United Airlines is leaving qualification targets for elite status alone next year and making changes to the price of upgrades. They’re also making new limits on awards for non-elites who don’t have the credit card official.
Status Thresholds To Earn Status In 2026
Last year, United increased the requirements to earn status by 20%. This year, like Delta, they are leaving these requirements alone:
| Status | Requirements | |
| Silver | 5K qualifying points + 15 flights or 6K qualifying points | |
| Gold | 10K qualifying points + 30 flights or 12K qualifying points | |
| Platinum | 15K qualifying points + 45 flights or 18K qualifying points | |
| 1K | 22K qualifying points + 60 flights or 28K qualifying points |
Existing Elites Have An Easier Time Requalifying Than Those Earning First-Time Status
Once again, existing elite members will get an automatic deposit of qualifying points to help them re-earn status in the coming year.
- Silvers: get 300 qualifying points
- Golds: get 600 qualfiying points
- Platinums: get 900 qualifying points
- 1Ks: get 1,400 qualifying points
American Airlines makes it easier for existing elites to earn status as well, since the points earned from flights are based on status and elite bonuses count towards status.
PlusPoint Upgrades Will Move To Dynamic Pricing
United will “retire the fixed chart” for PlusPoints upgrades and move to dynamic pricing starting in February 2027.
This change will allow the number of PlusPoints required for an upgrade to better reflect factors like demand, cabin, and more, providing members with greater flexibility.
Right now you know the price of an upgrade. There’s a published chart. You aren’t often going to get a confirmed upgrade, but the theoretical price is listed. United isn’t saying what pricing to expect in the future, but it’s broadly expected to be a devaluation.
When United first introduced PlusPoints in fall 2019, I wrote that this opened up the possibility of changes to upgrade pricing. It used to be that one certificate equaled one upgrade, but PlusPoints let them price upgrades more variably. It’s taken six years, but that’s where we wound up.
Since most flyers today find PlusPoints impossible to use for upgrades, United also now lets elites convert these points to travel cash, status credits, and miles instead if they wish.
Better Business Class Award Availability For Elites And Co-Brand Cardmembers
This is another way of saying that those without status or the credit card shouldn’t expect to see saver awards in United business class.
They actually largely cut off access to business class saver awards for members who don’t have status or the credit card (and also to members redeeming miles in partner frequent flyer progams) back in early September.
Last month United increased the price of awards booked close to the date of travel even for elite members and credit card customers. So United’s thrust isn’t about offering better pricing for elites. They’re just charging everyone else more (if they offer the seats at all, as in the case of partner mileage members).
All Elites Can Upgrade On Award Tickets
Starting February 1, complimentary and PlusPoints upgrades become available to all elites on award tickets. This is no longer limited to higher status members
“Right now you know the price of an upgrade. There’s a published chart. You aren’t often going to get a confirmed upgrade, but the theoretical price is listed”
This is basic economics of price-fixing. Fix the price and availability adjusts. Fix the availability and the price adjusts. In the first case you are certainof the price – of nothing if it is below the market price. In the latter you are certain to get the item, but at a market price that supply and demand will determine.
*Incoming* TPG to tell us how this is the greatest thing ever… sellout shills, who can’t even ‘handle’ a comment section. *ptooey*
@ Gary — AA and now UA are out for me. Leaves DL, only due to long-term history and geo-location, and AS, but AS is getting more sketchy by the day. At the rate things are changing, I figure I’ll be staying home in 10-15 years, just in time for getting old. By then, that may even be the hot new trend!
United (and other airlines) would be well-served to drop the lower tiers outright. Start with “Platinum” requirements and go from there…
Make Elite Status Elite Again!
About two hours ago, before I saw this blog, I was curious and went on-line to see what “special” pricing Premier 1-K pricing I could now get. (Not that we are planning to go back to U.S. any time soon.) I can save 30% on biz class, (also 60% off on another flight the same day)22% on economy.
All in all, a good deal. I get that they want to keep their elites flying their metal.
@Alan Z — As long as we can still get that ‘Christmas roast goose’ on LH, I’ll consider it.
Denver Refugee says: Make Elite Status Elite Again!
Priceless
I’m finished
with united
@1990:
Whet your appetite did I?
Just remember it”s on flights out of FRA. We head to the Frozen North on Saturday. From FRA-HEL, we get our geese. It ends on the last flights out of FRA in December.
I do not often fly/redeem with UA (I’ll take JFK/LGA over EWR any day of the week), but find it interesting it’s still showing me cardmember award pricing on award tickets. I have a $0 fee gateway credit card that I put $0 spend on (downgraded my united club card years ago to the $0 fee option) and I thought as of August 1, 2025 you’d have to spend $10k on the card to get cardmember award pricing. But that does not appear to be the case, unless they are counting my spend on other Chase cards…
There is still a pretty decent amount of saver space NYC-LHR for 80k / 88k. A year or two ago I would have said that floor is higher than AA’s, but not really anymore – JFK-LHR on AA is very very rarely found at 65k-70k now, but honestly is mostly at 100k or higher. Both still beat out Delta – the lowest I found flipping through the calendar was 200k JFK-LHR.
@Alan Z — Good to know. I’m glad LH still does 748 on FRA-EWR. Often 346 on JFK-MUC, which is less exciting. Wish they sent more a350s with Allegris this way. Oh well.
The airlines are determined to devalue the de facto rebate benefits that consumers get from participating in airline loyalty programs and this is just another way to do that even as there will be the corporate apologists who say airline need to reward future business more than past business.
Speaking of business, it seems like FlyerTalk and various other parts of the miles and points sphere have peaked out and future growth in the space isn’t as bright as the past. But IB is still emailing gift cards to the FlyerTalk Moderators, so going cheap on Moderator Do may have its rewards, but remember it’s taxable for most or maybe all of them even as they played a game to keep the value below the amount for which IB would need to send 1099’s. But non-issuance of 1099 doesn’t mean no tax liability exposure for those payments to the recipients of gift cards with high value relative to face value.
Which US airline will be the first to routinely demand over a million points from its loyalty program customers to fly a non-stop roundtrip on its own planes? Delta is very close and they are hoping that American, Alaska and United airlines get the message and narrow the gap by jointly fleecing loyalty program customers by narrowing the gaps between programs.
@GUWonder — Hey, how was that FlyerTalk meetup in Paris?
I’m thinking about dropping my UA Chase Visa card due to upcoming major price increase. I’m already Premier Gold for life (million miler). I’m assuming there is no advantage to special award pricing for the chase visa card holders verses the special pricing UA gives to elite/gold MP members. Does anyone have any knowledge on this? Thanks.
Even as a 2 million miler with the credit card, I can never seem to use the Plus Points for trans-oceanic upgrades..
They didn’t raise the thresholds. Well, that’s because they jacked them up for 2025 (about 25% for 1K). So I told them to pound salt, switched to AA, and my ExP is secure for 2026, while I wouldn’t have made 1K this year.
UA and Kirby always keep their promise “Good Leads The Way”. Now for those who try so hard to achieve 1K with them, will need… 400 PlusPoints to clear one way upgrade.
99% of elites dont or rarely pay for their own tickets. Your beef is with your corporate travel policy.
Hopefully United continues selling cheap upgrades for $$$ instead of handing them out to OPM freeloaders.
@Anna 99% is just incorrect. Maybe a majority do spend OPM, but many also supplement this with their won wallet.
I am a Silver with an Explorer Card…they still don’t have TATL award tickets in business for me. I just got a nonstop ANA first class ticket home from Japan for 220000 for next year and now I am done with United until they have a partner willing to fly my to Europe in a lie flat seat for a reasonable exchange rate.
Rotten bastards.