United Airlines is once again running its popular MileagePlus elite status match for 2024, and the offer will remain valid for applications received up until December 20, 2024.
Frequent flying programs are deliberately designed to drive loyalty to a particular airline or alliance, so achieving status with multiple airlines can be pretty tricky. That’s where a status match can come in handy to see if shifting your loyalty to another carrier is worth it.
If you’re already thinking of moving some or all of your flying to United or the Star Alliance then this MileagePlus status match could be really beneficial.
- What are United’s MileagePlus elite status tiers?
- What airline programs is United MileagePlus status matching?
- How long can you keep your status match?
- How to retain Your United MileagePlus status through January 2026?
- Important points you should be aware of
- How to apply for a MileagePlus Premier status match?
What are United’s MileagePlus elite status tiers?
The United MileagePlus program has four elite status tiers known as ‘Premier’ status tiers, which range from:
- Premier Silver
- Premier Gold
- Premier Platinum
- and Premier 1K
Premier status members earn bonus miles on every flight, complimentary checked luggage, complimentary upgrades when available and priority check-in and boarding.
Ordinarily, to achieve Premier status, you need to earn a set number of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) and Premier Qualifying Points (PQP). As the name suggests, PQF are earned from flights taken with United, United Express and select partners, while PQP are earned on the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges of flight purchases, along with seating purchases, paid upgrades and even certain co-branded credit card spend.
| Premier status tier | PQF required | PQP required |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 12 | 4,000 |
| Premier Gold | 24 | 8,000 |
| Premier Platinum | 36 | 12,000 |
| Premier 1K | 54 | 18,000 |
| Four flights must be flown on United or United Express | ||
Alternatively, you can achieve Premier status by earning a higher number of PQP, so long as you also fly at least four segments on United metal.
| Premier status tier | PQP required |
|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 5,000 |
| Premier Gold | 10,000 |
| Premier Platinum | 15,000 |
| Premier 1K | 24,000 |
| Four flights must be flown on United or United Express | |
What airline programs is United MileagePlus status matching?
United MileagePlus is offering status match opportunities to members of 37 different airline frequent flyer programs, including American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, as well as Southwest, Frontier and Hawaiian Airlines.
Further afield, there are also opportunities for elite members of British Airways, Qantas, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic to status match with United MileagePlus.
Generally speaking, the 2024 United MileagePlus status Premier status match program isn’t being afforded to members of other Star Alliance airlines.
| Airline and Frequent flyer program | Elite status 1 | Elite status 2 | Elite Status 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines Medallion | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Gold | Platinum | Platinum Pro |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | A-List | A-List Preferred | |
| JetBlue True Blue | Mosaic | ||
| Alaska Airlines MVP | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K |
| British Airways Executive Club | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Silver | Gold |
The MileagePlus Premier status you’ll be matched to will generally work as follows:
- Elite status 1 matches to Premier Silver
- Elite status 2 matches to Premier Gold
- Elite status 3 matches to Premier Platinum
As you can see from the table above, the highest status that elite members of Southwest Rapid Rewards and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club can match to is generally Premier Gold, while elite members of JetBlue True Blue can generally only match up to Premier Silver status.
In addition, members of the following airline frequent flying programs are also eligible to status match to a MileagePlus Premier level:
| Airline and frequent flying club | Elite Status 1 | Elite Status 2 | Elite Status 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | AerClub Silver | AerClub Platinum | AerClub Concierge |
| Aero Mexico | Gold | Platinum | Titanium |
| Aeroflot | Silver | Gold | Platinum 125K |
| Aerolineas Argentinas | Gold | Platinum | Diamond |
| Air Europa | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Air France | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| CSA Czech Airlines | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Cathay Pacific | Silver | Gold | Diamond |
| China Airlines | Gold | Emerald | Paragon |
| China Eastern Airlines | Eastern Miles Silver | Eastern Miles Gold | Eastern Miles Platinum |
| China Southern Airlines | Sky Pearl Silver | Sky Pearl Gold | Sky Pearl Platinum |
| El Al Israel Airlines | Silver | Gold | Platinum / Top Platinum |
| Etihad Airways | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Emirates | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Finnair | Silver | Gold | Platinum / Platinum Lumo |
| GOL | Silver | Gold | Diamond |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Gold | Platinum | |
| ITA | Plus | Premium | Executive |
| Iberia | Silver | Gold | Platinum / Infinite / Infinite Plus |
| IcelandAir | Silver | Gold | |
| Japan Airlines | Crystal | Sapphire | Premier / Diamond / Global Club |
| KLM | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Kenya Airways | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Korean Airlines | Morning Calm | Morning Calm Premium | Million Miler Club |
| LATAM | Gold | Gold Plus | Platinum / Black / Black Signature |
| Malaysia Airlines | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Qantas | Silver | Gold | Platinum / Platinum One |
| Qatar Airways | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Royal Jordanian | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Siberia Airlines | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
United MileagePlus is not officially offering status matches to its top Premier 1K status tier, but some elite members who have taken part in this promotion have been automatically status matched to Premier 1K.
How long can you keep your status match?
Once United MileagePlus has approved your status match, you’ll get to keep your elite status with United initially for 120 days. Within this window, you’ll then have to complete a status challenge to retain the corresponding status through to the end of January 2025.
The challenge requires taking a set number of ‘Premier Qualifying Flights’ and earning a set number of ‘Premier Qualifying Points’ on flights operated by United or United Express – otherwise known as PQF and PQP, respectively.
| Premier level | Number of PQF | Number of PQP |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 4 | 1,300 |
| Premier Gold | 8 | 2,600 |
| Premier Platinum | 12 | 4,000 |
If you don’t complete the challenge within the 120-day window, well, you’ll lose your MileagePlus status, and you won’t be able to apply for another United status match offer for at least five years.
How to retain Your United MileagePlus status through January 2026?
As you can see, completing the status match challenge should only extend your MileagePlus elite status through January 2025, but you can actually retain your status all the way to January 2026 if you’re a little savvy about when you complete the challenge.
- If you complete the challenge on or before June 30, 2024, then you’ll only get to keep your MileagePlus status until January 2025.
- But if you complete the challenge on or after July 1, 2024, you get to keep your status until the end of January 2026.
Important points you should be aware of
There are a few important points and restrictions with this status match that you should be aware of before you send in your application.
First, if you sign up towards the end of the year, the latest date that the 120-day challenge window will run from is September 3, 2024. You can still sign up for a status match after this date (until December 20) it’s just that you’ll have less time to complete the challenge.
Second, this promotion isn’t open to anyone who has status matched with MileagePlus in the last five years.
Third, MileagePlus won’t send you any membership materials within the 12-day challenge window so you won’t be able to use your Premier status for reciprocal benefits with other Star Alliance airlines.
Fourth, in order to move up a tier, you’ll need to meet the standard Premier status PQF and PQP requirements.
Fifth, members you status match to Premier Platinum will only receive 20 PlusPoints (upgrade points) once they have completed the status match challenge.
How to apply for a MileagePlus Premier status match?
Applying for this status match is pretty straightforward, and United has a special form with all the details. If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to become a member of United MileagePlus before you can sign into the form here.
You’ll then need to submit your 2024 membership card for the elite flyer program you are matching from. Ideally, this will be in digital format, such as from within the airline’s mobile app, but United will also accept most recent mileage statement.
Once submitted, it could take between seven and ten days for United to process your application and confirm whether they are going to match your status. That, however, is the longest it might take, and some status matches come through almost instantly.
Easy as that!
