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 service 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 upfront of the modifications.
The excellent news is that vacationers who can not seem to get their PlusPoints upgrades to clear could have way more makes use of for this improve forex. However, do not anticipate this newfound flexibility to return low cost — or be simple to know at first look.
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This is every little thing you should know.
Change PlusPoints for perks
Again in October, United introduced that it will 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, flyers can use PlusPoints for the next perks:
- TravelBank money
- Bonus miles
- Premier qualifying factors
- Gifting Premier standing
- Premier qualifying flights
Word that these new trade choices are restricted to PlusPoints earned within the 2025 Premier yr and past, that means that these with PlusPoints from final yr will probably be caught utilizing them solely for upgrades.
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Every perk requires a special quantity of PlusPoints, which I will define under. You’ll be able to combine and match the trade of PlusPoints between totally different perks, however there are some restrictions to bear in mind.
The primary is that you just’re restricted to exchanging 600 eligible PlusPoints per expiration date, that means that every yr you qualify for standing, you possibly can trade at most 600 PlusPoints. It’s essential to use the remaining 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,” she mentioned.
Word that every particular person perk additionally has a most variety of PlusPoints that may be exchanged every year. Extra on that under.
The second huge restriction is that the timeline for exchanging PlusPoints is much 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 trade them for perks. For instance, in case you earn PlusPoints in 2025, they may expire on Jan. 31, 2027, however the trade closes on March 31, 2026. Because of this 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 must make your resolution about what number of factors to trade nicely earlier than the tip of the yr. I assume this can 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 does not really feel like essentially the most flyer-friendly restriction.
“As a way to make it actually a viable product, we needed to put some parameters on it that helps in our planning,” Doyle mentioned. Studying between the traces, it looks as if United was nervous that it will certainly have manner too many exchanges occurring on the finish of the yr.
You’ll course of a PlusPoints trade by visiting this web site and doing so natively within the United cell app.
TravelBank money
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to trade 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
Word that you just can’t trade greater than 100 PlusPoints per eligible yr for TravelBank money.
You’ll be able to apply TravelBank money to most United flight purchases, and it acts much 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 trade 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
Word that you just can’t trade greater than 100 PlusPoints per eligible yr for MileagePlus miles. MileagePlus miles do not expire, and bonus miles will probably be posted within the Premier member’s account inside three days of choice.
Premier qualifying factors
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to trade PlusPoints for Premier qualifying factors:
- 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
Word that you just can’t trade greater than 160 PlusPoints per eligible yr for PQPs. The PQPs earned from the trade will probably be deposited instantly into the Premier member’s account — they can’t be gifted or transferred.
Exchanges made earlier than Dec. 31, 2025, could be utilized both to the 2025 or 2026 qualification yr, whereas exchanges made between Jan. 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026, will mechanically be utilized to the 2026 qualification yr.
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Gifting Premier standing
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to trade 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
Word that you may solely choose as much as three Premier Silver presents, as much as two Premier Gold presents and only one present of Premier Platinum and/or Premier 1K every year.
Gifted standing will probably be legitimate by way of the date when the PlusPoints would have expired, and members receiving a Premier present won’t earn PlusPoints until additionally they hit the printed qualification standards for that tier of standing.
Premier qualifying flights
Listed below are the redemption charges if you wish to trade PlusPoints for Premier qualifying flights:
- 160 PlusPoints: 2 PQFs
- 320 PlusPoints: 4 PQFs
Word that you just can’t trade greater than 320 PlusPoints per eligible yr for PQFs. The PQFs earned from the trade will probably be deposited instantly into the Premier member’s account — they can’t be gifted or transferred.
All PQFs earned from an trade will probably 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 fluctuate in price relying on the route and cabin class bought. And whereas they’ll present nice worth once they allow you to efficiently clear into a better cabin, many flyers have complained in recent times 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 prime flyers (although I think about the airline does not thoughts a few of the breakage right here).
These new trade choices will definitely be higher than nothing and may present vacationers with some extra methods to make use of their factors as a substitute of letting them expire.
That mentioned, between the onerous phrases and situations — particularly the limitation that exchanges should be accomplished by early 2026 — and the stingy redemption charges, this seemingly will not symbolize a superb deal for a lot of Premier members who might as a substitute use PlusPoints for upgrades.
As an example, exchanging 40 PlusPoints for TravelBank or bonus miles would yield $80 in TravelBank credit score or 6,000 MileagePlus miles, value $81 in accordance 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 upward of $1,500, if no more.
After I posed this instance to Doyle, she selected to underscore the elevated utility this trade program unlocks, not the underlying worth of the particular PlusPoints. “Moderately say, if you aren’t getting worth from [PlusPoints because you] by no means get that improve, we’re providing you with a special choice,” she mentioned. “And in order that’s the place we’re attempting to lean into is the worth for the client, not pegging [PlusPoints] to a particular worth that could be ill-received.”
Nonetheless, 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 modifications that could be coming, Doyle solely mentioned: “I am unable to share a lot.” Nonetheless, it positive looks as if this could possibly be the primary section of a multi-pronged technique of adjusting the worth for PlusPoints.
After all, solely time will inform, but when I am a betting man, I might say that the times of having fun with 40-point upgrades from financial system to enterprise on eligible long-haul flights could be coming to an finish sooner fairly than later.
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