Dec 31, 2021, 11:08 pm
Last edit by: st530
United Global Services ("GS") is the highest tier of MileagePlus elite status. It is by invitation only, reviewed annually -- the invite criteria is not public but seems to require substantial annual spending with UA both in terms of absolute dollar amounts and purchasing higher fare classes (higher cpm - cents per mile). There are also reports of GS status being comped by UA Marketing to VIPs in companies who sign corporate travel deals with UA, and also to those individuals that purchase an annual PassPlus enrollment of $50k or greater. The sole published way to qualify is to become a 4MM, having flown 4 million BIS miles on UA metal (plus additional grandfathered credits at the time of the UA/CO merger).
GS have enhanced services / benefits over 1Ks. There is little said publicly by UA on GS benefits and/or qualification.
Last year's thread, Consolidated Global Services Thread - Qualifications, Benefits and Q & A [2021]
Known facts concerning qualification and eligibility from United:
Quote:
Global Services recognizes the extraordinary dedication of our top flyers. We consider a number of factors beyond the usual Premier-qualifying criteria.
We look at your travel spend on United-operated flights relative to that of other top Premier flyers over recent consecutive years.
Usually, members invited to Global Services tend to consistently purchase premium cabins or fully refundable tickets.
Published Benefits
Full detail of published benefits can be found at https://mystatus.united.com/gs [MP credentials login required, existing GS only]
Shortlist (incremental/different to 1K):
Most benefits noted below require calling a GS agent:
GS have enhanced services / benefits over 1Ks. There is little said publicly by UA on GS benefits and/or qualification.
Last year's thread, Consolidated Global Services Thread - Qualifications, Benefits and Q & A [2021]
Known facts concerning qualification and eligibility from United:
Quote:
Global Services recognizes the extraordinary dedication of our top flyers. We consider a number of factors beyond the usual Premier-qualifying criteria.
We look at your travel spend on United-operated flights relative to that of other top Premier flyers over recent consecutive years.
Usually, members invited to Global Services tend to consistently purchase premium cabins or fully refundable tickets.
Published Benefits
Full detail of published benefits can be found at https://mystatus.united.com/gs [MP credentials login required, existing GS only]
Shortlist (incremental/different to 1K):
- Dedicated phone number with fastest pickup times, and generally by specially-trained GS agents. Some exceptions occur, especially during busy periods (such as when weather waivers are in effect)
- Dedicated email address for MileagePlus and other inquiries, usually answered personally within hours
- Dedicated check-in at main airport stations, including private Global Reception centers at major hubs, providing priority TSA security access. May bring guests/companions into Global Reception areas or dedicated GS checkin lanes who are traveling on same itinerary as GS member.
- Instrument-supported upgrades (PlusPoints or miles) clear into PN class rather than PZ class for other elite tiers, which usually have much better availability. Instruments drawn from the GS member account and applied to other reservations will also clear into PN class.
- Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) cleared beginning 120 hours prior to flight departure (versus 96 hours for 1K) for GS member and up to one other traveling on same PNR
- Highest-priority when waitlisted for Upgrades, Award Travel, and Sold-out Flight Availability. GS members clear before any other status level or full-fare customers.
- Priority Boarding, among the first to board the aircraft (currently after unaccompanied minors, people with disabilities and/or need more time boarding, Active-Duty Military, and prior to families with children under age of 2)
- Priority handling in event of IRROPS, including next flight guarantee in case of re-accommodation, overseen by dedicated team of location-based GS Customer Service Agents (identified via gold scarves/ties)
- Mercedes-Benz Tarmac Transfer for tight connections between flights at major hubs (cannot be requested in advance)
Access to United Arrivals Lounge at SFO when arriving from international flight, regardless of cabin class (no guests permitted)Closed- Access to Arrivals Lounge at LHR T2 when arriving from inbound UA-operated intercontinental flight, regardless of cabin (no guests permitted, must present Boarding Pass or physical GS card)
- Access to Lufthansa / Swiss Welcome (arrival) Lounges in FRA and ZRH for same-day inbound UA intercontinental flight, regardless of cabin (no guests permitted, must present physical GS card)
- Effective January 2021, GS members who do not have a United Club membership may access United Clubs on domestic itineraries, but no guests are permitted.
Most benefits noted below require calling a GS agent:
- GS can create saver economy award space (XN) if T inventory is available. United-operated flights only. Update 12 Dec 2018: Only for GS member + 1 companion.
- GS can create saver business award space (IN) if PZ inventory is available. United-operated flights only. Update 12 Dec 2018: Only for GS member + 1 companion.
- GS can upgrade economy awards (XN or YN) into Business / First with PlusPoints if PN inventory is available. United-operated flights only. Can now be completed online/via the app, in most circumstances.
- GS can confirm any waitlisted instrument-supported upgrade (miles/co-pay or PlusPoints) within T-72 hours to flight departure provided at least 2 (two) J class premium seats remain for sale after the upgrade is processed and they are at the top of the waitlist.
- GS are entitled to one Saver Award seat in the same class of service for one segment of the itinerary with their purchase of any premium cabin fare. GS agents can open space if it is not available provided that at least 2 seats remain for sale afterwards. United-operated flights only.
- GS can upgrade a companion with an instrument (PlusPoints or miles) from Economy to Business / First when flying on a paid premium cabin fare, even if PZ or PN is not available, as long as J > 2 after upgrade processed. Companion needs to be ticketed in W class or higher on international cash fare itineraries, or ticketed in X/XN for upgrades from award tickets.
- (Note: Only ONE of the two above options can be exercised per premium fare purchased, and for one segment in the itinerary, per caveats noted below. GS traveler must remain in same itinerary as companion)
- GS can buy up from Basic Economy fares, which is usually forbidden
- GS can access VIP Lounges (former Global First Lounges) in NRT, LHR, and HKG when booked in Polaris Business on an international itinerary. One guest permitted (two guests if a United Club member). Not accessed if booked in United Economy. (Note: VIP Lounges in NRT and HKG remain closed due to Covid-19; LHR VIP now open.)
- Post 12/12/2018, agents have been instructed to grant only one "exception" when opening award space for a companion. Thus, you can open T->XN for a companion, or you can force a companion upgrade into PN, but you can't convert T->XN and then force clear an upgrade into PN. Some have reported success by requesting this in two separate calls.
- Some agents will allow GS to open economy award space for a companion to allow for an upgrade with an instrument, even if XN or T are unavailable
- According to GS Customer Service, a GS on a paid coach fare using an instrument will clear into Polaris business before a lower-status passenger with a paid PremiumPlus fare (i.e. O, A, R). In other words, for example, a paid O, A, R for a 1K will not give higher priority than a GS with a W fare if both are using 40 PlusPoints. This is true even on the gate waitlist.
- Post 12/12/2019, agents have been instructed that they can only grant a companion exception for one segment per round trip journey. Thus, if you have a roundtrip premium fare, they will only open saver space, or force an upgrade, for one segment. This means you must either waitlist (if upgrading) or use a standard award, for the remaining segments.
Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions, Experiences [2022]
Aug 19, 2022, 2:13 am
#886
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,976
Just called (3 am Central) to get my friend's upgrade pushed through using my PP (J=4, <72 hours, #1 on list). Agent said that she couldn't do it because I wasn't travelling with the passenger and the rule is GS+1. Told her she was incorrect. She said that I was wrong. So I told her I am going to hang up and call back until I find an agent who will do it and told her that I hate doing this "agent roulette" thing. She wished me good luck on that. Hung up, called again, and the agent gladly pushed the upgrade through. Agent roulette indeed. 
Aug 19, 2022, 2:41 am
#887
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, CO, DL
Posts: 2,882
Just called (3 am Central) to get my friend's upgrade pushed through using my PP (J=4, <72 hours, #1 on list). Agent said that she couldn't do it because I wasn't travelling with the passenger and the rule is GS+1. Told her she was incorrect. She said that I was wrong. So I told her I am going to hang up and call back until I find an agent who will do it and told her that I hate doing this "agent roulette" thing. She wished me good luck on that. Hung up, called again, and the agent gladly pushed the upgrade through. Agent roulette indeed.
Aug 19, 2022, 2:46 am
#888
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 71
Apparently, as posted earlier, it is best to call during normal business hours during the week. The recently hired and dutifully ignorant agents are also loathsome to facilitate GS requests. It would seem that these rouge CS agents parading as GS agents take exception to GS perks and are very adamant that they are correct in their pronouncements regarding policy. My word.
Aug 19, 2022, 6:33 am
#889
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Somewhere in EWR
Programs: UA GS, HH Diamond
Posts: 858
Been trying to call the GS line all morning and the line keeps defaulting to the general CS line. Anyone else getting this?
Aug 19, 2022, 8:22 am
#890
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: UA GS, UA 2MM, HH LT Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 1,802
Just called (3 am Central) to get my friend's upgrade pushed through using my PP (J=4, <72 hours, #1 on list). Agent said that she couldn't do it because I wasn't traveling with the passenger and the rule is GS+1. Told her she was incorrect. She said that I was wrong. So I told her I am going to hang up and call back until I find an agent who will do it and told her that I hate doing this "agent roulette" thing. She wished me good luck on that. Hung up, called again, and the agent gladly pushed the upgrade through. Agent roulette indeed.
Aug 20, 2022, 8:03 pm
#891
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: ORD | LGA | 2E
Programs: UA GS 1.6MM UC | AA CK 0.7MM AC | Bonvoy Ambassador | Hyatt Globalist | Hertz PC
Posts: 1,053
Had a nice one today. Flying back PWM > ORD from a week up in Maine. Dropped my wife (who is MM GS) and my daughter (who at less than 3 years old, is an earned Gold) at the curb and sent my wife to check them in and check our three checked bags while I dropped off the rental car because we were running a little tight to our departure. I get to them, still at check in, holding our third bag as the check in agent had told my wife that she was allowed one checked bag and our toddler was allowed one checked bag but that I would have to get there to check the third bag, because she needed to check in the third person to check the third bag. We're all on the same PNR and I just note to the agent (I know they're third party... so I wasn't expecting much) that she should be able to check all three bags under just my wife because she's global services, but who cares because I'm here so thanks for getting us on our way and she just stares at me and says "I don't know what GS is, one bag per person".
Life is short, we had a wonderful week, and our FA in first was just a treasure on the way home... so all good. The joys of domestic (and often INTL) air travel abound!
Safe travels everyone.
Life is short, we had a wonderful week, and our FA in first was just a treasure on the way home... so all good. The joys of domestic (and often INTL) air travel abound!
Safe travels everyone.
Aug 20, 2022, 8:28 pm
#892
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,671
Aug 20, 2022, 10:16 pm
#893
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA GS 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,310
Having seen the last few posts I can't emphasize this enough after 2MM+ miles with AA -- and now almost 2M with UA -- you all have no idea what is coming with Kirby -- I just don't where else to go now -- I travel for a living and spend an outrageous amount of money doing it -- in the past I could never see giving an MEA airline my business -- but given the treatment and quality of US airlines in the past few years -- I don't have much choice....
Aug 21, 2022, 12:20 am
#894
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 71
Had a nice one today. Flying back PWM > ORD from a week up in Maine. Dropped my wife (who is MM GS) and my daughter (who at less than 3 years old, is an earned Gold) at the curb and sent my wife to check them in and check our three checked bags while I dropped off the rental car because we were running a little tight to our departure. I get to them, still at check in, holding our third bag as the check in agent had told my wife that she was allowed one checked bag and our toddler was allowed one checked bag but that I would have to get there to check the third bag, because she needed to check in the third person to check the third bag. We're all on the same PNR and I just note to the agent (I know they're third party... so I wasn't expecting much) that she should be able to check all three bags under just my wife because she's global services, but who cares because I'm here so thanks for getting us on our way and she just stares at me and says "I don't know what GS is, one bag per person".
Life is short, we had a wonderful week, and our FA in first was just a treasure on the way home... so all good. The joys of domestic (and often INTL) air travel abound!
Safe travels everyone.
Life is short, we had a wonderful week, and our FA in first was just a treasure on the way home... so all good. The joys of domestic (and often INTL) air travel abound!
Safe travels everyone.
Aug 21, 2022, 9:41 am
#895
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: UA GS, UA 2MM, HH LT Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 1,802
Three calls yesterday to push through upgrade inside T-72 with J +2 for me and companion (also GS) resulted in an hour in the phone and a refusal to process both upgrades. I was told one per PNR repeatedly after the agent went and spoke to their “supervisor”.
Aug 21, 2022, 1:10 pm
#896
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: United GS, MM, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 598
My wife and I (GS million mile companion) had a misconnect last friday to SNA due to weather in houston. We had my daughters performance to get to, so we took the next flight to LAX and drove home to OC. In the past, I've always submitted receipts and they reimbursed me with no questions asked. This time I was denied. The reason was because I chose a different flight to get home and not the next flight to OC (which was almost 6 hours later), they would not compensate me for any other expenses. This is definitely a first in the 8 years or so I've been GS. Maybe because it was a weather related misconnect, but I would have preferred that reasoning instead.
Also wanted to add that when we arrived in houston, no agent in sight informing me of my missed connection. When we got on the Lax flight, gate agent came on right before door closed and rushed one of us up for a last minute upgrade. I let my wife take it and sat in the back. When I called GS to get my plus points back, she said the manifest showed that we were both upgraded. So I sat in row 39 on a 777 instead of a rare (to me) domestic lie flat.
Also wanted to add that when we arrived in houston, no agent in sight informing me of my missed connection. When we got on the Lax flight, gate agent came on right before door closed and rushed one of us up for a last minute upgrade. I let my wife take it and sat in the back. When I called GS to get my plus points back, she said the manifest showed that we were both upgraded. So I sat in row 39 on a 777 instead of a rare (to me) domestic lie flat.
Aug 21, 2022, 2:13 pm
#897
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: UA GS, UA 2MM, HH LT Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 1,802
My wife and I (GS million mile companion) had a misconnect last friday to SNA due to weather in houston. We had my daughters performance to get to, so we took the next flight to LAX and drove home to OC. In the past, I've always submitted receipts and they reimbursed me with no questions asked. This time I was denied. The reason was because I chose a different flight to get home and not the next flight to OC (which was almost 6 hours later), they would not compensate me for any other expenses. This is definitely a first in the 8 years or so I've been GS. Maybe because it was a weather related misconnect, but I would have preferred that reasoning instead.
Also wanted to add that when we arrived in houston, no agent in sight informing me of my missed connection. When we got on the Lax flight, gate agent came on right before door closed and rushed one of us up for a last minute upgrade. I let my wife take it and sat in the back. When I called GS to get my plus points back, she said the manifest showed that we were both upgraded. So I sat in row 39 on a 777 instead of a rare (to me) domestic lie flat.
Also wanted to add that when we arrived in houston, no agent in sight informing me of my missed connection. When we got on the Lax flight, gate agent came on right before door closed and rushed one of us up for a last minute upgrade. I let my wife take it and sat in the back. When I called GS to get my plus points back, she said the manifest showed that we were both upgraded. So I sat in row 39 on a 777 instead of a rare (to me) domestic lie flat.
Aug 21, 2022, 2:43 pm
#898
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,976
My wife and I (GS million mile companion) had a misconnect last friday to SNA due to weather in houston. We had my daughters performance to get to, so we took the next flight to LAX and drove home to OC. In the past, I've always submitted receipts and they reimbursed me with no questions asked. This time I was denied. The reason was because I chose a different flight to get home and not the next flight to OC (which was almost 6 hours later), they would not compensate me for any other expenses. This is definitely a first in the 8 years or so I've been GS. Maybe because it was a weather related misconnect, but I would have preferred that reasoning instead.
Also wanted to add that when we arrived in houston, no agent in sight informing me of my missed connection. When we got on the Lax flight, gate agent came on right before door closed and rushed one of us up for a last minute upgrade. I let my wife take it and sat in the back. When I called GS to get my plus points back, she said the manifest showed that we were both upgraded. So I sat in row 39 on a 777 instead of a rare (to me) domestic lie flat.
Also wanted to add that when we arrived in houston, no agent in sight informing me of my missed connection. When we got on the Lax flight, gate agent came on right before door closed and rushed one of us up for a last minute upgrade. I let my wife take it and sat in the back. When I called GS to get my plus points back, she said the manifest showed that we were both upgraded. So I sat in row 39 on a 777 instead of a rare (to me) domestic lie flat.
Aug 21, 2022, 4:02 pm
#899
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: United GS, MM, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 598
Aug 21, 2022, 4:04 pm
#900
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 639
Shocked they aren’t willing to just give you a $150 etc for the experience