While accruing more Premier Qualifying Miles (PQMs) after reaching Premier 1K will earn you even more perks with United, when it comes to the somewhat-mysterious Global Services tier, additional flying can actually count against you, unless you spend significantly more to match.
On Monday, I caught up with a few current Global Services members to see where they've landed for 2019. While United's still calculating the results for one, two have already received the nod for next year — you can check for yourself at mystatus.united.com.
Of the two that have already re-qualified, the results vary significantly. One earned Global Services for another year with roughly 200,000 PQMs and over $28,000 in Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQDs). Another earned GS with more than 200,000 PQMs and roughly $55,000 PQDs — far more spend than contestant No. 1. (Update: The first member's balance was updated to reflect elite-qualifying miles vs. actual miles flown. Additionally, a third TPG reader shared this year's stats, with about 240,000 PQMs and $75,000 PQDs.)
For many flyers, earning Global Services can be worth the extra push — we dig into some of the top benefits here, which include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Expanded award availability (agents can book economy Saver awards using the "T" fare bucket, and "PZ" for business awards)
- Far improved upgrade availability (Global Services upgrades clear into "PN" class, which is more readily available than "PZ")
- Expanded upgrades for companions on some tickets
- Tarmac transfers for tight connections
- Access to United’s best customer service agents, both at the airport and over the phone
As for me, while I suppose I could luck out with a Global Services invitation some day, it probably won't happen this year — I just barely made the cut for Premier 1K. Let us know where you've netted out in the comments below.
