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

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Old Apr 7, 2020, 3:02 pm
  #961  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: The Netherlands
Programs: UA 1K 1MM
Posts: 79
I thought this was my last year as 1K....nice gesture in bad bad times for all of us and United!
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Old Apr 7, 2020, 3:35 pm
  #962  
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,020
Originally Posted by eb777
I thought this was my last year as 1K....nice gesture in bad bad times for all of us and United!
Not for “all of us”. Some of us were looking forward to a winnowing of the bloated 1K ranks
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Old Apr 7, 2020, 3:55 pm
  #963  
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,900
Originally Posted by deskover54
where did you hear this? please please please bring this back. i don't want to have to transit in tokyo or elsewhere. PVG-SFO would be SUPER amazing
Here you go.


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Old Apr 7, 2020, 7:03 pm
  #964  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: United 1k aa exec plat
Posts: 1,842
Originally Posted by jsloan
The question was, why bother flying UA if your status has already been extended.

Besides the obvious reason of being able to use your status, the other answer is that you would fly UA in order to achieve a higher status level -- but if you're 1K, there is no (published) higher status level; instead, the reason is to earn PlusPoints. The extended status does not, of itself, grant any new PlusPoints for 2021.
thanks both-clear now!i dont see any travel coming back til earliest late this yr if at all but understood on the plus points..
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Old Apr 7, 2020, 7:57 pm
  #965  
formerly wunderpit
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,340
United Club Card

Has anyone called/confirmed that the Chase United Club card will extend club membership at all? I am upon my renewal soon here...no need to pay for it if I'm not using, so I am wondering if cancelling it is my best option. Or do they do "holds" at all? I don't need it until we all start flying again. Call centers are jacked. Thanks for any info!
Weyland Yutani Corp is offline  
Old Apr 7, 2020, 8:17 pm
  #966  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: DEN/OGG
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 1,482
I wish they wouldn’t have halved the qualification requirements. 2021 gate licing will be brutal
Plane-is-home is offline  
Old Apr 7, 2020, 10:03 pm
  #967  
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Latin America and USA
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold
Posts: 456
Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
a couple of things to consider:
1) the fewer flyers are not going to be spread across the same number of flights. UA will be significantly paring the schedule to get profitable loads.
2) on these reduced flights, I’m guessing one will see a higher fraction of elite flyers - it’s what they do. Leisure travel Is likely to drop more as a percentage of passengers than business travel.
Entirely possible and I agree. I think we will see a meaningful drop in business travel. Not yet sure how that percentage will compare with leisure. It could be a while until travel budgets are 'unslashed.'
IMissThe747 is offline  
Old Apr 7, 2020, 10:18 pm
  #968  
formerly wunderpit
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,340
Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Those who get to (or re-qualify for) 2021 1K via PQPs and PQFs this year will get PPs. This also applies to those who get to (or qualify as) 2021 Plat via PQPs and PQFs in 2020. It appears that those who retain Plat or 1K in 2021 via extension of current 2020 status only (ie not meeting the qualification hurdles) will not get PPs.
Sorry, jumping in on this. Are you saying that those who qualify via the REDUCED requirements (I.e. $9K for 1K) will get the 2021 +P?
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Old Apr 7, 2020, 10:43 pm
  #969  
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,405
Originally Posted by wunderpit
Sorry, jumping in on this. Are you saying that those who qualify via the REDUCED requirements (I.e. $9K for 1K) will get the 2021 +P?
Yes.
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Old Apr 8, 2020, 2:57 am
  #970  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
With nearly everything on extension and consequences discussed over nearly 1,000 posts, I have a more banal musing...will the card design remain the same? I like how the 1K card has a metallic look. Maybe they could take one of the 767s that are going to be retired and make next year's cards out of bits of the fuselage.
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Old Apr 8, 2020, 4:56 am
  #971  
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,341
Oh no! Upgrades will be more difficult to get!
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Old Apr 8, 2020, 2:04 pm
  #972  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DSM
Programs: UA 1K, AA EP, DL PL, HH Dia, Marriott Gld, National Exp
Posts: 722
Originally Posted by wunderpit
Has anyone called/confirmed that the Chase United Club card will extend club membership at all? I am upon my renewal soon here...no need to pay for it if I'm not using, so I am wondering if cancelling it is my best option. Or do they do "holds" at all? I don't need it until we all start flying again. Call centers are jacked. Thanks for any info!
Since the United Club is the main reason most of us have this card, good question. Plus, with so few clubs open, and reduced food/beverage, for those still flying some is a diluted benefit. Would be nice if they did ... But of course, not the end of the world if they don't.
dorisrpas is offline  
Old Apr 8, 2020, 2:50 pm
  #973  
formerly wunderpit
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,340
Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Those who get to (or re-qualify for) 2021 1K via PQPs and PQFs this year will get PPs. This also applies to those who get to (or qualify as) 2021 Plat via PQPs and PQFs in 2020. It appears that those who retain Plat or 1K in 2021 via extension of current 2020 status only (ie not meeting the qualification hurdles) will not get PPs.
Originally Posted by dorisrpas
Since the United Club is the main reason most of us have this card, good question. Plus, with so few clubs open, and reduced food/beverage, for those still flying some is a diluted benefit. Would be nice if they did ... But of course, not the end of the world if they don't.
Answering my own question. I got through to the Chase call center (8 minute hold). Rep said no word yet on Club extensions/provision on Club card, probably due to extensive contracts. Makes sense. Rep easily switched me to the no-fee UA card, and said to just call back when I want to switch back to Club card.
Say Vandelay and dorisrpas like this.
Weyland Yutani Corp is offline  
Old Apr 8, 2020, 5:28 pm
  #974  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
Any idea yet if people holding status the entire year of 2020 based on a 2019 status challenge will be included in the extensions? The fine print gives UA the right to exclude this case, but doesn’t expressly say they will do so. In my case my 2019 flying would have earned me a lower tier of status the “hard way” even without a challenge, so at the very least I hope they give me that level through the end of next year...
mcrw00 is offline  
Old Apr 8, 2020, 7:01 pm
  #975  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 799
Originally Posted by jsloan
Well, you still need four UA segments, but if you can get 12K PQP from one partner flight, go for it.
(Although, in that case, two partner flights would have gotten you 24K PQP, so I don't know why you would have changed away...)

Forgot about the differing flights. I just saw the 9k and thought that it was a gimmie. 26 flights is still a lot, but I suppose I could do it.

This is madness - I could actually hit elite on all three airlines this year based on my planned travel. I suppose it speaks to how important elite status really is to the airlines. Give it away like candy and everyone gets shafted because of the influx of new elites.

The people who earn 1k the hard way this year should get way more out of this - I hope they give them GS or something. It seems downright unfair for someone to fly 18k and 54 flights and get what I can with just a few partner flights.
FlyingBeanCounter is offline  


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