United Airlines' PlusPoints conversion is now complete
When I went to bed Tuesday night, my United Airlines MileagePlus account had a balance of 10 Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) and eight Regional Premier Upgrades (RPUs) — now, both have been merged into one PlusPoints total, just as the carrier promised.
Also as expected, my four Regional Premier Upgrades set to expire on Jan. 31, 2020, still have that same expiration as PlusPoints, but now they're also worth the equivalent of two round-trip Polaris upgrades — which is exactly the reason I've been hanging onto them rather than letting them go for a domestic or regional flight.
Now, I'll be able to redeem my PlusPoints balance for United and partner upgrades as follows:
- Economy to domestic first/regional business: 20 PlusPoints
- Economy to Premium Plus: 20 PlusPoints
- Premium Plus to Polaris: 30 PlusPoints
- Economy to Polaris (Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W): 40 PlusPoints
- Economy to ANA business (G, E, Y, B): 40 PlusPoints
- Business to ANA first (J, C, D): 40 PlusPoints
- Economy to Copa business: 40 PlusPoints
- Economy to Lufthansa business (G, E, Y, B, M, U, H, Q): 40 PlusPoints
- Business to Lufthansa first (J, C, D): 40 PlusPoints
- Economy to Polaris (S, T, L, K, G): 80 PlusPoints
- Economy to Polaris ("skip waitlist"): TBD PlusPoints
Meanwhile, Premier Platinum, 1K and Global Services members will earn PlusPoints at the following rates:
- 40 upon reaching Platinum
- 280 upon reaching 1K or GS
- 20 for each subsequent 3,000 PQPs (1K and GS only)
Stay tuned for a detailed guide to upgrading flights using PlusPoints, coming later this morning.
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