New Buy United Miles Promo: Get Up to a 95% Bonus Through May 30

United MileagePlus is back with a targeted promotion to buy miles — and it’s one of the best we've seen recently. Through May 30, 2025, eligible members can get up to a 95% bonus. That drops the effective cost to as low as 1.93¢ per mile. Bonus levels vary by account, so check your offer before buying.

In this post, we’ll show you who should consider buying United miles during this promo — and when it’s better to pass.

Buy United Miles Promotion Key Terms

• This promotion is valid through 11:59 p.m. CT on May 30, 2025.
• Per the terms and conditions, you can purchase up to 102,000 United miles per transaction (before the bonus) and 200,000 annually.
• Bonus miles do count toward the 200,000-mile annual limit per account.
• 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.

Credit: United

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 95% bonus promotion that members of the AwardWallet team are seeing — but let us know in the comments below if you see something different.

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 5,000 miles to receive any bonus (40%).
• Bonus levels are tiered; better rates come when purchasing more United miles.
• The highest bonus in this promotion is 95%, but you may see something different. If you see the 95% bonus, the purchase rate will be 1.93¢ per mile (if you buy at least 45,000 miles).

You can buy United miles at the following rates through this 95% bonus offer:

• 2,000–4,000 miles: No bonus (3.76¢ each)
• 5,000–19,000 miles: 40% bonus (2.69¢ each)
• 20,000–44,000 miles: 70% bonus (2.21¢ each)
• 45,000–100,000 miles: 95% bonus (1.93¢ each)

Credit: United

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: 1.3¢
• Long-haul economy/premium economy: 1.76¢
• Short-haul business/first class: 1.85¢
• Long-haul business/first class: 3.17¢

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, 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 cardholders can book business class between the U.S. and Europe starting at 80,000 miles:

Credit: United Airlines

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:

Credit: United Airlines

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 Asiana business class (for United cardholders)

Credit: United Airlines

If you utilize this 95% bonus promotion (1.93¢ per mile), you could buy United miles for these redemptions at a cost of:

• Chicago to Brussels for $1,544 in business class.
• Houston to Sao Paulo for $1,544 in business class.
• Chicago to Porto for $1,544 in business class.
• Newark to Cape Town for $1,544 in business class.
• Los Angeles to Tokyo for $1,929 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 falls in the cheaper part of this range:

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 earning a sign-up bonus on a co-branded United credit card. There are several good options worth considering:

The New United℠ Explorer Card

Welcome Offer Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Apply Now

Annual Fee$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees

Credit ScoreExcellent, Good

• 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

The New United Quest℠ Card

Welcome Bonus Limited-time Offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Apply Now

Annual Fee$350Rates & Fees

Credit ScoreGood, Excellent

• 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

The New United℠ Business Card

Welcome Bonus Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Apply Now

Annual Fee$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees

Credit ScoreGood, Excellent

• 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.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

Learn More
Rates & Fees

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

Annual Fee$95

Welcome Bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Show more

Why We Like ItHighlightsEarning Rates

Our #1 recommended beginners rewards card featuring a 60,000-point signup bonus after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This card comes with great benefits and earns valuable Ultimate Rewards points.

• Earn 60,000 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, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• 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 95% 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 spend, card bonuses, or point transfers from Chase or Bilt.

Are you planning to buy United MileagePlus miles for 1.93¢ apiece?

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), The New United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), The New United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card (Rates & Fees)

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

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