One of many metrics you need to use to earn United Premier standing is Premier qualifying factors.
You will normally earn PQPs via flights, however you can too earn them via choose United Airways bank cards. Better of all, you may stack PQPs from a number of United playing cards, which is able to turn into extra helpful in 2026. Here is what you need to know.
Necessities for United Premier standing
| Standing tier | Necessities to qualify via PQPs alone | Necessities to qualify via PQPs and Premier qualifying flights |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 6,000 PQPs | 5,000 PQPs and 15 PQFs |
| Premier Gold | 12,000 PQPs | 10,000 PQPs and 30 PQFs |
| Premier Platinum | 18,000 PQPs | 15,000 PQPs and 45 PQFs |
| Premier 1K | 28,000 PQPs | 22,000 PQPs and 60 PQFs |
You may get Premier Silver standing via United’s partnership with Marriott, and frequent vacationers could possibly snag lifetime United standing. However in any other case, you could requalify for United standing every year to proceed having fun with its advantages.
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Incomes PQPs via United bank cards
Moreover flights, you can too earn PQPs via United bank cards. United not too long ago overhauled a number of playing cards, so now the incomes price for PQPs and the utmost variety of PQPs you may earn fluctuate based mostly on card kind as follows:
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The knowledge for the United Membership Enterprise Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
That is proper: You would, in idea, earn Premier 1K standing based mostly solely on card spending with the United Membership Card or the United Membership Enterprise Card. These two playing cards carry excessive annual charges however earn PQPs on the highest charges. So, for those who determine to give attention to incomes PQPs via spending on a United card, you will need certainly one of these two playing cards.
Beginning in 2026, some United playing cards will provide card bonus PQPs every year to vacationers who have been cardmembers as of Dec. 31 of the prior 12 months. Particularly, United Quest Card members will earn 1,000 card bonus PQPs every year, whereas United Membership Card and United Membership Enterprise Card members will earn 1,500 card bonus PQPs every year. Better of all, these card bonus PQPs will probably be stackable when you have a number of United playing cards.
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Backside line
You would earn all of the PQPs wanted for top-tier Premier 1K standing from bank cards alone, however doing so would require loads of spending. To not point out, you possible will not get vital worth from having United Premier standing for those who do not fly with the airline sufficient to earn an honest chunk of PQPs from flying.
As such, I like to recommend incomes most of your PQPs from flying and utilizing a number of United bank cards to high off your PQP stability with spending (and, beginning in 2026, card bonus PQPs). In case you’re fascinated with stacking card bonus PQPs in 2026 and past, guarantee you might have some mixture of the United Quest Card, the United Membership Card and the United Membership Enterprise Card in your pockets on the finish of 2025.
