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The highest published elite status that United Airlines offers through its MileagePlus loyalty program is Premier 1K®. It normally requires earning 22,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) and 60 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) or a total of 28,000 PQP in a calendar year. This is not easy to accomplish and many 1Ks missed renewing this status for 2026. While United made some pricey offers for retention, some members have discovered a simple, proactive approach to help preserve their hard-earned benefits a little longer.
While United does not publicly advertise an elite status extension policy, that has not stopped some members of MileagePlus from reaching out directly after their status expired on January 31st. Travelers whose elite tiers dropped this weekend have reported success by contacting customer service through the United app or by phone and politely requesting an extension. There is no formal checklist. Approvals are not guaranteed, but a clear and reasonable explanation appears to help gain an extension for all of 2026 and through January 2027.
A strong history with United also seems to improve the odds. Members who have held elite status for multiple consecutive years may have a more compelling case. Emphasizing long-term loyalty, consistent past travel, and upcoming bookings already in your United account can reinforce that you remain a valuable customer with future plans.
There is also an unpublished guideline worth noting. Some members report that United has told them that Premier 1K® status can be extended once every five years without a fee. This extension includes most elite benefits, but does not include PlusPoints for upgrades. Because this is not an official, published policy, members often need to explicitly ask for this option. Agents may initially present cash or mileage-based buyback offers instead.
As with any unpublished benefit, United can change or withdraw this option at any time without notice. There is no guarantee of approval, and not every request will succeed. Still, for members who narrowly missed requalifying, a brief message or call could make the difference between losing elite perks entirely and keeping them for another year.
If you’re turned down for a complimentary extension, there are paid options and a custom offer might be presented here. Just keep in mind that these are costly with some members reporting fees of up to $12,000 for the extra time as a Premier 1K®.
Anthony’s Take: Loyalty programs often make quiet accommodations for long-term members (even when formal requalification requirements are not met). For United flyers with a strong history and recent status loss, asking for an extension may be a worthwhile final step before accepting that elite benefits are gone for the year.
(Image Credits: United.)
(H/T: Loyalty Lobby.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
