eng3

My crystal ball says there will be at least one promotion but you are right there could be none so one must plan to meet the requirements as written or have the flexibility to do a lot of flying towards the end of the year. I have a lot of PP in the bank to use up next year (unless they extend) so I guess I'll be spending more anyways if I want to try to use then for intl J.

HeadInTheClouds

It's funny how things turn out. UA really feels stuck with a (brand new) FF program for a prior era, and it needs to make some changes IMO.

While AA just went all in on $$ vs miles, the credit card spend angle opens up a whole new dimension to it, and it feels like it can live in the Covid/post-Covid world just fine. Giving a big/unique (A)advantage to holding on to status vs earning it new also keeps pre-Covid elites vested in the ecosystem. Win.

DL is an odd bird. By keeping MQMs in the mix, it still trades in a term FFers are familiar with. The unrelenting MQM rollovers + easy AX waivers means that status for the next couple years can be easy or all about MQMs only up to Plat. That will keep a majority of legacy flyers happy. And Diamond is now a tier that is all about the $$ (similar to UA), and will feel more 'special' once we are past next year. But even they introduced 'accelerators' that keep their qualifying levels intact but move people along faster as needed. Win.

UA though... An all $$ based program that got knee capped before it even got started. It lays out figures that intimidate people (i.e. "$24,000 for 1K? as seen in this thread). $24k feels like it should be the new GS level these days. Lowering thresholds only cheapens the value of them in the first place - comments in this thread already indicate that too. No one believes they will stick, the goalposts are messy, and flyers are irritated. Lose.

UA has really done much that has been good during the pandemic and has improved their brand image (whatever starting point you choose to use). This was more a case of bad timing and bad luck, but it is what it is. Going back to the drawing board here might not be a bad idea.

Adelphos

So basically with one normal priced transatlantic business class flight, one could become Gold and/or get close to Platinum?

With rollover and Amex spending, I am at least Platinum one Delta through 2024. I’m looking at all of these reduced requirements as a way to maybe test out status on a new airline. United intrigues me given the number of destinations out of EWR and LGA. I would imagine though that upgrades out of EWR are poor as anything under a 1K…

dmurphynj

I am UA loyal based exactly on that - the route network out of EWR is exceptional. That said, you’re also right in that if you want the big seat, you’re likely going to be paying for it. Upgrades are quite difficult from here, depending on route of course.

Winkdaddy

13,500 PQP and 36 flights isn't exactly easy from my point of view. No International travel yet really--especially to Asia where I suspect my travel won't come back until 2023 at earliest and my company doesnt pay for domestic FC. And I fly lots of regional jets out of ORD. While I will barely make 1k this year based on the many promotions and BoB PQP, I still had many flights in that $75-$250 range. If UA doesnt offer additional PQP promotions I doubt I will hit 1K again flying those ORD-FLL at $100 LOL!

HNLbasedFlyer

It seems to me - from reading FT where upgrades are almost impossible and 1K's often way down the list - these very low requirements do not bode well for those who do actually fly quite a bit - and I'm sure more promos are coming.

uastarflyer

Part of this is due to everyone burning upgrades domestically and especially Hawaii. Because so much of the world is being served with less frequency, closed or difficult to travel to (or corporates won’t allow it).

My primary Biz route has been SIN and that is barely trickling open 2 years in

exp

I just checked my MP activity.

I got 1750 PQP on 1/7/21 for being a Gold member for several years.

Then I got 700 PQP on 5/13/21.

So 2450 out of the 7000 PQP required to qualify for Gold were just gifted. I don't even see any separate line items indicating I earned any bonuses for FTF promo. My last paid flight was from late August to mid September.

i ended up with 7430 PQPs and 8 PQFs. I flew 3 UA segments, but they qualified me back in September. 2 business TATL flights to Europe.


So we can't say they will have the same qualifying requirements in 2022 as 2021 unless they run some promos and outright gift some PQPs. UA may forecast that more people are willing to pay for flights in 2022 compared to 2021, after over 2 years into this pandemic.

Repooc17

Yep! UA gave up to 14,250 PQP this year.

CApreppie

They certainly have to throw some promos at us in 2022 as well. I'm really just flying to get to 1MM status and then can worry a lot less about the status rat race. Probably should just fly around the US a lot in the dead of winter now that Omicron is throwing travel, especially international, back into full disarray again. Should go visit those five US states I have not physically stepped into.

kb1992

Who the marketing/loyalty program genius at UA proposed such absurd $24,000 for 1K?

They though that we have NOWHERE TO GO.

I laughed at it when they announced it. LOL it died because of COVID.

Even without COVID, I didn't believe it's going to generate lots of 1Ks chasing $24,000 spend. Seriously? That's borderline GS spend.

I take some satisfaction that UA has been nice to us since the pandemic. No change fees, extension of status, and PP.

Let's give them the credit due.

econ

Coupled with the extension of PP, I expect this will continue throughout 2022.

cfischer

2022 will be nowhere near normal for OPM travel; I'd say for us at best at 20%; that leaves way too many of UAs loyal customers with too big of a delta to requalify ... that would be stupid if they went back to $24k.

There is plenty of 60k TATL availability, you just need some flexibility and granted access to IN space because I is indeed 'dead'. Domestic feeders in Y has been the normal for many year and you can waitlist them for I/IN.
For 2022 I have booked BOS-SFO-KOA/HNL-LAX-BOS for 2 pax all in IN. BOS-EWR-HND-IAD-BOS for 2 pax all in IN. BOS-SFO-SYD for 2 pax with SFO-SYD in IN. We are flying to Europe 12/18 BOS-EWR-ZRH and back via IAD all in IN. Other 2022 travel is e.g. BOS-LHR-FRA (because BOS-LHR has IN) ... and all of that is at the low 60k award level.

Adelphos

Well there may never be another year of “normal” for OPM travel, at least the way United and others understood it in 2019. So what United, or someone else, could do, is skate to where they think the puck is going, and try to reward the type of travel and traveler (including business traveler) that is traveling today and is expected to be traveling tomorrow. That would mean cutting off legacy business travelers that may not be coming back and rewarding those in the air now.

ATOBTTR

It's actually easier than getting an equivalent status on DL, at least if you aren't one to pursue the MQD waiver. DL Silver is $3K in spend and 25K MQMs or 30 segments. UA is $3K in spend and only 8 segments. Similar with the other tiers too.