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Ready to buy? Click here to purchase United miles with a bonus now.
If you're short the United MileagePlus miles necessary to book your next trip, there's a new sale on United miles that can help you restock your account. Through November 25, 2025, MileagePlus members can get up to a 100% bonus, which drops the effective cost to as low as 1.88¢ per mile.
In this post, we’ll show you who should consider buying United miles during this promo — and when it’s better to pass.
Page Contents
Buy United Miles Promotion Key Terms
- This promotion is valid through 11:59 p.m. CT on November 25, 2025.
- Per the terms and conditions, you can purchase up to 200,000 United miles per transaction and 200,000 annually.
- Miles can take up to 72 hours to post to your MileagePlus account after your purchase.
- Purchased miles do not count toward United Premier status.
- Purchases of United miles are nonrefundable.
- Check out the full terms and conditions here.
United MileagePlus can offer different bonuses and discount amounts to different members. So, it's important to check your account and those of family members (if you've got a “Player 2“) to see what United buy-miles promotion shows up and what rate you're getting.
For the sake of this post, we will focus on the top 100% bonus promotion that members of the AwardWallet team are seeing. However, other bonus levels may exist.
Related: Do United MileagePlus Miles Expire?
How many United miles do you need to buy to get a bonus?
The minimum purchase amount is 2,000 miles, but you must purchase at least 8,000 miles to receive any bonus (50%). But to get the best rate (1.88¢ each), you'll need to buy at least 50,000 miles. If you're targeted for the biggest bonus, you can buy United miles at the following rates through this 100% bonus offer:
- 2,000–7,000 miles: No bonus (3.76¢ each)
- 8,000–24,000 miles: 50% bonus (2.51¢ each)
- 25,000–49,000 miles: 75% bonus (2.15¢ each)
- 50,000–100,000 miles: 100% bonus (1.88¢ each)
Who Should Buy United Miles?
We do not recommend buying points and miles without a specific plan in mind. With that said, buying United miles can make sense if you need to book a flight and you can buy enough miles to book an award flight for less than the cost of booking a paid fare. It can also make sense to top off your MileagePlus balance to book your next award flight.
For reference, here are the average redemption rates that AwardWallet users have gotten from recent United redemptions — broken down by class of service:
- Short-haul economy/premium economy: 1.31¢
- Long-haul economy/premium economy: 1.77¢
- Short-haul business/first class: 1.87¢
- Long-haul business/first class: 3.19¢
How to Maximize This Buy United Miles Promotion
Bear in mind that United eliminated award charts in 2020 and made additional MileagePlus devaluations in 2023. In 2024, United significantly increased the cost of first class on partner airlines and skyrocketed the prices on some awards for business class. However, it's not all bad news, though, as United dropped the price of partner business class awards to select regions by as much as 10% in November 2025.
However, there's still value to be found at times that can make it worthwhile to buy United miles. For the cheapest mileage rates, you'll need to stick to flights operated by United on routes to/from the U.S., partners on overseas routes, or redeem for some United MileagePlus sweet spots.
For example, United MileagePlus members can book business class between the U.S. and Europe starting at 80,000 miles:
Or fly to deep South America — such as Houston (IAH) to Sao Paulo (GRU) — for as few as 80,000 miles in United Polaris business class:
While United uses dynamic pricing for its own flights, awards on partner airlines still price at relatively predictable rates if there's award availability. Examples of the unpublished United partner award chart include the following award prices:
- Chicago to Porto, Portugal for 80,000 miles in United and Lufthansa business class
- Newark to Cape Town, South Africa for 80,000 miles in United and Ethiopian business class
- Los Angeles to Tokyo, Japan for 100,000 miles in ANA or Asiana business class (for United cardholders, 110,000 for non-cardholders)
If you utilize this 100% bonus promotion (1.88¢ per mile), you could buy the exact amount of United miles for these redemptions at a cost of:
- Chicago to Vienna for $1,504 in business class.
- Houston to Sao Paulo for $1,504 in business class.
- Chicago to Porto for $1,504 in business class.
- Newark to Cape Town for $1,504 in business class.
- Los Angeles to Tokyo for $1,880 in business class.
There are many situations where the cost of buying a ticket could be far more expensive than buying United miles during this promotion. This is especially true with one-way tickets that often cost more than half the round-trip price.
Related: The Basics of Booking an Award Flight With United
United Buy Miles History
We have compiled a list of former United buy miles promotions. As you can see below, there is quite a long history — as United is known for offering deals on a frequent basis.
United offered several promotions in 2020 that allowed you to grab miles for just 1.75¢ each. However, it was only that cheap since excise taxes were waived due to the pandemic.
Since then, United has kept its offers around 1.88-2.03¢ apiece, so this promotion is one of the more typical rates United offers. But it's still much better than the base rate if you're in a pinch and need miles to top off your account.
| Promotion Ended | Max Bonus/Discount | Min Cents per Mile |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-25 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2025-10-18 | 95% Bonus | 1.93 |
| 2025-09-23 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2025-08-24 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2025-07-25 | 70% Bonus | 2.21 |
| 2025-06-29 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2025-06-09 | 30% Discount | 2.63 |
| 2025-05-30 | 95% Bonus | 1.93 |
| 2025-04-25 | 90% Bonus | 1.98 |
| 2025-04-13 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2025-03-29 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2025-02-28 | 95% Bonus | 1.93 |
| 2025-01-31 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2024-12-31 | 85% Bonus | 2.03 |
| 2024-12-23 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2024-12-01 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2024-11-21 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2024-10-25 | 95% Bonus | 1.93 |
| 2024-09-20 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2024-08-25 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2024-07-31 | 90% Bonus | 1.98 |
| 2024-06-28 | 90% Bonus or 45% Discount | 1.98 |
| 2024-06-18 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2024-05-28 | 90% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2024-04-30 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2024-03-31 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2024-03-14 | 95% Bonus | 1.93 |
| 2024-02-24 | 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2024-01-27 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-12-31 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-12-22 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-11-30 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-11-20 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-10-26 | 90% Bonus | 1.98 |
| 2023-09-17 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-08-25 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-07-28 | 95% Bonus | 1.93 |
| 2023-06-28 | 90% Bonus | 1.98 |
| 2023-06-18 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-05-31 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-04-28 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2023-03-26 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.93 |
| 2023-03-19 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2023-02-28 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2023-01-27 | 90% Bonus | 1.98 |
| 2022-12-31 | 80% Bonus | 2.09 |
| 2022-12-22 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-11-20 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-10-26 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-10-11 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-09-21 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-08-17 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-07-26 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-06-30 | 90% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-06-17 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-06-01 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-05-27 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-04-30 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2022-03-21 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2022-02-28 | 100% Bonus or 45% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2022-01-28 | 100% Bonus or 40% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2021-12-23 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-11-26 | 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2021-10-25 | 100% Bonus or 50% Discount | 1.88 |
| 2021-09-28 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-08-18 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-07-23 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-06-19 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-05-25 | 85% Bonus or 40% Discount | 2.03 |
| 2021-04-30 | 85% Bonus | 2.03 |
| 2021-04-01 | 85% Bonus | 2.03 |
| 2021-03-19 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-02-25 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2021-01-31 | 100% Bonus | 1.88 |
| 2020-12-31 | 100% Bonus | 1.75 |
| 2020-12-04 | 85% Bonus | 1.89 |
| 2020-11-27 | 100% Bonus | 1.75 |
| 2020-11-19 | 85% Bonus | 1.89 |
| 2020-10-27 | 100% Bonus | 1.75 |
| 2020-09-24 | 85% Bonus | 1.89 |
| 2020-09-16 | 100% Bonus | 1.75 |
| 2020-07-16 | 100% Bonus | 1.75 |
| 2020-06-21 | 85% Bonus | 1.89 |
| 2020-05-29 | 75% Bonus | 2 |
| 2020-05-14 | 100% Bonus | 1.75 |
Maximize Your United Points Purchase
United doesn't sell miles directly. Instead, Points.com processes buy United miles purchases. Unfortunately, this means the purchase won't count as airfare or travel on your credit card.
As such, we recommend using a credit card for which you're working on a welcome bonus or your best credit card for everyday spending, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card when buying United miles.
Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use to Buy Points and Miles?
Other Ways to Earn United Miles
If you're not in a bind for time, another way to earn United miles is to collect a sign-up bonus on a co-branded United credit card. There are several good options worth considering:
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 5 miles per $1 spent at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
- 2 miles per $1 spent on select streaming services
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 2x on United® purchases
- 2x on local transit and commuting — including train tickets, taxicabs, mass transit, tolls and ride share services
- 2x at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores
- 1x on all other purchases
Additionally, don't forget that you can transfer Chase points to United at a 1:1 ratio. This means points earned on cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be converted to United miles instantly for your next redemption.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Alternatively, you can transfer points to United from Bilt Rewards or a slew of hotel and even car rental partners:
Related: How to Redeem United Miles for Maximum Value
Bottom Line
Buying miles rarely makes sense without a specific, high-value use in mind. But if you’ve found award availability and don’t have enough miles to book, this up to 100% bonus offer can help you bridge the gap for less than the cost of a paid fare, especially for long-haul premium cabin awards.
Just be sure to run the numbers carefully before you buy. Otherwise, your best bet remains earning through everyday spending, card bonuses, or point transfers from Chase or Bilt.
Are you planning to buy United MileagePlus miles for 1.88¢ apiece?
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Spend $3700 odd bucks for 200k miles. On a good day that pays for one way J fare across the pond.
What a rip off.
Just checked my UA account. Being offered 85% until 24Aug 2025. I’m in North America.
Suppose the key word in this promotion is “targeted”. Devil always in the detail.
Happy Travels all
I used this offer, maximizing the entire purchase of 200,000 miles at a cost of $3,850. This resulted in only $1,547 in what the Miles took off on the purchase of a trip. So a $2,000 loss. This is a scam.
It’s not a scam. You just redeemed your miles at a miserable redemption rate of 0.77 cents per mile. That’s far below the average that MileagePlus members get from their miles – and even further below what you can get from redeeming United miles.
If you redeemed your points for an economy flight, then it’s not worth it. Business and First class will get you the best redemptions.
This is targeted….in South America we’ve been offered just up to 85% (disgusting)
Not sure where you are seeing the 80% off, I tried purchasing 65K miles and the discount was only 45%.
Ah, when we checked around the AwardWallet team, everyone was seeing an 80% bonus. That’s roughly equivalent to the 45% discount you’re seeing.
I just checked the miles buying option… there is only 80%, not 100% listed… Please advise.
Looks like you weren’t targeted for the maximum 100% bonus in that promotion.
Flights right now are really high priced. Not sure if this will help. I’ll read it in detail later. Thanks for the info.
Really really hard to get 2c a mile out of UA award redemptions these days. Even on partner airlines the rates appear to be dynamically priced based on ticket price.
Is the tax included in the 1.88 cent cost equation? If not, no.
I’d rather do awards than cash usually because I like the flexibility of awards and the Excursionist Perk. But you do lose whatever miles you’d earn. I’m in a UA hub so UA miles are good for me. Except I don’t like the tax. So Aeroplan or Avianca mile purchases make more sense for getting UA awards.
Yes, the excise taxes on the purchase of miles is included in the 1.88 cent equation. However, you’ll still need to pay taxes and fees on the award. Thankfully UA doesn’t pass along fuel surcharges no matter which airline you fly – life Aeroplan and LifeMiles.
what does it show up on on your credit card when you buy miles??
Usually Points.com – which is why we recommend using an everyday spend card when buying miles.
It can be a good deal if you need that many miles, but with how disrupted air travel is at the moment (especially when it comes to your luggage actually making it to your destination!), I’m leery of spending points on air travel. It seems like it’s one headache after another and I’ll just be happy when they get their staffing levels back to normal so I can actually expect to make it to my destination on time and with my luggage.
United miles are so easy to come by via transfer of cards like chase sapphire, spending on other united cards, flying united, shopping portals etc. I can’t find any redemption using them that I cant find a better deal using Lifemiles which are always a lot cheaper to buy.
If you plan to travel soon, it’s a good deal since the flights currently are super expensive! But, in case you plan the travel next year, I believe we probably see other better promotions.
I’ve just missed the bonus purchasing, and I need to buy a lot of miles.
In your experience, will United have another bonus offering before October?
Thanks
It’s very likely that United will offer another bonus by then. Keep an eye on this URL – or subscribe to get notifications from the AwardWallet Blog.
Not a very compelling offer at all – as usual unless you need to top up for a very specific redemption, I’d give this one a pass. I usually look for miles to cost around 1.8 cents or less before I get interested.
I would value united miles at 1 cent – 1.5 cent, 1.88 cent is still too high.
It’s always a mystery if you are really getting a good value for you miles
This is excellent news and update! Thank you for sharing this information. But, it seems like, I agree, it seems harder and not as effective to earn value for UA miles
AwardWallet scored yet another goal this time: Your article is precise, fair and … (regrettably) mostly useful only
for those who need just few extra miles to jump onboard.
I’m waiting for the 1000% bonus… coming soon 😮
Its getting harder and harder to find value out of UA miles for me.
When will the 150% bonus be introduced? 🙂
Would it be better to just buy Award Accelerator miles? It feels like they’re way cheaper that way
Let’s hope that the 100% bonus offer will return REALLY soon then.
Que las millas no venzan es un buen modo de lograr fidelizacion en los clientes que con la pandemia deben suspender proyectos de viajes en forma indefinida.
Me interesa acceder a la compra para completar un viaje!! Gracias!!!
Interesante la oferta, pero tal como dice el articulo es conveniente agotar el resto de alternativas para sumar millas antes que comprarlas.
As stated, UAL devalued the redemption value of the miles in their program so as usual its buyer beware. Only buy if you have an immediate use of the miles.
En Argentina, hay que aprovechar la compra de millas ya que el tipo de cambio que toma es el oficial, donde no se consigue en otro lado. Sumado a que no hay vencimiento, es para salir corriendo a comprar!
United es un excelente sistema de millaje, ya que las millas nunca vencen, ahora es una buena oportunidad de comprar millas para completar un pasaje de premio.
I usually don’t buy miles but this is making me reconsider
Cuan beneficioso puede ser comprar millas en vez del pasaje? entiendo que esto podria ser algo bueno si te faltan pocas millas para volar, no asi para acumular, no?
The mystery part doesn’t appeal to me, and frankly the 60k minimum makes this out of reach.
They were offering 100% before why go for 50% now?
To make 100% seem cooler next time? I’d wait if you don’t have an acute need for UA miles right now.
Also note that 100% bonus and 50% discount are pretty close to the same offer. Make sure you look at the final price when comparing offers.
Finally got up to 100%, a good time to buy if you are close to a redemption and need that extra!
Waiting for travel again!
Good information but I’m going to pass on buying any miles.
The no expiry adds value to UA miles, but I’ll pass on this one.
I usually don’t consider buying miles. However, I can see some value in it after reading this post. Just wish the program was devalued in general. Thanks.
Its becoming harder and harder to get good value out of united miles. Forget about using them actually flying united, since they introduced flexible award ticket pricing you almost always get less than 1.5c per mile and usually about 1.
Good news. But what I really wanted to see is more access to United flight via Latam Pass program. They are becoming really hard to find, especially business class.
I love United miles ’cause those never expire.
First positive frequent flier change in a long LONG time!
Just about the only good change that has been made to the program in the last few years
Just waiting for things to get better so I can travel again.
Well they finally got up to 100%, definitely a good time to buy if you are close to a redemption and need that extra push over the line!
Swiss Air Biz booked via United was my favorite redemption so far.
Europe is my favorite destination to travel to using my United miles. You can travel far with these reward miles.
Tempting, but I don’t need 30,000 miles. 🙁
This seems like a good bonus opportunity if you are looking to purchase miles. Thanks for the info!
I’ve never purchased miles but I can see it being useful for a few thousand. I prefer to earn non-flying miles with the Chase card.
Very tempting but devaluations scare me, and I have no use for these miles anytime soon
1.88¢ per mile is really the lowest price United ever offered in the past? Like AA, I expect the price around 1.72-1.80¢ per mile.
So many better ways to earn United Miles that I can’t see ever purchasing them. Obviously people do buy miles because otherwise the airlines wouldn’t make these offers so often, but you have to wonder that some people don’t even do the basic math.
Well, I wouldn’t assume that they aren’t doing math! It’s quite possible that they did do the math and buying miles are cheaper than buying the flight that they are redeeming miles for.
Ok for those who’ll use the miles straightaway, but not a good investment given possible devaluations.
I can’t wait until Asia opens up for travel.
Good value but you would need to transfer 35,000 or more to really take advantage of promotion. Even if you only need 20K for example, I would do the 35K to make sure you get 100% bonus
United miles don’t expire, but unless you’re using this soon who knows when the next devaluation will come.
Even at a 100 percent bonus, they are still a little spendy $$
Even more attractive if you use these miles purchased on Swiss.
Even with this discount buying miles isn’t recommended
United tiene un programa muy bueno, en el que las millas no vencen nunca, y ahora ofrece muy buen descuento para comprar millas!
At long last… and people now can freely travel between North America and the EU.
Soon enough we’ll be back to normal.
Normally buying miles is not recommended unless there is a lucrative bonus
United miles don’t expire so this is great! Thanks!!
Great opportunity to top up your balance for that next overseas trip. I love all of the Star Alliance partners – they make United miles much more valuable. I’ve flown biz class on SAS, Thai Airways, Air China and 1st on United in the nose of their sadly now decommed 747’s with Mileage Plus miles to BKK and back.
88k one way on Swiss Air biz class isn’t a bad deal if you can transfer UR.
Thanks for doing this breakdown! Looking forward to traveling again and racking up the points.
How frequently does United offer mileage purchase incentives like this? I’m not close to an award but very much looking forward to traveling again.
Looks like I was targeted for the 75% bonus with +35k miles purchased.
Thanks for doing this breakdown!
This is why I love AwardWallet. Your analyses are ridiculously detailed and save the rest of us the mind-numbing headache of figuring out whether any of these offers are worthwhile.
Doesn’t look like a particularly good deal so I’ll pass. Thanks for posting!!
Awesome that it would qualify as a united purchase on their cobranded card. I tend to stick to y’alls recommendation about not buying miles unless you have a trip in mind soon.
Been targeted for 85% however not buying on this occasion with so much uncertainty around travel
Yes, uncertainties surrounding international travel will last well into 2022.
85% percent bonus would be nice but 100% would be much better!
The 40% bonus is not a good deal at all.
Alaska is the only US-based airline worth buying miles from. Until they also crush their award chart… 🙁
Not a very compelling offer at all – as usual unless you need to top up for a very specific redemption, I’d give this one a pass. I usually look for miles to cost around 1.8 cents or less before I get interested.
Agree, right now it doesn’t make sense to buy miles right now, unfortunately. However, I will be flying with AirCanada in the next few months and hope they have a deal like this, should I need just a few miles to be able to fly using the points I already have!
Not really the best deal as many have said. And as the blog always rightfully notes, no reason to buy unless it makes sense for a specific redemption.
As the blog always rightfully notes, no reason to buy unless it makes sense for a specific redemption.
If there is no urgency to book an award flight it’s better to wait next offer. Although We love the opportunity to buy points as it gets us the benefits of upgrades and award tickets!
It would be better for United to match AA’s recent offer at 1.93cents per mile.
Under normal circumstances, at an 85 percent Bonus, I might be tempted. Would use the on ANA metal. But there is no guarantee that we will be able to fly again in the next year.
That is very much the problem. Under normal circumstances it might be worth considering but at the moment flying is just too uncertain to make even a much larger bonus worthwhile. Miles are not worth holding onto either as there is too much risk of a sudden devaluation to claw back the bonuses that have offered.
Not the best promotion of United.
If there is no urgency to book an award flight it’s better to wait next offer.
In my case I have already some miles in stock so I won’t buy no miles this round.
Another example of how even with a bonus, buying miles tends to be massively overpriced!
Great offer. We love the opportunity to buy points as it gets us the benefits of upgrades and award tickets!
I will not be buying any united miles at this time. To get value out of united miles one needs to be booking international business saver awards. With COVID-19 restrictions I have no plans for international travel this year.
Still not enough stability for me to dip my toes in the buying pool.
This is an important subject for people that can afford flying frequently !!! i hope to take this oportunity
I have no experience with using United miles. How hard is it to book a flight when and where you want?
You can typically get a domestic flight for 25k miles, However this is usually for the less desirable flight times. To get the the exact time and day that you want you may have to spend more, maybe 35-50k.
In times of a pandemic very risky
Is this promotion available from Argentina? Thank you
It seems this promotion is open to all United MileagePlus members. Here’s the Spanish-language version: https://buymiles.mileageplus.com/mileage-plus/es-ES/buy
Good deal
Very risky – I think once we get back to some sort of normal, flights will be very very booked, and award seats will be very limited. For now, I will pass on this offer, but thanks for bringing it to our attention
I was SO tempted when I saw the email for this but then my brain realized that it would always be a higher amount that I’d have to buy to get that 100% bonus. Not unless I was immediately going to fly somewhere and I really needed a mileage ticket.
Well 35000 miles is the minimum to receive a 100% bonus. It’s not a very big amount of miles in my opinion.
Miles should be bought again for long-haul premium awards only when overseas travels can be undertaken with no restrictions again.
I agree, today the price for flights are quite low.
Even though there are itineraries where the use of Mileage Plus miles makes sense.
I checked award prices for multiple domestic destinations in the USA. It seems like the average value I get per united mile is approximately 1.1 cents. It does not make sense for me to buy United miles at 1.88 cents.
Agree! Believe the only use of United miles with good value is on saver awards for international business class flights.
… while buying them for overseas long-haul premium flight awards at a date yet to be determined is just too speculative right now.
I have found that it is best not to top until you have a trip planned. Not sure if United are the same, but American let you reserve the flight and then purchase the balance miles that you need. I prefer this course simply because of a bad experience in topping up an account and then not being able to spend the miles. The bonus may be tempting but not if you don’t plan to use them.
1.88c per mile seems a little high, only buy if you really need them.
Are there “serial” mile buyers out there?
In times of a pandemic, buying 40,000 miles to earn a 100% bonus is risky.
Unless you’re topping up a balance for an award in the near future, I’d avoid this offer…gotta say though the best biz class I ever flew in was United 1st class from PEK-ORD ;-)…it was in the nose of a 747 – tres cool!
A good price, but I feel these mile purchase promo’s are becoming quite regular and reliable
I am not willing to buy miles for speculation. As just recently, Delta Airlines devalued their miles twice in the last quarter.
Great post! I use to buy miles once and a while… whenever I intend to use them, though. This offer, though, looks quite attractive and -indeed- surpasses previous United treats. I am seriously considering.
I will not be buying any united miles in the near future. When redeeming united miles for domestic flights I find I get a value of approximately one cent per mile. To buy these united miles at 1.75 cents per mile or more simply does not make sense. I am getting tired of these emails from AA and UA trying to sell their miles.
Agreed. In the past, a mileage sale would come around a few times a year. Now, some programs have perpetual mileage sales – and some (like AA) change every few weeks. But we here at AwardWallet want to share the latest details for those trying to figure out if these are a good deal or not.
Therefore, we only need to buy them when we have confirmed travel plans lined up.
I just cashed in the bulk of my United miles for a family vacation. The best thing United has done recently is getting rid of expiring miles.
United is an excellent airline!! This bonus is a good opportunity to add United miles!
I was targeted for this offer but I’ll just keep earning Ultimate Rewards points so if my aspirational United redemption disappears, I can do many other things with the flexible points.
It seems both AA and United need extra source of income. In fact, this is exactly the same miles purchase offer as AA previously announced, I.e. 1,75 cents per mile.
I still can’t justify even $2300 for a single flight from SFO to Tokyo. Then you have both return travel and travel to even get to SFO. Even at “great” redemption rates, that’s too rich for my blood.
Same here! But, I have been surprised to meet other travelers that love “deals” like this. Value really is personal!
I guess no one sells r/t ANA first class for $4600 then. 🙂
I have exitated but in the end I passed as I don’t have any scheduled trips where I could redeem the Mileage Plus miles.
Just buy the miles when you have confirmed travel plans lined up.
Very helpful! I almost got hooked by the “best rate ever” offer, but after reading your post, I was reminded that it’s not a fit for me since I don’t have an immediate need for the miles (and already have a lot). Thanks for sharing!
his is great! I’m flying to New York soon and I’ll use these points to book it!
That’s great, is good business I’ll have to fly soon I’ll take advantage of these points.
It’s sure come in handy to purchase a few miles when you’re just short of an award milestone for another ticket!
Too bad it’s so hard to go anywhere right now!
I was about to jump all over this as I am looking for a business class Lufthansa flight from ATL to FRA. However, there are NO Lufthansa flights at all! Only partner flights. Is this to do with COVID? Any ideas when Lufthansa will start flying FRAATL again?
Ugh! The route cancellations due to COVID have been so frustrating. At this point, the ATL-FRA route is relaunching on March 1, 2021 – using an Airbus A340-300.
Hey JT – thanks for responding. The Lufthansa A340-300 business class is “meh”, right?
Yeah. Most of Lufthansa business class (hard product) is pretty meh. It’s only really good on the upper deck of the 747, where the 2-2 arrangement isn’t bad.
@JT, do you mind me asking how u found the route relaunch timing answer so quick. Is that just your experience knowing where to look on Lufthansa, for announcements, or do you have a better, universal resource on routes, cancellations and relaunches? Thanks!
Lots of experience knowing where to look! In this case (finding when ATL-FRA resumes), I searched on Google Flights for nonstop flights between ATL-FRA on Star Alliance airlines. Then I used the calendar search function to find that March 1 is the next date a flight is available. To see how I did it, click this link (https://www.google.com/flights#flt=aATL./m/02z0j.2021-02-28;c:USD;e:1;s:0;a:STAR_ALLIANCE;sd:1;t:f;tt:o) and then click the date box. You’ll see that prices start appearing on the calendar starting March 1.
This is great! I’m flying to New York soon and I’ll use these points to book it!
Good deal, Star Alliance has the best airlines’ network. I wish they did the same with AA.
The only time I would buy miles is if I needed to top off my account for a international premium saver award.
It looks like UA is at least releasing more award seats, which could justify buying miles a little more.
This is a good deal however not sure when will it save to fly
Earn more miles with your own United credit card 🙂
85% more miles is seems good offer, but i have saw a deal to get 100% bonus miles. Isn’t it ?But for now UA are expiry now. That’s would be good to buy some miles.
Brilliant news. 85% bonus is really a good deal even though I am not able to fly at the moment.
Yeah. I have use UA to redeem a economic class from Tokyo to Tahiti , it’s a long time trip and Tahiti so beautiful that i’d like to go there once again. UA miles easy to use and can be use for expensive trip. Just use 900$ to have return economic to enjoy 3000$ flight ticket.
Did you transfer via Auckland?
Agree, beautiful place and we generally fly United for our more pricey trips too!
Wow!!! Excellent Job! Enjoy Tahiti et ses îles, are the paradise on earth
This looks like a very good deal. I wish they did the same with AA.
While united miles are great (probably the best out there), there’s little use for this at the moment as i don’t see myself flying anytime in the future. Real bad timing.
I think if you get the 100% extra it’s a good deal. I’m really considering buying some miles, although I don’t really know when I’ll be able to travel. Hope that AA announce something similar. Thanks as usual!
IMHO UA miles lost their value quite a bit and a 100% bonus doesn’t cut it anymore.
They need to provide at least 120% bonus to make me think about purchasing their miles once again.
Awesome deal! It’s so cheap price to buy UA miles and I don’t need care it’s will be expiry and UA mile very useful to go to many place and have no oil fee. Thanks for this news.
I just don’t see myself doing this. There are too many other ways to get United points. Even for quick top ups, it still might be better to buy some gift cards that you’d use anyway through the UnitedPlus X app.
This is best deal I’ve seen from United. I think Delta had something similar earlier. It would be great Air Canada has something like this.
thank you for posting. i need some more united miles.
Why would you consider buying UA Miles when the current Lifemiles offer, is a far better value?
Great question! The LifeMiles offer is certainly excellent. However, there are some award travelers that don’t feel comfortable learning another program or may feel uncomfortable buying LifeMiles since Avianca is in reorganizational bankruptcy. Personally, I’d be going for the LifeMiles. But we want to let our readers know about all of the potential offers out there.
Sadly did not get targeted. Love my United miles thou!
This is a really good deal, specially with the 100% bonus. Compare this with the value of the credit card miles and you will see. There are plenty of United award seats to Europe in the next 12 months and spending $1400 on a one-way Polaris business class ticket next summer to Europe is a great deal. Too bad it is targeted and I was not targted 🙁
I think they will devalue their program again
I’d like to buy some miles. Excellent.
United as many others are in big problems during these days. I hope the industry can survive the shutdown we all are in. We’ll regret When many of these companies desapear from business or stop Flying to certain places. Hope these promotions help them to Keep in business.
1.75 per mile is not going to do it for me.
Fair enough! Buying miles isn’t going to make sense for a lot of travelers, but we want to share these deals since some travelers do get value out of them!
I red that United Airlines miles doesn’t expire.
Is a temporal decisión or something permanente for ever?
Thanks
T&C always say they can change the terms at any time, for any reason. This is undoubtedly a “perk” that is being used since travel is so risky now. Once it rebounds, I’m sure more strict policy (and expiration dates) will follow suit. They can use your $ that you spend on miles now and ultimately give you something that “will” expire later.
Many thanks for your help. I am glad to hear that United miles does not expire. I think that considering the situation about COVID 19, it would be nice that Aadvantage could postpone the expiration date of our miles. As a traveller I really appreciate what AwardWallet does for us.
Many thanks for your help! Maria
The best rate I´ve seen so far during this time. If you´re planning a trip after the pandemic it´s worth buying.
Maybe not the right time for investing money in airlines just to avoid surprises but after this period it´s a good option.
Happy to read the United miles will not expire anymore, but I think that they would sell miles at a cheaper rate during this pandemic.
However, airlines won’t be back to normal operation until the end of this year so It is kind of difficult to buy miles as they might change the terms at any time. Let’s see.
What is the best rare anyone has seen on buying united miles???
Airlines won’t be back to normal operation until the end of this year. Would avoid buying miles as they might change the terms at any time to reduce risk of filing bankruptcy.
Ok now this is a good promo! I think United it’s a very big company and will not have big problems after COVID19 so it’s a good option.
Even though the miles don’t expire, with the current world crisis there is, buying big amounts of miles doesn’t seem like a smart choise. I will wait on this one.
I agree that this is not the time to buy miles, even with a specific plan to use them. What happens if the company goes bankrupt? Unfortunately no one is exempt, not even United.
i would think that they would sell miles at a cheaper rate during this pandemic. it doesnt make sense to me. im glad they dont expire though.
Thought a lot, for sure it’s risky – but decided to try
Happy to read the United miles will not expire anymore!!! Delta does it for so long!
Thanks
Im super flad to know that, i hope that the rest of airlines take the same way!
It will be great if American Airlines could follow the same path.
It is sad, but in this context I would not buy tickets or miles from any airline. many do not survive the covid crisis.
I would be blown away if any of United, American, Delta, or Southwest didn’t survive all of this. Airlines are kind of like truckers, without airlines America stops.
I agree that they’ll survive, but I wouldn’t buy miles at this time, especially from UA who have shown themselves to be bad actors in regards to their FFP.
Normally I wouldn´t recommend to buy miles, but with a 75% bonus it could be a good deal
I agree that I would not give United my money at this time. (Despite the fact they need it.) I’m going to keep earning Chase UR points and use those if I have an opportunity for a miles redemption on United.
Great opportunity, more than ever when UA miles doesn¡t expire anymore.
Hope all airlines do something similar… so they could store up some money.
Absolutely agree. Hard to trust United now (not that they had much to begin with).
I wouldn’t purchase any airline miles speculatively in this situation. No one knows if these airlines will survive.
With the difficulties I’m having getting a refund for a united ticket… no thanks!! How an airline treats a customer during these difficult times is very telling of where my first choice for travel partners will be… and it’s NOT united. There is NO WAY i’m giving United more $$ for them to hold with devaluing mileage as it is. I moved my primary mileage earning to Alaska Airlines 5+ years ago and haven’t looked back since.
Not even interested this time around! Just too much hassle with United over getting my last tickets during pandemic refunded and reimbursed!
This is a good way for United to store up some more cash to weather the Covid slowdown. Hope this works.
They even pawn the program to raise cash now.
One would assume UA would sell miles at a cheaper rate than usual these days, but selling them at a higher price is quite puzzling.
They very much need the extra cash, so I wonder why they launched a targeted offer.
Glad to hear that the United Miles don’t expire anymore, I’m a hoarder!