PHOTO BY TIM GOUW ON PEXELS
United Airlines has announced changes to the MileagePlus elite status requirements for 2025. These adjustments may affect frequent flyers’ strategies for earning status, as thresholds for achieving elite tiers have increased.
Travelers eager to maintain their elite status will need to adapt to this new structure and explore their options for maximizing loyalty benefits.
What’s Changing In The MileagePlus Program
United Airlines has updated its MileagePlus Elite Status requirements, raising the spending and flying thresholds for 2025. These changes make it more challenging to earn and maintain elite status as post-pandemic travel demand continues to surge.
Most tiers now require 20% to 25% more spending, and fliers must still take a minimum number of United flights. United is also increasing the frequency of credit card point earnings and expanding how top-tier members can use PlusPoints.
The airline says the changes help manage overcrowded lounges and better reward active travelers.
For more information, check out the Tweet below:
How It Affects Frequent Flyers
Frequent flyers may feel mixed about United’s updated MileagePlus Elite Status rules. Higher thresholds can make perks harder to earn, while crowded lounges and limited upgrades reduce their value.
One traveler in the following tweet compared programs, saying, “$25 or 3,300 miles is still kinda steep… United is $8 or 800 miles (for the entire flight) for us MileagePlus members”:
These trade-offs show how travelers are weighing costs more closely than ever.
Tips To Reach (Or Keep) Your Status In 2025
To reach or keep MileagePlus status in 2025, plan travel around promotions and bonus offers. Flexibility with dates and routes can help earn more miles for less effort.
Using a United credit card or flying with Star Alliance partners can boost your qualifying points.
You can also take advantage of United’s 2025 Status Match program, as explained in the video below:
It shows how to match status from another airline and extend it through 2026 with a few easy steps.
