United Airways is following by way of on its promise to make PlusPoints much more versatile, however the elevated utility is coming at a (steep) value.
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 through 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 much more makes use of for this improve foreign money. However, do not anticipate this newfound flexibility to come back low cost — or be straightforward to know at first look.
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This is all the things you might want to know.
Alternate PlusPoints for perks
Again in October, United introduced that it might 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
Be aware that these new change choices are restricted to PlusPoints earned within the 2025 Premier yr and past, that means that these with PlusPoints from final yr might 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 possibly can combine and match the change of PlusPoints between completely different perks, however there are some restrictions to remember.
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 change at most 600 PlusPoints. You have 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.
Be aware that every particular person perk additionally has a most variety of PlusPoints that may be exchanged every year. Extra on that under.
The second massive 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 will have till March 31 of the yr previous to their expiration to change them for perks. For instance, in case you earn PlusPoints in 2025, they are going to expire on Jan. 31, 2027, however the change 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 probably the most punitive.
Although United is giving flyers extra flexibility to make use of PlusPoints, you will have to make your resolution about what number of factors to change effectively earlier than the tip of the yr. I suppose this can assist restrict plenty of last-minute exchanges in late January when vacationers notice what number of expiring PlusPoints they’ve, however it nonetheless would not really feel like probably the most flyer-friendly restriction.
“In an effort 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 anxious that it might certainly have approach too many exchanges taking place on the finish of the yr.
You can course of a PlusPoints change by visiting this web site and doing so natively within the United cell app.
TravelBank money
Listed here are the redemption charges if you wish to change 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 just can’t change greater than 100 PlusPoints per eligible yr for TravelBank money.
You possibly can apply TravelBank money to most United flight purchases, and it acts much like a present card. It is saved immediately in your MileagePlus account and can expire one yr from the date of deposit.
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Bonus miles
Listed here are the redemption charges if you wish to change 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 just can’t change greater than 100 PlusPoints per eligible yr for MileagePlus miles. MileagePlus miles do not expire, and bonus miles might be posted within the Premier member’s account inside three days of choice.
Premier qualifying factors
Listed here are the redemption charges if you wish to change 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
Be aware that you just can’t change greater than 160 PlusPoints per eligible yr for PQPs. The PQPs earned from the change might be deposited immediately 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 here are the redemption charges if you wish to change 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 that you could 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 might be legitimate by way of the date when the PlusPoints would have expired, and members receiving a Premier reward is not going to earn PlusPoints except in addition they hit the printed qualification standards for that tier of standing.
Premier qualifying flights
Listed here are the redemption charges if you wish to change PlusPoints for Premier qualifying flights:
- 160 PlusPoints: 2 PQFs
- 320 PlusPoints: 4 PQFs
Be aware that you just can’t change greater than 320 PlusPoints per eligible yr for PQFs. The PQFs earned from the change might be deposited immediately into the Premier member’s account — they can’t be gifted or transferred.
All PQFs earned from an change might be legitimate for the 2026 qualification yr, regardless of whether or not they have been chosen in 2025 or 2026.
Is that this a great deal?
PlusPoints upgrades differ in value relying on the route and cabin class bought. And whereas they will present nice worth after they provide help to efficiently clear into a better cabin, many flyers have complained in recent times that they discover themselves caught on the improve listing 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 change 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 circumstances — particularly the limitation that exchanges should be accomplished by early 2026 — and the stingy redemption charges, this possible will not symbolize a great deal for a lot of Premier members who might as a substitute use PlusPoints for upgrades.
As an illustration, exchanging 40 PlusPoints for TravelBank or bonus miles would yield $80 in TravelBank credit score or 6,000 MileagePlus miles, price $81 in response to TPG valuations.
In the meantime, 40 PlusPoints utilized to a long-haul improve from economic 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 change program unlocks, not the underlying worth of the particular PlusPoints. “Quite 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 making an attempt to lean into is the worth for the shopper, not pegging [PlusPoints] to a selected worth which may be ill-received.”
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 come back for PlusPoints.
Pressed about different modifications that may be coming, Doyle solely mentioned: “I can not share a lot.” Nevertheless, it certain looks as if this could possibly be the primary section of a multi-pronged means 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 economic system to enterprise on eligible long-haul flights may be coming to an finish sooner reasonably than later.
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