Oct 11, 2019, 5:20 am
Last edit by: SPN Lifer
tl;dr - PQMs/PQDs/PQS going away, replaced with PQPs. $1 = 1 PQP. See chart below for thresholds:
ex
New Status Measures
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): Basically the same as PQD. Everything that was a PQD continues to count, plus:
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF): Same as BIS segments (no class of service bonus) except Basic Economy and award tickets don't count.
PQP Earning on Partners
You can now earn PQP on non-016 tickets when flying eligible partners.
"Preferred" Partners (mostly JV partners): 1/5 of the RDM earned, excluding status bonuses (but including fare class) on AC AD AV CA CM EW LH LX NH NZ OS SN.
Others: 1/6 of the RDM earned, excluding status bonuses (but including fare class) on other airlines with MP earnings available.
Note: Because all partners earn RDM by distance when not on an 016-ticket, this effectively awards PQP by distance, from 40% in many JV First and Business cabins to 5% in things like LX K.
Preferred partners:
Bulk Tickets
Per UA Insider in this post: Yes you will now earn PQP on bulk tickets but not necessarily for the cash value since the price of the ticket is opaque. Bulk tickets will be equal to the award miles you earn for the ticket (excluding Premier bonus miles, if any) divided by 5.
Foreign Addresses
The PQD waiver for foreign MP addresses will no longer apply beginning in 2020.
Credit Card Holders
The PQD waivers and PQM earnings from all Chase cards are ending. Instead, Chase cards allow you to earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 of eligible spend, but only up to the following limits:
1,000 PQP / $24,000: MP Explorer, MP Club, MP Awards, and MP cards, plus their business equivalents (bonus PQP do not count for 1K)
3,000 PQP / $72,000: MP Select and MP Platinum cards
10,000 PQP / $240,000: Presidential Plus and PP Business cards
Existing Flexible PQM (FPQM) on eligible cards will become FPQP at a 5:1 ratio on 01-Apr-20 and will only be applicable through Platinum status.
ex
New Status Measures
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): Basically the same as PQD. Everything that was a PQD continues to count, plus:
- Copay component of miles+copay upgrades
- Paid upgrades (TOD or "sticker-type")
- Travel on partner airlines on partner stock (awarded as a fraction of the distance, similar to DL)
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF): Same as BIS segments (no class of service bonus) except Basic Economy and award tickets don't count.
PQP Earning on Partners
You can now earn PQP on non-016 tickets when flying eligible partners.
"Preferred" Partners (mostly JV partners): 1/5 of the RDM earned, excluding status bonuses (but including fare class) on AC AD AV CA CM EW LH LX NH NZ OS SN.
Others: 1/6 of the RDM earned, excluding status bonuses (but including fare class) on other airlines with MP earnings available.
Note: Because all partners earn RDM by distance when not on an 016-ticket, this effectively awards PQP by distance, from 40% in many JV First and Business cabins to 5% in things like LX K.
Preferred partners:
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Eurowings
- Lufthansa
- SWISS International Airlines
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Dolomiti
- Air India
- Asiana Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Edelweiss
- EgyptAir
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Air
- Juneyao Air
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Olympic Air
- SAS
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways International
- Turkish Airlines
Bulk Tickets
Per UA Insider in this post: Yes you will now earn PQP on bulk tickets but not necessarily for the cash value since the price of the ticket is opaque. Bulk tickets will be equal to the award miles you earn for the ticket (excluding Premier bonus miles, if any) divided by 5.
Foreign Addresses
The PQD waiver for foreign MP addresses will no longer apply beginning in 2020.
Credit Card Holders
The PQD waivers and PQM earnings from all Chase cards are ending. Instead, Chase cards allow you to earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 of eligible spend, but only up to the following limits:
1,000 PQP / $24,000: MP Explorer, MP Club, MP Awards, and MP cards, plus their business equivalents (bonus PQP do not count for 1K)
3,000 PQP / $72,000: MP Select and MP Platinum cards
10,000 PQP / $240,000: Presidential Plus and PP Business cards
Existing Flexible PQM (FPQM) on eligible cards will become FPQP at a 5:1 ratio on 01-Apr-20 and will only be applicable through Platinum status.
United is updating the way MileagePlus members qualify for Premier status in 2020 for the 2021 program year. We recognized that distance was not the best way for us to measure customer loyalty, which is why we are introducing a new qualification structure to better deliver Premier benefits to our most valued customers. In 2020, members will only need to account for two factors to earn status: number of flights taken (Premier Qualifying Flights) and value of tickets purchased (Premier Qualifying Points).
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF): every flight, a takeoff and landing, will count as a PQF except Basic Economy and tickets booked using miles.
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): 1 PQP = 1 U.S. dollar spent. You will earn PQPs on the base fare of your ticket (no taxes and fees), Economy Plus and Preferred seat purchases, and now on paid upgrades, MileagePlus upgrade award co-pays and credit for Star Alliance partner flights not ticketed or operated by United.
Qualification requirements for 2020
Here’s how members will qualify for each Premier status level starting January 1, 2020 for status in the 2021 program year:
United Cardmembers who are eligible for a PQD waiver, PQM, or Flexible PQM (FPQM) based on annual card spend will be offered new ways to earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) based on annual card spend. The ability to earn a PQD waiver, PQM, or FPQM on these cards will end on December 31, 2019.
Learn more: https://mileageplusupdates.com/milea...qualification/
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF): every flight, a takeoff and landing, will count as a PQF except Basic Economy and tickets booked using miles.
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): 1 PQP = 1 U.S. dollar spent. You will earn PQPs on the base fare of your ticket (no taxes and fees), Economy Plus and Preferred seat purchases, and now on paid upgrades, MileagePlus upgrade award co-pays and credit for Star Alliance partner flights not ticketed or operated by United.
Qualification requirements for 2020
Here’s how members will qualify for each Premier status level starting January 1, 2020 for status in the 2021 program year:
United Cardmembers who are eligible for a PQD waiver, PQM, or Flexible PQM (FPQM) based on annual card spend will be offered new ways to earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) based on annual card spend. The ability to earn a PQD waiver, PQM, or FPQM on these cards will end on December 31, 2019.
Learn more: https://mileageplusupdates.com/milea...qualification/
New Premier Qualification Requirements for 2020: Only Spend or Spend + Flight Sectors
Oct 11, 2019, 1:18 am
#46
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Slightly to the left of center
Posts: 3,475
It's insulting & disingenuous to purposely design a graphic in a feeble attempt to illustrate how complicated the current system is, only to be followed by a pathetically convoluted description of the new system which seems far more complex.
This is one of those times when I wished swearing was allowed on FT!
This is one of those times when I wished swearing was allowed on FT!
"....no more fare class multipliers and confusing segment math"
Oct 11, 2019, 1:21 am
#48
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Marriott Amb; Hyatt Globalist; Shangri-la Diamond; IHG SpireAmb; Hilton D; Accor G
Posts: 3,319
Well, I guess it was nice being 1K for a while. Hope AA doesn't copy here.
Oct 11, 2019, 1:22 am
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,340
I suspect tha the most advantageous program is going to change regularly for many people.
You don't. It hasn't been offered in years.
I suspect it would need to be a UA flight number, but I don't know that it needs to be a UA ticket. (But, again, I don't know that you're gaining much by going off-016).
Oct 11, 2019, 1:24 am
#50
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,326
Oct 11, 2019, 1:24 am
#51
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 774
This is strange. It seems to drive UA MP to fly cheap fares on *A partners.
Say,
6 x FRA-SFO r/t on LH = 6*(11,399/5) = 13,678 PQP
6 x SFO-NRT r/t on NH = 6*(10,248/5) = 12,297 PQP
Total = 25,975 PQP, hence 1K right after those 4 additional UA segments.
We'd ended up be spending much less on UA. Am I missing something?
Say,
6 x FRA-SFO r/t on LH = 6*(11,399/5) = 13,678 PQP
6 x SFO-NRT r/t on NH = 6*(10,248/5) = 12,297 PQP
Total = 25,975 PQP, hence 1K right after those 4 additional UA segments.
We'd ended up be spending much less on UA. Am I missing something?
Oct 11, 2019, 1:26 am
#52
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,404
Yes, this is the only loophole. But UA's system will be less generous than DL or AA's, which accrue as high as 40% of miles flown on discount business class. So while a 10,000 mile TATL RT in Z on AF earns 4000 DL EQD, a 10,000 mile RT in P on LH will earn only 3000 UA whatever-they're-calleds.
Oct 11, 2019, 1:26 am
#53
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,213
Sorry I do not quite understand. For MM (heading towards 2MM) I know it needs to be UA flights, but does it need to be an 016 ticket or it does not need to be an 016 ticket?
Oct 11, 2019, 1:28 am
#54
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,326
Oct 11, 2019, 1:29 am
#56
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,438
It shouldn’t be surprising I guess that once they turned 1K into GS-lite for preboarding that they were eventually going to have to cull the herd.
Oct 11, 2019, 1:29 am
#57
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,404
No it just needs to be UA operated. But there's no earning advantage to ticketing it on a partner.
Oct 11, 2019, 1:32 am
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,340
Yes, this is the only loophole. But UA's system will be less generous than DL or AA's, which accrue as high as 40% of miles flown on discount business class. So while a 10,000 mile TATL RT in Z on AF earns 4000 DL EQD, a 10,000 mile RT in P on LH will earn only 3000 UA whatever-they're-calleds.
Any UA flight will qualify. I was simply pointing out that there is no qualification advantage to booking UA flights on non-016 tickets. (There will be a big advantage to booking non-UA flights on non-016 tickets, in many cases).
Oct 11, 2019, 1:32 am
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,709
I was pissed based on initial reports which did not include the EQD-only qualification option. The revised version is much more palatable as I normally spend $15k without breaking a sweat so I won't need to worry anymore about EQM to earn Plat - yea! $24k to hit 1K will be a bit more challenging but inclusion of spend on LH and other *A partners will help.
Glad I have lifetime Gold 'cause those segment requirements are a nonstarter for me. The segment requirement is truly idiotic and sure to drive thousands high rev international travelers to competitors with better products. Why fly UA if you don't need the extra EQM? Another bonehead move from UA management, almost as bad as the BE rollout.
I concur with the view that 1K population will likely be cut in half as many of the current segment flyers have trouble hitting the EQD requirements and conversely those like me with high EQD have trouble with segments. But it's disingenuous to suggest this somehow enhances benefits for the remaining 1Ks - they will still be shut out from CPU upgrades at SFO, IAH, IAD and other hubs where GS take them all.
Glad I have lifetime Gold 'cause those segment requirements are a nonstarter for me. The segment requirement is truly idiotic and sure to drive thousands high rev international travelers to competitors with better products. Why fly UA if you don't need the extra EQM? Another bonehead move from UA management, almost as bad as the BE rollout.
I concur with the view that 1K population will likely be cut in half as many of the current segment flyers have trouble hitting the EQD requirements and conversely those like me with high EQD have trouble with segments. But it's disingenuous to suggest this somehow enhances benefits for the remaining 1Ks - they will still be shut out from CPU upgrades at SFO, IAH, IAD and other hubs where GS take them all.
Last edited by Boraxo; Oct 11, 2019 at 1:53 am
