American AAdvantage vs United MileagePlus: Programme Rules Compared

What each programme publishes

United's Rules describe themselves as covering the accrual and redemption of miles, awards and benefits, and Premier and Million Miler benefits, and they state that the version on united.com is the final authority on the Rules [4]. A separate United page carries the Premier levels and the earning rates that feed them [6].

American's AAdvantage programme page is organised around component areas rather than rules: benefits and rewards, earning miles, using miles, the AAdvantage Business programme, offers from partners, buying, gifting or transferring miles, and AAdvantage credit cards [1]. From it readers can reach pages on earning on American Airlines flights, using miles for flight upgrades, earning miles on cruises and vacations, and earning on experiences, plus a programme FAQ [1]. The page states no numeric earning rates, expiry periods, elite qualification thresholds or fee amounts [1].

Earning miles and qualifying credits

MileagePlus miles accrue only when a member uses a means of accrual the programme recognises, and air mileage and Premier qualifying credits are credited only for flights actually flown by the individual member [4]. United awards neither mileage nor qualifying credits for cancelled flights, and award travel, including tickets paid with a combination of miles and money, earns neither unless United expressly permits it [4]. Class-of-service bonus miles follow the fare paid rather than the cabin flown, and are not credited on an upgrade [4].

For Premier qualification, United and United Express flights earn one PQP per US dollar of base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, while taxes and other fees earn none [6]. Preferred partner airlines earn one PQP per five award miles, capped at 750 PQP in economy and premium economy and 1,500 PQP in first and business class; other MileagePlus partners earn one PQP per six award miles, capped at 500 and 1,000 PQP on the same basis [6]. Award flights on United and United Express earn one PQP per 100 miles redeemed, credited to the member who travels rather than the member who redeemed [6].

One PQF is earned per flight on United, United Express and partner airlines, but not on Basic Economy tickets, which earn PQP and no PQF [6]. Flights to Venezuela, and flights to Cuba not operated by United, are not eligible for PQF [6]. On codeshares the operating airline decides how many miles are earned, and a partner flight that earns no award miles also earns no PQF or PQP [6]. Bonus award miles and miles earned through non-flight activity do not count toward Premier status unless United expressly says otherwise [6]. Claims for missing mileage or qualifying credits must reach United within twelve months of the date it was earned, and some partners set different retro-credit periods [4].

American's programme page separates earning on American Airlines flights from earning on cruises, vacations and experiences, and gives credit cards their own section [1]; the AAdvantage earning guide and the MileagePlus earning guide go further on each programme.

Mileage expiry and forfeiture

United's rules keep accrued miles in the account until they are redeemed or forfeited under one of six listed grounds: the Rules, Contract of Carriage or fare rules; prohibited conduct; applicable law or regulation; member-requested account closure; the member's death; or failure to respond to repeated communications about the account [4]. A period of account inactivity is not among those grounds [4]. Prohibited conduct can lead United to remove accrued mileage, lifetime miles and pending redemptions, and to terminate membership, after which the member cannot take part in the programme or open a new account without United's express consent [4].

Miles can be moved to another MileagePlus account through United's Transfer Miles Program, subject to that programme's own terms, and the sale or barter of miles, awards or status is prohibited [4]. On a member's death or divorce, United may credit all or part of the accrued mileage to authorised people once it receives satisfactory documentation and any applicable fees [4].

Elite qualification

Every Premier level requires either a combination of PQF and PQP or a higher PQP total on its own, plus at least four flights operated by United or United Express [6]. Premier Silver needs 15 PQF and 5,000 PQP, or 6,000 PQP; Premier Gold 30 PQF and 10,000 PQP, or 12,000 PQP; Premier Platinum 45 PQF and 15,000 PQP, or 18,000 PQP; and Premier 1K 60 PQF and 22,000 PQP, or 28,000 PQP [6].

Members have the full calendar year, 1 January to 31 December, to meet the requirement, and status runs from the day it is earned to the end of the following programme year [6]. United states that a member who reaches Premier in 2026 keeps that status until 31 January 2028 [6]. Lifetime thresholds sit alongside the annual ones: Premier Gold for life after one million miles flown with United, Premier Platinum after two million and Premier 1K after three million [6].

Spending on eligible United co-brand cards also earns PQP, at one PQP per $15 on the United Club Infinite and United Club Business cards and one per $20 on the other eligible cards, each with its own annual cap — for example up to 1,000 PQP on the United Explorer Card, 18,000 on the United Quest Card and 28,000 on the United Club Card [6]. Card earning does not remove the four-flight minimum [6]. Members can also buy PQP through Premier Accelerator when booking a United flight, and United added a one-off deposit in 2026 of 300, 600, 900 and 1,400 PQP for Silver, Gold, Platinum and 1K members respectively to those who held Premier status as of 1 February 2026, other than trial status holders [6].

United replaced its earlier metrics on 1 January 2020, when PQP and PQF became the basis for Premier status and PQM, PQS and PQD stopped being used [4].

Redemption, fees and programme discretion

United sets the amount, structure, availability and process for award redemption, and any of it can be modified, cancelled or limited with or without notice; the miles an award needs may rise or fall substantially, and an award may be withdrawn [4]. Award tickets can carry the taxes, fees, tariffs and ticket terms of the operating carrier, and departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and similar items are paid by the person using the award [4]. Once an award ticket is issued, a service charge may apply to each change or cancellation, and miles returned to the account are redeposited subject to a service charge, with some awards not eligible for redeposit at all [4]. Award travel is valid only to destinations served both when the ticket is issued and on the date of departure [4].

American's programme page lists using miles for flight upgrades among the things members do with AAdvantage miles and points redemption questions to the programme FAQ [1].

Exceptions and limits

• MileagePlus miles, awards and status are not the member's property and cannot be transferred or assigned except as United expressly permits [4]. Each individual may hold only one account, duplicate accounts are subject to cancellation, and mileage held in different accounts may not generally be combined [4].
• United may prohibit or suspend mileage redemption in an account for a period after that account is opened [4].
• PQP from an award flight goes to the traveller, and an itinerary mixing United and non-United flights earns PQP only on the United-operated flights [6].
• United may terminate MileagePlus in whole or in part and may change benefits, conditions of participation or qualification criteria with or without notice, even where that affects the value of miles or status already accumulated [4].

Related pages

Programme profiles: AAdvantage and MileagePlus. Earning detail: AAdvantage earning guide and MileagePlus earning guide. Status: status thresholds across major programmes. Background: frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Only American AAdvantage and United MileagePlus are covered here; other programmes, including Delta SkyMiles, Southwest Rapid Rewards, British Airways Club and the hotel programmes, are not covered on this page.

1. American Airlines AAdvantage program overview, checked 18 October 2026
2. United Airlines MileagePlus Rules, checked 18 October 2026
3. United Airlines: how to earn Premier status, checked 18 October 2026