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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 August 14, 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 August 14, 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 August 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT.
The event itself will take place on Thursday, October 22, 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 Wednesday, October 21; depart Thursday, October 22
- One-night double-occupancy hotel accommodations in Denver
- Check-in Wednesday, October 21; check-out Thursday, October 22
- 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 100,000 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
- 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
$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
$150Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 8X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 2X miles on eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on dining and all other travel
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6X miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 2X miles on entire United purchases with the United℠ Business Card
Key terms
- Bidding opens at 9:00 a.m. CT on August 14, 2026, and closes at 11:59 p.m. CT on August 28, 2026.
- Four packages are available for this event, with a limit of one package per cardmember.
- Winning members will be notified on August 31, 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 August 14, 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)
