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Earn Elite and Lifetime Credits With United Basic Economy Fares
Zach Honig
Contributor
Dec. 10, 2018
•
2 min read
Earn Elite and Lifetime Credits With United Basic Economy Fares
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As the rare product that airlines actually don't want you to purchase, United's historically done just about everything it could to make basic economy as unappealing as possible. Finally, there's a bit of good news on that front.
United's basic economy fares exclude seat assignments, carry-on bags, Economy Plus or first class upgrades — and, inexplicably, they didn't even count toward Premier Qualifying Dollar (PQD) requirements for elite status. Like, you're still spending money with the airline, but United, in an attempt to further discourage elite-status hopefuls from buying these tickets, decided that it's going to ignore any amount spent on those deep-discounted fares, even when they still end up costing you many hundreds of dollars for certain flights.
Fortunately, much of that is about to change. For all travel beginning Dec. 11, United will allow basic economy fares to count toward elite status, finally matching basic economy on American and Delta. MileagePlus members will earn:
- Full Premier Qualifying Dollars
- 50% Premier Qualifying Miles
- 0.5 Premier Qualifying Segments
- Lifetime miles (based on mileage flown)
- Segments toward the four-segment minimum for elite status
Even after this change, all customers (including elite members) will not be eligible for:
- Complimentary seat selection (including Economy Plus)
- Paid, mileage or certificate upgrades
- Complimentary (elite) upgrades
- Ticket changes or refunds
- Online check-in (unless you're paying for a checked bag)
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United elites and Star Alliance Gold members do get priority boarding, a free full-sized carry-on bag and one free checked bag — as a result of these changes, if you're okay forgoing free seat assignments, flight changes and upgrades, buying a basic economy fare won't sting quite as much as it has in the past.
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- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month