I think they just wanted to get you off the phone. It's not "top 1%". Pretty obvious from all the responses here that there's a slew of factors and that some with less spend are being invited over some with significantly more spend. And there's no reason the hurdles shouldn't vary with fares/demand/GS herd size/inflation. I'm kinda surprised it's been seemingly static for 10 years or more.

I was 96K PQP booked directly, not through a corporate program. Was denied GS this year (despite a 50% increase in dollar spend with them.)

I spent 96K with them, not through a corporate program, and was bumped down to 1K.

Bay Area based? I wonder if Bay Area flyers might be targeted because GS benefits might be hurting revenue out of there disproportionately.

Update on my situation. (I am 96 PQP in 2023, up from 60 PQP in 2022. 10 international RT all in business, a mix of Europe, ME and APAC. 40k miles away from 2MM lifetime miles.) I had spoken to the mileage plus rep on Friday after receiving the email saying I was bumped down to 1K. She said they were doing an automatic review of my case.

Today I received a follow up email stating they had reviewed my case and I was still a 1K.

Three things really irk me:
1) In my personal situation, I just do not understand how a >50% increase in PQP, to 96K is not an auto qualifier. I truly just don't get it.
2) The lack of clarity on qualifications. I recognize there is some interpretation, but when I look at the flyertalk spreadsheet, there are people who paid UA 50% of what I did who made it. I don't bemoan them for getting it, but the lack of any consistency is frustrating.
3) The absence of any explanation, especially after I called in to ask why I had been bumped down. After 9 years of GS, I expected more. When I spoke with the mileage plus rep, I could tell she was very surprised given my spend level. If they could give me a reason, even if I did not like it, I could at least understand why.

UA cannot please everyone, and I certainly would have understood being bumped down if my spend had dropped or perhaps even held steady. But the lack of any consistency or explanation is disappointing. I am not going to "never fly UA again" as that would be silly, but given the choice, I will look for new flying partners, particularly when flying internationally. There is no reason for me to be loyal to UA anymore.

I do wander if there are any airlines who would provide a welcome to people like me (thinking OneWorld or Skyteam.) has anyone tried contacting them for a match at their higher levels recently?

nope, but Denver so also a hub. I did see a lot of both DEN and SFO flyers with a lot less than me who did get GS.

I am sorry to hear this GoldenBear1970 because with the data you presented, there doesn't seem to be any logic as to why you wouldn't have made the cut.

I think its very foolish for UA to look at the relationship with existing GS members in such a narrow minded way. Surely, years of service count. You've demonstrated great loyalty, the cost to acquire you is zero, the 10 degrees of separation in terms of how many people in your network think positively about the UA brand - these are all things that they should consider when renewals come up.

you’re one of the rare cases where I would consider emailing a UA exec. Someone needs to properly consider you and I’m not sure that they have. You’re saying you spent 96k primarily on UA last year and you’re a 9 year GS?? You have to be GS for next year…

I wonder if there is a rating based on competition (i.e like if LAX-EWR is worth x amount of points, etc...) Then this total was taken up and divided by the total amount of flights you were taking, giving a ratio between competition overall. Lets say for example, 1.0 rating is the mark between making GS and not (regardless of PQP). If less than 1, making GS would be more obtainable, depending on PQP. Is this crazy or a completely viable explanation for people with roughly 130,000 PQP not making it?

What are people thoughts? I'm quite curious? Maybe this is a new metric?

it must just be that some algorithm tells them they don’t need to give you gs to keep your revenue. Maybe den is more of a fortress hub than others? And maybe exceptions aren’t allowed with mssr Kirby at the helm. Otherwise it just doesn’t make any sense. Especially since they are handing out challenges that only require 18k in four months (54k annualized), no other strings attached.

Where do I find dollars spent for 2023?
 

I've been GS since 2020. Have steadily increased travel, money spent, PQP, etc since. I have never gone backwards. That said, I was not extended the invitation this year (2025) and, quite frankly, I was stunned. I fly almost exclusively United and I fly a TON. Now that my anger and frustration has "slightly" subsided, I'd like to figure out why I got dropped to 1k. I can see my PQP and PQF but where do I see dollars spent? UGH

PQP is dollars spent. You need to remove starter and CC PQP and calculate how much of your remaining PQP was on United metal.

I can feel your frustration. But, after having read your stats, I feel like I have zero chance of having them reconsider my downgrade.

A bit of a disinterested bystander, as my spend has never gotten me close to Global Services, but it would not surprise me at all if United has moved to a different metric for the GS decision. Maybe some matrix that judges overall profitability?

Some combination of the former metrics (PQD/United metal/Home airport), peppered with other inputs like cost of service (free upgrades used, call center time...basically, how needy are you), routes flown (easy to switch to competitors?), Star Alliance activity? Credit Card spend?

What else could be thrown into the mix?

It’s certainly an interesting marketing strategy.

“We won’t tell you how much money you need to spend on us to get an invite, unless you get close at the end of the year. Then we’ll give you a very precise number and challenge you to make it. But until then, you can assume the figure is between $40,000 and $150,000. But spending $150,000 doesn’t mean you’ll get invited. And we’ll publish benefits that are included with the status, but if you use them, we won’t invite you back. Oh, and if you happen to live near one of our hubs, meaning you’ll probably need us a lot, we won’t be as likely to invite you because…well…you need us more than we need you. In the meantime, please spend as much as you can on our credit cards because we value your loyalty”.

It doesn’t provide a costumer with much incentive to spend anymore than what it takes to be a 1K. And maybe that is their ultimate goal. Kill off GS because it simply isn’t a money maker for them.

CPM has always seemed to be the best/most sensible metric IMO.

Mine was in the mid .70's and I know there were a few people in that range who didn't get requaled who also appeared to not be flying on OPM.