From FlyerGuide Wiki
Contents |
[edit] Elite Status Qualification Period
Elite status is granted when the requirements are met in one calendar year (January 1st - December 31st). Status earning is cumulative and you do not "reset" to base zero on achieving each level of status. There are 3 levels of Elite Status granted on the basis of elite-qualifying miles or segments in a calendar year:
- Premier (2P)
- Premier Executive (1P)
- 1K (formerly called Premier Executive 100K)
There are two other levels which are not based on miles or segments:
- Premier Associate (3P)
- Global Services (GS)
Both 3P and GS are by invitation only. The former invitation is often via a benefit to other elites. For example, in 2006 and 2007, United frequent flyers with 75,000 elite qualifying miles (in 2007, 2Ps and 3Ps, as well as general members only needed 35,000 elite qualifying miles) could gift 3P to any Mileage Plus member of their choice. The latter invitation, GS, is usually a direct invitation from United to a Mileage Plus member that has reached certain (unpublished) revenue levels for United Airlines. GSes have unpublished benefits, but for the most part these benefits appear to exceed those of 1Ks. As of late 2007, all GS members are made 1K automatically, regardless of their EQM/EQS status. (Previously, GS members were made 1P automatically, but could earn 1K the "usual" way.)
A 2P, 1P, or 1K status level can be attained at any time during the year and will be in effect through the rest of that year, the following year, and through the last day of January of the year after that. So for example, if a non-elite achieves 2P in April of 2009, he will be 2P until January 31, 2011, unless he achieves 2P status again in 2010, or in the first two months of 2011 (in the former case, he would be a 2P through January 31, 2012, in the latter case he would be a 2P through January 31, 2013).
[edit] Qualifying for Yearly 2P, 1P, 1K Status
There are two different counters that can be used to qualify for Mileage Plus Elite Status:
- Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM)
- Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS)
Generally, EQM and EQS are earned by flying on flights operated by UA, TED, and UX, or qualifying flights operated by Star Alliance airlines. (Some Star Alliance-operated flights do not earn EQM/EQS, or earn partial EQM/EQS. (FT)) However, in recent years, United has allowed some EQMs/EQSs to be carried forward to the next year as a reward to members that achieved certain EQM/EQS milestones. In addition, United's Mileage Plus Visa card will allow miles earned on the card to be redeemed for EQMs via the "Choices" program. The Platinum Class Mileage Plus Visa Card will also grant a Mileage Plus member 5000 EQMs after the first time the card is used, 1 EQM per $1 spent on airfare purchased on united.com (up to 5000 EQMs annually), and another 5000 EQMs (annually) for spending more than $35,000 during the calendar year.
Some airfares also provide a 50% EQM/EQS bonus, including non-discounted economy fares (B/Y), and paid business (Z/D/C) and first class (A/P/F) fares.
| Qualification Method | 2P | 1P | 1K |
| Flight Segments (EQS) | 30 | 60 | 100 |
| Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) | 25K | 50K | 100K |
[edit] Benefits of Elite Status
There are many benefits to having Elite Status, and they differ by status level.
Meaning of color key:
- A platinum colored (gray actually) benefit means this is something a 1K gets, and in many cases a lower status receives.
- A gold colored benefit is one a 1P and/or a Star Alliance Gold member gets (hence some benefits in the 1K column are gold colored). In many cases a gold colored 1P benefit is available to a lower status.
- A silver colored benefit is something a 2P, and in some cases a 3P gets. A silver benefit can also be something a Star Alliance Silver member gets.
- A tan colored benefit is one a 3P gets that a general Mileage Plus member does not.
- An uncolored (white) entry indicates no benefit for a Mileage Plus member of the specified status level.
| Benefit | 3P | 2P | 1P | 1K |
| Dedicated call center lines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Book Exit Row | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Book Economy Plus for free, plus one companion, even if on different reservation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Book Economy Plus for free, plus up to eight family members, if on same reservation | No | No | No | Yes |
| Four "Region 1" 500-Mile Upgrade Certificates (e-500s) every 10K miles on UA/Ted/UX-operated flights | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Discounted price for four-pack of e-500s [$200 vs. $325] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Two "Region 1" Confirmed Regional Upgrade Certificates (CR-1s) every 10K miles (capped at 2 per quarter) on UA/Ted/UX-operated flights | No | No | No | Yes |
| Complimentary Region 1 Upgrade with select Y or B fare, plus one companion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Domestic e-500 Upgrade Clearing Window | 36 hours | 48 hours | 72 hours | 100 hours |
| Check-In (UA) | Premier | Premier | Premier Executive | 1K |
| Check-In (Star Alliance) | Silver | Silver | Gold | Gold |
| Red Carpet Club (RCC) Annual Fee (Member / Member+Spouse. Costs in USD / RDM.) | $500/$800 70K/110K | $400/$650 55K/85K | $350/$550 45K/70K | $300/$350 40K/45K |
| Star Alliance Tier | Silver | Silver | Gold | Gold |
| Lounge Access based on Status for Int'l Travel | None | None | Gold | Gold |
| Complimentary Alcoholic Beverages at Domestic gateway RCC for Int'l Travel | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Priority waitlist (upgrades, same day travel standby, ...) | > general member | > 3P | > 2P | > 1P |
| Priority Star Alliance waitlist (upgrades, same day travel standby, ...) | > general member | > general member | > silver | > silver |
| Economy cabin priority boarding - seating area | 1 | 1 | 1 | Red Carpet if available or 1 |
| Redeemable Mileage (RDM) Bonus (LH [TransAtlantic only], UA, UX, Ted, US Air) | 0% | 25% | 100% | 100% |
| Confirmed Systemwide Upgrade Certificates (SWUs) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6* |
| Waived Mileage Plus Award Fees | No | No | No | Yes |
| Expanded Saver award availability | No | No | No | Yes |
| Buy Y-fare seats in coach on Oversold Flights | No | No | No | between 6 hours and 30 days before departure |
| Redeem Miles for car rentals, hotel stays, and merchandise | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Earn unlimited miles on Mileage Plus Visa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waive up to $60 Mileage Plus Visa Annual Fee | No | No | No | Yes |
| Discount on In-Flight Duty Free Shopping | 0% | 0% | 10% | 10% |
| Complimentary Checked Baggage Allowance Per passenger; up to eight non-status or lower status passengers on the same reservation (note some parts of united.com say "itinerary") as the elite each receive same allowance as the companion elite. The companion rules changed several times in 2008; at one point the companions of an elite could only check two free 50 lb bags, and no limit on companions was listed. | 2 bags @ 50 lbs. each | 2 bags @ 50 lbs. each | 3 bags @ 70 lbs. each | 3 bags @ 70 lbs. each |
| Complimentary In-Flight Alcohol Beverages per Year in Coach cabin of UA/UX/Ted Flights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Star Alliance Priority Baggage Handling | no | no | yes | yes |
| Weather/FAA Delay Accommodation (meals/hotels) | no | no | sometimes | yes |
| Luggage Tags per Year | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Must have qualified to for 1K as of December 31 to earn the 6 SWUs on the following January 1; the 6 SWUs will not be awarded "in advance" if member moves from a lower status to 1K during the calendar year. Upon reaching 150K EQMs or 150 EQSs in a calendar year, a 1K receives two more SWUs, and an additional two SWUs for each additional 50K EQMs or 50 EQSs flown in a calendar year.
[edit] Lifetime Status
UA has three tiers for Mileage Plus members that reach one million lifetime BIS miles or more on UA, UX, or Ted
| Benefit | One Million Miles Milestone | Two Million Miles Milestone | Three Million Miles Milestone |
| 1P Status for life | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Two CR-1s per year for life | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Red Carpet Club membership for life | No | Yes | Yes |
| Personalized status upgrades | No | No | Yes |
| Choice of "exclusive gift" | No | No | Yes |
| SWUs awarded for achieving milestone | 3 | 4 | 4 |
[edit] Other Ways to Reach Elite Status
[edit] Prepaid Travel
United has a family of prepaid travel products called PassPlus. This program allows a general member to instantly jump to 2P or 1P depending on the PassPlus product purchased. PassPlus also has a RCC membership, 4 500-mile upgrade coupons, and the RDM bonus is an additional 50% (for a total of 75% for 2Ps and 150% for 1Ps).
[edit] 2P Fast Track
A general member who is not yet a 2P can become a 2P with just 15K EQM or 15 EQS by purchasing Economy Plus Access Premier® Fast Track.
[edit] Nominations
Through the "Elite Choice" promotion, Mileage Plus members who register for the promotion and who reach certain "milestones" are granted the ability to nominate other Mileage Plus members to either Premier Associate (3P) or Premier (2P) status, depending on the milestone reached. (The Elite Choice promotion has run for the past few years, but as with any promotion, is not guaranteed to run every year.)
[edit] Targeted Chase Mileage Plus Visa Offer
This FlyerTalk thread says that Chase will sometimes offer a Mileage Plus member a Visa credit card with 3P status for one year.
