How can I earn United PQP without flying?

Learn more about how to earn United miles here. These miles can be redeemed for flights and upgrades. Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) solely count toward achieving United Premier elite status. In addition to flying, PQPs can be earned by hitting spending thresholds on United credit cards.



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Other Ways to Earn PQP
  • Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP after qualifying purchases.
  • Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases.
  • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel, dining and select streaming services.
  • Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.


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The primary way of earning PQP is by flying United, United Express, and any of United's airline partners. These consist of all Star Alliance members, plus some unique partners like Brazil's Azul, Hawaiian Airlines, Emirates, JSX, and Virgin Australia.

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PQP or PQF purchased through Premier Accelerator will credit to your MileagePlus account within 24 hours of purchase. Premier Accelerator is only available until you board your return flight and cannot be purchased after that point.

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Earn up to 3,000 PQP: The United MileagePlus® Select Card earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 in card spend, up to 3,000 PQP in a calendar year. Earn up to 6,000 PQP: The United QuestSM Card earns 500 PQP for every $12,000 in card spend, up to 6,000 PQP in a calendar year.

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For most people, it probably won't be worth going very far out of your way to chase airline elite status. You can easily replicate many of the perks that a low- or even mid-tier elite traveler would enjoy by holding the right credit cards and buying the occasional upgrade to first class.

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The expiration date for elite status is Jan. 31 each year. To ensure that you maintain your status from year to year, you will need to complete the PQF and PQP requirements for your status level.

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Earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): The primary Cardmember will earn 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) for every $12,000 in net purchases (including purchases made by authorized users) up to a maximum of 6,000 PQP in a calendar year. PQP will apply towards Premier status tiers up to and including Premier 1K®.

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Each year, United sends out offers to MileagePlus members offering the opportunity to buy up to their next elite status.

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United Airlines 2023 Status Extension: Premier Status Extended Again Through Early 2024 For Many United MileagePlus Members.

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United will also automatically enroll elite members who failed to complete the Fly to the Finish program into Breakout Bonus. This means if you're a Premier 1K who takes 3 flights but doesn't earn the 3,000 PQPs associated with Fly to the Finish, once these promotions end you'll instead receive a deposit of 2,250 PQPs.

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You might even be able to use a Delta SkyMiles credit card to earn Silver Medallion status without ever flying if you're a big enough spender. For example, with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, you can earn 15,000 MQMs for every $30,000 you spend — up to four times annually through Dec. 31, 2023.

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For example, you'll achieve lifetime Platinum elite status after 600 qualifying nights and 10 years of Platinum elite status or higher. However, Marriott does not currently offer lifetime Titanium status, so you must renew your Titanium status each year to continue receiving benefits.

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1. American Airlines AAdvantage. Starting January 2022, American Airlines revamped its elite status program. Earning Loyalty Points from flying is relatively simple: If you earn an AAdvantage mile from flying, you'll earn a Loyalty Point.

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Once you've flown a million miles with United, you'll earn permanent elite status. At a million miles, you'll get Premier Gold for life. At two million miles, you'll receive Premier Platinum status for life. At three million miles, you'll get Premier 1K for life.

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Expenses that will accrue PQPs include fares, preferred seat purchases, Economy Plus seating or subscriptions, MileagePlus upgrade award copays, flights ticketed and operated by Star Alliance partners and paid upgrades on flights operated by United and United Express.

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