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Sure, you can use United MileagePlus miles to fly on a plane. But now, you can also use them to fly a plane. Well, sort of.
Starting May 11, 2026, United will open bidding for a new MileagePlus experience that lets co-branded United cardholders bid miles for time in a flight simulator. Better yet, the package also includes round-trip airfare to Denver, a one-night hotel stay ahead of the event, and more.
Here's what to know and how to bid.
Bid United Miles for a Rare Flight Simulator Experience
On May 11, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. CT, United Airlines will officially open bidding for an exclusive opportunity to fly in a United flight simulator. Bidding will run through May 26, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT.
The event itself will take place on Friday, July 31, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. MT. There are four packages available, and each includes the following:
- United Economy airfare from your preferred U.S. airport to Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Arrive Thursday, July 30; depart Friday, July 31
- One-night double occupancy hotel accommodations in Denver
- Check-in Thursday, July 30; check-out Friday, July 31
- Round-trip shuttle transportation between the hotel and United Flight Training Center
- Facility tour
- Meet-and-greet with the United Flight Training Center leadership team
- Emergency procedures tour
- Two hours in a Boeing flight simulator — one hour of flying time and one hour of observing
- Two hours in an Airbus flight simulator — one hour of flying time and one hour of observing
- Gift bag
- Light breakfast snacks and lunch
To place a bid, you'll need to hold a United credit card and log in to your MileagePlus account. Bidding starts at a cool 150,000 miles, so if you're serious about winning, you'll probably need a lot more United miles than that — or easy access to transferable points that can convert to United MileagePlus miles, such as:
Not a cardholder yet? You could always become one to unlock access to bid on this event, plus several other “Uniquely United” experiences reserved exclusively for cardholders.
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees
- 3X 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
$350Rates & Fees
- 4X miled per $1 spent on United® purchases*
- 5X miles per $1 spent at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 2X miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- 2X miles per $1 spent at restaurants
- 2X miles per $1 spent on select streaming services
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
$150Rates & Fees
- 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
Key terms
- Bidding opens at 9:00 a.m. CT on May 11, 2026, and closes at 11:59 p.m. CT on May 26, 2026.
- Four packages are available for this event, with a limit of one package per cardmember.
- Winning members will be notified on May 27, 2026.
- This event is open to all MileagePlus cardmembers and guests ages 14 and older.
- Airfare is only included for members outside the greater Denver area and within the continental U.S.
Bottom Line
If you've been waiting for United to bring back this rare flight simulator experience you can bid on with miles, save the date. Bidding for exclusive cardholder-only packages that include time in both an Airbus and Boeing flight simulator, flights to Denver, hotel accommodations, and more opens on May 11, 2026.
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), and United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees)
