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UA • CONFIRMS • Status Extension to JAN 2022; PQP Thresholds Reduced by ½ for 2020

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Old Mar 6, 2020, 1:30 pm
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
05April 2020
MileagePlus Status Extended Until 2022

Throughout these unprecedented times, we remain committed to doing what is right and fair for all of our MileagePlus members and are pleased to share the steps we are taking to reciprocate the trust and loyalty that you have placed in United. These steps include not only Premier status updates, but also an extension of current memberships and subscriptions. The updates will happen automatically over the next few weeks — there's nothing you need to do.

The big news: If you have current 2020 Premier status, it will be extended to January 31, 2022. At a minimum, you will enjoy the same published status next year that you have today, up to Premier 1K®.

We're reducing the 2020 Premier qualifying points (PQP) and flight requirements for all tiers by 50%. You'll still need a minimum of four flight segments on United or United Express®.



We're also doubling PQP for United Explorer cards and quadrupling PQP for the United Club cards.

At the same time that we're decreasing the published program's PQP requirements, via a promotion from May 1 – December 31, 2020, we're doubling (for United Explorer cards) or quadrupling (for United Club cards) the maximum number of PQP that Cardmembers can earn during 2020 to help achieve a higher level of status than you already have.

1K® and Platinum members, we're increasing your ability to upgrade by extending PlusPoints expiration dates by six months and expanding Skip Waitlist.
  • This means a six-month extension of any PlusPoints set to expire on or before January 31, 2021.
  • Last year we introduced Skip Waitlist on select flights as a benefit to 1K members, giving you more opportunities to confirm an upgrade request at the time of booking. This benefit will now be available for the rest of 2020 in a significantly expanded selection of long-haul international regions and will have expanded availability in 2021 as well.
We're extending all annual membership and subscription benefits by six months.
  • We want to make sure your benefits are still there when you're ready to start flying again. That's why we're extending purchased United Club℠ memberships and purchased subscriptions for Economy Plus®, United Wi-Fi℠ and checked bags by six months. You should see this reflected in your MileagePlus account soon.
All electronic travel certificates now have 24 months to be used.
  • If your travel plans have been disrupted, and you have an electronic travel certificate from us for the value of your ticket, you now have two years from the date it was issued to book a new flight, as well as up to an additional 11 months to travel. This includes all currently valid and all new electronic travel certificates issued on or after April 1, 2020.
We have removed some redeposit fees for the rest of the year.
  • We are currently waiving all award redeposit fees for travel through end of May 2020.
  • We are now also waiving all redeposit fees for award ticket cancellations made more than 30 days before departure for the remainder of 2020.
Finally, we'll be making it easier to earn status in 2021 for the 2022 program year. We recognize that getting back to travel will occur at a different pace for different members. Keep an eye out for changes we will make to help you earn status in 2021 for 2022, as we'll share details later this year.

Over the years, you have placed your trust and loyalty in United, and we are honored to do the same for you. We are all in this together.

Status extension to January 31, 2022, applies to all members that met the published criteria of the MileagePlus program in 2019, status associated with the United/Marriott RewardsPlus program and status offered as part of a Sales nomination. Status granted from other programs and policies may not apply.
FAQ
With extended status. will we automatically get additional PlusPoints in 2021 (40 for Plats and 280 for 1KsGS?

No, your existing PlusPoints will be extended 6 months but to get additional 2021 PlusPoints you will need to meet the reduced thresholds for 2020

[5 April 2020] Status extended 1 year - United Hub
- Status extended 1 year (expires 1/31/22)
- Plus Points extended 6 months
- Lower qualifying thresholds to gain 2021 status in 2020 (about 50%)

[5 April 2020] United will extend Premier status for 12 months (SF Gate):
United will announce on Sunday that it is extending elite status to MileagePlus Premier members through 2021 and members will retain their current status through January 2022. This follows a similar move by Delta Air Lines on April 4 to extend SkyMiles Medallion elite status to 2021.

A United spokesperson has confirmed this to SFGATE, adding: "We are also going to help both general members and members who want to reach the next status level by lowering thresholds for Premier Qualifying Points (PQP’s) for the 2021 status year."

In addition to the elite status extension, United will extend all its annual subscription options by six months, including United Club memberships, wi-fi, checked bags and EconomyPlus, according to the spokesperson.
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[7 March 2020] A message to our Premier members (email):
At this time, we are not planning any changes for our 2021 Premier program but we will continue to evaluate our options as we learn more about how the current climate is affecting members' activity. In the interim though, we do plan to give members who are participating in a MileagePlus 2020 Premier Status Match Challenge promotion an additional 30 days to complete their challenge. This extension will automatically be reflected in member accounts within the next week.
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Originally Posted by Sykes
There's a good (but not exhaustive) crowdsourced list of company travel restrictions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...bWhYFM/preview .....
Originally Posted by Fims
Hey there!

As true loyalty is best tested in challenging times, I did a bit of research on how different airlines and hotel programmes have responded:
  • 74 airline loyalty responses (status, miles expiration extensions) and booking flexibility terms (changes and refunds)
  • 18 hotel loyalty responses (status, points expiration extensions) and booking flexibility terms (changes and refunds)
The full outcome is freely available at https://bit.ly/loyalty-response-covid19

Feel free to comment that Google Sheets file and if you have some better insights, let me know (I used only what was available on English-speaking websites and some blog posts I could find, showing emails from the programmes). ....





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UA • CONFIRMS • Status Extension to JAN 2022; PQP Thresholds Reduced by ½ for 2020

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Old Mar 6, 2020, 10:10 am
  #316  
 
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I bet they end up extending status a year- I work in big tech and MSFT/AMZN/TWTR/SNAP etc have all implemented (mostly) no-travel policies, even for domestic travel. This will get far worse before it gets better
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 10:59 am
  #317  
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Originally Posted by rankourabu
First of all, there are no flight restrictions. Noone is restricted from purchasing United tickets or air travel in general.
You are free to continue pushing towards the (new) goalposts for United status if you so desire.
This is false. Most companies have canceled or banned a whole host of travel.

Most will go back to flying their work flights with the same patterns as before, either because their boss tells them to, because of a UA contract, or because its simply the most convenient flights for their flying patterns
Which is what I said. But if travel resumes only late summer, business folks used to Gold or higher suddenly paying for E+ after 2/1/21 are a (ahem) flight risk.

Zero doubt airlines will selectively poach by matching status and offering an extension.

I think there is a contingent here that believes come May 1 or sooner it’s all back to normal. It won’t be.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:15 am
  #318  
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Originally Posted by uastarflyer
This is false. Most companies have canceled or banned a whole host of travel.
No, they haven't. Nobody is going to fire you if you take a trip.

Many (I doubt it's "most") companies have halted business travel, sure. However, that doesn't mean you can't buy a plane ticket from United.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:19 am
  #319  
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What most airlines are doing now is stupid. Nobody is booking new flights due to corporate travel restrictions or just overall fear of being quarantined somewhere if they catch a cold. So a limited waiver for new bookings is pointless. So far B6 is the only one that seems to get it.

A more customer friendly policy would be to permit free changes to all existing itineraries without change fees. In other words, no refunds but let people fly later in the year when they feel safer (at whatever the fare is at time of re-ticketing).

The bonus EQP offers will not come until airlines have a better fix on summer bookings. If travel demand continues to plummet then we will see fare reductions in addition to other promos. And same into the fall. However airlines are also massively reducing capacity so that will offset some of the demand reduction.It will be interesting to see if an EQP promo really works as it doesn't really get you as far as the EQM promos. 2x5000 (transcon or Hawaii ?RT) would net you 10k EQM on AS. 2x$300 RT fare would next you only 600 EQP, which doesn't get you very far towards higher status. Even worse on the TATL and TPAC fares, particularly as you can find biz class seat sales in the $1-2k RT range.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:31 am
  #320  
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Originally Posted by jsloan
No, they haven't. Nobody is going to fire you if you take a trip.
They may not let you come back to the office though.

I can't remember when I've cared less about what UA does. Although I suppose I'd take it if they gave me another year of free award changes. Extension of PlusPoints would be nice, too.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:37 am
  #321  
 
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Originally Posted by Silver Fox
They need bums (bottoms) in seats not more people wth status. In fact, as I am scheduled to lose my elite status next year, and had resigned myself to that, I would not chase it even if they returned it to what it was because all it would be is a stay of execution.
I thought for a moment that was Kirby's new marketing plan: "We need more bums not elites!" In a bid to get the homeless business.

I sit back, aloof, like you and observe the desperate comments, hoping for a reprieve from UA. If, in fact, UA would grant a status reprieve, it certainly wouldn't halt the degradation of elite benefits. The die is cast already.

Originally Posted by Boraxo
A more customer friendly policy would be to permit free changes to all existing itineraries without change fees. In other words, no refunds but let people fly later in the year when they feel safer (at whatever the fare is at time of re-ticketing).
This is what I care about most! I will still commit to business travel, but I would like a hedge if things really go to hell.
This would really garner some loyalty to UA.

The business model for airlines has changed, and they are far more likely to cut capacity to try bring airfares and relative demand back up, or to incent new purchases with PQP bonuses, than to essentially increase "free" perks by granting an extension of status.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:44 am
  #322  
 
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Originally Posted by Boraxo
What most airlines are doing now is stupid. Nobody is booking new flights due to corporate travel restrictions or just overall fear of being quarantined somewhere if they catch a cold. So a limited waiver for new bookings is pointless. So far B6 is the only one that seems to get it.

A more customer friendly policy would be to permit free changes to all existing itineraries without change fees. In other words, no refunds but let people fly later in the year when they feel safer (at whatever the fare is at time of re-ticketing).

The bonus EQP offers will not come until airlines have a better fix on summer bookings. If travel demand continues to plummet then we will see fare reductions in addition to other promos. And same into the fall. However airlines are also massively reducing capacity so that will offset some of the demand reduction.It will be interesting to see if an EQP promo really works as it doesn't really get you as far as the EQM promos. 2x5000 (transcon or Hawaii ?RT) would net you 10k EQM on AS. 2x$300 RT fare would next you only 600 EQP, which doesn't get you very far towards higher status. Even worse on the TATL and TPAC fares, particularly as you can find biz class seat sales in the $1-2k RT range.
This is false. Many if not most companies are restricting intercontinental travel. Some are restricting other travel. Many have said absolutely nothing against booking a trip to Omaha.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:51 am
  #323  
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Originally Posted by JimInOhio
This is false. Many if not most companies are restricting intercontinental travel. Some are restricting other travel. Many have said absolutely nothing against booking a trip to Omaha.
I'm not sure what field you're in, but from what I'm seeing and hearing, most companies that are big enough to have travel policies are freezing nonessential travel, whether domestic or international.

It's kind of spreading like a virus. No one wants to be the executive who didn't take action, and then had a major outbreak at the office.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:52 am
  #324  
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Originally Posted by JimInOhio
This is false. Many if not most companies are restricting intercontinental travel. Some are restricting other travel. Many have said absolutely nothing against booking a trip to Omaha.
Unless there is a large conference gathering with a bunch of randos, in which case mine and many other employers are restricting domestic travel too. Eg Vegas or Orlando industry conferences

And the trend is increasing daily, not subsiding.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:53 am
  #325  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
Nobody is going to fire you if you take a trip.
If they didn't fire me, it would certainly be a major career limiting move. They'd certainly question my judgement if I blatantly booked a non-essential business trip in light of the near daily reminders to not take those trips or hold in person team meetings - Our Seattle office is working remotely at least a few more weeks - our Bay Area offices are open, but everyone encouraged to work remotely unless they don't have the means to do so.

So - no, the communication hasn't said I'd be fired for taking a trip - but they'd perceive me as an idiot if I did so. I haven't tried it, I'm not certain our corporate travel portal would even book it without high up approvals.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 11:55 am
  #326  
 
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Already had two exhibitions cancelled for February and now March. One in Singapore (obvious) but other is in Madrid. Problem was that EU customers stated that they would not come to the one in Madrid.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 12:21 pm
  #327  
 
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There's a good (but not exhaustive) crowdsourced list of company travel restrictions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...bWhYFM/preview

Most companies I know of have significantly restricted international business travel. A significant number have also curtailed domestic business travel. Most of the aforementioned businesses also have policies which prohibit visiting an office if you've traveled to a country with widespread community transmission of COVID-19 within the last 14 days, and a small handful companies prohibit employees from going into an office if the employee has done ANY international travel within the last 14 days.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 12:39 pm
  #328  
 
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Originally Posted by Sykes

Most companies I know of have significantly restricted international business travel.
Just received a memo that instructed me to give the option to any employee in my group traveling internationally the option to return home immediately, regardless of business impact.
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 12:40 pm
  #329  
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Originally Posted by PaulMCO
Already had two exhibitions cancelled for February and now March. One in Singapore (obvious) but other is in Madrid. Problem was that EU customers stated that they would not come to the one in Madrid.
Spain is on my employer banned list too
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Old Mar 6, 2020, 12:52 pm
  #330  
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Originally Posted by HNLbasedFlyer
If they didn't fire me, it would certainly be a major career limiting move. They'd certainly question my judgement if I blatantly booked a non-essential business trip in light of the near daily reminders to not take those trips or hold in person team meetings - Our Seattle office is working remotely at least a few more weeks - our Bay Area offices are open, but everyone encouraged to work remotely unless they don't have the means to do so.
Nobody said anything about a business trip. There are so many assumptions being made here. All I said was that you wouldn’t get fired if you bought a ticket and got on a plane. You may choose not to do it, and that’s fine. But acting as though UA has absolutely no choice but to extend status because nobody can possibly travel is simply silly. I’m sitting on a United plane right now, watching people board. I don’t usually travel at this time of day, so I don’t know if the load is usual or not — there are scattered empty seats in Y — but it’s certainly not empty.

I still think UA will run promos later in the year, because the moves that they’re taking suggest that they need to stimulate demand. But there’s no moral imperative here. If their bookings don’t drop to the point where they need to stimulate them, they won’t see any need to take action.
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