United Will Make It Significantly More Expensive To Earn Elite Status In 2025, Is Chasing Status Still Worthwhile?

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Elite status requirements will climb:

United’s elite status requirements will go up in 2025.

It will also remain more confusing than competing airlines.

While American and Delta have moved to a single elite status earning metric, United will continue to operate with earning elite status via PQFs (premier qualifying flights) and PQPs (premier qualifying points).

Each flight segment on United or a partner airline will earn 1 PQF. Basic economy fares won’t earn PQFs. You will also need a minimum of 4 PQFs on United flights in order to earn status, though basic economy, does count towards that requirement.

Each dollar (except taxes) that you spend on United flights will earn 1 PQP. You will earn PQPs on basic economy fares. Additionally, economy plus seat and subscriptions, preferred seat purchases, upgrades, and upgrade award co-pays will earn 1 PQP per dollar spent.

You’ll also earn 1 PQP for every 100 miles redeemed, so if you redeem a flight for 25,000 miles, you’ll earn 250 PQPs. You will also earn 1 PQF for every award flight segment. Unfortunately, you will only earn PQFs and PQPs for United award flights, and not for award flights on other airlines.

You’ll also only earn PQFs and PQPs when you redeem United miles, and not partner miles for a flight. Additionally, award flights still won’t count towards earning lifetime status.

From 1/1/25-12/31/25:

• If you want Silver status, you’ll either need to earn 6,000 PQPs from spending $6,000 on United flights or earnings from partner flights or credit card spending, or you can get a reduced requirement of 5,000 PQPs if you also have 15 PQFs (qualified flight segments).
  • That’s up from 5,000 PQPs or 4,000 PQPs+12 PQFs in 2024.
• If you want Gold status, you’ll either need to earn 12,000 PQPs from spending $12,000 on United flights or earnings from partner flights or credit card spending, or you can get a reduced requirement of 10,000 PQPs if you also have 30 PQFs (qualified flight segments).
  • That’s up from 10,000 PQPs or 8,000 PQPs+24 PQFs in 2024.
• If you want Platinum status, you’ll either need to earn 18,000 PQPs from spending $18,000 on United flights or earnings from partner flights or credit card spending, or you can get a reduced requirement of 15,000 PQPs if you also have 45 PQFs (qualified flight segments).
  • That’s up from 15,000 PQPs or 12,000 PQPs+36 PQFs in 2024.
• If you want 1K status, you’ll either need to earn 28,000 PQPs from spending $28,000 on United flights or earnings from partner flights or credit card spending, or you can get a reduced requirement of 22,000 PQPs if you also have 60 PQFs (qualified flight segments).
  • That’s up from 24,000 PQPs or 18,000 PQPs+54 PQFs in 2024.

Even if you use the PQP only option for status, you’ll still need to fly on 4 United operated flight segments.

You can view the benefits of having elite status here.

Starter PQPs for current Premiers for 2025

Premier members (who don’t have temporary trial status) as of 12/31/24, will get bonus PQPs based on their status level on 2/1/25 as follows:

• Silvers will get 300 PQPs, up from 250 in 2024.
• Gold will get 600 PQPs, up from 500 in 2024.
• Platinums will get 900 PQPs, up from 750 in 2024.
• 1Ks will get 1,400 PQPs, up from 1,250 in 2024.

PlusPoints will get more uses

United offers PlusPoints to Platinum and higher elites to use for flight upgrades, though these have become increasingly difficult to use and often expire unused.

Starting in mid-2025, you will be able to redeem PlusPoints for other things besides upgrades, such as PQPs, PQFs, TravelBank funds, redeemable miles, or gifting status to other members.

More details will be released in 2025, so it’s impossible to say if those offers will be valuable or not, but more choices should be a good thing.

Earn more PQPs from select credit card spending

United has dragged its feet in offering status earning via credit card spending compared to AA and Delta. Back in 2022 you could only earn up to 5,000 PQPs from across multiple United credit cards. In 2023 that cap was increased to 15,000 PQPs, and last year that cap was removed.

Note that the requirement to fly on 4 United flights in order to earn elite status remains in place for 2025.

• The no annual fee United Gateway card does not earn PQPs.
• The United Explorer, Business, and Awards cards currently earn 25 PQPs for every $500 spent, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs for $20,000 of 2024 spending.
  • Under the 2025 program, these cards will earn 1 PQP per $20 spent, which is the same ratio, but will post more frequently. These cards can earn up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs for $20,000 of 2025 spending.
• The United Quest℠ Card currently earns 25 PQPs for every $500 spent, up to a maximum of 6,000 PQPs for $120,000 of 2024 spending.
  • Under the 2025 program, this card will earn 1 PQP per $20 spent, which is the same ratio, but will post more frequently. This card will be able to earn up to a maximum of 9,000 PQPs for $180,000 of 2025 spending.
• The United Club℠ Infinite Card currently earns 25 PQPs for every $500 spent, up to a maximum of 10,000 PQPs for $200,000 of 2024 spending.
  • Under the 2025 program, this card will earn 1 PQP per $15 spent, which is an improved ratio from 2024. This card will also be able to earn up to a maximum of 15,000 PQPs for $225,000 of 2025 spending.
• The United Club Business Card (click on Apply Now to get to this card) currently earns 25 PQPs for every $500 spent, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQPs for $20,000 of 2024 spending.
  • Under the 2025 program, this card will earn 1 PQP per $15 spent, which is an improved ratio from 2024. This card will also be able to earn up to a maximum of 15,000 PQPs for $225,000 of 2025 spending.
• The grandfathered United Select and Platinum cards currently earn 25 PQPs for every $500 spent, up to a maximum of 3,000 PQPs for $60,000 of 2024 spending.
  • Under the 2025 program, these cards will earn 1 PQP per $20 spent, which is the same ratio, but will post more frequently. These cards can earn up to a maximum of 3,000 PQPs for $60,000 of 2025 spending.
• The grandfathered United Presidential Plus cards currently earn 25 PQPs for every $500 spent, up to a maximum of 10,000 PQPs for $200,000 of 2024 spending. Grandfathered Flex PQPs can only be applied to earn Silver, Gold, or Platinum status.
  • Under the 2025 program, these cards will earn 1 PQP per $20 spent, which is the same ratio, but will post more frequently. These cards can earn up to a maximum of 10,000 PQPs for $200,000 of 2025 spending.
• Currently, to earn elite status, you have to spend:
  • $100K to earn Silver status (or fly 12 segments to lower spending to $80K)
  • $200K to earn Gold status (or fly 24 segments to lower spending to $160K)
  • $300K for Platinum status (or fly 36 segments to lower spending to $240K)
  • $480K for 1K status (or fly 54 segments to lower spending to $360K)
• In 2025, to earn elite status, you will have to spend:
  • $120K to earn Silver status (or fly 15 segments to lower spending to $100K)
  • $240K to earn Gold status (or fly 30 segments to lower spending to $200K)
  • $360K for Platinum status (or fly 45 segments to lower spending to $300K)
  • $560K for 1K status (or fly 60 segments to lower spending to $440K)

• In 2025, if you only spend on United Club cards to earn elite status, you will have to spend:
  • $90K to earn Silver status (or fly 15 segments to lower spending to $75K)
  • $180K to earn Gold status (or fly 30 segments to lower spending to $150K)
  • $270K for Platinum status (or fly 45 segments to lower spending to $225K)
  • $420K for 1K status (or fly 60 segments to lower spending to $330K)

Of course, you’ll also need to have enough United cards (or United Club cards) and spread the spending across multiple cards as each card has an earnings cap.

That’s a much higher bar than what American requires to earn status through credit card spending, though American may still raise that threshold for next year.

Of course if you fly United enough to earn the required PQFs and are just shy on the PQPs, credit card spending will come in handy at all levels.

Return of the mileage run?

In the past, some passengers would fly with extra connections to fly more miles to earn status. The need for that went down with the elimination of mileage based status, but with PQFs offering big discounts on PQP requirements and award segments counting for status, are people going to book awards with as many connections as possible in order to qualify for higher levels of status combined with flight or credit card spending?

Does any of this matter?

Airlines love to keep passengers on the elite status hamster wheel. However airlines used to liberally give away first class seats to elite members and now they typically sell those seats at a discount to anyone, leaving few first class upgrades available to elite members.

United claims that these new requirements will thin the herd. Color me skeptical. As long as airlines offer last-minute upgrades to non-elites for tens of dollars, there just won’t be enough upgrades available on most routes.

Other elite status perks like free award redeposits and waived close-in fees are now available even if you don’t have elite status.

Sure, it’s now easier to earn status via credit card, but that comes at a major opportunity cost as you can earn many more miles by spending on non-airline branded cards.

Elite status may get you extra legroom seating and faster agent access, but it can be tough to make the case that it’s worth losing out on boatloads of miles or cash back (in addition to spending hefty annual fees) just to earn status that isn’t even a shell of what it used to be.

Will you spend more on United and United cards to earn status? Will American or Delta increase their 2025 requirements for elite status as well?

HT: Berry S.