本日、１月１５日。速報の割り込み記事です。
ユナイテッド航空から MileagePlus プレミア・プラチナ以上の会員へ２０２６年度の PlusPoints が付与されました。
本年度もらった（あるいは昨年中にレベル到達していっぱいもらった）PlusPoints の、アップグレード以外での利用方法が明らかになりましたので、ご紹介します。
今日もらえた PlusPoints が他の用途へ変換できるのは、３月末までです。お早めに。
１．PlusPoints を、特典マイルへ変換できます。
交換できるマイル変換のオプションは、以下です。
どうやら、10 PlusPoints につき 1,500 マイルの割合で、リニアに変換できるようです。
変換効率はこちらですが… さすがにゴールド以上はベネフィットも凄いから高い。
４０ポイント＝ プレミア・シルバー
１００ポイント＝プレミア・ゴールド
４４０ポイント＝プレミア・プラチナ
６００ポイント＝プレミア １K®
どなたかに 1K 資格をプレゼントって… ６００ポイントぉ！？
そんなに PlusPoints もらった奴、なかなか少ないと思います。
３．そして、PlusPoints はエリート資格ポイントの PQP にも変換できます。
変換効率は… どうなんでしょ？
もう３ミリオン飛んじゃったから PQP/PQF を追いかけていないので、相場が不明。
１０ポイントあたり 100 PQP に変換できるみたいです。
フライトセグメントに交換するのって、さすがに数字がちいさい。
2 PQF あたりは 160 PlusPoints に交換してくれる模様。
これ、どんだけ嬉しいのか、需要があるのか、皆目見当が付きません。
ここは 10 PlusPoints ごとに刻めるから、リストが長かった…。
10 PlusPoints あたり２０ドル分のトラベルキャッシュがもらえます。
以上、PlusPoints を受け取れない毒者さんには無駄な情報でした～。(汗)
ちなみに、我が家は 280 PlusPoints もらって、速攻で 240 PlusPoints 消費済みです。
あと４０ポイント… やっぱり 6,000 アワードマイルに交換かなぁ。少し悩みます。
I am certainly not an expert on PlusPoints, but I tried to read your article carefully—almost as if it were an academic paper—and I would like to offer some comments from the perspective of an interested amateur.
ReplyDeleteIn your article, you report that PlusPoints for the 2026 program year have been granted to Premier Platinum members and above, and you also highlight the newly clarified system that allows members to convert their points into uses other than upgrades. This makes it clear that United is moving toward a more diversified use of PlusPoints.
According to the article, the exchange rate appears to be 10 PlusPoints for 1,500 miles. Compared with the value of upgrades—especially on long‑haul international flights, where the value remains very high—the mileage conversion seems to function mainly as a way to “use up leftover points.” The fact that you yourself are debating whether to convert them into 6,000 miles suggests that the option is practical, though not particularly compelling.
Your article also notes that 440 points can be exchanged for Premier Gold, 600 points for Premier Platinum, and 600 points for 1K®. As you mention, however, very few people actually possess that many PlusPoints. While the system is interesting in theory, it seems that only a tiny number of members would ever make use of it—truly a case of “絵に描いた餅.”
You also introduce the rate of 10 PlusPoints for 100 PQP. This may be helpful for those who are short on PQP, but compared with the value of upgrades, the efficiency is low. As you comment, the “market value” of this exchange is unclear, and it seems wise to consider carefully when, if ever, to use it. The PQF exchange also appears to have very limited practical value simply because the numbers are so small—your frank impression comes across clearly.
The rate of 10 PlusPoints for the equivalent of 20 dollars may be convenient in that it allows for small, flexible exchanges, but in terms of value, it falls far short of using the points for upgrades. You also mention that “the list was long…,” which suggests that the system is characterized more by the abundance of options than by actual usefulness.
At the end of the article, you note that you have already used 240 out of your 280 points. This seems to illustrate the reality that upgrades still offer the highest value, and that the exchange system exists mainly to prevent leftover points from going to waste.
Overall, what I take from your article is that although United has expanded the possible uses of PlusPoints, the core value still lies in upgrades. The exchange options may indeed have become more convenient, but the rates are not particularly generous, and very few people hold enough points to take advantage of the bolder conversions. In that sense, your approach—“I’ll exchange them only if I have leftovers, but basically I’ll use them for upgrades”—seems the most rational, and I imagine you will continue to use your points in that way going forward.