Earning United Premier Status Will Be Much Harder in 2023

United Airlines flyers, brace yourselves. Earning status next year might be a bit harder than this year.

United just announced its Premium status thresholds for flights flown and dollars spent, raising them across the board. Given the high demand for air travel right now, that's not surprising. (In fact, Delta recently raised its elite status thresholds, too.)

Let's take a look at what's on the table. In 2019, United overhauled its Premier program with two paths for frequent flyers to qualify for status. The first is a traditional combination of flights flown (Premier qualifying flights or PQFs) and dollars spent on flights and upgrades (Premier qualifying points or PQPs). The second is just PQPs but at a higher threshold.

In 2023, here's what the earnings thresholds look like:

And for context, here's what the thresholds were in 2022:

That's a big difference, but the 2023 thresholds aren't unprecedented—they're identical to the 2020 thresholds set before the pandemic. The 2022 thresholds were actually lowered to make achieving status easier during a time when people were flying less. But now that demand has returned, so have the higher thresholds.

It's not all bad news for United loyalists, though. The airline also announced several positive changes.

For instance, United will now grant PQFs and PQPs for flights booked with MileagePlus miles; you'll earn 1 PQF per flight and 1 PQP per 100 miles redeemed. (Again, United is following Delta with this update.)

United has also created a bonus program for existing Premier status members, giving them a headstart on PQPs based on their current status levels, as listed in the chart below.

On top of the status changes, United also eliminated its award redeposit fees. That means if you book a flight with MileagePlus miles, you can cancel the ticket and receive a full refund of those miles for free (previously, it cost up to $125 for an award redeposit). You can also change award bookings for free.

So while the thresholds are up overall, which is sure to ruffle some feathers, some positive changes in the mix will make it slightly easier to earn United Premier status next year. For the full breakdown of the status updates, visit United.com.