United ditches flight segments, raises bar for 1K in Premier status shakeup

United Airlines is making a big change to how its frequent flyers earn elite status.Beginning in 2027, the carrier will stop counting the number of flights its MileagePlus members take when awarding status.Instead, United flyers hoping to become "Premier" will have to focus solely on accumulating Premier Qualifying Points, or "PQPs."That means the path to status on United involves spending as much money as possible — both on flights and on the airline's suite of cobranded credit cards.That's not the only change United announced.On top of shifting how MileagePlus members earn status, the Chicago-based carrier announced it's raising the requirements to reach 1K.Beginning in 2027, members will need an additional 4,000 PQPs (for a total of 32,000) to make top-tier status compared to the current requirements.United Airlines Premier access lane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUYUnited revealed those changes in a memo to loyalty members on Tuesday.All told, it's the second significant shake-up to the airline's loyalty program in 2026 — and the biggest structural shift in how it awards elite status in years.Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newslet...