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Earlier today I wrote about United’s new elite status requirements, which will mean you’ll need to spend more to earn United status. You’ll want to read that post first in order to understand the jargon in this post.
Brian asked in a comment if you can earn status from credit card spending.
Currently, you can waive the PQD spend requirements on United flights by spending $25K on United credit cards. You still need to fly on United to earn elite status, but you don’t need to meet the minimum spending requirements.
That goes away on 1/1/20.
In its place you can now earn 500 PQPs for spending $12K annually or 1,000 PQPs for spending $24K annually on United cards.
This applies to the:
- United Explorer Consumer Card
- United Club Consumer Card (Click on Apply Now and then Club card)
- United Awards Consumer Card (Grandfathered and no longer available).
- United Explorer Business Card
- United Club Business Card (Click on Apply Now and then Club card)
The United TravelBank card won’t earn PQPs.
While each of those cards is capped at 1,000 annual PQPs, you can stack together PQPs earned from all of your cards.
Note that if you are combining PQPs earned from credit cards and flights, the highest status you can earn it Platinum.
Similar to other Chase cards, it is also possible to have multiple of the same United card even though Chase won’t approve you for a card if you currently have it. For example if you currently have a United Explorer Consumer, Explorer Business, Club Consumer, and Club Business, you could upgrade the Explorer Consumer to another Club Consumer and then apply for an Explorer Consumer. Or you could downgrade the Club Consumer to another Explorer Consumer and then apply for a Club Consumer. That’s how I got multiple Chase Freedom cards by downgrading them from other cards like Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card® Card.
Of course all of these cards are subject to 5/24 rules and you can’t convert non-United cards into United cards, so it won’t be easy to rack up United cards quickly.
Here is how many PQPs you need for status:
While United is removing the need to fly a certain amount of miles to earn status, you will still need to fly on 4 paid flight segments to earn status.
So if you happen to have 5 United cards and spend $24,000 on each, you would earn 5,000 PQPs. But unfortunately you would still have to fly on 4 paid United flight segments (1 round-trip with connecting flights or 2 round-trips with nonstop flights) in order to earn elite status.
Of course if you still have the grandfathered United Select or Platinum cards you can also earn 500 PQPs annually for every $12K spend, but these cards can earn up to 3,000 PQPs annually and they can be applied to any status, including 1K.
And if you still have the grandfathered United Presidential Plus card you can also earn 500 PQPs annually for every $12K spend, but these cards can earn up to 10,000 PQPs annually and they can be applied to any status, including 1K.
Will you still spend on United credit cards to earn PQPs after the PQD waiver is eliminated?
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43 Comments On "Reader Question: Is It Possible To Earn United Elite Status Solely From Their Credit Cards?"
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I going to cancel my UA Chase card now once I hit the waiver for next year….
No longer a reason to pay the fee or place spend there.
There is no waiver after 12/31/19, just the PQP earnings.
But the fee still gets you free bags and saver award space, plus upgrades for elites on awards.
I have the Presidential card with 75k+ flexible premier qualifying miles. What would my options be for these point, and the future of getting status only using my Presidential card?
You can earn up to 10K annual PQPs going forward and you can apply that to any status, see the chart above for what you can get with that. Earnings from 2019 and earlier will convert to be flexible, but earnings starting in 2020 won’t be flexible.
are there any cards cheaper than the United club card that offer the same benefits? Doesn’t make sense to keep that card at $450/year if you have lounge access anyway from elite status and spending no longer worthwhile there.
Hi,
I was at a disadvantage flying to Asia via Air Canada a few times a year as I never flew United directly (so I didn’t get status). Does this mean now I can get status on United by JUST flying Air Canada?
Thank you!
You still need 4 United flight segments to earn status. But Air Canada is now a great way to earn United status.
You can also upgrade from the Travel Bank card
Correct.
Did I get this right?
If I only have one United card there is no way to earn status?
With one card the most you could earn is 1,000 PQPs.
Status starts at 4K or 5K PQPs.
Finally pays off that I kept my Pres+ card!
Enjoy 🙂
So that “United Presidential Plus card” – you cannot earn more than 10,000 PQPs annually? If you spent 120k annually, you still only get 10,000 PQPs annually?
Correct, unless you happen to have more than one card as PQP caps are per card, not per MileagePlus account.
With all the devaluations at United is there anything that makes United a better program than Delta?
The miles are still worth more and you can select economy plus for gold and higher at the time of booking, among other differences.
But what makes the miles worth more with dynamic pricing? Availability?
We’ll find out next month when it’s implemented.
Are you sure you get PQP for random spend on Select cards? I have the Select and I currently get max $5000 EQD per year but only for UA spend, and then is dollar for dollar. I know nothing about PQD for $12k generic spend
“The United MileagePlus® Select Card and United MileagePlus® Platinum Class Visa Card earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 in card spend, up to 3,000 PQP in a calendar year, that can be applied up to 1K.”
If I’m looking to get an airline credit card what do you recommend?
What cards do you currently have?
Chase sapphire reserve, freedom unlimited, chase ink cash, and an AMEX everyday
Any suggestions?
Do I need to spend the $24k annually to earn 1K for “my” travel, or can I pay travel of family members as well. Will it qualify?
Your travel only.
I’m slow to comprehend as usual.
Do you think this will considerably thin the Premier members at plat & 1k?
It might a little, but many people who don’t fly a lot but do spend a lot will now get status.
Does the travel bank work anymore?
So here in Israel – Bank Leumi was offering a credit for startups with a number of benefits. One of them being Premier Gold status with UA for 16 months, no purchases needed.
I took it and even though all my travel (4 time a year Israel-US was on Star Alliance Business) was with Chase UR points – it was great for various benefits and getting into First Class and Senator lounges.
Unfortunately, it eventually expired….
I have at the moment 544,000 FPQM, will I be able to use them over the next few years @ 10,000 PQP per year, or they will all expire next year ?
They will carry the same expiration date they have now.
Is that 3 Years from when earned ?
I have 48,000 spirit points that I got through signing up for one of their credit cards. I’m converting it into 6 round trip tickets
Hi currently have ihg card delta gold and chase freedon unlimited
What would you recommend me to apply for I fly few times a year to London and Florida and sometimes to Israel?
I have been a United 1K or Global Services for 14 years. I now fly exclusively EWR-TLV 11 or 12 times a year. I will finish 2019 with 131,000 PQM and $16,000 PQD.
Despite being a MillionMiler with over 1,750,000 Lifetime Miles, i have no chance of reaching 1K without increasing spending on tickets by 50%!! This is insane. I can continue with United a couple more years to reach 2 Million Miles and Platinum for life and be a fee agent. Or just forget status and by the cheapest extra legroom tickets on Delta or even El Al and call it a day.
I have 17000 flex miles on my Presidents plus card. Should i use it this year to push from gold to platinum or save it for the future new deal?
Chaim
If you have an israeli address you are exempt from the United spend requirement
I reach 100k status and do not come near the spending requirement by having my official address in Israel
That exemption ends 12/31/19.
I have a Presidential Plus card, that earns me Platinum Status each and every year. In 2019 I earned 80k PQM and I currently have 88k Flex miles and 45k lifetime miles. I have very few if any flights, as they don’t count when you purchase tickets on miles, In addition, I am not sure that I receive them when I purchase with my AMEX Centurion Card and get 50% back when I pay with points.
While I do understand that now they are allowing you to go up to 1K status, I am not clear what i need to do or if I can earn status without actually paying for United fares with my United cards
Can you explain?
Centurion booked flights are paid flights.
Did you read this post first? https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/united-kills-mileage-based-elite-status-credit-card-international-flight-spend-waiver/
Please clarify – it seems that one can attain 1K status thru spend on credit cards only (plus 4 flight segments) as long as one has multiple UA credit cards and they in total combined charging reach 24k PQP’s. Correct? I have the grandfathered Presidential Plus which will give me 10k PQP’s. I only need to get a few other UA cards to obtain another 14k PQP’s I believe (I put a lot of company charges on the cards). Thanks