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 15, 2019, 1:52 pm
#1411
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,023
Oct 15, 2019, 2:00 pm
#1412
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
I don’t think it’s as clear cut as you describe. As someone pointed out, United has the numbers and the company claims that the total elite population won’t be impacted. There will be some people who pay little and fly a lot who earn elite status with the distance metric, but lose it in the new approach based on revenues. United is going to give status to high spenders who are infrequent flyers—people who wouldn’t have earned it in the past but will now. These people likely won’t have much use for it. We’re going to see more of a realignment of the numbers rather than a true culling of the heard.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:08 pm
#1413
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MHT
Programs: UA 1k & MM, Accor/LeClub Platinum
Posts: 14
Oct 15, 2019, 2:09 pm
#1414
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: UA-1K MM, AA-Gold, DL-Silver, AS-MVP
Posts: 2,508
No it will not be less crowded. The number of J seats on UA remain the same (except on 787-8 and 764 which are balanced out by the increase in J on 763). Might get more crowded with PlusPoints skip the waitlist if more passengers are confirmed earlier, instead of waiting at the gate for a battlefield upgrade.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:12 pm
#1415
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 20
Charter member of Mileage Plus
United should grandfather the original award benefits to every charter member of Mileage Plus for their loyalty; Star Alliance Partners should be included. Thankfully my tenure as a corporate "road warrior" is over. Our family continues to fly long haul flights, but hereafter we will use Cunard for transatlantic and Holland America or Oceania for the Pacific, South America. Africa, Down Under and Asia transit , The aircraft United uses cross country has uncomfortable economy class seating, does not warrant lie down flat first class spending! Meals are awful!
Oct 15, 2019, 2:14 pm
#1416
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,023
Yeah, not sure of the logic. Some who currently fly UA may take more partner flights and lose Polaris Lounge access at airports that are not their int'l gateway, but I don't think that would be a large #.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:14 pm
#1417
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: coastal Croatia
Programs: BAEC Gold, M&M Senator
Posts: 2,181
To me the most interesting thing about partner earning (20% of mileage) is that "deep discount" biz and "deep discount" prem econ and some economy fares all earn the same 100% (if the current earnings chart is anything to go by). But those fares are not the same price by any means.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:17 pm
#1418
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,942
Originally Posted by myperks 
Actually this might be better for my travel plans... Lufthansa premium economy earns at 150% plus the 1K bonus.
sample sfo to fra to Del is close to 11000 x 2 x 1.5 x 2 = 66000 / 5 = 13,200 pqp which is already halfway to 1K. Of course 4 united segments is easy.
or is this wishful thinking the award miles only on actual distance and not the actual award miles awarded with bonuses.
Actually this might be better for my travel plans... Lufthansa premium economy earns at 150% plus the 1K bonus.
sample sfo to fra to Del is close to 11000 x 2 x 1.5 x 2 = 66000 / 5 = 13,200 pqp which is already halfway to 1K. Of course 4 united segments is easy.
or is this wishful thinking the award miles only on actual distance and not the actual award miles awarded with bonuses.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:18 pm
#1419
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,023
Oct 15, 2019, 2:19 pm
#1420
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
How would lower levels move up under the new scheme? The $$ levels have gone way up.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:25 pm
#1421
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,023
Any number of people who now buy 3 last-minute $8000 tickets from Houston to London per year and don't accumulate 100k EQMs (or 54 PQFs under new system). They might be Plats who now move up.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:27 pm
#1422
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,679
UA has basically dared me to either spend $10k on tickets, or be fired as a Premier Gold member. So next year, I am firing them as my preferred carrier. *G was worth a purchased business ticket so I could upgrade to F on the 744 and a bunch of other trips to meet PQD. It's been worth spending around $3k a year and getting a CC spend waiver. It may have even been worth $4-5k PQD with no spend waiver, but that's a bit of a stretch. But one thing I'm absolutely sure of is that there's no way in hell it's worth US$10k.
Last edited by STS-134; Oct 15, 2019 at 2:32 pm
Oct 15, 2019, 2:27 pm
#1423
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 6,433
Absolutely. A customer paying a small amount is better than an empty seat, which earns them $0. The customer need only pay for the incremental fuel burn and then every $ beyond that is profit (or at the very least, fewer losses) for the airline. It's certainly better to have low margin customers on the plane during a recession than having to cut a route, fire the ground staff, and give up the slot.
Oct 15, 2019, 2:28 pm
#1424
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,090
Engagement will likely remain the same because there will be a bunch of new 1K (current Platinums who spend $18,000+ but don't fly enough miles). It's just that this thread is full of current 1K who won't make the new cut, pushed down to a lower level, and are predicting the demise of UA without their business/loyalty. Again, it's clear UA wants to reward those high spending short distance Platinums, so I'm not sure what else UA would/should have done besides prioritizing benefits to those Platinums or further eroding 1K benefits. Either way it will draw the same amount of complaints.
