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This United buy miles promotion has ended. However, you can still buy United miles here.

If you're a few thousand miles short of taking your family on vacation then now is the time to head over to the United MileagePlus website and land yourself a deal.

United MileagePlus is having a three-day flash sale ending on May 27, 2016, and you can buy MileagePlus miles with up to 100% bonus.

United MileagePlus Bonus Miles SaleMiles can be purchased in increments of 1000 miles, up to a maximum of 75,000, with any purchase over 40,000 miles netting the full 100% bonus.

  • Buy 5,000 – 19,000 miles | Get a 25% bonus (buy at 3 cents per mile)
  • Buy 20,000 – 39,000 miles | Get a 50% bonus (buy at 2.5 cents per mile)
  • Buy 40,000 – 75,000 miles | Get a 100% bonus (buy at 1.88 cents per mile)

We like to redeem MileagePlus miles at a minimum 1.4 cents per mile so at 1.88 cents per mile you are still paying a little more than optimum value. That said, purchasing 40,000 miles for US$1505.00 with 40,000 bonus miles is a fantastic deal when you look at what those points will buy if you shop around.

United MileagePlus Bonus Miles Sale Bonus MilesA quick search of United's website showed up New York – Istanbul on Business Saver Award for 57.5k miles plus $67.06, which at 1.88 cents per mile works out to $1141.06. The cheapest flight paying cash is $1440 which is $300 of extra value if you buy the miles at 1.88 cents each, making your redemption value bang on 2.5 cents per mile.

While this is only one example, United is a member of Star Alliance and MileagePlus miles are redeemable across all of United's partners. Whether you are searching for flights inside the Continental US or flying off to the Middle East, there is value there if you shop around using miles at this price.

Fly New York - Istanbul for 57.5K miles plus $67.06 taxes/fees
Fly New York – Istanbul for 57.5K miles plus $67.06 taxes/fees for a total $1141.06
The cheapest flight paying cash is $1440 so you save $300 if you buy miles with the 100% bonus
The cheapest flight paying cash is $1440 so you save $300 if you buy miles with the 100% bonus

Final Thoughts

Buying miles is only in your best interest if you have an immediate plan to redeem them.

In this case, if you need to top off your account to redeem an award and the numbers make sense then it is a good buy. At 1.88 cents per mile you can find value amongst United and its partners, but run the figures to make sure what you are paying for points is less than the lowest available fare for your destination and dates.

Tip of The Day
Did you know that you can view all accounts with balances that have changed in the last week or month? To filter your loyalty accounts by these options, select the Changed within 1 week or Changed within 1 month option in the Views menu.
Composite screenshot showing how to filter your accounts by activity within the past week or month

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.

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