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United suspending upgrade requests ahead of PlusPoints launch

Zach Honig
Articles
Zach Honig is Editor-at-Large at TPG, with contributions ranging from articles digging deep on loyalty programs and credit cards to delivery flight coverage to drone photography and much more.
Dec. 03, 2019
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2 min read
United 787-10 Dreamliner Polaris Premium Plus Tour
United suspending upgrade requests ahead of PlusPoints launch
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Come Wednesday, United's long-standing Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) and Regional Premier Upgrades (RPUs) will be no more, with the airline rolling out a new system called PlusPoints, instead.

As a result of the upcoming change, United will be suspending the ability to make a new upgrade request from 11 p.m. ET tonight (Dec. 3) until 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 4. It may also take longer to change or redeposit upgrades during this period, though there shouldn't be any impact to upgrade requests made before the 11 p.m. cutoff.

Overnight, any GPUs in your account will be converted into 40 PlusPoints, while RPUs will become 20 PlusPoints Then, as of Wednesday, United Premier Platinum, 1K and Global Services (GS) members will all earn PlusPoints as follows:

  • 40 upon reaching Platinum
  • 280 upon reaching 1K or GS
  • 20 for each subsequent 3,000 PQPs (1K and GS only)

You'll then redeem PlusPoints 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
Elites will redeem fewer PlusPoints to upgrade to Premium Plus. Photo by Zach Honig/The Points Guy.

While we won't have some answers until the new program is live — how many PlusPoints you'll need for United's new "skip waitlist" option, for example — you can get a better feel for how the new system will work right here.