Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Partner ticket PQP calculator
Beginning in 2020, if you fly a partner airline (not UA metal) and your ticket is on the stock of another airline (not 016 ticket), you will earn PQP as a fraction of the distance flown. That fraction is determined by your fare class, and can be found in the tables below.
Other Partner Airlines (not Star Alliance)
Warning: It is strongly recommended that you consult the United earnings page for your airline and confirm the earning rate here, as they have been to known to change without notice and apply retroactively to tickets purchased before the change.
GREEN background is a "preferred" partner.
Updated PQP calculator with new per-segment earning cap
More Information on earning PQP and PQF
Archive: Earning Status (PQP) on non-016 Tickets and Partner Metal {Archive}
Partner Earning
Beginning in 2020, if you fly a partner airline (not UA metal) and your ticket is on the stock of another airline (not 016 ticket), you will earn PQP as a fraction of the distance flown. That fraction is determined by your fare class, and can be found in the tables below.
The way to derive this fraction is to go to the United earnings page for your airline and determine the RDM (not PQM) earning rate for your fare class. Then divide this number by 5 for "preferred partners" and 6 otherwise.
If the fare class of a non-016 *A partner flight allows RDM earnings (and therefore PQDs), the flight also earns Premier Qualifying Flight (PQF) credit.
Preferred Partner Airlines: AC AD AV CA CM EN EW LH LX NH NZ OS SN VA WK
Other Partner Airlines (status earning): A3 AI BR ET HO LO MS OA OU OZ SA SK SQ TG TK TP ZH
Other Partner Airlines (NO Premier credit): 3M 4B 9K EI HA UK VW
Note that for the third category you will earn RDM but no PQP, regardless of ticket stock (this is no change from before when you would not earn PQM).
For flights on or after July 1, 2020, the maximum Premier qualifying points that can be earned per flight {segment} on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines are as follows:
MileagePlus members who purchased tickets on eligible partners prior to these new rules may submit receipts showing tickets were issued prior to April 29, 2020, to [email protected] with the subject line "OA PQP Review" to be considered for PQP earning under the prior rules. Receipts should not be submitted until after travel is completed for flights on or after July 1, 2020.
UA Capping PQP Earn with Partners (update -- per flight segment)
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I fly a United-operated segment on a non-United ticket? You will earn PQP equal to the portion of the fare assignable to that segment. This information is transmitted from the ticketing carrier to United, and will be a somewhat arbitrary number between 0 and the full value of the fare component which includes that segment**. (This is the same as earning PQD on such a segment today.)
**Many reports of this not working even this well, and the potential number being outside this range.
What about codeshare segments? As before, codeshares do not matter. Only the operating carrier (metal) of each segment and the stock of the ticket determine your earnings.
How do I get a non-016 ticket? Any ticket purchased directly from another airline will be a partner-issued ticket, even if it has United segments. (Any ticket purchased from United will be an 016 ticket, even if it has no United segments.) Tickets purchased from an agency will usually have a stock of the marketing carrier of the most significant segment ("first long segment" usually).
What's the trick here? Because PQP are earned as a fraction of the distance flown, flying long distances on low-priced fares can earn more PQP than dollars spent. For any given journey, you should consider where you are earning a favorable ratio of PQP to dollars of at least 1.0 when ticketing this way, and consider ticketing with United if you are not.
What about BULK fares? Bulk fares will also earn PQP by distance, as noted in the table below. This is the only way to earn by distance on United metal.
Earnings Tables
Last updated in the image on 17-Nov-23.
To use: Determine the flight miles of your trip, then multiply by the applicable percentage based on the fare class of the ticket. That is your PQP for that segment. Example: 1000 mile flight on Air Canada booked in W fare code: PQP = 1000*.15=150).
Note that values >= 20% are rounded to the nearest 1%, and smaller values are rounded to the nearest 0.1%. If precise calculations are needed, you should always use the original source material (United website).
Star Alliance Airlines
Warning: It is strongly recommended that you consult the United earnings page for your airline and confirm the earning rate here, as they have been to known to change without notice and apply retroactively to tickets purchased before the change.
Note: There are special rules for AC branded Economy fares on 014 tickets.
GREEN background is a "preferred" partner.
Preferred Partner Airlines: AC AD AV CA CM EN EW LH LX NH NZ OS SN VA WK
Other Partner Airlines (status earning): A3 AI BR ET HO LO MS OA OU OZ SA SK SQ TG TK TP ZH
Other Partner Airlines (NO Premier credit): 3M 4B 9K EI HA UK VW
Note that for the third category you will earn RDM but no PQP, regardless of ticket stock (this is no change from before when you would not earn PQM).
For flights on or after July 1, 2020, the maximum Premier qualifying points that can be earned per flight {segment} on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines are as follows:
MileagePlus members who purchased tickets on eligible partners prior to these new rules may submit receipts showing tickets were issued prior to April 29, 2020, to [email protected] with the subject line "OA PQP Review" to be considered for PQP earning under the prior rules. Receipts should not be submitted until after travel is completed for flights on or after July 1, 2020.
UA Capping PQP Earn with Partners (update -- per flight segment)
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I fly a United-operated segment on a non-United ticket? You will earn PQP equal to the portion of the fare assignable to that segment. This information is transmitted from the ticketing carrier to United, and will be a somewhat arbitrary number between 0 and the full value of the fare component which includes that segment**. (This is the same as earning PQD on such a segment today.)
**Many reports of this not working even this well, and the potential number being outside this range.
What about codeshare segments? As before, codeshares do not matter. Only the operating carrier (metal) of each segment and the stock of the ticket determine your earnings.
How do I get a non-016 ticket? Any ticket purchased directly from another airline will be a partner-issued ticket, even if it has United segments. (Any ticket purchased from United will be an 016 ticket, even if it has no United segments.) Tickets purchased from an agency will usually have a stock of the marketing carrier of the most significant segment ("first long segment" usually).
What's the trick here? Because PQP are earned as a fraction of the distance flown, flying long distances on low-priced fares can earn more PQP than dollars spent. For any given journey, you should consider where you are earning a favorable ratio of PQP to dollars of at least 1.0 when ticketing this way, and consider ticketing with United if you are not.
What about BULK fares? Bulk fares will also earn PQP by distance, as noted in the table below. This is the only way to earn by distance on United metal.
Earnings Tables
Last updated in the image on 17-Nov-23.
To use: Determine the flight miles of your trip, then multiply by the applicable percentage based on the fare class of the ticket. That is your PQP for that segment. Example: 1000 mile flight on Air Canada booked in W fare code: PQP = 1000*.15=150).
Note that values >= 20% are rounded to the nearest 1%, and smaller values are rounded to the nearest 0.1%. If precise calculations are needed, you should always use the original source material (United website).
Star Alliance Airlines
Warning: It is strongly recommended that you consult the United earnings page for your airline and confirm the earning rate here, as they have been to known to change without notice and apply retroactively to tickets purchased before the change.
Note: There are special rules for AC branded Economy fares on 014 tickets.
GREEN background is a "preferred" partner.
Other Partner Airlines (not Star Alliance)
Warning: It is strongly recommended that you consult the United earnings page for your airline and confirm the earning rate here, as they have been to known to change without notice and apply retroactively to tickets purchased before the change.
GREEN background is a "preferred" partner.
Updated PQP calculator with new per-segment earning cap
I created a updated version of the PQP calculator to handle the upcoming per segment PQP earning limits. It also calculates RDM:
https://pqp.economiles.com/
https://pqp.economiles.com/
More Information on earning PQP and PQF
Earning PQP on flights ticketed and operated by a Star Alliance Partner
Members can also earn Premier qualifying points on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines. Your PQP will be equal to award miles earned divided by 5 if you’re flying on a preferred partner; for other MileagePlus partner airlines, it will be award miles earned divided by 6.
Please note award miles is your base award miles earning plus your fare class bonus award miles earning, if eligible. Premier bonus miles earned are not included within this calculation and are ineligible for Premier qualifying points accrual.
For Star Alliance airlines as well as Air Dolomiti, Azul, Eurowings, Edelweiss, and Olympic:
Preferred partner PQP: Award miles divided by 5
MileagePlus partner PQP: Award miles divided by 6
For example, if you earned 360 award miles for your flight, you’ll receive 72 PQP if you flew with a preferred partner, and 60 PQP if you flew with a MileagePlus partner.
PQP Calculator with option to apply max PQP per flight:
https://pqp.economiles.com/
For flights on or after July 1, 2020, the maximum Premier qualifying points that can be earned per flight on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines are as follows:
MileagePlus members who purchased tickets on eligible partners prior to these new rules may submit receipts showing tickets were issued prior to April 29, 2020, to [email protected] with the subject line "OA PQP Review" to be considered for PQP earning under the prior rules. Receipts should not be submitted until after travel is completed for flights on or after July 1, 2020.
For more information on PQP accrual for a specific airline, visit our airline partner pages.
Members can also earn Premier qualifying points on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines. Your PQP will be equal to award miles earned divided by 5 if you’re flying on a preferred partner; for other MileagePlus partner airlines, it will be award miles earned divided by 6.
Please note award miles is your base award miles earning plus your fare class bonus award miles earning, if eligible. Premier bonus miles earned are not included within this calculation and are ineligible for Premier qualifying points accrual.
For Star Alliance airlines as well as Air Dolomiti, Azul, Eurowings, Edelweiss, and Olympic:
Preferred partner PQP: Award miles divided by 5
MileagePlus partner PQP: Award miles divided by 6
For example, if you earned 360 award miles for your flight, you’ll receive 72 PQP if you flew with a preferred partner, and 60 PQP if you flew with a MileagePlus partner.
PQP Calculator with option to apply max PQP per flight:
https://pqp.economiles.com/
For flights on or after July 1, 2020, the maximum Premier qualifying points that can be earned per flight on tickets issued and operated by Star Alliance partners and select MileagePlus partner airlines are as follows:
MileagePlus members who purchased tickets on eligible partners prior to these new rules may submit receipts showing tickets were issued prior to April 29, 2020, to [email protected] with the subject line "OA PQP Review" to be considered for PQP earning under the prior rules. Receipts should not be submitted until after travel is completed for flights on or after July 1, 2020.
For more information on PQP accrual for a specific airline, visit our airline partner pages.
Archive: Earning Status (PQP) on non-016 Tickets and Partner Metal {Archive}
Earning Status (PQP) on non-016 Tickets and Partner Metal
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,364
Well that's a pleasant surprise then. Maybe UA is in the process of lifting the segment cap (perhaps increasing it for PE?), or maybe you got lucky. To answer your question, UA isn't particularly likely to audit them if there is no further interaction with the ticket -- and if they do an audit, it'll likely be in the next couple of days. If it sticks around for a week beyond your last flight on that ticket, it's probably going to stay.
#32
Join Date: Dec 2021
Programs: MileagePlus Premier Gold
Posts: 23
Well that's a pleasant surprise then. Maybe UA is in the process of lifting the segment cap (perhaps increasing it for PE?), or maybe you got lucky. To answer your question, UA isn't particularly likely to audit them if there is no further interaction with the ticket -- and if they do an audit, it'll likely be in the next couple of days. If it sticks around for a week beyond your last flight on that ticket, it's probably going to stay.
#34
Join Date: Dec 2021
Programs: MileagePlus Premier Gold
Posts: 23
No equipment swap either.
It was an LX flight booked through LH. Maybe United has some kind of glitch there? I don't know.
As for things that happened to the ticket, my friend and I both looked at paid business class upgrades with great desire in our eyes, but wishing does not affect tickets
edit: The flight was scheduled at 13:15 and was "delayed" 5 minutes on the schedule board.
Last edited by kfreezen; Feb 22, 2023 at 9:54 am Reason: adding slight delay info
#35
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, Park City, UT
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Plat, Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat
Posts: 901
Check my math of PQP earning on Air Canada
Credited to United
SFO to YUL, on Air Canada, P class
2539 miles per one of the air miles calc sites.
P earns 100% so earns 2539 award miles.
Plat Premier so 75% additional, correct? So that is 4443 award miles
Divide by 5 and that's 889 PQPs. Correct?
If so that's a bit disappointing, for a $1200 ticket.
SFO to YUL, on Air Canada, P class
2539 miles per one of the air miles calc sites.
P earns 100% so earns 2539 award miles.
Plat Premier so 75% additional, correct? So that is 4443 award miles
Divide by 5 and that's 889 PQPs. Correct?
If so that's a bit disappointing, for a $1200 ticket.
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,364
Credited to United
SFO to YUL, on Air Canada, P class
2539 miles per one of the air miles calc sites.
P earns 100% so earns 2539 award miles.
Plat Premier so 75% additional, correct? So that is 4443 award miles
Divide by 5 and that's 889 PQPs. Correct?
If so that's a bit disappointing, for a $1200 ticket.
SFO to YUL, on Air Canada, P class
2539 miles per one of the air miles calc sites.
P earns 100% so earns 2539 award miles.
Plat Premier so 75% additional, correct? So that is 4443 award miles
Divide by 5 and that's 889 PQPs. Correct?
If so that's a bit disappointing, for a $1200 ticket.
1 - AC P earns at 150%, not 100%
2 - You don't get to include the premier bonus before calculating PQP (this isn't AA -- on UA, everyone is equal. )
https://pqp.economiles.com/?q=SFO,YU...UL,,,&status=3
It's $1200 one-way? For a P fare? If you book via UA instead of AC, you'd get fare-based earnings. which seems like it might help you in this situation.
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,293
#38
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
I often fly within Europe on LH Group (LH/LX/OS/SN), typically in their cheapest fare family, called Economy Light.
I typically earn 25% RDM for those flights. I understand that this now means 25/5 = 5% PQP earnings.
Now, with regards to PQF, the new wording on the UA website around earning on partners says
So I am wondering: Is an intra-Europe "Economy Light" segment considered "Basic Economy" and thus PQF = 0 ?
I typically earn 25% RDM for those flights. I understand that this now means 25/5 = 5% PQP earnings.
Now, with regards to PQF, the new wording on the UA website around earning on partners says
So I am wondering: Is an intra-Europe "Economy Light" segment considered "Basic Economy" and thus PQF = 0 ?
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 31,977
No, you earn PQP and RDM based on fare class ... lite fare or not. You just don't get a PQF. S will earn 50% of miles flown and then you divide by 5 for PQP. You also get your regular premier bonus miles, so as a 1K you get 100% of miles flown as RDM.
#40
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: INN
Posts: 2,907
I did a Economy Light trip on OS end of last year, and the PQFs posted. I can't say if that was a glitch or a regular occurrence.
#41
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,129
That was correct. What cfischer is saying is you won't get "only" PQF. You will earn PQP via the calculation described for the entire ticket and a PQF per segment. LH group marketing lingo Light/Classic/Flex doesn't matter. Just fare class and distance.
#42
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: msp
Programs: AA PLT 3MM, DL PM 2MM
Posts: 1,142
PQP on Singapore
I've read the guidelines of Mileage Plus but still a little unclear how many PQP would be earned flying paid Business on Singapore (LAX to Syndey RT). Can anyone help? Many many thanks.....
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,465
Due to cap, you will be limited to 1,000 PQP per segment for the SIN-LAX leg. SIN to SYD might be under 1K depending on your fare class.
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/earn-miles/airline-partners/premier-qualifying-credit.html
You can also use this calculator (I think someone on FT built it): https://pqp.economiles.com/
Last edited by Repooc17; Mar 9, 2023 at 6:35 am
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,686
Due to cap, you will be limited to 500 PQP per segment, so 2K for the roundtrip.
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ng-credit.html
Due to cap, you will be limited to 500 PQP per segment, so 2K for the roundtrip.
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ng-credit.html
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,465
That said, if OP is on discounted business fare (eg. D), with SQ not being a preferred partner, the shorter segment (SIN-SYD) might be well under 1,000 PQP.
Last edited by Repooc17; Mar 9, 2023 at 6:34 am