United Airlines MileagePlus program presents some nice redemption choices on United and accomplice airways. United’s Star Alliance membership permits you to earn and redeem miles on Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and extra.
Not solely is the airline loyalty program free to be a part of, however United miles by no means expire. Even should you do not recurrently earn or redeem miles, you do not have to fear about shedding your account stability due to inactivity.
Earning United miles is only one a part of the puzzle, however figuring out which redemptions to goal and understanding the program’s perks can make sure you get the most value from your United miles.
Here are a few of the finest methods to maximize the MileagePlus program.
Save with United MileagePlus award gross sales
There has been loads of doom and gloom information about devaluations, decreased award availability and the stripping of advantages from award tickets. However, one constructive pattern over the previous couple of years has been the launch of limited-time, discounted award gross sales — and MileagePlus has joined the get together.
For instance, in 2024, the MileagePlus program supplied the following flash gross sales:
- Fly to Hong Kong from the U.S. beginning at 40,000 miles (plus taxes and costs) every means for United cardholders or 45,000 miles for non-cardholders.
- Fly to the Caribbean and Hawaii from the mainland U.S., beginning at 12,000 and 13,000 miles, respectively, every means (plus taxes and costs) for United Chase cardholders.
Book United Lie-flat premium cabin redemptions
United has invested closely in its worldwide premium expertise by increasing Polaris lounges, including new planes with modern Polaris cabins and retrofitting its long-haul fleet. Business-class passengers flying United Polaris can get pleasure from direct aisle entry, lie-flat seats and multicourse meals with Champagne, spirits and high-quality wines.
MileagePlus costs redemptions dynamically, so charges rise consistent with money fare demand. However, on lower-demand dates, you possibly can fly enterprise class to Europe or South America for simply 80,000 miles and to Australia for 100,000 miles every means. You would possibly need to use an award search app like Seats.aero to provide help to discover the lowest MileagePlus costs.
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Related: Is United Polaris enterprise class price it to Singapore?
Book United home flights with miles
While some applications have repeatedly elevated the costs of home award flights inside the U.S., it’s nonetheless doable to guide short-haul flights with United miles for as few as 4,500 miles every means, plus solely $6 in taxes and costs.
You can attempt looking the featured awards web page on the MileagePlus web site to discover the lowest home fares from your most well-liked airport.
No gas surcharges on United flights
The pleasure of snagging a “free” journey utilizing your miles might be dampened by a three- and even four-figure money cost required because of pesky gas surcharges. Other Star Alliance applications, like Lufthansa’s Miles & More program, can tack on lots of of {dollars} in gas surcharges to its award tickets. Luckily, when reserving by means of MileagePlus, it can save you on extra charges because it’s one in all the few applications that does not add gas surcharges.
Related: Dynamic pricing vs. gas surcharges — which is the lesser of two evils to your subsequent redemption?
United Excursionist Perk
United MileagePlus would not supply an unrestricted stopover like another frequent flyer applications, but it surely does supply the Excursionist Perk. This perk permits you to add a qualifying, one-way flight to a round-trip award ticket with out extra miles. Here are the guidelines United lists on its web site:
- The Excursionist Perk can’t be in the MileagePlus-defined area the place your journey originates. For instance, in case your journey begins in North America, you’ll solely obtain the Excursionist Perk if journey is inside a area outdoors of North America.
- Travel should finish in the similar MileagePlus-defined area the place journey originates.
- The origin and vacation spot of the Excursionist Perk are inside a single MileagePlus-defined area.
- The cabin of service and the free one-way award sort are the similar or decrease than the previous one-way award.
- Only the first prevalence can be free if two or extra one-way awards qualify for this profit.
This perk’s easiest and most evident use can be for a round-trip award from the U.S. to Europe or Asia. You may fly from Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA), use the Excursionist Perk for a free flight from FRA to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) after which full your round-trip award reserving with a flight again to IAD.
In this case, you’d pay the regular award fee for a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Europe, whereas the leg from FRA to CDG can be “free.”
Of course, you possibly can get rather more inventive than this. Maybe you add an open jaw and fly again to O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as a substitute of IAD.
You might be much more inventive with this perk. To find out about routing potentialities like “the independent Excursionist,” take a look at TPG’s full information to the Excursionist Perk.
Save money with last-minute United award redemptions
It could be price preserving a wholesome “just in case” sum of miles in your MileagePlus account for last-minute conditions. A number of years again, a former TPG staffer traveled to Belgium and had to return instantly to the U.S. due to a household emergency. The pressing nature of the scenario meant that they wanted to be on the first flight residence to San Francisco.
They discovered a United flight in Polaris enterprise class for simply 62,800 miles, connecting by means of Chicago. Miraculously, this flight was scheduled to depart Brussels in two hours and had the soonest arrival in San Francisco. The money value was over $8,000, so that they prevented paying for an costly last-minute fare and will instantly return residence.
Though an itinerary like this might now doubtless price at the very least 80,000 miles, you possibly can nonetheless save hundreds of {dollars} on last-minute bookings by redeeming United miles.
Related: Is United Airlines premium economic system price it to Europe?
How to earn United miles
United is a 1:1 switch accomplice of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards. That means you possibly can switch factors to your United MileagePlus account — a course of that must be accomplished inside minutes.
Marriott Bonvoy factors switch to United at a 3:1 ratio thanks to United and Marriott’s RewardsPlus partnership. You’ll get 10,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 factors transferred to United MileagePlus. Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to United MileagePlus can take up to three days.
If you are beginning from scratch or trying to save up, take into account including a United bank card to your pockets. You’ll have your alternative amongst entry-level and premium playing cards, in addition to private and enterprise choices:
- United Club℠ Card (see charges and costs): Earn 95,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- United Quest℠ Card (see charges and costs): Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying factors after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- United℠ Explorer Card (see charges and costs): Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- United Gateway℠ Card (see charges and costs): Earn 30,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
- United℠ Business Card (see charges and costs): Earn 125,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
United’s cobranded playing cards are issued by Chase, which means they’re topic to the 5/24 rule for brand spanking new candidates.
Bottom line
Despite some damaging modifications to the United MileagePlus program over the years, loads of high-value choices stay for redeeming your miles.
Knowing which award sorts, cabins and routing guidelines to make the most of can assist you increase your redemption values each time. Finally, evaluation the Excursionist Perk to add a free second vacation spot to your subsequent trip booked with United MileagePlus miles.
