, 2019, 8:03 pm
#861
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: United GS, MM, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 598
I’ve qualified the last 6 years on nearly 100% domestic economy tickets. They are always refundable tickets so that puts me at a higher spend than a non refundable premium ticket. I’m usually in the high 40s pqd every year
May 21, 2019, 2:54 pm
#862
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
May 21, 2019, 3:42 pm
#863
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 575
I do think the fact that you're nearly 100% premium cabin helps even if you're ~$45K spend. I've cleared GS on pretty light numbers (~$40-45K out of ORD) but 99% of my travel is booked in discounted business/full fare business. I haven't attempted a CPU in over two years. I do think the GS equation takes into account what your cost of carry is as a GS and if you're doing a few incredibly expensive international tickets but then taking a lot of upgrade space on dozens of domestic trips your implicit "cost" to UA is higher from a potentially foregone revenue perspective. Maybe that's assuming too much sophistication out of UA. Outside of the occasional premium award ticket for my MM GS wife, I don't really take a lot of revenue opportunities away from UA via my status. I concentrate spend with UA almost entirely for the irrops benefits.
If yield is a factor, i'd be the last person to qualify for GS. the majority of my BIS miles are G fares. I did have about 6 or 7 intl P/Z fares in addition
3rd year qualified. yield has gone down every year but total PQD up every year
May 21, 2019, 3:45 pm
#864
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K and MM, Marriot, Hilton
Posts: 804
May 21, 2019, 4:17 pm
#865
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: UA GS ,QF Plat
Posts: 686
Explains the GS phone wait times.... not to ding your wife, it is just way too low for an invite only program
May 21, 2019, 4:47 pm
#866
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.... someone could rack up $38k in full J LAX-EWR biz flights at extraordinarily high margin $/seat-mile to UA. That guy doing LAX-EWR-xxx on a PassPlus fare could easily register 50k+ with a heck of a lot more flying but a lot fewer margin dollars to UA too.
Jun 7, 2019, 2:44 pm
#867
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K | Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 459
Well after being denied GS in a review back in April, just got an email out of the blue saying they had prompted a special review and extended me GS - so clearly they do still trigger mid-year reviews unprompted. Glad this happened as it's nice to enjoy an extra 6 months of benefits with as much flying as I've done this year.
Jun 7, 2019, 2:56 pm
#868
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K (2MM); AA LT Gold (1.9 MM); SQ; WN; DL; "Bonvoy Ambassador""
Posts: 398
Well after being denied GS in a review back in April, just got an email out of the blue saying they had prompted a special review and extended me GS - so clearly they do still trigger mid-year reviews unprompted. Glad this happened as it's nice to enjoy an extra 6 months of benefits with as much flying as I've done this year.
Jun 7, 2019, 2:58 pm
#869
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
Well after being denied GS in a review back in April, just got an email out of the blue saying they had prompted a special review and extended me GS - so clearly they do still trigger mid-year reviews unprompted. Glad this happened as it's nice to enjoy an extra 6 months of benefits with as much flying as I've done this year.
Jun 7, 2019, 5:05 pm
#870
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
Posts: 14,807
Well after being denied GS in a review back in April, just got an email out of the blue saying they had prompted a special review and extended me GS - so clearly they do still trigger mid-year reviews unprompted. Glad this happened as it's nice to enjoy an extra 6 months of benefits with as much flying as I've done this year.