United Airways is following by way of on its promise to make PlusPoints way more versatile, however the elevated utility is coming at a (steep) price.
The Chicago-based provider rolled out its extremely anticipated updates to how Premier elite members can use PlusPoints on Thursday. The airline is sharing the updates by way of buyer emails, and it additionally briefed TPG solely prematurely of the adjustments.
The excellent news is that vacationers who can not seem to get their PlusPoints upgrades to clear can have way more makes use of for this improve foreign money. However, do not count on this newfound flexibility to return cheaply — or be simply comprehensible at first look.
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This is every part you must know.
Change PlusPoints for perks
Again in October, United introduced that it could debut new methods to make use of PlusPoints, which have traditionally been restricted to upgrading flights booked with United and choose companions.
And now, starting with the 2025 standing yr, PlusPoints can be utilized for the next perks:
- TravelBank money
- Bonus miles
- Premier qualifying factors (PQP)
- Gifting Premier standing
- Premier qualifying flights (PQF)
Be aware that these new alternate choices are restricted to PlusPoints earned within the 2025 Premier yr and past, which means that these with PlusPoints from final yr will likely be caught utilizing them solely for upgrades.
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Every perk requires a special quantity of PlusPoints, which I will define beneath. You may combine and match the alternate of PlusPoints between completely different perks, however there are some restrictions to remember.
The primary is that you simply’re restricted to exchanging 600 eligible PlusPoints per expiration date, which means that every yr you qualify for standing, at most 600 PlusPoints might be exchanged — the remaining should be used for upgrades.
That mentioned, there aren’t that many members incomes greater than 600 PlusPoints every year, Jill Doyle, managing director of the MileagePlus program, defined to TPG. (“A reasonably small proportion of our program goes above that” had been her phrases.)
Be aware that every particular person perk additionally has a most variety of PlusPoints that may be exchanged every year. Extra on that beneath.
The second huge restriction is that the timeline for exchanging PlusPoints is way shorter than the expiration date of your PlusPoints.
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Annually you earn PlusPoints, you may have till March 31 of the yr previous to their expiration to alternate them for perks. For instance, if you happen to earn PlusPoints in 2025, they are going to expire on Jan. 31, 2027, however the alternate closes on March 31, 2026, which means that for the eight months between March 31, 2026, and Jan. 31, 2027, your PlusPoints can solely be used for upgrades.
This final restriction is probably essentially the most punitive.
Although United is giving flyers extra flexibility to make use of PlusPoints, you may have to make your choice about what number of factors to alternate nicely earlier than the tip of the yr. I assume this may assist restrict a number of last-minute exchanges in late January when vacationers understand what number of expiring PlusPoints they’ve, but it surely nonetheless would not really feel like essentially the most flyer-friendly restriction.
“With a view to make it actually a viable product, we needed to put some parameters on it that helps in our planning,” mentioned Doyle. Studying between the strains, it looks like United was nervous that it could certainly have method too many exchanges taking place on the finish of the yr.
You’ll course of a PlusPoints alternate by visiting this web site and natively within the United cell app.
TravelBank money
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to alternate PlusPoints for TravelBank money.
- 10 PlusPoints: $20 TravelBank money
- 20 PlusPoints: $40 TravelBank money
- 40 PlusPoints: $80 TravelBank money
- 80 PlusPoints: $160 TravelBank money
- 100 PlusPoints: $200 TravelBank money
Be aware that you simply can not alternate greater than 100 PlusPoints per eligible yr for TravelBank money.
TravelBank money might be utilized to most United flight purchases and acts just like a present card. It is saved instantly in your MileagePlus account and can expire one yr from the date of deposit.
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Bonus miles
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to alternate PlusPoints for MileagePlus miles.
- 10 PlusPoints: 1,500 MileagePlus miles
- 20 PlusPoints: 3,000 MileagePlus miles
- 40 PlusPoints: 6,000 MileagePlus miles
- 80 PlusPoints: 12,000 MileagePlus miles
- 100 PlusPoints: 15,000 MileagePlus miles
Be aware that you simply can not alternate greater than 100 PlusPoints per eligible yr for MileagePlus miles. MileagePlus miles do not expire, and bonus miles will likely be posted within the Premier member’s account inside three days of choice.
Premier qualifying factors (PQPs)
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to alternate PlusPoints for Premier qualifying factors (PQPs).
- 10 PlusPoints: 100 PQPs
- 20 PlusPoints: 200 PQPs
- 40 PlusPoints: 400 PQPs
- 80 PlusPoints: 800 PQPs
- 100 PlusPoints: 1,000 PQPs
- 160 PlusPoints: 1,600 PQPs
Be aware that you simply can not alternate greater than 160 PlusPoints per eligible yr for PQPs. The PQPs earned from the alternate will likely be deposited instantly into the Premier member’s account — they can’t be gifted or transferred.
Exchanges made earlier than Dec. 31, 2025, might be utilized both to the 2025 or 2026 qualification yr, whereas exchanges made between Jan. 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026, will routinely be utilized to the 2026 qualification yr.
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Gifting Premier standing
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to alternate PlusPoints for a present of Premier standing.
- 40 PlusPoints: Premier Silver standing
- 100 PlusPoints: Premier Gold standing
- 440 PlusPoints: Premier Platinum standing
- 600 PlusPoints: Premier 1K standing
Be aware which you can solely choose as much as three Premier Silver items, as much as two Premier Gold items and only one reward of Premier Platinum and/or Premier 1K every year.
Gifted standing will likely be legitimate by way of the date when the PlusPoints would have expired, and members receiving a Premier reward won’t earn PlusPoints except in addition they hit the printed qualification standards for that tier of standing.
Premier qualifying flights (PQFs)
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to alternate PlusPoints for Premier qualifying flights (PQFs).
- 160 PlusPoints: 2 PQFs
- 320 PlusPoints: 4 PQFs
Be aware that you simply can not alternate greater than 320 PlusPoints per eligible yr for PQFs. The PQFs earned from the alternate will likely be deposited instantly into the Premier member’s account — they can’t be gifted or transferred.
All PQFs earned from an alternate will likely be legitimate for the 2026 qualification yr, irrespective of whether or not they had been chosen in 2025 or 2026.
Is that this a superb deal?
PlusPoints upgrades range in price relying on the route and cabin class bought, and whereas they’ll present nice worth once they enable you to efficiently clear into the next cabin, many flyers have complained lately that they discover themselves caught on the improve checklist with no likelihood of clearing, particularly throughout peak journey intervals.
Many vacationers then let their PlusPoints expire every year, which clearly is not an effective way for United to reward its high flyers (although I think about the airline would not thoughts among the breakage right here).
These new alternate choices will definitely be higher than nothing and will present vacationers will some extra utility to make use of their factors as a substitute of letting them expire.
That mentioned, between the onerous phrases and circumstances — particularly the limitation that exchanges should be accomplished by early 2026 — and the stingy redemption charges, this probably will not signify a superb deal for a lot of Premier members who may as a substitute use PlusPoints for upgrades.
For example, exchanging 40 PlusPoints for TravelBank or bonus miles would yield $80 in TravelBank credit score or 6,000 MileagePlus miles, price $81 in line with TPG valuations.
In the meantime, 40 PlusPoints utilized to a long-haul improve from financial system to Polaris enterprise class could possibly be valued at upwards of $1,500, if no more.
After I posed this instance to Doyle, she selected to underscore the elevated utility this alternate program unlocks, not the underlying worth of the particular PlusPoints. “Reasonably say, if you do not get worth from [PlusPoints because you] by no means get that improve, we’re providing you with a special choice. And in order that’s the place we’re attempting to lean into is the worth for the client, not pegging [PlusPoints] to a selected worth that could be ill-received,” she defined.
However, this discrepancy in worth is so obvious, particularly for a frequent flyer, that it leaves me questioning if this transfer is a harbinger of what is to return for PlusPoints.
Pressed about different adjustments that is perhaps coming, Doyle would say solely: “I can not share a lot.” Nevertheless, it certain looks like this could possibly be the primary section of a multi-pronged technique of adjusting the worth for PlusPoints.
In fact, solely time will inform, but when I am a betting man, I would say that the times of having fun with 40-point upgrades from financial system to enterprise on eligible long-haul flights is perhaps coming to an finish sooner reasonably than later.
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