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The United Airlines MileagePlus Premier Status Match Challenge
If you are still thinking of moving your status elsewhere, there is a new offer from United. The good news is there is no fee, but the bad news is it requires a one-way flight and the status is short-lived. However, there is currently a good £300 offer with American Express that we wrote about here.
The status match lets you match your current status from many other European airlines, such as British Airways and Virgin, to comparable United Airlines Premier status for a 120-day trial. You can apply until 21 December 2026, so there is plenty of time.
- First, you need to submit your request form and proof of your current airline status on the United Status Match page. Approval takes up to 14 business days. Here are some examples of how you can match your BA status:
- BA Bronze – Premier Silver
- BA Silver – Premier Gold (includes lounge access)
- BA Gold – Premier Platinum (Star Alliance Gold)
- For UK-based applications, your status activates after taking a qualifying one-way United Airlines flight departing from London Heathrow within 90 days of approval (or 30 days prior).
- Once activated, you get temporary Premier status (Silver, Gold, or Platinum) for 120 days.
To keep your matched status past the 120-day trial, you must complete specific segment and Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) targets within those 120 days:
- Premier Silver: Fly 2 segments and earn 1,700 PQP.
- Premier Gold: Fly 2 segments and earn 3,400 PQP.
- Premier Platinum: Fly 2 segments and earn 5,000 PQP.
So how do you earn PQP points? You earn 1 PQP for every $1 spent on United and United Express flights (excludes taxes). There is also a UK United Airlines Debit Card that lets you earn points and costs £175 per year.
This will probably be a fairly niche offer given all the hoops to jump through, but if you’re considering Star Alliance status and have some US trips planned but not yet booked or just taken, this could work for you.
Qatar F1 stopover trip
Qatar Airways Holidays has added to the Qatar stopover experience with the launch of exclusive FORMULA 1® QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2026 packages. For the first time, three-day Formula 1® race tickets have been integrated into Qatar Stopover packages along with flights and hotel accommodation, allowing passengers transiting through Hamad International Airport to transform their journey into a Grand Prix getaway, in addition to Qatar Airways Holidays’ existing Formula 1® fan packages.
The enhanced Qatar stopover experience will include a three-day T16 Grandstand ticket to the FORMULA 1® QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2026 as part of the package
There’s a range of Qatar Stopover package categories, including Standard, Premium, Luxury, and Premium Beach, all offering the same benefits of Qatar’s stopover programme. Packages include flexible 24-hour hotel check-in and check-out benefits and can be further customised with additional experiences such as city tours, beach club access and destination experiences across Qatar. To book the new Stopover packages, customers need to make sure their search dates fall between 27 to 29 November 2026. After selecting their flights and preferred hotels, the three-day race ticket will be included in their package.
Privilege Club members can also collect Avios and Qpoints on eligible bookings, as well as book packages using Cash + Avios.
The Formula 1®; inclusive Qatar Stopover packages are expected to be available for booking through Qatar Airways Holidays later this month, subject to availability and applicable terms and conditions.
You can learn more about Qatar Stopover Packages here, while dedicated Formula 1® fan packages are here.
Preferred Hotels joins Revpoints (Revolut)
If you want a card that lets you earn hotel and airline points without getting a credit card, Revolut’s RevPoints are extremely versatile. You can transfer your RevPoints to 30+ airline loyalty programs, including British Airways Executive Club, Flying Blue, and many more. The points are valid for 3 years, which gives plenty of time to use them. You earn RevPoints on purchases, not on transfers or withdrawals. Now the brand has added a hotel group to the transfer list, which makes it even more interesting. If you want to learn more about Revolut, you can read our article here.
I Prefer Hotel Rewards, the points-based loyalty program of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, has announced a partnership with Revolut, introducing a new points transfer benefit for members. Through this partnership, Revolut users can now transfer RevPoints to I Prefer Hotel Rewards at a 1:2 ratio – receiving two I Prefer points for every RevPoint transferred. If you have not used Preferred hotels before, they include a wide range of luxury and mid-range hotels, including Virgin, Fullerton and Montage – they even have Necker Island!
To transfer points, visit the I Prefer Hotel Rewards points transfer page here.
