Star Alliance

United now uses Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) as their Status currency, you can mix them with Premier Qualifying Flights to determine status. As most other Spend you can optimize earnings with Star Alliance partners. Sadly, United implemented a cap on earnings per segment so not as lucrative as Delta with their SkyTeam partners.

All in One Chart:

Premier Status	Star Alliance Status	PQF + PQP	PQP Only	Earning Multiplier
Premier Silver	Silver	12 PQF and 4000 PQPs	5000 PQPs	7
Premier Gold	Gold	24 PQF and 8000 PQPs	10000 PQPs	8
Premier Platinum	Gold	36 PQF and 12000 PQPs	15000 PQPs	9
Premier 1K	Gold	54 PQF and 18000 PQPs	24000 PQPs	11

The following purchases earn PQP:

• Base fare + surcharge; Economy Plus® seating or subscriptions; Preferred seat purchases; MileagePlus Upgrade Award co-pays; Paid upgrades on flights operated by United and United Express

Preferred partners include:

• Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, SWISS International Airlines,  Eurowings, Lufthansa

Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) are a way to earn elite status in the United MileagePlus program. You can earn PQP by flying on United Airlines or its partner airlines, using a United credit card, or purchasing Economy Plus or preferred seats.

Here are the ways to earn PQP:

• Flying on United Airlines: You can earn 1 PQP for each U.S. dollar spent (excluding taxes and fees) on a United-issued standard or basic economy ticket. You can also earn PQPs on Preferred and Economy Plus seating and paid cabin upgrades.

• Using a United credit card: You can earn PQP for every dollar you spend on an eligible United credit card. The exact number of points you earn will vary depending on the card you have.

• Purchasing Economy Plus or preferred seats: You can earn 1 PQP for every 100 MileagePlus miles redeemed for the Economy Plus or preferred seat purchase.

The minimum number of PQP you need to earn elite status in the United MileagePlus program varies depending on the status level you want to achieve. For example, you need to earn 5,000 PQP to achieve Silver status, 10,000 PQP to achieve Gold status, 15,000 PQP to achieve Platinum status, and 24,000 PQP to achieve Premier 1K status.

You can also earn PQP by flying on United's partner airlines. However, the number of PQP you earn will vary depending on the partner airline.

Once you have earned enough PQP, you will automatically achieve the corresponding elite status level. You can then enjoy the benefits of that status level, such as free checked bags, priority boarding, and upgrades.