United Airlines is one of the major airlines in the United States that owns more than 850 aircraft, and operates flights to various domestic and international destinations. At present, United conducts flights from 8 primary hubs located at different airports across the country.
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles, Newark, Houston–Intercontinental, Guam, Denver, and Chicago–O’Hare are the primary hubs for United.
Frequent flyers, and Loyal Customers are offered MileagePlus Premier Status while flying on United Airlines. The Premier Status program is introduced to deliver a smoother travel experience to valuable customers. This program features four levels namely Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, Premier Gold, and Premier Silver.
As we have already explored Premier Silver, and Premier Gold Status, we will be focusing on Premier Platinum today. So, let’s get started with an introduction to Premier Platinum on United Airlines.
What is Premier Platinum on United Airlines? (United MileagePlus Premier Status)
MileagePlus Premier Platinum is the second-highest level of the Premier Status Levels that requires Premier Qualifying Points (PQP), and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF).
Platinum Status offers various amenities including complimentary upgrades, 3 complimentary checked baggage, complimentary access to Economy Plus, 9X miles earning on every flight, and priority travel services.
Before getting into all the benefits of Premier Platinum, let’s find out the requirements to qualify.
What are the requirements to qualify for United Premier Platinum Status?
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF), and Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) are the two requirements to qualify for MileagePlus Premier status levels. Passengers can collect PQF, and PQP points and meet the requirements of each status level.
Talking about Premier Platinum, United Airlines passengers need to acquire 24 PQF, and 9,000 PQP or just 10,000 PQP. These are the new requirements updated by the airline for the year 2023 based on the qualifying activity in 2022.
The required PQF, and PQP must be achieved during the calendar year (January 1 through December 31). Previously, the requirement was 36 PQF, and 13,500 PQP or only 15,000 PQP to qualify for Premier Platinum status.
If you fly continuously and reach 2 million miles, you will get lifetime Premier Platinum status.
| PREMIER STATUS | PREVIOUS REQUIREMENT | NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR 2023 |
| Premier Silver | 24 PQF + 9,000 PQP OR 10,000 PQP LIFETIME STATUS WHEN YOU REACH 2 MILLION MILES |
What are PQF, and PQP?
As we discussed above, PQF, and PQP are the two major qualification requirements specified for the Premier Status levels.
PQF is calculated based on the number of flight segments flown with United Airlines, United Express, Star Alliance Partner Airlines, Connecting airlines, or other partner airlines mentioned below. 4 of the total Premier Qualifying Flights must be flown on United or United Express.
PQF, and PQP Eligible Airlines for Premier Silver Status
- United Airlines
- United Express
- Star Alliance Partner Airlines
- Connecting Airlines
- Air Dolomiti
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
- Edelweiss
- Eurowings
- Olympic Air
Likewise, PQP is estimated based on the fare, and a carrier-imposed surcharge of flight purchases along with seating purchases, and paid upgrades.
Passengers can earn PQP (1 PQP for every $1 spent) based on the following flights and purchases.
- Base fare + surcharge
- Economy Plus® seating or Economy Plus subscriptions
- Preferred seat purchases
- MileagePlus Upgrade Award co-pays
- Paid upgrades on flights operated by United and United Express
- Flights ticketed and operated by our Star Alliance™ partners
If you fly on Star Alliance Partners, other airlines (Air Dolomiti, Azul, Eurowings, Edelweiss, and Olympic) and select MileagePlus Partner airlines, you can earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs).
PQP Calculation on Partner Airlines
- Star Alliance/Preferred Partner Airlines PQP = Award Miles divided by 5
- Select MileagePlus Partner PQP = Award Miles divided by 6
For example, if you acquire 420 award miles for your flight with Star Alliance/Preferred Partner Airlines, you’ll earn 84 PQP. On the other hand, you’ll earn 70 PQP with 420 Award Miles while flying with a select MileagePlus partner.
The maximum Premium Qualifying Points that can be earned per flight on tickets issued and operated by partner airlines are calculated based on the class of service as mentioned in the table below.
| CLASS OF SERVICE | STAR ALLIANCE PARTNERS | SELECT MileagePlus PARTNERS |
| Economy or Premium Economy | 750 PQP | 500 PQP |
| First or Business Class | 1,500 PQP | 1,000 PQP |
Besides flying, passengers can also gain Premier Qualifying Points by using their MileagePlus Credit cards for making purchases, and paid upgrades. The available credit cards are United Gateway Card, United Explorer Card, United Quest Card, and United Club Infinite Card.
Every $12,000 in Card Spend = 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP)
For instance, up to 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) can be earned with the United Explorer Card which will assist passengers in qualifying for the MileagePlus Premier Status.
| UNITED Personal Credit Cards | PREMIER QUALIFYING POINTS (PQP) | BONUS MILES |
| United Explorer Card | Up to 1,000 PQP | 50,000 Miles |
| United Quest Card | Up to 3,000 PQP | 70,000 Miles |
| United Club Infinite Card | Up to 4,000 PQP | 80,000 Miles |
We explored the qualification requirements for the United Premier Platinum Status. For detailed information, you can visit the airline’s official website. With that, let’s dig into the benefits of Premier Platinum on United Airlines.
What are the benefits of United Premier Platinum?
The number of benefits offered by the MileagePlus Premier Status increases as the levels increase. Premier Platinum is the second-highest status level after Premier 1K.
The major benefits of Premier Platinum on United Airlines include priority travel services, complimentary upgrades, preferred seating, complimentary checked baggage, and more.
Here are the major perks provided by the United Premier Platinum status.
Complimentary Checked Baggage
Are you worried about baggage limits while flying on United Airlines? Well, if you are a Premier Platinum Status holder, you will get 3 complimentary checked baggage with a weight limitation of 70 lbs (32 kg) on each bag.
The free checked bags allowance is applicable on United Airlines, and United Express-operated flights. Your status level along with the complimentary baggage allowance is determined during the time of check-in with United.
40 PlusPoints
Premier Platinum status passengers receive up to 40 PlusPoints which can be used anywhere United flies. PlusPoints are a flexible upgrade benefit offered to Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K Status holders.
For instance, if you have 40 PlusPoints you can use them to upgrade from United Economy to United Polaris Business class on long-haul flights. The following table presents the upgrades according to the points earned.
| Number of PlusPoints | Eligible Upgrade |
| 10 PlusPoints | United Premium Plus —> United Business on short-haul flights |
| 20 PlusPoints | United Economy —> United First or United Business on short-haul flights OR United Economy —> United Premium Plus on short-haul flights OR United Economy —> United Premium Plus on long-haul flights |
| 30 PlusPoints | United Premium Plus —> United Polaris Business Class on long-haul flights |
| 40 PlusPoints | United Economy —> United Polaris Business Class on long-haul flights |
The top benefits of earning PlusPoints are listed below.
- Passengers can request upgrades from any seat to any available premium cabin such as United Polaris Business, or United Premium Plus.
- They can request and confirm premium cabin upgrades by using the United website or mobile app with ease.
- PlusPoints offer flexible upgrades with as many requests as passengers want.
Priority Check-in, Security Screening, and Boarding
Premier Platinum Status members are provided with Premier Access which includes priority check-in, priority security screening, and a priority boarding facility. Passengers can reach their aircraft quickly without any hassle.
Premier Platinum passengers are allocated as Group 1 Priority Boarding. The Premier Access service is also available for United Airlines, and United Express-operated flights departing from airports around the globe.
United Club Annual Membership Discount
MileagePlus Premier Platinum passengers are provided with a $50 discount for the annual United Club membership discount.
United Club allows passengers to relax while they wait for their departure flight. Breakfast, snacks, beverages, high-speed Wi-Fi, and personalized travel assistance are the major amenities offered by United Club.
CLEAR Discounted Annual Membership
United Airlines passengers with Premier Platinum Status receive a $109 discount for the CLEAR annual membership. CLEAR allows passengers to proceed faster through airport security in designated lanes at TSA checkpoints.
Complimentary Premier Upgrades as early as 72 hours
MileagePlus Premier Platinum members get complimentary premier upgrades as early as 72 hours prior to the scheduled departure.
Besides, there are other major benefits of United Premier Platinum Status which are listed below.
- Access to most sold-out flights (Y-Class ticket, available at least 2 hours before scheduled departure)
- Confirmed Flight Changes within 24 hours of departure (Free within the same fare class)
- Complimentary Access to Economy Plus or Preferred seating at the time of booking.
- Complimentary Economy Plus for 8 Travel Companions
- Preferred seating for travel companions (8 companions)
- Instant upgrades to the Premium Cabin on Economy tickets (Y or B Class fares)
- 9X Miles earned on every flight (Extra miles per dollar on United, United Express, and select partner airlines)
- Better Award Availability in Economy
- Better Award Availability in Select Premium Cabins
- Priority Award Waitlisting
- Standby for international award flights
- Premier Priority Desk Phone Line
- Waived Phone Booking Service fees
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
- Complimentary Avis Elite Status (Avis President’s Club)
- Extra Benefits when booking a VIP Access property with United Hotels
- United Cruises Onboard Amenities Offer
- TPC Network Golf Course Benefits
- Complimentary Access to Timeshifter – The Jet Lag App (One Jet Lag Plan)
- Bonus miles on car rental with Avis (Upto 1,250 base miles per rental)
Conclusion on Premier Platinum on United Airlines
We are at the end of this blog where we explored Premium Platinum on United Airlines with its requirement, and benefits. It is one of the four MileagePlus Premier Status levels offered to loyal customers, and frequent flyers.
Premium Platinum Status is the second-highest level of the United Premier Status levels. To qualify for this status, passengers need to earn at least 24 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) + 9,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) or 10,000 PQP only.
Passengers can earn PQP while flying on United Airlines, United Express, or other select partner airlines. MileagePlus credit cards can be used to gain PQPs by using them to make purchases.
Let’s conclude with the top benefits of Premium Platinum on United Airlines.
- 40 PlusPoints
- Complimentary Premier Upgrades
- 3 Complimentary Checked Baggage (70 lbs/32 kg each)
- 9X Miles Earned on Every Flight
- Priority Travel Services
- Complimentary Access to Economy Plus at booking + 8 Companions
FAQs on Premier Platinum on United Airlines
What are the benefits of United Premier Platinum?
Complimentary Premier Upgrades, Priority Travel Services, 9X miles earned on every flight, complimentary checked baggage, and 40 PlusPoints are the benefits of United Premier Platinum.
Does United Premier Platinum get you Lounge access?
United MileagePlus Premier Status program doesn’t offer complimentary Lounge or United Club access. However, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K status members get a $50, and $100 discount on United Club annual membership respectively.
How do I maintain Premier status on United?
The Premier Status level is valid from the date you earned it till January 31 of the following year. To maintain your status level, you need to keep flying on United Airlines, United Express, or partner airlines. Besides, you can also use your MileagePlus credit cards to earn PQP.
How do I get United PQP without flying?
United Airlines passengers can use their MileagePlus Credit Cards to make purchases, and earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs). Besides, they can also earn PQP with paid upgrades.
