United Has No Plans to Change Million Miler Status
American, Delta and United all offer million miler benefits, but United's are arguably the most generous, with 1,000,000 miles earning you mid-tier Gold status for life, rather than the entry-level status you'll get from AA and Delta. Since it's unusual for one airline to offer more generous perks to its elite members than a competitor does, there's been a rumor circulating that United was planning to introduce changes to its own million miler program.
Fortunately, that isn't true — a spokesperson has confirmed that United currently has no plans to change either million miler qualification requirements or benefits.
To further reinforce this point, TPG reader Anne W. passed along an email she received, as she's currently approaching the 1,000,000 mark necessary to earn Gold status for life. In addition to what's pasted above, the note clarifies that while Anne will be able to achieve a higher level with the airline, her status will never drop below Gold.
As you can see above, United issues Premier Gold status after you achieve one million lifetime miles — those are actual "butt-in-seat" miles, not elite-qualifying or redeemable miles. So, for example, a Newark to Hong Kong round-trip will earn roughly 16,000 miles toward this goal, regardless of your class of service (note, however, that you won't earn lifetime-qualifying miles on award tickets).
Even if you travel often enough to achieve United's top-tier 1K status (or even Global Services), lifetime status is still worthwhile to have, since you can share your current service with a companion of your choosing. It's great to see that United continues to issue lifetime Gold status after 1,000,000 miles, rather than dropping to Silver to match AA and Delta.
Thanks to TPG reader Anne W., who shared this news tip by emailing tpgtips@thepointsguy.com. We'll be sending out a $200 Visa gift card as a token of our appreciation.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app