Name: American Express® Gold Card
Brand: American Express

Quick summary

United MileagePlus members can earn Premier qualifying points (PQPs) toward elite status through both card spending and flying.
Recent updates have increased the PQP earning caps and improved rates for some cards, making it easier to accumulate PQPs via spending.
Despite these changes, earning elite status solely through card spending is generally impractical due to high spending requirements and mandatory flight minimums.
Combining PQPs from both flights and card spending is the most effective way to reach United elite status.

What to consider

You must take at least four United or United Express flights per calendar year to qualify for any elite status tier, regardless of PQPs earned.
Each card has a maximum PQP earning cap per year, and rates vary between products.
PQPs from multiple cards can now be stacked, but you are still subject to each card's individual cap.

What you'll miss from the article

A detailed breakdown of how each United card earns PQPs, including updated rates, caps and annual bonus structures.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

United Airlines MileagePlus members with cobranded Chase credit cards can earn Premier qualifying points toward United elite status simply by spending on these cards. And, as part of United's recent credit card refresh, some of these cards now allow you to earn even more PQPs.

There are two ways to earn United’s coveted Premier elite status and all the benefits that come with it: by earning PQPs alone or by earning a combination of PQPs and taking Premier qualifying flights. Either way, you'll need lots of PQPs. Aside from spending on United credit cards and purchasing PQPs (which is rarely worth doing), the only way to earn PQPs is through flying — or, perhaps more accurately, spending lots of money on United and Star Alliance flights.

So, is earning PQPs on a credit card through everyday spending better than breaking the bank on flights? In most cases, you'll have the best luck using a combination of the two. Let’s look at how MileagePlus credit cards earn PQPs toward elite status.

Earning PQPs on United credit cards

United Airlines planes parked at SFO — KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Over the years, United MileagePlus has made it easier and easier to earn PQPs with credit cards — while also making it harder to earn elite status.

In 2024, United instituted an earning rate of 25 PQPs per $500 spent on many of its cobranded cards (up to each card's PQP maximum). This was notably better than before, as you had to spend at least $12,000 to earn any PQPs via United cards.

Since then, United has changed the earning rate to 1 PQP per $15 or $20 spent, depending on the card. This makes it easier to work your way toward United elite status, as you no longer need to spend in increments of $500 to start earning PQPs.

Additionally, all card-earned PQPs now count toward any status level, including the PQP-only requirement for top-tier Premier 1K. This wasn't always the case for Premier 1K.

However, even with these changes, earning PQPs from credit card spending isn’t as easy as earning Loyalty Points toward American Airlines elite status with a credit card. The earning rates are relatively low (compared to 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent for American), and each card has a limit on how many PQPs you can earn.

Here, we'll break down how each United cobranded card earns PQPs toward elite status and explain their current welcome bonuses.

Cards that don’t earn PQPs

There are a few no-annual-fee United cards that don’t earn PQPs through credit card spending:

United Gateway℠ Card: Earn up to 50,000 bonus miles: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening (see rates and fees)
United MileagePlus Card with no annual fee (no longer open to new applicants)
United TravelBank Card (no longer open to new applicants)

The information for the United MileagePlus Card and United TravelBank Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Cards that earn PQPs

The following United cards earn PQPs, though earning rates vary slightly and earning caps vary even more. As part of United's recent credit card changes, the PQP earning caps on several of these cards have been raised, allowing you to earn far more PQPs each year than previously possible.

Some of these are no longer available to new cardmembers, but if you already have them in your wallet, they could be a useful addition to your United elite status strategy.

Card	Welcome bonus	PQP earning rate	PQP earning cap
United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees)	Earn up to 80,000 bonus miles: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	up to 1,000 PQPs per calendar year
United MileagePlus Awards Card	No longer open to new applicants.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	1,000 PQPs per calendar year
United MileagePlus Card with an annual fee	No longer open to new applicants.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	1,000 PQPs per calendar year
United MileagePlus Business Card	No longer open to new applicants.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	1,000 PQPs per calendar year
United MileagePlus Select Card	No longer open to new applicants.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	3,000 PQPs per calendar year
United℠ Business Card (see rates and fees)	Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	up to 4,000 PQPs per calendar year
United Presidential Plus Card	No longer open to new applicants.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	10,000 PQPs per calendar year
United Presidential Plus Business Card	No longer open to new applicants.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	10,000 PQPs per calendar year
United Quest℠ Card (see )	Earn up to 90,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP: Earn 500 PQP after your first purchase and 80,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.	Earn 1 PQP per $20 spent	up to 18,000 PQPs per calendar year, plus 1,000 bonus PQPs each year (awarded within eight weeks after Feb. 1 each year, starting in 2026)
United Club℠ Card (see )	Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.	Earn 1 PQP per $15 spent	28,000 PQPs per calendar year, plus 1,500 bonus PQPs each year (awarded within eight weeks after Feb. 1 each year, starting in 2026)
United Club℠ Business Card	Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.	Earn 1 PQP per $15 spent	28,000 PQPs per calendar year

The information for the MileagePlus Awards, MileagePlus Card with an annual fee, MileagePlus Business, MileagePlus Select, Presidential Plus, Presidential Plus Business, and Club Business cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

As you can see, most cards help you pursue United elite status at a rate of 1 PQP per $20 spent. The United Club and United Club Business cards earn at a faster rate of 1 PQP per $15 spent.

Two of these cards also provide a head start toward status: 1,000 bonus PQPs each year for the Quest card and 1,500 bonus PQPs each year for the Club card. To put this in perspective, earning 1,500 PQPs through spending on the Club card would require $22,500 in purchases — so, if United elite status is important to you, this PQP head start perk could help offset the hefty $695 annual fee on this premium credit card.

Can you earn United elite status with credit cards?

A United Polaris business class seat — United Polaris business class. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Since United raised the PQP earning caps on so many cards, you may be wondering: Can I earn United Premier status solely with credit card spending? The answer is ... not really.

First off, to be eligible for any United elite status tier, you must take at least four United or United Express flights in a calendar year. So, although United lets you earn status with PQPs alone (or a combination of PQPs and Premier qualifying flights), you must still fly at least four times to earn any status.

Once you take those four flights, which will earn you at least a few PQPs (even on basic economy tickets and flights booked with miles), you could earn the rest of the PQPs needed for status with credit cards alone — in theory.

For example, you can now earn up to 18,000 PQPs on the United Quest card — enough to reach valuable Premier Platinum status. But this would require some serious spending. After receiving the Quest card's annual bonus of 1,000 PQPs, you would need to spend $340,000 on the card to earn the remaining 17,000 PQPs needed to achieve Platinum status. This kind of spending isn't feasible for most of us.

The only exception might be the United Club Business card. You can earn up to 28,000 PQPs in a year (enough for top-tier Premier 1K status) by spending $420,000 on the card — which could be attainable for some business owners.

You're generally better off shooting for status with a combination of flights and PQPs. Paid United flights in all fare classes earn 1 PQP per dollar spent on base airfare and carrier-imposed surcharges — a much faster rate than earning PQPs with credit cards. And if you pay for your flight with a United card, you can double dip. For instance, if your base fare was $100 and you paid with the Quest card, which earns 1 PQP per $20 spent, you'd nab a total of 105 PQPs.

Don't forget that you can now stack PQPs earned on multiple United cards. In the past, MileagePlus members were limited to a maximum of 15,000 total PQPs across all credit cards, but those days are gone. You'll still be limited to each card's PQP earning cap, but if you max out one card, you could start spending on another to earn more PQPs.

Bottom line

MileagePlus members can now earn more PQPs through United credit cards than ever before. However, you'll need a lot of spending to earn a significant number of PQPs on these cards, despite some cards' enhanced perks like annual PQP bonuses. In most cases, it's not practical to earn United elite status with credit cards alone. Plus, you have to take at least four United flights to qualify for status anyway.

However, the ability to supplement PQPs earned on flights with PQPs earned on credit cards makes United elite status more attainable. The best approach for most travelers is a combination of the two. If you're pursuing Premier status this year and you hold a United credit card — or you're considering applying for one — be sure to review each card's updated PQP earning guidelines, benefits and annual fees to understand your options.

TPG featured card

American Express® Gold Card

TPG editor's rating

at American Express's secure site.
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.

Rewards rate

Rewards rate
Rate	Category
4X	Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4X	Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
5X	Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
3X	Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
2X	Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
1X	Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual fee

$325

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Recommended credit

Excellent to Good

Pros + cons

Pros

Valuable dining and food-related credits
Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
Multiple travel and purchase protections
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)

Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

More details

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
$120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
$100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
Book your travel through the Amex Travel App™ with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.