What happened
United MileagePlus will require 32,000 Premier Qualifying Points for Premier 1K from January 1, 2027, up from 28,000 on the 2026 points-only path, and will drop Premier Qualifying Flights as a qualification method. Members who hit 1K with 22,000 PQP plus 60 flights now face a 45% PQP increase.
Premier Silver still requires 6,000 PQP. Gold stays at 12,000 and Platinum at 18,000 for members already on the points-only path. A 4-flight minimum on United or United Express remains, and partner flights do not count. PQP on United tickets generally tracks $1 of base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges. Premier 1K requires $32,000 in eligible airfare or $480,000 in credit-card spend on premium United cards. The United Club Card annual PQP-from-spend cap rises to 32,000.
Eligible cardholders get a starter PQP deposit of 5% of their status-level requirement, or 1,600 PQP at 1K, with a qualifying card opened by December 31, 2026 and status as of February 1, 2027. United is first among the U.S. Big Three to lift 2027 elite bars. Flyers who used Premier Qualifying Flights to make status need extra PQP or an eligible United card for 2027.
- Starts
- Jan 1, 2027
- Numbers
- 32,000 PQP: Premier 1K requirement from 2027
- 4,000 PQP: increase in Premier 1K versus the 2026 points-only path
- 6,000 PQP: Premier Silver requirement from 2027
- 12,000 PQP: Premier Gold requirement from 2027
- 18,000 PQP: Premier Platinum requirement from 2027
- 28,000 PQP: 2026 Premier 1K points-only requirement
- 45%: PQP increase for members who previously hit 1K with flights plus spend
- $32,000: eligible airfare spending equivalent for Premier 1K
- $480,000: credit-card spending equivalent for Premier 1K on premium United cards
- 5%: starter PQP deposit as a share of the member’s status-level requirement
- 1,600 PQP: starter PQP deposit for Premier 1K
- 14.29%: increase in the 1K points-only requirement from 2026 to 2027
- Who qualifies
- MileagePlus members earning Premier status; starter PQP deposits require an eligible United credit card.
- Links
- Announcement MileagePlus what's new page united.com
- Program page United Premier qualification page united.com
- Takeaway
- If you used PQFs to hit Premier, plan extra PQP or a United card for 2027 qualification, and 1K chasers should decide whether 32,000 PQP is still worth it.