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United just launched another round of targeted Mile Play promotions, which let you earn bonus miles by completing personalized tasks. Mile Play promotions are targeted. That means you'll need to log in with your United MileagePlus number to see what tasks you've been assigned.
Just keep in mind that not everyone will be targeted, and the offers can vary widely. Some are great, some are underwhelming, and some members may not get an offer at all.
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United Mile Play Promotions
The goals for Mile Play promotions vary by United MileagePlus account. Typically, you'll see something like “Book and take a trip X time(s) to earn XX bonus miles.” Each offer is tailored based on your recent travel history with United. And you can check yours by clicking here.
This month, United has introduced a new wrinkle for its Mile Play challenges. On July 15, 2026, United launched new non-flight Mile Play offers — including bonus miles for getting a new United credit card or linking your United and Lyft accounts. These offers are labeled as “Level Up” promotions.
Today, United launched new “Stay the Course” Mile Play promotions. These are the promotions we are more used to, where you can get bonus miles for taking United flights.
Stay the Course Mile Play promotions
United's “Stay the Course” Mile Play promotions are based on your recent flying history with United. So, if you haven’t flown much lately, you might receive a more generous offer as the airline tries to win you back. These activities must be completed by October 5, 2026.
Here are a few examples from the AwardWallet team. The details vary, including the number of trips, spending requirements, and bonus amounts, but the format is generally the same.
For example, multiple AwardWallet team members need to simply book and complete one trip of at least $100. Doing so will earn the member 3,000 bonus miles.
Another offer required one trip costing a minimum of $225. By completing it, the member would earn 6,100 bonus miles:
Another offer offers a whopping 25,000 bonus United miles for taking two trips in a premium cabin, spending at least $500 on each trip:
Some common terms across these offers:
- Each trip must have a fare (defined below) equal to or greater than a set amount (e.g., $200 per trip).
- Flights must be operated by United to count.
- Consolidator/bulk, group, tour, and opaque fares don't qualify.
For Mile Play offers, United defines a “trip” as “a unique travel itinerary documented by United with a confirmation number.” Thus, you can book a trip as two one-way trips to get two qualifying “trips” for the sake of this promotion. Just make sure that you meet the minimum cost to make it a qualifying trip.
Speaking of which, only the base fare and any carrier-imposed surcharges count toward the minimum spending requirement:
For this promotion, only dollars spent on the “fare” on eligible flights operated by United® and United Express® will qualify toward meeting spending milestones… The “fare” is the base fare of the ticket plus carrier-imposed surcharges, excluding any government-imposed taxes and surcharges. For tickets purchased in a currency other than U.S. dollars, we will convert the purchase to U.S. dollars using an industry standard exchange rate.
Related: Best strategies for earning United Premier Qualifying Points by flying
Level Up Mile Play promotions
On July 15, 2026, United launched a round of Mile Play offers offering bonus miles for non-flight activities. These “Level Up” challenges must be completed by August 28, 2026.
For example, AwardWallet Editor-In-Chief JT Genter can earn up to 24,600 bonus miles for getting a United credit card plus linking their MileagePlus and Lyft accounts:
- 10,000 bonus miles for becoming a United Chase cardmember
- 2,300 bonus miles for linking United and Lyft accounts
- 12,300 bonus miles for completing both tasks
Linking United and Lyft accounts is easy for 2,300 bonus miles. Then the question is which United credit card to get for an additional 22,300 bonus miles — on top of the bonus the card is offering.
$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
Meanwhile, both AwardWallet co-founder Alexi Vereschaga and contributor Ben Nickel-D'Andrea can earn up to 11,400 bonus points by:
- 5,000 bonus miles for becoming a United Chase cardmember
- 700 bonus miles for opting into United promotional text messages
- 5,700 bonus miles for completing both tasks
United Mile Play fine print
The specific terms and conditions are listed at the bottom of each offer. The general terms for this time around are:
- You need to register before completing tasks.
- Only activities booked after registration are eligible for the promotion.
- Allow six to eight weeks after the end of the promotion for the bonus miles to reach your account.
Not all MileagePlus accounts will be targeted for United Mile Play offers. The exclusion criteria are not entirely clear. However, restrictions may be due to your United account's geographical location, mileage balance, or even the age of the account.
Other Ways of Earning United Miles
United Mile Play promotion is a great way to earn bonus United miles. However, United offers several other ways to rack up miles. Chase offers a full lineup of United credit cards that can turn your everyday purchases into miles. Here's an overview of three current card offers:
$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
If you are just a few miles short of a specific redemption and don't hold a United cobranded credit card, you still have options for transferring points into your United account:
Finally, you can buy United miles, although you'll almost always want to wait until there's a discount or bonus to do so.
Our Take
If you are a United MileagePlus member, it only takes seconds to register and check your offer for this round of Mile Play. And there's no downside to registering. Even if you don't plan on flying United in the next several weeks, your travel plans may change. It's worth registering to give yourself the option later.
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)
