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Are you progressing toward earning your desired United Premier status but aren't sure if you'll reach it by the end of the year? Well, you may be in luck. Until August 24, 2025, you can purchase up to 2,000 Premier Qualifying Points. Here's what to know.
Purchase United Premier Qualifying Points
Through this offer, you can purchase between 400 and 2,000 PQPs at a rate of approximately $1.10 per PQP. In other words, you'll spend around $2,200 to max out the offer. Click here to see your options.
Note that you need to meet unpublished eligibility requirements to take advantage of the offer. I don't typically fly United, and haven't earned any PQPs this year, so I get the following message when I try to buy PQPs:
“We appreciate your interest. This account is not eligible for the PQP offer, but we’ll keep you updated on future deals.”
However, even if you do regularly fly United, you might receive the same message.
Is It Worth Buying United Premier Qualifying Points?
Considering that United flights earn 1 PQP per dollar spent (before taxes), you're effectively paying to get credit for taking a flight — without the benefits of taking the flight. There are likely better options to earn status, whether through the United Airlines status match or spending on a co-branded United credit card.
Related: Earn United Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) via Credit Card Spending
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 5 miles per $1 spent at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
- 2 miles per $1 spent on select streaming services
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 2x on United® purchases
- 2x on local transit and commuting — including train tickets, taxicabs, mass transit, tolls and ride share services
- 2x at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores
- 1x on all other purchases
As a reminder, to reach United Premier status, you'll need to earn a combination of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) and Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) — or a higher amount of PQPs. Here's how many you'll need for each tier:
- Premier Silver: 15 PQF and 5,000 PQP OR 6,000 PQP
- Premier Gold: 30 PQF and 10,000 PQP OR 12,000 PQP
- Premier Platinum: 45 PQF and 15,000 PQP OR 18,000 PQP
- Premier 1K: 60 PQF and 22,000 PQP OR 28,000 PQP
As you can see, 2,000 PQP will only get you a third of the way to Premier Silver. That said, if you are just a couple hundred PQP shy of a tier upgrade, and you can utilize that status on upcoming flights, topping off your United PQPs could be an option.
Final Thoughts
United normally has elite status buy-up offers around the beginning of the year, which makes a lot more sense than in August. Most folks won't want to buy PQPs right now, as there is still plenty of time to earn them before the end of the year. However, if you're certain that you won't reach your desired tier of status, and you think the benefits will outweigh the cost, then act fast. This offer is only valid through August 24, 2025.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees)
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