Big airlines have special programs for high revenue customers far beyond top elite status of their mileage programs. At Delta there’s the 360 program. At American it’s Concierge Key. At United Airlines it is Global Services.
The criteria for obtaining this status is generally unpublished, however there are workarounds. At American pre-paying for enough travel with an AAirpass used to get you ConciergeKey. At United prepaying for travel through PassPlus still comes with Global Services status. But that’s getting a lot more expensive in 2024.
United’s Global Services was a relaunch of the airline’s old VIP program, but special recognition programs date back much farther. Here’s how United’s status names have evolved over 20 years.
Benefits Of United Global Services
When Global Services started it was separate from Mileage Plus. You could have Global Services members who were merely Premiers (Silver), and you could even have Global Services members who weren’t enrolled in United’s loyalty program at all. Now it’s integrated.
- Your calls to the airline are usually answered on the first ring. Your emails are responded to with more than a form answer and in a matter of hours. You can check in at special centers in certain hubs.
- You get better availability for upgrades when using a global or regional certificate. Global services members can also upgrade award tickets using global certificates.
- Complimentary upgrades clear starting 120 hours prior to flight, a full day before 1K members. Waitlists are also ahead of other customers.
- When buying a business class ticket on United they can redeem a saver award in the same class of service as long as 2 business class seats will be left for sale.
- On tight connections you may get met on the jetway and taken across the tarmac by Mercedes. If you misconnect you’re guaranteed the next flight even if it is oversold.
Polaris Business Class
In general United offers better award and upgrade benefits to their revenue-based top tier elites than American does (American lets ConciergeKey members upgrade with miles without a co-pay).
However American’s ConciergeKey members get to access the airline’s Flagship Lounges when traveling domestically while United does not invited Global Services members to use Polaris lounges when not flying eligible business class itineraries.
Polaris Lounge Newark
How To Become A United Global Services Member
Global Services membership is by invitation only, however the primary ways to get it are:
- 4 million milers are granted lifetime Global Services status.
- Most flyers earn Global Services based on ticket spend, flying a lot on high fares, often with ticket purchases totaling over $50,000 in a year. However actual spend amounts vary.
- Important travel spend influencers at companies with big corporate deals with United receive Global Services status, and may be able to assign a certain number of these to company employees.
- Prepaying significant spend for travel through the PassPlus program comes with Global Services
Guaranteeing Global Services Will Cost 50% More In 2024
The only way to guarantee Global Services status is to prepay enough travel spend with United through the PassPlus program. And as Dan’s Deals points out the amount of required spend is going up next year.
- The individual PassPlus program has offered Global Services with $50,000 spend for many years. You can use the credit over a little more than a year, and roll over balances as you add more to your balance. Funds can be used for individual travel, as well as travel for a companion.
- The business PassPlus program has offered Global Services with $100,000 spend for many years. This lets you spend the funds on employee travel.
The required spend for individual PassPlus Global Services status goes up to $75,000 effective January 1, 2024. Anyone wishing to sign up for renew should do so this month!
Status Higher Than Global Services
Chairman’s Circle is a program that comes from pre-merger Continental Airlines. Last I knew there were mere hundreds of people in this program, most nominated by the Senior Vice President of Sales. At the time the criteria for heads of companies to be a Chairman’s Circle member was $5 million spend per year with United.
The spouse of a Chairman’s Circle member gets Global Services. And if you fall out of the program you get a soft landing to 1K or Global Services. At least that’s how it worked in the past.
Benefits of Chairman’s Circle include airport meet and greet, and a dedicated reservations team, but otherwise is very similar to Global Services (with upgrades clearing 120 hours out).
@ Gary — Can you explain what you mean by “and roll over balances as you add more to your balance”? Bottom line, I was wondering if it is a hard deadline to spend the $50k in ~12months? Or can you simply add a small $$ and keep the money alive?
Either way, this seems like a great deal if you are LT MM and use the funds for two people traveling together. Is it correct that you would pre-pay $50k and then BOTH be GS (one via the $50k and the other via the spouse match) for only $25k annual spend each? What is the catch? Are you forced to pay the relatively high contract “discounted” prices?
@Gene you book contract prices. a new contract extends the prior contract’s leftover balance.
Having had Global Services and 1K status at United for a number of years, I certainly can attest to the level of individualized service and attention provided by United for those with that status. (I lost my 1K status this year since I am now retired and not doing any paid-for international business class travel — I reverted to “permanent” Platinum status due to my 2 million mile status!)
However, the free upgrade benefit is becoming much more elusive as United and most other full service airlines began to highly monetize first and business class, lowering the airfares (and cash upgrade costs) of such seats and degrading service in steerage such that many more of the first and business class seats are sold as opposed to “free” upgrades. First and business class on flights for which such seating is really desirable are very often sold out long before any 120 hour windows.
United and most similar carriers promise way too much in terms of “free upgrade” benefits to “elite” passengers. On one recent United flight (KOA=>SFO on a United domestic-configured 777-200), there were over 100 passengers on an upgrade list for a domestic first class flight that was totally sold out. No one was upgraded, regardless of status. Maybe United should limit its publicized upgrade benefit to Premier Platinum and above; even then upgrades will be exceptionally rare on many flights.
There is an interesting irony here in terms of achieving Global Services status (other than being gifted it by United by virtue of being a high level executive of a company that has a contract with United). Assuming “free” upgrades are even available, the more you take advantage of such upgrades as opposed to actually paying for first or business class travel, the more difficult it is to achieve such status given that you will have fewer qualifying $$$$ and miles to meet the status’ threshold!
Seeing more and more pilots in first as well, further limiting elite benefits.
@ Gary — The contract pricing is surely a deal killer…I will take a look.
How much do you need to spend on American for Concierge?
“When buying a business class ticket on United they can redeem a saver award in the same class of service as long as 2 business class seats will be left for sale.”
Post-pandemic, this does not seem to be the case anymore. Apparently they will only give a saver award for one direction and not the other, or so I was told. On a recent trip to South Africa, for my wife I ‘paid’ full price in award going, and used PlusPoint upgrade on an economy award coming back, which was less than the so-called Saver award (which never seem to be available, even for GS nowadays). Had similar issues on travel to New Zealand earlier this year.
(I am a 4 million miler, and have been GS every year since it was started in 2003)
Anyone here know typical US-Europe lowest PP fares?
@ Gary — It appears that the Flex option provides discounts off of lowest publicly-available fares, while Secure offers fixed pricing.
@Gene – if you want to keep the GS you need to add to the balance the $50k each year unless you’re qualifying out of passplus, regardless of what residual you roll over.
Got the sense this GS avenue was getting somewhat gamed the last couple years with interest on Reddit.
Or at least they used their spend primarily on the cheaper fares hoping for upgrades, etc, which lowered UAs profit per mile flown, vs GS traditionally averaging well above typical rev per mile flown.
Seen a lot of young GS members sitting in the back of the bus on intra CA flights lately, while more traditional biz dressed ones are up front.
And million milers may have been chaining this as well.
I spent $107,000 (almost all international Polaris class travel) in 2023 with United and did not make Global Service status for 2024. It seems that even United is very elusive on what it takes to make GS. I was a GS for 2023.