Whether you’re a business traveler or a jet enthusiast, achieving Million Miller status is a testament to your continued support of unified airline.
Despite having to fly a lot on paid tickets, Trieu Millers still likes it United Airlines Elite Status for life and can share their status with a companion. And not like American Airlines Lifetime Elite Status And Delta Air Lines’ Million Miles ProgramUnited offers Millions of Millers a link to its yet to be announced super-exclusive level of Global Service.
To be fair, only a small percentage of United’s more than 100 million people MileagePlus Members will never be eligible for lifetime status. But United’s most frequent flyer, tom stuker, has earned more than 23 million lifetime miles with United. And even if you don’t fly as much as Tom, you can still aspire to Million Miller status and lock in United Premier elite status for life.
Here’s what you need to know about lifetime elite status with United Airlines.
Flowers fly forever
Today, the loyalty programs of major U.S. airlines give status to spenders rather than frequent travelers. That’s why United players must earn Top qualifying score — or a combination of PQP and Premier-eligible flights — each year to earn United Premier status.
However, United awards Million Miller status based on the total distance traveled by you on paid flights operated by United and United Express credited to MileagePlus. Lifetime Miles do not expire or reset.
As mentioned, you can only earn lifetime miles on paid flights operated by United and United Express. Most fares are in cash, incl unify the basic economy, earn miles for a lifetime. Regardless of your seat class, you’ll earn one lifetime mile for every physical mile you fly (based on the mileage scheduled for your flights, not the actual mileage).
But even though you can now earn PQP and PQF on some reward bookings, you will not earn lifetime miles on award flights. In addition, flights operated by partner airlines do not earn lifetime miles.
When you sign in to your MileagePlus account, you’ll see your lifetime mileage in the “Top Progress” section.
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Related: Is it worth the lifelong pursuit of elite status?
Million Miler Status with United
Here’s what it takes to achieve Million Miller status with United:
| lifetime miles | status level |
|---|---|
| 1 million. | Top Gold. |
| 2 million. | Premium Platinum. |
| 3 million. | Prime Minister 1K. |
| 4,000,000. | Global service. |
Unlike American and Delta, which offer the lowest tier to passengers who reach 1 million lifetime miles with the plan, United offers Premier Gold mid-tier members for life when they reach 1 million lifetime miles.
Premier Gold includes many of the same perks as United’s top status, like access to Savings Plus seats at the time of booking, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status And Golden Star Alliance status.
Then, with every million extra miles you fly, you raise your status. You’ll be a Global Services member for life if you earn 4 million lifetime miles. In general, this is a invitation only status United’s top spenders tier.
Several TPG readers have reported that United no longer credits Plus points for Premier Platinum and 1K lifetime elite members who no longer meet the annual requirements for their status tiers. In a statement, A United spokesman confirmed this was due to a technical fault, but many Million Millers have gone without Plus points despite their best efforts. So, as a Millionaire, don’t expect Pluses if you don’t meet the PQP (or PQP and PQF) requirements for your respective status.
Arguably the best part of United’s Million Miller program, though, is sharing your current status with a travel companion. For example, if you are a 2M Miller Earner with lifetime Premier Platinum status but currently hold Premier 1K status, you can designate your spouse to also be entitled to Premier 1K. Note, however, that you can only share your current status with your spouse, significant other, or individual residing at your home address.
If you are a Millionaire, you can choose your companion on United’s website.
Related: How I use my United PlusPoints to maximize my chances of being upgraded
How long does it take to reach Million Miller status?
Since United only credits lifetime miles on paid flights operated by United, earning 1 million lifetime miles (let alone 4 million) is no easy feat. If you earn 100,000 lifetime miles per year, it will take you a decade to earn 1 million lifetime miles.
If you’re eligible for full lifetime flight status on one-way flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), here’s what you need to get lifetime flight status:
- Lifetime Premier Gold: 390 flights (about 2,150 flight hours).
- Lifetime Premium Platinum: 780 flights (about 4,300 flight hours).
- Premier Lifetime 1K CZK: 1,170 flights (about 6,450 flight hours).
- Lifetime global service: 1,560 flights (about 8,600 flight hours).
Of course, if you regularly travel on long-haul United flights, you’ll reach Millionaire status with fewer flights.
Related: The best credit card for United Airlines passengers
bottom line
If you’re a dedicated United passenger, consider checking your Million Miller balance to see how close you are to one of the lifetime tiers.
Even though I’ve seen passengers die running mileage on United flights to earn extra lifetime miles, we don’t recommend flying just to earn lifetime miles. That said, Million Miller status is the only announced path to locking in United’s elite status for life and not having to worry about re-qualifying year after year.
Additional reporting by Ethan Steinberg.
