United Airlines is making a significant change to its loyalty program, and for many travelers, it will mean spending more money to earn or keep elite status, The Points Guy reported.
Starting in 2027, flyers who relied on many short or lower-cost trips to climb the ranks will lose that option: United is dropping Premier Qualifying Flights from status calculations and raising the requirement for 1K to 32,000 Premier Qualifying Points.
Here's what to know
Beginning in 2027, United told MileagePlus members that Premier status will be determined only by Premier Qualifying Points, or PQPs.
As a result, spending on United airfare and eligible co-branded credit cards will matter more than the number of segments flown.
Travelers can reach status either by hitting a PQP target on its own or by pairing PQPs with Premier Qualifying Flights, or PQFs. United is eliminating that mixed route, which had especially helped flyers who pieced together status through many inexpensive or short-haul trips.
For Silver, Gold, and Platinum, PQP-only thresholds will remain at 6,000, 12,000, and 18,000.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
But 1K status is becoming harder to reach, with the requirement increasing from 28,000 PQPs to 32,000, roughly a 14% jump. United will still require members to take at least four flights on United or United Express each year to qualify for Premier status.
Jarad Fisher, United's president of MileagePlus, said the move reflects how most members already qualify.
"It's basically doubling down on the way most people were earning status," he told TPG in an interview.
More background
The announcement marks United's second major MileagePlus overhaul of 2026 and represents one of the airline's biggest status program changes.
It follows a revamp that adjusted how cardholders and non-cardholders earn and redeem miles.
Frequent travelers who rack up segments without spending much on each ticket stand to lose the most. They can offset lower PQP totals with a high number of PQFs, but that workaround disappears in 2027, leaving them with a higher spending hurdle to keep the same tier.
In other words, the program is tilting further toward customer spend and credit card participation, not how often someone boards a plane.
United is also getting rid of the need for end-of-year "segment runs," where members take extra flights simply to meet a flight-count requirement.
"As [we] thought about making these changes, we just didn't feel great about that anymore — that was an old relic," Fisher said. "And so we just thought it was time to retire that metric."
What can be done?
In 2027, the numbers that will matter are 6,000 PQPs for Silver, 12,000 for Gold, 18,000 for Platinum, and 32,000 for 1K, along with four United or United Express flights.
United is giving some a modest head start. Eligible cardholders will receive a PQP deposit equal to 5% of the requirement for their current status level at the start of the 2027 status year.
That works out to 300 PQPs for Silver, 600 for Gold, 900 for Platinum, and 1,600 for 1K. Members who open an eligible United card by Dec. 31 will also qualify for that deposit.
Travelers can also earn PQPs in several ways.
United awards 1 PQP per $1 spent on flights. As The Points Guy explains, the United℠ Explorer Card gives 1 PQP for every $20 spent, capped at 1,000 annually; the United Quest℠ Card earns 1 per $20, up to 18,000; and the United Club℠ Card earns 1 per $15, up to 32,000.
PQPs can also come from certain upgrades, post-booking extras, and some partner flights booked through United on a "ticket starting with 016," per TPG.
United claims that the change is about simplification.
"We thought it made more sense for them to have one, consistent metric that actually was something that ... they can focus on across the board between their flight activity, their engagement with the airline," Fisher told TPG.
"And, really making it so that we can invest more in the people who are investing in us."
Where can I learn more?
United's loyalty program changes are one piece of a broader shift across the airline industry. These articles cover how carriers are navigating fuel, sustainability, and other pressures reshaping air travel.
• At Delta, executives have pitched the future of air travel as more sustainable.
• An investigation found that major airlines have tried to dodge accountability for harmful pollution practices.
• Air New Zealand made an unprecedented announcement about cutting the environmental impact of flying.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
