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United Miles do not expire from inactivity. That means you can focus on earning and burning miles without worrying about miles expiring. With that in mind, you can always buy United Miles or transfer flexible points to United to top off your account for your next MileagePlus redemption.
United Airlines is one of the biggest legacy carriers in the U.S. Founded nearly 100 years ago, it is a founding member of Star Alliance and serves destinations across the globe from its various hubs in the U.S. The airline's frequent flyer program is
Here’s how United’s mileage expiration policy works, when you could lose your miles, and how AwardWallet can help you track your balance.
United MileagePlus Miles Expiration Policy
United miles don't expire as long as your MileagePlus member account is open and in good standing. Per the United MileagePlus rules page:
“Mileage accrued in a Member's account shall be maintained in the account until it is redeemed for an award or until it is otherwise forfeited.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 600+
The good news is you don't have to worry about qualifying account activity to keep your balance active. However, you can still lose your miles!
When Could You Forfeit United Miles?
United MileagePlus terms and conditions list six situations in which your mileage balance can be forfeited:
- Engaging in prohibited conduct.
- Due to applicable regulations and laws.
- You request the account closure.
- The death of the account holder.
- Failure to respond to repeated communications from United about your account status.
- “Otherwise forfeited pursuant to these Rules, United’s Contract of Carriage or United’s fare rules”
Avoiding the above behaviors will help you avoid a forfeited mileage balance and will keep your account open and your mileage balance valid. Outside these circumstances, your MileagePlus miles remain valid as long as your account stays open and in good standing.
Use AwardWallet to Track Your United Airlines Miles
Most airlines, hotels, financial institutions, and other loyalty providers have no issue with AwardWallet helping customers track their mileage balances and expiration dates. But a few other airlines block AwardWallet from doing so directly. And one of these is United.
However, you can still use several workarounds to use AwardWallet to track United mileage balances.
Related: How to Track Your
United MileagePlus Expiration FAQ
Do United Airlines MileagePlus miles ever expire due to inactivity?
No. United MileagePlus miles do not expire due to inactivity, they remain active provided your account remains open and in good standing.
Under what circumstances can you forfeit your United miles?
Miles can be forfeited for six specific reasons:
• Violation of United MileagePlus rules, United's Contract of Carriage, or fare rules.
• Engaging in prohibited conduct.
• Applicable regulations and laws.
• Voluntary account closure requested by the member.
• Death of the account holder.
• Failure to respond to repeated communications from United regarding account status.
Can you reinstate expired or forfeited United MileagePlus miles?
Because miles do not expire, there is no expiration reinstatement policy. If miles are forfeited due to account closure, rule violations, or the member's death, the loss of those miles is permanent, with no reinstatement mechanism.
How does United’s mileage expiration policy compare to other major airlines?
United is among the legacy carriers with the most customer-friendly expiration terms because miles never expire due to a lack of account activity, other carriers with similar a similar policy include Delta but not
How to Earn United MileagePlus Miles
Because United miles don't expire regardless of account inactivity, you can take your time to accrue miles before booking a high-value award flight. In addition to flying United and its partners, the major ways to earn United miles are through United
United credit cards
When it comes to boosting your United MileagePlus balance, the easiest way is through everyday spending on United credit cards. Also, earning the welcome bonus from one of the many United cards can significantly boost your mileage balance.
Some top United credit card options include:
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 9X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 3X miles on all other eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on dining and direct hotel stays
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6x miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 3x miles on United purchases with the United℠ Explorer Card
- Earn at least 5X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 2X miles on eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on gas stations, local transit and commuting
- 1X on all other purchases
- 3X miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 2X miles on entire United purchases with the United Gateway℠ Card
$350Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 10X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 5X miles on hotel stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 4X miles on eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on all other travel, select streaming services and dining
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6X miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 4X miles on entire United purchases with the United Quest℠ Card
Transferrable points
MileagePlus members who find themselves short a few miles can transfer flexible credit card points to United MileagePlus. Both
In addition, you can transfer hotel points from several hotel loyalty partners — including
United MileagePlus earning partners
United Airlines has an enormous number of partners, and earning United miles has never been easier. In fact, you can earn a ton of miles without ever setting foot on a United aircraft. You can boost your United mileage balance in all the following ways:
- Earn United miles for your next hotel stay at various hotel chains, including IHG, Hyatt, and Marriott.
- Earn United miles for partner airline flights, including all Star Alliance carriers.
- Boost your mileage balance via car rentals through Avis and Budget.
- Earn United miles for shopping through the United MileagePlus shopping portal.
- Book cruises through cruises.united.com.
- Earn United miles at restaurants through the United MileagePlus dining program.
- Buy flowers via Teleflora or 1-800 Flowers.
- Use the MileagePlus X app when shopping.
The list is by no means exhaustive. United has many other rewards partners with which you can earn miles, so it's always worth checking United's partner list to see if you can earn extra miles on an upcoming purchase. Considering that United miles do not expire, you can put all your efforts into squeezing every mile out of every partner that crosses your path.
Related: United MileagePlus Sweet Spots
Buying United miles
It's also worth noting that there are regular promotions to buy United miles with a bonus or discount. If you hit the cap on buying United miles, you can utilize United Airlines Miles by the Month to purchase up to an additional 120,000 United miles each year.
Due to the variability of United's dynamic award pricing, buying miles is an easy way to top up your account for an award redemption, whether for a United award flight or a Star Alliance partner. However, we recommend buying more miles only after exhausting other potential sources of miles, such as transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards points.
Related: All of the credit cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Bottom Line
United MileagePlus miles do not expire because of inactivity, so you do not need to manufacture account activity just to preserve your balance. However, miles can still be forfeited in limited circumstances, so keeping your account open and in good standing matters.
That said, “never expires” does not mean “hold forever.” United uses dynamic award pricing and can change redemption rates, so it still makes sense to redeem miles when you find good value. If you're looking for inspiration, here's how to redeem United Airlines miles for maximum value.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
