Update: United has made their official announcement here. This post has been updated with the latest information.
Earlier today Delta announced they would extend elite status, club memberships, and certificates.
United will follow their lead and extend their own elite status, club memberships, and more. An official announcement should be made shortly, but United has confirmed with me that:
- United Premier Status will be extended by 12 months, so if you have status expiring 1/31/21, it will now expire 1/31/22. Note that this only applies to members that met published criteria of the MileagePlus program in 2019, status associated with the United/Marriott RewardsPlus program, and status offered as part of a Sales nomination. Status granted from other programs and policies may not apply.
- United Club memberships, as well as subscriptions for Economy Plus, Wi-Fi, checked baggage, and more will receive a 6 month extension.
- United will reduce the PQP requirements to earn premier status next year.
United will also:
- Extend all PlusPoints set to expire on or before 1/31/21 by 6 months.
- Waive all award redeposit fees through 12/31/20 as long as you cancel your award 30 days before departure. As you can change dates on award for free for bookings made through 4/30, that essentially means you can redeposit all new award tickets for free this year!
- As previously uncovered here, all United awards can be redeposited for free on travel through 5/31.
- As previously announced, electronic travel certificates are now valid for 2 years.
- Reduce the PQPs and PQFs needed in 2020 to earn 2021 status by 50%, as follows (You can read all about PQPs and PQFs in this post.)
- United will double the PQPs you can earn on Explorer cards and quadruple the PQPs you can earn on Club cards needed in 2020 to earn 2021 status.
- As mentioned above, United will also reduce the PQPs needed in 2021 to earn 2022 status, but those details will come later.
United hasn’t yet announced what will happen with expiring PlusPoints for upgrades. I’ve reached out to them for more information.
Your move American, JetBlue, and Southwest…
HT: Leon F
Leave a Reply
44 Comments On "[Updated With Free Award Redeposits, PlusPoints, And Reduced PQP Information] United Matches Delta, Will Extend Elite Status And Club Memberships!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
This is the reason you should be loyal to Delta. The other airlines are just jealous copy cats
Any idea on status matches?
Wondering the same thing
same
Don’t you mean expiring 12/31/20?
Nope.
So if I am platinum this year, I will be platinum next year which means I don’t have waste money this to get platinum next year and I might as well use points this year exclusively!
Correct.
Oh, it expires at the end of January.
Thanks for posting! A nice move by UA.. the skies are still friendly
Don’t kid yourself, Delta forced their hand…
But yes, apprenticed nonetheless.
Hence my comment above.
It just make so much sense for an airline to do this.
Im a gold medallion on Delta, and so many flights I’m on, I’m number 25 for first class… which means there are tons and tons of platinum and diamond fliers out there.
A dumb move would be if the airlines didn’t extend elite status!
Which begs the question, what made United wait until Delta acted?
If not for Delta, United would have waited and seen if travel recovered this year.
If it did they would lower the requirements, rather than destroy incentive to fly United this year.
Delta forced their hand with this goodwill offering.
Nice! Now I really hope Jetblue extends mosaic…
While their email to Mosaics indicated otherwise, they may have to do better now
What about PQP already accumulated this year? Will that count for 2022 like Delta?
No, as United doesn’t typically offer rollover elite miles like Delta does.
Instead they will lower next year’s PQP requirements.
I wish United would restore to its Lifetime United Club members the unlimited access we paid for. If they do that, I will re-open the United credit card account I closed last week.
Will the United Club one-day pass included for an extension of 6 months?
Hoping to see SW CP get an extension as well…….it is already quite generous at up to almost 24 months if timed right.
I tried to cancel a united award and they still they are still charging the cancellation fee i tried it online are there any t a c that apply
Call.
Would a paid economy ticket booked now for November that is later cancelled then have a voucher good for 2 years from cancellation date to book and 2 years and 11 months to fly and NOT be 12 months from original booking (as current policy was)? Thanks!
Yes.
Does this mean that if I book an award ticket to Israel now for August 25th then all I need to do is cancel the ticket 30 days before August 25th and I will get a full refund?
Yes.
Thanks Dan!
Hi, is that mean there’s no redeposit fee if I want to cancel my trip thats book in November and travel in September?
Yes.
Thank you!!
Just purchased for family of 5 for Thanksgiving using miles as now I can refund if it looks like it won’t happen. Thanks! Will having all 5 on the same reservation mess up the free bag for me (primary cardholder) and one of the others travelling with me? And how would any complimentary upgrades be impacted? Basically should I separate the reservation into multiple and why? Thanks!
And idea if Southwest will extend their companion pass at all?
I just booked to Israel in business on United next February and early March from SFO where there is currently wide open availability. Regarding waiving award fees in 2020, can I cancel through 12/31 and get a free redeposit or does the actual flight have to take place in 2020? That’s not clear.
Can you clarify changing dates for free on awards booked through 4/30? I can’t find any additional documentation on that.
I’m just trying to figure out how I can bail on this trip if necessary with little cost.
Any info re: global services? The email we got fro UA only specifies until 1k, no mention of GS.
Does the travel certificate that can be used for anyone work by route or mileage used for original ticket? Diff being whether u wanna use for same route without saver award avail lets say for ur new date
@Dan Just triple checking b4 I book .If I book on United today any reservation for 2020 using miles I can get a full refund with no redeposit fee as long as I cancel 30 days in advance?
Yes.
If I book an award ticket with a partner to Thailand, will I still be able cancel for free as long as it’s 30 days prior to departure. Looking for travel in December.
Yes.
united website been updated, not charging redeposit fee anymore
Please correct me if I’m wrong. This means that if one books an award ticket now for 2021, there would not be any redeposit fees to cancel the ticket, so long as the ticket was canceled by 12/31/2020 AND was at least 30 days prior to departure. Correct?
is the free mileage redeposit also on tickets that were booked before the whole corona virus started. I have tickets booked from november 2019 that i want to cancel can i do that for free now?
Alaska extended status through Dec, 2021. Whatever status you have today, will remain till then. Even if the status that you have now is through a status match challenge, and the challenge criteria is being waived!
Is United extending statuses from match chellenges?
I had United Platinum status through a status match challenge for 3 months. I did not finish the challenge, and United extended my Platinum status through Jan 2022