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Airlines extended expiring elite travel status benefits into 2021 when the pandemic took us all by surprise. As frequent flyers will likely continue to stay home for the near future, United Airlines is making it easier to earn MileagePlus Premier status for 2022.
MileagePlus Premier Status Thresholds for 2022
United recently announced that it is reducing the Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) thresholds to get Premier status for 2022.
Here are the requirements to reach in 2021 to achieve MileagePlus Premier status:
- Premier Silver: 3,000 PQP and 8 PQF (or 3,500 PQP)
- Premier Gold: 6,000 PQP and 16 PQF (or 7,000 PQP)
- Earning Premier Platinum: 9,000 PQP and 24 PQF (or 10,000 PQP)
- Premier 1K: 13,500 PQP and 36 PQF (or 15,000 PQP)
These requirements are lower than the standard requirements. The standard thresholds remain in place. But, current MileagePlus Premier members receive a 25% credit for the PQP requirements in early 2021 based on their current Premier status level.
For example, a Premier Silver member gets a bonus deposit of 875 PQPs. From there, they can either earn 3,500 PQPs or a combination of 3,000 PQPs and 8 PQFs to get Premier Silver status.
Higher-tier Premier members earn a larger bonus of either 1,750 points (Premier Gold); 2,500 points (Premier Platinum) or 3,750 points (Premier 1K).
PlusPoints Expiration Date Extension
Premier Platinum members and above with PlusPoints about to expire can breathe easy. All PlusPoints set to expire on or after January 1, 2021, renew for an additional 6 months.
Those who earn Premier 1K status in 2021 and 15,000 PQPs can receive 20 PlusPoints for each additional 2,000 PQPs they earn during the year, helping to put MileagePlus Premier Status in sight.
Summary
While you will hopefully be able to fly more in 2021 than in 2020, it’s easier to get Premier status for 2022. There are several exciting bonus opportunities to earn MileagePlus Premier Status quickly. If you usually fly United, you may want to take advantage of these reduced qualifying thresholds and first-ever promotions to accelerate earning status.
