How United PlusPoints upgrades work
United gives Premier Platinum and 1K members PlusPoints to spend on upgrade requests. A request goes on a waitlist unless upgrade seats are open, and United deducts the points only if the upgrade is confirmed.
2LNR doesn't track United upgrade or award space. This page explains the program and how it compares with the American, Delta and Alaska certificates 2LNR does track.
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United changes the PlusPoints rules often, and its pricing chart retires for travel on or after February 1, 2027, so check united.com before you plan around a number.
Who earns PlusPoints, and how many?
Only Premier Platinum and 1K members earn them, and you must fly at least four United or United Express flights in the calendar year. United says it deposits them as soon as you qualify for the tier.
| Premier tier | PlusPoints earned | What it takes to qualify for 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | None | 15 PQF and 5,000 PQP, or 6,000 PQP |
| Gold | None | 30 PQF and 10,000 PQP, or 12,000 PQP |
| Platinum | 40 | 45 PQF and 15,000 PQP, or 18,000 PQP |
| 1K | 280 more, for 320 total | 60 PQF and 22,000 PQP, or 28,000 PQP |
United counts Premier qualifying points (PQP) and flights (PQF), and its deadline for 2027 status is December 31, 2026.
A 1K member earns 20 more PlusPoints for every 3,000 PQP beyond 22,000. Since January 1, 2026, PQP earned through eligible United credit card spending count toward those extra PlusPoints.
Million Milers also receive PlusPoints, based on their lifetime Premier level, each January.
What does a PlusPoints upgrade cost?
The price depends on the cabin you hold, the cabin you want and whether the flight is short-haul or long-haul. This is United's chart as of October 7, 2026.
| Upgrade | PlusPoints needed |
|---|---|
| Premium Plus to Business, short-haul | 10 |
| Economy to First or Business, short-haul | 20 |
| Economy to Premium Plus, short-haul or long-haul | 20 |
| Premium Plus to Polaris, long-haul | 30 |
| Economy to Polaris, long-haul | 40 |
| Discounted economy to Polaris, long-haul | 80 |
| Any request on a partner airline | 40, deducted at once |
On a trip with several upgrade requests, United charges only the highest-priced upgrade you receive. Request a 20-point upgrade on the first flight and a 40-point one on the second, and you pay 40.
Until the chart retires, select transcontinental and Hawaii flights still cost 20 PlusPoints to reach Polaris. United says the chart retires for travel on or after February 1, 2027.
A stopover costs extra PlusPoints. United counts one as longer than 4 hours in the connecting city on a one-way trip within the U.S. or between the U.S. and Canada, and longer than 24 hours anywhere else.
Upgrades of any type aren't allowed on Basic Economy fares or on Economy fares with a first bag charge and no changes.
How does the waitlist work?
You ask for the upgrade, United checks for seats, and the points move only if you get one.
Requesting an upgrade
- Pick PlusPoints as the upgrade type while you shop, or open the flight under My Trips and choose Upgrade.
- If seats are open when you ask, the upgrade can confirm at once; otherwise you join a waitlist.
- You can ask until check-in closes, which is 30 to 90 minutes before takeoff.
- You can sponsor an upgrade for someone else, and they can travel without you.
When PlusPoints leave your account
- United takes the points only when the upgrade is confirmed. Partner airline requests are the one exception.
- You can have more waitlisted requests open than your balance covers, because nothing is deducted until one confirms.
- A confirmed upgrade can't be canceled.
- A canceled flight or a schedule change refunds the PlusPoints. A delay leaves your PlusPoints upgrade as it was.
Skip Waitlist
Skip Waitlist is a 1K-only perk for confirming an upgrade on the spot with extra PlusPoints when upgrade space is closed.
- It's offered only on select international flights operated by United, and only more than 30 days before departure.
- It's non-refundable and can't move to a new flight if you change your plans.
- The 1K member must be on the reservation. You can upgrade companions on that reservation as well.
When do PlusPoints expire?
PlusPoints are good for upgrades on travel through the end of the program year after the one you earned them in. United's example: PlusPoints issued in 2026 can be used for upgrade requests until January 31, 2028.
You can also exchange PlusPoints for other perks, up to March 31 of the year before they expire. The list is bonus miles, TravelBank cash, PQP, PQF and gifted Premier status. Exchanges are final, and United caps them at 600 PlusPoints per expiration date.
After March 31, any PlusPoints you haven't exchanged still work for upgrade requests until they expire.
Who gets upgraded first?
United processes PlusPoints requests before its free status upgrades, which start confirming 96 hours out for 1K and closer in for lower tiers.
Within a PlusPoints waitlist, United confirms by Premier status first, then fare class, then cardholder and corporate-contract priority, and last by the date and time of your request. When a request covers several travelers, the highest Premier status on the reservation sets the priority. United processes MileagePlus Upgrade Awards and PlusPoints upgrades before Complimentary Premier Upgrades.
On flights with Premium Plus, United processes Business requests from Premium Plus fares before requests from Economy.
| Premier tier | Complimentary upgrade window |
|---|---|
| 1K | 96 hours before departure |
| Platinum | 72 hours before departure |
| Gold | 48 hours before departure |
| Silver | Day of departure |
The free upgrades are a single cabin, on select United and United Express flights, when seats are available. United starts processing five days before departure, in status order. They apply on flights within the mainland U.S., between Hawaii and Los Angeles or San Francisco, and to Alaska, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, Guam and Micronesia. They aren't offered between New York/Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles or San Francisco.
PlusPoints next to the certificates we track
A certificate is one upgrade you apply to one trip. PlusPoints are a pooled balance, priced by cabin and route. The American, Delta and Alaska columns repeat what we say in our certificate comparison.
| United PlusPoints | American SWU | Delta GUC | Delta RUC | Alaska certificate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who earns it | Premier Platinum (40) and 1K (280 more), plus 20 for every 3,000 PQP past 22,000 | Loyalty Point Rewards from 175,000 Loyalty Points (up to two there, up to four at 250,000), plus Million Miler levels | Diamond Medallion Choice Benefit: four GUCs, or two GUCs and four RUCs | Diamond (eight RUCs, or the mix above) and Platinum (four RUCs) Choice Benefit | Atmos Rewards milestone reward, offered from the 55,000 status point milestone |
| Confirm or waitlist | Waitlist unless seats are open at request. United takes the points only if the upgrade clears, and 1K members can skip the waitlist on select international flights. | Confirms where upgrade space is open, otherwise joins the waitlist (no waitlist on British Airways) | Domestic First and Premium Select: any unsold seat, on request. Delta One: open upgrade space, otherwise the waitlist. Partner flights: confirm more than 24 hours out, no waitlist | Confirms into open upgrade space, otherwise joins the waitlist | North America: confirms on the spot or not at all, no waitlist. Long-haul: a separate certificate waitlist |
| Expiry | PlusPoints are good for travel through the end of the program year after you earn them. | Runs to March 31 of the year after the status year it was earned | Book and fly it by the end of the Medallion Year you selected it for | Book and fly it by the end of the Medallion Year you selected it for | Check the code in your Atmos Rewards account |
Our upgrade priority guide covers who clears first on American, Delta and Alaska. For the other ways an upgrade clears, see how to get upgraded.
If you hold PlusPoints, what can 2LNR do?
Not much for United itself, and we'd rather say so up front.
What 2LNR can't do
- Show United upgrade or award space.
- Watch a United flight for you and tell you when upgrade space opens.
- Count, price or forecast your PlusPoints.
What 2LNR does cover
- Show where American SWU space and Delta and Alaska upgrade space is open, on every plan for the next 14 days.
- Project your Premier status from the PQP and PQF in your loyalty ledger, so you can see how close Platinum or 1K is.
For American, Delta and Alaska certificates, see our search tool comparison.
Frequently asked questions about United PlusPoints
Does 2LNR track United upgrades?
How many PlusPoints do Platinum and 1K members earn?
How many PlusPoints does an upgrade cost?
When does United deduct PlusPoints?
Do PlusPoints expire?
When do United Premier members get free upgrades?
Can I use PlusPoints on partner airlines?
Sources
- United: PlusPoints Earning by tier, the pricing chart, deduction rules, the waitlist and priority terms, Skip Waitlist, expiry, exchanges and partners (accessed October 7, 2026).
- United: MileagePlus flight upgrades Where the free upgrade windows apply, which requests clear first, and when requests close (accessed October 7, 2026).
- United: Premier status The PQP and PQF thresholds for each tier, the 2027 qualification deadline, the 40 and 280 PlusPoints earned at Platinum and 1K, and the Basic Economy upgrade restriction (accessed October 7, 2026).
United, MileagePlus, Premier, Polaris and PlusPoints are trademarks of United Airlines; 2LNR is not affiliated with or endorsed by United Airlines. Program details are as of October 2026 and may change.
Search American and Delta upgrade space
See where AA SWU and Delta GUC space is open for the next 14 days. On Pro, an upgrade alert tells you when a flight you want opens.