The United Airlines is following its promise to make Pluspoints more flexible, but the increased utility is coming at a (steep) cost.

The Chicago -based carrier rolled out his much -awaited update on how the premiere elite members can use pluspoints on Thursday. The airline is sharing updates through customer email, and it specially informed the TPG before changes.

The good news is that passengers who may not seem to explain their pluspoints upgrade will have far more use for this upgrade currency. But, do not expect this Newfound flexibility to come cheap – or at first glance it is easy to understand.

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Here is everything that you need to know.

Back in October, United announced that it will happen Start new ways to use pluspointsWhich is historically limited to upgrading flights booked with United and Select Partners.

And now, starting with the 2025 position year, flyers can use pluspoints for the following allowances:

• Travlabank Cash
• Bonus mile
• Premier qualifying points
• Gift to premiere status
• Premier qualifying flights

Note that these new exchange options are limited to the premiere year of 2025 and beyond the acquired pluspoints, which means that people with last year’s pluspoints will be trapped especially using them for upgrade.

Each perk requires a different amount of pluspoints, which I will outline below. You can mix and match the exchange of pluspoints between different allowances, but there are some restrictions to keep in mind.

The first is that you are limited to the exchange of 600 eligible pluspoints per expiry date, which means that each year you achieve qualification for the situation, you can exchange at more than 600 pluspoints. You have to use the rest for upgrade.

He said, there are not many members earning more than 600 plus points every year, explaining to the Managing Director of Jill Doale, MilejPlus Program, TPG. “A small percentage of our program goes above it,” he said.

Note that each person has a maximum number of pluspoints in the perk which can be exchanged every year. More on it.

The second major restriction is that the timeline for the exchange of pluspoints is much less than the expiry date of your pluspoints.

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Every year you earn pluspoints, you will have to exchange them for the perks before their ends till 31 March of the year. For example, if you earn a pluspoint in 2025, they will end on January 31, 2027, but the exchange is closed on 31 March 2026. This means that for eight months between March 31, 2026 and 31 January 2027, your pluspoints can be used exclusively for upgrades.

This final restriction is probably the most punitive.

Even though United Flyers are giving more flexibility to use pluspoints, but you will need to take your decision about how many points you will need to exchange well before the end of the year. I think it will help limit the exchange of the final-end at the end of January when passengers realize how many expiry pluspoints they have, but it still does not feel like the most flying-friendly restriction.

“To make it really a viable product, we had to place some parameters on it that helps our plan,” said Dial. Reading between lines, it seems that United was worried that it was actually a lot of exchange at the end of the year.

You will be able to process a pluspoints exchange Go to this website And is basically doing this in the joint mobile app.

Travlabank Cash

If you want to exchange pluspoints for travelbank cash, then there are redemption rates:

• 10 pluspoints: $ 20 Travlabank Cash
• 20 pluspoints: $ 40 Travalabank Cash
• 40 Pluspoints: $ 80 Travalabank Cash
• 80 Pluspoints: $ 160 Travalabank Cash
• 100 Pluspoints: $ 200 Travalabank Cash

Note that you cannot exchange more than 100 pluspoints per year for Travelbank cash.

You can apply Travelbank Cash for most united flight shopping, and it acts similar to a gift card. It is directly stored in your mileagePlus account and will end one year from the date of deposit.

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Bonus mile

If you want to exchange pluspoints for mileagePlus miles, then there are redemption rates here:

• 10 pluspoints: 1,500 mileagePlus miles
• 20 pluspoints: 3,000 mileagePlus miles
• 40 pluspoints: 6,000 mileagePlus miles
• 80 pluspoints: 12,000 mileagePlus miles
• 100 pluspoints: 15,000 mileagePlus miles

Note that you cannot exchange more than 100 pluspoints per year for mileagePlus miles. Myageplus Miles do not end, and Bonus Miles will be posted in the account of the premiere member within three days of selection.

Premier qualifying points

If you want to exchange pluspoints for premiere qualifying points, then there are redemption rates here:

• 10 pluspoints: 100 pkukup
• 20 pluspoints: 200 pkukup
• 40 pluspoints: 400 pkukup
• 80 pluspoints: 800 PQPS
• 100 pluspoints: 1,000 pkukup
• 160 pluspoints: 1,600 pkupup

Note that you cannot exchange more than 160 pluspoints per year for PQPS. PQPS earned from the exchange will be deposited directly to the premiere member’s account – they cannot be gifted or transferred.

Exchange made before 31 December, 2025 can be applied in 2025 or 2026 qualifications, while exchanges between January 1, 2026 and 31 March 2026 will be automatically applied in 2026 qualifications.

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Gift to premiere status

If you want to exchange pluspoints for a gift of premiere status, then there are redemption rates:

• 40 pluspoints: Premier Silver Status
• 100 pluspoints: Premier Gold Status
• 440 pluspoints: Premier Platinum Status
• 600 pluspoints: Premier 1K Status

Note that you can select only three premiere silver gifts, up to two premiere gold gifts and just one gift of Premier Platinum and/or Premier 1K each year.

The gift situation will be valid through the date when the deadline of pluspoints would have expired, and the members receiving a premiere gift will not earn pluspoints until they kill the qualification criteria published for that level position.

Premier qualifying flights

If you want to exchange pluspoints for premiere qualifying flights, then there are redemption rates here:

• 160 pluspoints: 2 PQFS
• 320 Pluspoints: 4 PQFS

Note that you cannot exchange more than 320 pluspoints per year for PQFS. PQF earned from the exchange will be deposited directly to the premiere member’s account – they cannot be gifted or transferred.

All the PQF 2026 qualifications earned from the exchange will be valid for the year, whether they were selected in 2025 or 2026.

Is this a good deal?

Pluspoints vary in cost depending on upgrade root and cabin class. And when they can provide great values ​​when they help you successfully clarify in a high cabin, many flying people have complained in recent years that they have no possibility of clearing themselves in the upgrade list, especially during the peak journey period.

Many passengers then allow their pluspoints to end every year, which is not a great way to clearly reward their top flying for United (although I think the airline does not mind something broken here).

These new exchange options will definitely be better than nothing and passengers should provide some more ways to use their points instead of eliminating them.

That said, between important terms and conditions – especially the limits that exchanges should be completed in early 2026 – and the skipper redemption rates, the possibility will not represent a good deal for many prominent members who could have used the pluspoint for upgrades instead.

For example, exchange of 40 pluspoints for Travelbank or Bonus Miles will receive a $ 80 or 6,000 mileage miles in Travalabank Credit, $ 81 as per $ 81, according to $ 81. TPG evaluation,

Meanwhile, 40 pluspoints applied to the upgradation of a long race from the economy to the Pollaris Business Class, if not more then it could be valuable to above $ 1,500.

When I gave this example to Doyle, he chose to underline the increased utility, unlocking the exchange program, not the inherent value of the actual pluspoints. “Rather says, if you don’t get value [PlusPoints because you] Never get that upgrade, we are giving you a different option, “He said.” And so where we are trying to bow down is value for the customer, not pegging [PlusPoints] For a specific value that can be ill. ,

Nevertheless, this discrepancy in value is so obvious, especially for the persistent flying, that it surprises me whether this step is coming to pluspoints.

Other changes can be suppressed, Dial only said: “I can’t share much.” However, it certainly seems to be the first stage of the multi-dimensional process of adjusting the value for pluspoints.

Of course, only time will tell, but if I am a betting man, I would say that the day can end to end soon instead of enjoying the 40-point upgrade from economy to business.

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