Although 2023 has ended, there may still be an opportunity to snag the next level of United Premier status for 2024. United has targeted some members with an offer to purchase the status level above what they earned in 2023.
Visit this landing page and sign in to your United MileagePlus account to see if your account is eligible for a buy-up offer. But first, let’s discuss some of the offers TPG staffers have seen in their accounts and their takes on the offers.
United offers for 2024 Premier status
TPG’s senior cruise editor Erica Silverstein first flagged the availability of these buy-up offers to us after she received an email titled “Exclusive offer: Experience Premier Gold status in 2024” from United on Thursday, Jan. 18.
Erica earned Premier Silver status and got about halfway to Premier Gold status in 2023. She found the following offer when she clicked through the email:
As you can see, Erica could upgrade from Premier Silver to Premier Gold for $3,415 or 341,460 miles until Feb. 1. Or if she waits until after Feb. 1 and then decides to upgrade her status by March 3, she would need to pay $3,794 or 379,400 miles. In either case, Erica noted, “It’s likely a bad idea,” and we tend to agree.
Erica wasn’t the only TPG staffer to get an offer, though. Senior aviation business reporter David Slotnick said he was previously Premier Platinum but only earned Premier Silver in 2023. He received what he found to be a laughable offer to upgrade to Premier Gold for $3,524 or 352,350 miles by Feb. 1 (or $3,915 or 391,500 miles by March 3).
Meanwhile, director of content Summer Hull — who wrote about why she wasn’t attempting to re-qualify for top-tier airline status near the end of 2023 — got an offer to upgrade from Premier Platinum to Premier 1K by Feb. 1 for $10,999 or 1,099,900 miles.
Summer said she was “hoping against hope for a reasonable offer,” but she didn’t get one. For reference, Summer was about 20-25% over Premier Platinum but still far from Premier 1K at the end of 2023.
TPG founder Brian Kelly was also offered to upgrade from Premier Platinum to Premier 1K. However, his offer was for $6,283 or 628,300 miles by Feb. 1 or $6,783 or 678,300 miles by March 3. Brian earned 19,405 PQPs in 2023, so he noted his “discounted” offer is about 50% more expensive than if he’d spent the money on flights.
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However, you might not be targeted for an offer. For example, I have Premier Silver status thanks to Marriott and United’s RewardsPlus partnership and wasn’t targeted for an upgrade offer. Instead, I saw the following page when I checked for an offer:
None of the TPG staffers who received one of these United Premier elite status targeted offers found their deal compelling. As multiple noted, they’d rather spend the money on trips this year than pay it to United to upgrade their status by one tier for 2024. So, think carefully before you decide to pay money or points to upgrade your status with this offer.
If you do get an upgrade offer you decide to take, carefully consider other uses for your United miles before you redeem them at about 1 cent per point to upgrade your status. TPG’s valuations peg the value of United miles around 1.45 cents each, so we don’t recommend redeeming United miles for just 1 cent each.
Related: How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program
Bottom line
In almost all cases, United’s buy-up offers are atrociously expensive. If you’ve received one of these offers, consider your upcoming travel plans and see if the added benefits outweigh the cost.
Most of the time, we recommend applying whatever you were considering spending on a status buy-up toward flight activity this year. After all, the United Premier status you earn this year will be valid until Jan. 31, 2026, giving you an extra year to enjoy the perks associated with your status.
