Airlines and hotels used to match competitor elite status, though in recent years that morphed into a status challenge, where you get elite status for a few months and have to prove your worth to keep the status.
For example, United offers an elite status challenge if you have competitor elite status from a non-Star Alliance airline. You get 4 months of status and in those 4 months you need to meet requirements like 4 flight segments and $1,000 of flight spending to keep Silver, 6 flight segments and $2,000 of flight spending to keep Gold, 10 flight segments and $3,000 of flight spending to keep Platinum, or 15 flight segments and $5,000 of flight spending to keep 1K.
You can only do one United status match challenge every 5 years.
Through 11/1, any Bilt member can enroll in a United elite status challenge without needing competitor elite status.
Bilt Rewards issues the no annual fee Bilt Mastercard, which offers points for rent payments if you make 4 additional transactions per statement period. They also offer 6 points per dollar on dining and 4 points per dollar on travel on the first day of every month. Those points can be transferred to a plethora of valuable partners, including American, Air Canada, Turkish, United, and Hyatt or they can be used at 1.25 cents each towards travel.
Anyone can download the Bilt app and open up a Bilt Rewards account, even if you don’t want their Mastercard.
Bilt Blue status is the base level and members can use that to enroll in 4 months of United Silver elite status. Just like the competitor status challenge, you need to take 4 United flight segments and $1,000 of United flight spending to keep the Silver status through 1/31/24.
United Silver status gets free preferred seating at booking for you and 8 companions, free Economy Plus seating for you and a companion within 24 hours of a flight, an additional 70 pound checked bag, 7 miles per dollar spent, priority checkin, group 2 boarding, free same day confirmed flight changes, and if you’re absurdly lucky, upgrades on domestic flights.
If you have Bilt Silver status, which requires earning 25,000 points in a calendar year, you can enroll in 4 months of United Gold status. Just like the competitor status challenge, you need to take 6 United flight segments and $2,000 of United flight spending to keep the Gold status through 1/31/24.
United Gold status gets Star Alliance Gold status with lounge access on international flights, free preferred seating at booking for you and 8 companions, free Economy Plus seating at booking for you and a companion, 2 additional 70 pound checked bags, 8 miles per dollar spent, priority checkin, group 1 boarding, free same day confirmed flight changes, Marriott Gold status, and if you’re absurdly lucky, upgrades on domestic flights.
The terms state that this is only available if you haven’t participated in a United status match challenge in the past 3 years.
To activate status, link your United mileage number in the bilt app and click on Unlock Premier Status on the Rent Day tab of the app. You’ll get a confirmation email from United within 3 weeks of enrolling.
If you have potential upcoming United flights, it can definitely be worth signing up, but otherwise you may want to wait for future opportunities as you may be locked out of those if you signup now.
Will you enroll in this offer?
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58 Comments On "Ends Today: Enroll In A United Elite Status Challenge Without Needing Competitor Elite Status!"
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Needs to be trough an APP?
Yes.
What is APP?
“Anyone can download the Bilt app and open up a Bilt Rewards account, even if you don’t want their Mastercard.”
Tells me you can NOT download the Bilt app in Israel.
Maybe try using a VPN on your phone, and changing app store locations to united states
Can this status be matched to other programs?
Should be able to do that.
Sorry for my ignorance, I keep seeing this term but I don’t get what exactly means confirmed same day flight changes ?
Does it mean that I can buy a day flight then change it for free of charge and free of fare difference of fare to a red eye flight ?
Yes, but only within 24 hours of the new flight and subject to availability.
Does it need to be on the same calendar day?
No.
Sure you have to pay the fare difference
would a united flight that i already booked but didnt fly yet count for this challenge?
Yes.
Do we know For how long this offer will last if we don’t sign up now ?
“Through 11/1, any Bilt member can enroll in a United elite status challenge without needing competitor elite status.”
But it certainly may come back again.
If you start as a Silver through Bilt, is there an accelerated way to achieve Gold or only to retain Silver?
No.
How is spending counted? Only on the primary members flights, or even if I pay for 2 tickets (me and wife) would that count towards PQP?
Only primary member’s flights. Taxes are also excluded.
“free Economy Plus seating for you and a companion within 24 hours of a flight” is this true only from economy to economy plus or as well if I purchase an economy plus I can be upgraded to Economy Premium – or if I buy premium can I get upgraded to Business?
Just Economy Plus.
does companion’s flying with silver members also get free same day flight change waitlist or only the silver member.. ?
Everyone on your record locator.
How does Bilt know what is rent vs other expenses when mailing a check? Would love to send check as mortgage payment.
If I already met the requirements this year needed to keep Gold status will that count? Or I have to do it again after the status match?
No.
I’m trying to use my 1k status on United and get matched status on Delta. However, I’m running into a roadblock. United doesn’t provide a card anymore. The electronic Premier card lacks a date! Delta won’t accept a photo of the card without activation/expiration dates…..a reasonable issue!
I’ve called United and having no success getting actual proof of my 1k status! UNBELIEVABLE!
Any advice, people?
Thanks,
Orrin D
Pardon my ignorance, I don’t know what Bilt is but I am JetBlue Mosaic and I am flying United to Israel in January. Will I be able to get status for that trip?
Mosaic matches to Silver, without the need for Bilt if you don’t want:
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/offers/promos/SM2022.html
What does United silver get you by JetBlue?
moasic matches to silver? ouch!!
I booked a basic economy flight what would i get with silver starus? Thanks
?
does the 4 month count start as soon as i sign up or as soon as united links the accounts. i have a flight end of february
If I have already flown 4 segments and spent $1000 prior to joining bilt and registering, do I have to do it again?
Yes.
SAD NEWS
Bilt app is not available in Israel.
The App said 4 PQF and 1,000 PQP. I tried booking a BasicEconomy, and flights don’t count towards PQF, and money spent getting 50% of amount towards PQP. Please confirm.
I was able to download the bilt app in Israel, just to finalize my account I had to use a VPN. Once my account was created I was able to login on the app and sign up for the united status.
Possible to change flights with United on basic economy?
Hey, If I have already purchased flights through united but not yet flown them, and than I registered for bilt, will the spending count towards the 1000?
Yes.
Hey Dan. I’ve applied for the challenge and have not heard back from United yet, but i need to book a flight for mid November, can i book it and it will used towards the challenge? Or should i wait.
You can book beforehand, you just can’t fly beforehand.
Free confirmed same day flight changes means if the flight you want to switch to is in same fare class as what you booked, subject to availability of that fair class on the flight you want in which case it’s rare to be much of a difference in price being that it’s the same fare class. Fare class meaning economy v, g, k, q, u etc. for example must be the same. If it is different class, you can still standby for free, anyone can nothing to do with status only that status will get you priority on the waitlist.
Basically same day confirmed flight changes are usually worth max 10-20 dollars if anything at all being that it must be same fare class
any1 who can answer me about the spending would be amazing.
spending counts based on when the flights are actually flown, doesnt matter when u booked it
is anyone getting an error on ios app when trying to link united account? ive been trying past few days on multiple devices and getting an error when trying to link my united account. I tried linking other airlines and they all work except united… So fustrating!
I didn’t see this until just now, and it appears that the Rent Day tab is no longer showing up in the app. Maybe they’ll offer it again in the app soon. But if not, is there another way to still get a United status match if I don’t have status yet on another airline, perhaps by calling in and telling that that I’m Bilt Blue?
Has anyone gotten this to reflect on their United account yet? Still waiting for the confirmation email from United it for it to reflect when I login to my United account
Yes, I got it today on the United account. No email confirmation yet.
Haven’t received United status or confirmation from Bilt, only that I signed up for Bilt. Has anyone gotten their United status as promised? Anything I can do to check what’s up?
No United status update to Silver yet. Is there my other way to check or speak with someone?
I still not get any United member upgrade, does it mean that I did follow the instructions? Anyone else with any experience?
Still work?