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Despite changes and devaluations in the past few years, United Airlines MileagePlus remains one of the most accessible and easy-to-use frequent-flyer programs.
United overhauled its system for earning Premier elite status in 2019, and it has remained mostly the same since then. The United award chart hasn't fared so well. United has increased MileagePlus award rates on partners several times, and we've also seen an increased range of dynamic prices for United awards. Notwithstanding these negative changes, the program retains its core value for members.
In this guide, we’ll cover how to earn United MileagePlus miles, the best ways to redeem them, and how to make the most of MileagePlus Premier elite status.
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Why Join United MileagePlus?
United MileagePlus members can earn frequent flyer miles by flying with United and its more than three dozen partner airlines. Even if United isn’t your favorite airline, it offers a plethora of options for redeeming your miles, and it's a great idea to create a free account to make sure you don’t miss out.
You can create your United MileagePlus account using this link. After you've entered all your personal details, you'll be provided with a United frequent flyer number. For ease in keeping track of this number, add your United account number in AwardWallet.
Unlike most loyalty programs, United doesn't allow AwardWallet to check your balance automatically through its website. Instead, AwardWallet has to track your United account manually.
The best way to ensure all your details are tracked is to link the email that is associated with United to your AwardWallet account. Alternatively, change the email in your United account to your [username]@awardwallet.com, and we'll update everything automatically then forward the emails to you.
Related: How to Track Delta, Southwest, and United Accounts in AwardWallet
MileagePlus Partner Airlines and Destinations
United is one of the biggest U.S. airlines with service to more than 200 domestic destinations. Hub airports include Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR), Houston (IAH), Washington D.C. (IAD), Denver (DEN), San Francisco (SFO), and Los Angeles (LAX).
But perhaps the best feature of MileagePlus is its extensive international route network. United is a founding member of Star Alliance — the largest airline alliance with 25 airline members. United also has a fantastic array of non-alliance partners, making MileagePlus one of the most versatile currencies when it comes to redeeming flight awards.
Star Alliance partners
As a Star Alliance member, you can book flights on United's website with seamless travel across partners. Star Alliance partners include Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Avianca, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, and more.
Independent partners
In addition to its Star Alliance partners, MileagePlus partners with 18 independent airlines. This means you have more than 40 airline options when you go to redeem your United miles! Reach plenty of destinations far off the beaten path with United miles. Independent partners include:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Dolomiti
- Airlink
- Azul
- Boutique Air
- Cape Air
- Discover Airlines
- Edelweiss
- Emirates
- Eurowings
- Flydubai
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JSX
- Lufthansa City Airlines
- Olympic Air
- Silver Airways
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara
With so many partners, it helps to organize them by geography. Compared to other programs, United MileagePlus is particularly strong in Europe and Africa. It has plenty of partners on other continents as well. You can find a United partner airline in every region in the world.
Check out our beginner's guide to airline alliances and partnerships for more details.
How To Earn United Miles
Years ago, the primary way to earn United MileagePlus miles was by flying. These days, you can find numerous ways to accrue miles without spending time on airplanes.
We'll cover the key strategies to earning plenty of United miles to help you book your next trip. Key ways to build your miles balance include earning with a United credit card, transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards, and making purchases with United’s shopping, dining, and travel partners.
Related: Do United Airlines Miles Expire?
Earn MileagePlus miles with a United credit card
Signing up for a Chase United credit card is one of the easiest ways to build up a significant MileagePlus balance. United Airlines partners with Chase in the U.S. to offer an excellent lineup of co-branded cards for both personal and business use. The options range from a card with no annual fee to a premium United card that provides you complimentary access to United Club locations.
These credit cards often come with a lucrative sign-up bonus. Offers for new United card accounts typically range from 30,000 to 100,000 (or more) bonus miles. Of course, this depends on the card and whether a limited-time offer is currently available. Earning sign-up bonuses is an easy way to quickly amass enough miles for your next trip.
There are several other rewards cards (we’ll cover them in the next section) that offer a better return than the United cards on your everyday spending. But even if you only fly with United a few times per year, it could be worth having a co-brand credit card — even for just the useful perks. Saving on the cost of checking a bag a few times during the year can be entirely worth paying a card's annual fee.
Related: United Airlines Credit Cards: Best-Ever Offers and When You Should Apply
Here are the United cards that are currently accepting new applications:
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Earn a $100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 on purchases with your United℠ Explorer Card within a calendar year
- Over $400 in partner credits each year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 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℠ Explorer Card is the most popular, arguably providing the best value for your money. Benefits include:
- Free first checked bag on United flights — up to $160 savings per round-trip
- Two United Club one-time passes per year
- Priority boarding
- Reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fees
- Access to more award availability on United flights
- Earn up to 1,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) each year through card spending
- United elites become eligible for upgrades on award tickets
We've covered this card's benefits in our United Explorer Card review. The card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150.
- Limited-time Offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP
- 3x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles on dining, select streaming services, and all other travel
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- Receive a $200 United® travel credit and 10,000-mile award flight discount on each account anniversary
- Earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 each calendar year to use toward an eligible award flight
- Earn 2 global Economy Plus® seat upgrades after spending $40,000 on purchases each calendar year
- Get a jump start on earning Premier status with 1,000 Card Bonus PQP each year, awarded within 6 to 8 weeks after February 1 each year, starting in 2026.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 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
If you are chasing elite-level United benefits without a premium price tag, the United Quest Card strikes the perfect balance of utility, luxury, and affordability. The card features some unique benefits:
- First and second checked bags free
- Priority boarding
- $200 United travel credit
- 10,000 mile award flight discount on each account anniversary
- Earn up to 18,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) each year through card spending
- Access to increased award availability on United flights
- United elites become eligible for upgrades on award tickets
I find it odd that the United Quest Card doesn't offer any one-time United Club passes. But the other benefits can easily make it worth its $350 annual fee. If you typically check multiple bags, this card will save you a bundle. Here's our full United Quest Card card review.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles
- 4x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles on dining and all other travel
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- United Club℠ card membership - at least a $750 value
- Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and Premier Access® travel services
- Earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in purchases to use toward an eligible award flight - up to two times each calendar year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
The New United Club℠ Card comes with the highest price tag, but it also delivers elite perks for the most frequent of travelers. Key among them is a United Club membership for as long as you hold the card. Here's what you get:
- First and second checked bags free
- Premier Access priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling
- Reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fees
- United Club lounge membership
- 10% United Economy Saver Award discount for awards within the continental U.S. and Canada
- Earn up to 28,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) through card spending
- Access to increased award availability on United flights
- United elites become eligible for upgrades on award tickets
Check out the rest of the benefits in our United Club card review. The card carries a $695 annual fee.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus miles
- 0% intro APR for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases & no annual fee.
- 2x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
- Earn 2 checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
The New United Gateway℠ Card card is the no-annual-fee option amongst United cards. The cards earns 2x miles on United purchases, as well as for spending on gas, local transit, and commuting. It also provides 25% back on inflight United purchases and no foreign transaction fees — both features of all other United cards. Aside from this, there are no other real perks.
- 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.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
- 1x mile on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost - miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
- Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card.
- Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
- Receive a $125 United travel credit after making 5 United® flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year with your United℠ Business Card.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & 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
The New United℠ Business Card is a great option for business owners, echoing many benefits of the United Explorer Card. You can enjoy the following benefits with the card:
- Free first checked bag on United flights
- Two United Club one-time passes per year
- Priority boarding
- 5,000 bonus miles each year if you also hold a United personal credit card
- $125 United travel credit after making 5 United flight purchases of $100 or more each calendar year
- Earn up to 4,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) through card spending
- Access to increased award availability on United flights
- United elites become eligible for upgrades on award tickets
Here's our full United Business Card review. The card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150 annual fee.
Finally, United Club℠ Business Card is the premium business option for regular United flyers. It has many of the same benefits as the United Club. Here's what you get:
- First and second checked bags free
- Premier Access priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling
- United Club lounge membership
- Earn up to 28,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) each year through card spending
- Access to increased award availability on United flights
- United elites become eligible for upgrades on award tickets
The card has a $695 annual fee.
Transfer flexible rewards to United
United is one of the 14 Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. You can convert Ultimate Rewards points to United miles at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 miles.
The United co-brand cards are worth getting for their various benefits when flying United and a lucrative sign-up bonus. However, you'll generally earn more miles by using a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards for your everyday spending.
The Ultimate Rewards family includes no annual fee cards that earn 1.5X points on all purchases, plus others that earn two or three points per dollar on popular categories like travel and dining. As long as you have at least one premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card, you can turn any points you earn into United miles.
- 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
Supercharge your earnings with credit card pairings
Maximize your miles earning by using a combination Ultimate Rewards credit cards. And, since Chase points transfer directly to United, you can always top up your MileagePlus account before you book an award. Cards that earn flexible points are often an excellent choice for their flexibility. If one of the other Chase transfer partners turns out to be a better fit for your trip, you can easily move your points to that program instead.
Related: 22 Different Ways To Redeem Ultimate Rewards
If you're a member of Bilt Rewards, you can transfer Bilt Points to United miles at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points. The Bilt Mastercard® is designed with renters in mind. With this card, you can pay your rent without the usual transaction fee for paying by credit card. The Bilt card also earns points on other purchases, and Bilt offers a once-a-month “Rent Day” promotion where you can earn bonus points. However, note you need to use it five times per month to earn points.
It is also possible to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to United MileagePlus. None of the Marriott credit cards measure up to Ultimate Rewards in terms of earning potential. It's generally only worth transferring Marriott points to airline miles to top off your airline account. However, Marriott's partnership with United is supercharged. If you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points, you'll receive a total of 30,000 United miles after a bonus. That's an appealing 2:1 transfer rate.
Other hotel points programs also transfer to United, but these don't provide much value. Here is a table of every option:
Earn miles on United flights
The number of miles you’ll earn for a United-operated flight is based on your elite status and how much you paid for your ticket. Although this revenue-based system is now relatively common among U.S. carriers (Alaska Airlines being a major exception), it differs from many international frequent flyer programs that award miles based on the distance you fly.
MileagePlus members earn a base rate of 5 United miles for each dollar of airfare, excluding taxes and fees. If you hold United elite status, you'll earn a higher multiplier. Here are the current earning rates:
| United MileagePlus Status | Base Miles Earned | Premier Bonus Miles Earned | Total Miles Earned (Based on Fare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | 5 x fare | - | 5 x fare |
| Premier Silver | 5 x fare | 2 x fare | 7 x fare |
| Premier Gold | 5 x fare | 3 x fare | 8 x fare |
| Premier Platinum | 5 x fare | 4 x fare | 9 x fare |
| Premier 1K | 5 x fare | 6 x fare | 11 x fare |
United MileagePlus members are limited to a maximum earning of 75,000 miles per ticket, excluding extra purchases or bonus earnings associated with the ticket. This should cover the vast majority of tickets.
This revenue-based earning system is advantageous for shorter and more expensive itineraries. However, it isn't very rewarding if you find yourself flying long, inexpensive United flights. If you routinely fly long-haul international economy with other Star Alliance airlines, it might be worth crediting your flights to alternate programs.
Earn miles with MileagePlus partner airlines
For flights operated by partner airlines, MileagePlus uses a more traditional, distance-based calculation. The best way to tell if you'll earn miles under the partner rules is to look at your ticket number. If it starts with any number other than “016,” the partner earning rates will apply. If United tickets a flight operated by a partner airline, it will issue a United ticket number starting with “016.” In that case, the earnings will be based on the above revenue-based chart above. For tickets issued by partner airlines, the table below applies.
Generally, partner flights receive anywhere from 10% to 200% of flown miles as redeemable award miles, depending on the partner and your class of service. You'll need to check the United partners page to find the earning rates for the specific partner, as rates vary. As an example, here is the Air Canada partner accrual chart:
As you can see, business-class tickets earn the highest multiplier (200%), and the most discounted Economy Basic tickets earn the lowest (25%). On Air Canada's chart, most of the fare classes that don't earn any miles are award tickets. However, you may find that some of the cheapest paid tickets with certain MileagePlus partners don't earn miles. Make sure you review the partner earning chart for your ticket's fare class before deciding to credit a flight to United MileagePlus. You also can check WhereToCredit.com to get an idea of earnings across various programs, based on the airline you're flying and the fare class of your ticket.
If you have United elite status, you'll earn even more redeemable award miles. Elites get the following bonus on partner flights:
- Premier Silver: 25%
- Premier Gold: 50%
- Premier Platinum: 75%
- Premier 1K: 100%
If you don't like the earning rates offered by MileagePlus, consider crediting your flight to another frequent flyer program. Every program has its own earning rules for partner flights, so you might end up with more miles through another program. It may also be easier or better to earn elite status through another program.
Related: How to Credit Airline Miles to Partner Frequent Flyer Programs
MileagePlus travel partners
Flights aren't the only way to earn United miles on travel; you can build your MileagePlus balance with car rental and other transportation partners. Rent with Avis and Budget to earn at least 500 miles per rental. Premier members and United credit cardholders enjoy a significant bonus, earning up to 1,250 miles per rental. United no longer partners with Hertz, sadly. This used to be the most lucrative of their its rental partners.
United Cruises offers yet another way to earn miles. The number of miles you receive depends on the specific cruise, the cabin booked, and whether or not you are a United cardholder. General members can earn up to a maximum of 45,000 United miles per cruise, while those with United MileagePlus credit cardmembers can earn up to 60,000 miles per cruise.
United Airlines shopping portal
The United Airlines shopping portal is a great way to earn miles on your online purchases. Most retailers offer anywhere from 0.5 to 5 miles per dollar. However, you may see some specialty retailers or promotions with rates as high as 20 miles per dollar. The United shopping portal includes over 1,100 retailers.
The United shopping portal may also offer an additional bonus when you reach a spending target. (e.g., spend $150 to earn 500 bonus miles). We often see these deals around the holidays. Check out our post on shopping portal bonuses to compare your options.
If you're not using a shopping portal for your online shopping, you're leaving miles on the table!
Similarly, the United MileagePlus X app offers bonus miles on in-store purchases. So, if the shopping portal doesn't have what you're looking for, consider downloading this nifty shopping app.
Earn miles through United Airlines Dining
You also can earn United miles through the MileagePlus Dining Program. The typical earning rate is 3x United miles per dollar. Once you complete 11 or more dines in a year, you'll enjoy VIP status for the remainder of the year. With VIP status, you'll earn 5 United miles per dollar on each subsequent dine within the program. If you choose to opt out of email communication from MileagePlus Dining, you'll only earn 1x United miles per dollar.
To participate in the dining program, you need to sign up and register one or more credit cards in your profile. Once this is complete, all you need to do is use that card whenever you dine at a participating restaurant. You'll earn miles based on the total charge, including tax and tip. If you're new to the program, MileagePlus Dining often offers bonus miles for completing your first meal.
One of the great things about dining programs is that a single purchase can earn bonus miles from more than one source. This strategy is also sometimes called rewards stacking or “double dipping.” For example, if you use one of the best credit cards for restaurants to pay for your dinner, you'll earn bonus miles from your bank. If that credit card is also registered to your MileagePlus Dining account, you'll earn bonus miles from United as well. With this rewards stacking, you could earn 7–10 miles per dollar at restaurants.
Related: Beginners Guide to Dining Programs
Buy United MileagePlus miles
You can buy United miles if you're hard-pressed to earn enough for the award you want. But with so many easy ways to accumulate miles, we generally don't recommend this option. However, it does sometimes make sense, such as when MileagePlus is running a limited-time promotion. These deals offer either a discount off the normal price or bonus miles added to the quantity you purchase.
A top-tier offer would be a 100% bonus, which should bring the cost down to around 1.75 or 1.8 cents per mile. The standard price is $35 per 1,000 miles (plus taxes and fees), which is a cost of 3.5+ cents per mile.
Even if there is a sale on United miles, it's important to have a specific award redemption in mind. In many cases, you can buy the flight you want for less than the cost of purchasing miles. However, there can be situations where buying miles is cheaper than buying airfare. Examples include international business- and first-class tickets or one-way international flights.
Earn MileagePlus miles with promotions
It's also possible to earn United MileagePlus miles through promotions. Examples include the “Month of Miles” — which awarded bonus miles on credit card spending — and the routine Mile Play promotion. Some promotions will require you to complete specific to earn a predetermined number of miles through a targeted promotion. Offers vary across accounts, ranging from simple to complex and from a few miles to quite a stash.
Can you transfer MileagePlus miles to other people?
You can transfer your miles to other members, but it is rarely a worthwhile proposition. The cost is $7.50 per 500 miles transferred, plus a processing fee of $30. As an example, if you transfer 60,000 miles — that's enough to book a round-trip ticket between the U.S. and Europe in economy — you'll pay a whopping $930 to transfer the miles. This can easily be more expensive than a cash fare.
Fortunately, you can redeem United miles for anyone. There is no reason to transfer miles to your friend to book a ticket in their name. Just book the ticket from your account and enter your friend's name as the passenger!
In the event you would consider transferring a handful of miles to have enough for a specific award, buying miles may be the better choice.
Redeeming United MileagePlus Miles
You can redeem MileagePlus miles to fly with United and over 40 partner airlines. The sheer number of partners is a huge reason why United miles are so useful for getting you wherever you want to go.
It's possible to redeem miles for United incidentals, experiences, and other perks, but you'll get the most value when using them for airfare.
How many United miles do you need for a flight?
United no longer publishes an official award chart listing how many miles you need for flights to each destination. Until November of 2019, MileagePlus used classic, region-based award pricing. Countries were grouped into regions, and the miles required for an award from one region to another was fixed.
But like an increasing number of frequent-flyer programs, MileagePlus now uses a dynamic pricing model where the number of miles you'll need for a trip varies (based on the number of seats available, holidays, cost of the flight in cash, etc.). Dynamic pricing primarily affects United-operated flights, but partner flights are also seeing the effects at this point. The unfortunate reality is that there is no longer an official chart or list of what those prices should be.
United's move towards dynamic pricing is an overall negative for the program. We've seen multiple recent devaluations, including a massive hike to first-class awards. However, we have found you can still get excellent value when redeeming MileagePlus miles for certain itineraries.
Related: How Many Miles Do You Need for a Free Flight?
Finding United MileagePlus awards
The best way to search for award flights with United Airlines and its partners is at United.com. The vast majority of partner awards show up in the online search tool, including all Star Alliance partners. You can start your award search from United's home page by checking the “Book with miles” box.
After you click “Find flights,” you'll have the opportunity to log in. You'll want to log in if you have elite status or a United credit card (more on that later). However, you don't need to be logged in to perform an award search. Just close the United login popup, and you'll be redirected to your search results.
If you want to perform a more complicated search, such as a multi-city ticket, you'll need to use the “advanced search” feature. There is a link near the bottom of the form under the class of service selector. The advanced search has some other robust features. You can set it to include nearby airports, choose specific connection cities, and search for specific fare classes. Sometimes, the basic award search will give you hundreds of options, so the additional filters can help you dial in on the award you want.
United's award search is among the best of any frequent flyer program. That's why we often recommend using United's website to do your preliminary research when using other types of Star Alliance miles. It's nearly always my first stop.
Related: The Basics of Booking an Award Flight with United
Mixed cabin awards
When searching for awards with United miles, you may occasionally see “mixed-cabin” awards displayed. These are tickets where some segments are be booked in a lower class of service. For example, you may find a business-class award with one or more flights in the economy cabin. Look for the words “Mixed Cabin” under the award price.
United MileagePlus typically prices itineraries based on the highest class of service. In other words, an all-business-class award should cost the same number of miles as an itinerary with two flights in economy and one in business class.
This is noteworthy because some loyalty programs— like Avianca LifeMiles — charge a pro-rated price based on the percentage of your trip in each class of service. Unless United is offering a cheaper price, it may not be worth paying for business class pricing if your whole trip isn't in business class — or the same logic for premium economy.
Are mixed cabin awards worth it?
While mixed-cabin awards might sound like a bit of a rip-off, we think it's a great thing to have the option. Sometimes, the first-class cabin on a short connecting flight will be sold out, but you can still book a business-class seat on the longer flight. Living outside a major city, most of my long-haul business-class awards booked through United MileagePlus include a one-hour connecting segment in economy. I'd be frustrated if United didn't offer Mixed Cabin awards.
A huge point in United's favor is that the award search doesn't usually show mixed-cabin itineraries when the longest flights are in the lesser cabin. Other programs — notably Alaska's Mileage Plan program — tease you by showing “business class” results that are actually primarily economy flights. When you check the flight details, you'll see that Los Angeles to San Francisco is in “business class” while the 12-hour connecting flight to Tokyo is in economy. And Alaska tries to charge the business class price for this! No thanks.
United award availability
Award availability (or award space) refers to the seats on each flight that you can pay for with miles instead of cash. In general, the seats you can book with miles will be fewer than those you can buy with cash. However, this has changed substantially with the advent of dynamic pricing. Now, you can often find an award seat — it just might not be at a price you can stomach.
Award space available to partners is the most restricted. To know which seats can be booked by a Star Alliance partner program such as Turkish Miles & Smiles, you have to know how to read the award search results.
Below the award price, you'll see which itineraries are labeled as “saver awards.” A key tell is the fare class: X is Economy Saver and I is Business Saver. Saver awards are the lowest-priced option and should always be the first thing you look for when redeeming United miles. If you're searching for United award flights to book using partner miles, you must find Saver space in the majority of cases.
For partner-operated flights, the options available with United miles are determined by the airline operating the flight. Some MileagePlus partners offer lots of award space bookable with partner award miles. Other airlines are highly restrictive. But thanks to United's long list of partners, you'll find that MileagePlus gives you more choices than many other frequent-flyer programs.
Related: What Flights Can I Book with Miles?
Extra award options for United MileagePlus elites and Chase cardholders
United MileagePlus opens up additional award inventory to elite members and non-elites with all of United's co-branded credit cards. In short, these are extra award seats not available to the general public. These seats are also not available to those redeeming miles from partner programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, or Singapore KrisFlyer.
This unique feature can be a trip saver. It has saved me tens of thousands of United miles over the years. Often, there won't be a saver award available that you want. However, once you log into your account, the award search will return additional options for your trip. You must be logged into your MileagePlus account to see this extra space as a United cardholder or elite member.
If an economy award is exclusively available to Premier members or cardholders, you'll see it noted as “XN” space in the award search. If this results in a better price, the normal price will be shown so you can see how many miles you're saving. It will also be clearly marked if it is exclusively available to Premier elites.
For business-class award space exclusively for Premier elites, you'll see the “IN” fare class.
United's Excursionist Perk
One of the most interesting ways to use miles is the United Excursionist Perk. While this benefit is intended to allow you to add a simple stopover to your itinerary, it's much more powerful than that.
The Excursionist Perk allows you to incorporate a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries. Members who book an itinerary with three or more one-way awards will be eligible to get one of those flights for free as long as it meets all of these conditions:
- The Excursionist Perk cannot be in the MileagePlus-defined region where your travel originates.
- Travel must end in the same MileagePlus-defined region where it begins.
- The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk are within a single MileagePlus region.
- The cabin of service and award inventory of the free one-way award is the same or lower than the one-way award preceding it.
Here's a simple example: Assume you're flying from the U.S. to Europe. You could book a ticket from New York to London, Paris to Munich, and then Munich back to New York, all as a single multi-city award. Since travel both originates and ends in the same MileagePlus award region, and the one-way segment is entirely within the Europe region (CDG-MUC), this segment is free (aside from taxes and fees).
This is a relatively simple example. You'd have to arrange your own travel between London and Paris. But you can use the Excursionist Perk in far more creative ways to save a significant number of miles. Taking a round-trip flight to Australia? Add a completely unrelated flight within the U.S. for your cousin's wedding in another state. The ideas are endless.
For reference, here are the MileagePlus region definitions.
Best ways to use United MileagePlus miles
The sweet spots for United miles typically involve premium cabin awards. However, there are certainly economy awards where you can get good value. Domestically, using miles for last-minute tickets or flights to expensive regional airports is a great strategy. Internationally, you can find many more options.
Here are some of our favorite United MileagePlus redemption opportunities:
- United States/Canada to Europe for 80,000 miles in United Polaris business class
- United States/Canada to Europe for 88,000 miles in Star Alliance partner business class
- United States/Canada to central and southern Africa in business class for 88,000 miles with partner airlines
- U.S. to South America for 60,000 miles in business class
Related: How to Redeem United Miles for Maximum Value
MileagePlus upgrade awards
In addition to booking standard award tickets, you can use United miles to upgrade a paid ticket to a higher cabin class. The price varies based on the route, original fare class, seat type you want, and your Premier status.
Here is the pricing calculator for United upgrade awards.
Upgrade awards are subject to availability, and you must call United to book. If you redeem miles for an upgrade, you will be placed ahead of MileagePlus elites seeking complimentary upgrades. Note that the miles will only be deducted from your account if your upgrade is confirmed. United basic economy tickets cannot be upgraded using this method, nor can award tickets.
Some upgrade awards require a cash co-pay in addition to the miles you redeem. In many cases, you may find better value redeeming miles for a saver award ticket, rather than buying a cash fare to upgrade with miles. Make sure you do the math before you book.
Other ways to redeem United miles
You can redeem United miles for hotel stays, car rentals, cruises, merchandise, gift cards, and experiences. You can even use your miles for a United Club membership, in-flight WiFi, to apply for TSA PreCheck, or to pay your United credit card's annual fee.
In general, these redemption options are a bad deal. For example, you can redeem 10,000 miles to apply for TSA PreCheck. The application cost is $85, so you're getting just 0.85 cents per mile. Better still, check out our list of rewards cards that will reimburse you for the TSA PreCheck application fee.
Consider getting The New United℠ Explorer Card. This card not only lets you earn bonus miles, but it offsets the cost of applying for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry if you pay with this card.
Redeeming for a United Club membership gives you only 0.76 cents per United mile, and you can get that benefit by applying for a The New United Club℠ Card. Even a relatively poor flight redemption should save you at least one cent per mile, so we don't recommend exploring United's alternative ways to spend miles.
What are United miles worth when booking award flights?
Given all these options, you're probably assuming that some provide better value than others. You're right on that. We highlighted the low values from using miles for experiences in the section above.
When redeeming United miles for flights, AwardWallet users get the following average values:
- Average value for United miles: 1.94¢
- Short-haul economy and premium economy flights: 1.3¢
- Short-haul business and first class: 1.88¢
- Long-haul economy and premium economy flights: 1.77¢
- Long-haul business and first class: 3.18¢
Long-haul business- and first-class award tickets remain the winner when it comes to the best ways to use your United miles.
How To Earn United Elite Status
In early 2020, United MileagePlus made some big changes to its elite program. The new system focuses more on how much you spend on flights with United, rather than how much you fly. The rules are complicated enough that we have an entire post about earning Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) through flying.
- You earn one Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) for every dollar you spend on a United flight and one Premier Qualifying Flight (PQF) for each flight segment.
- You earn 1 PQP for every 100 miles you redeem for an award ticket and 1 PQF per flight segment (this applies to travel on United and United Express flights only).
- Earn PQP on partner flights as a fraction of the award miles earned (rate depends on Preferred versus other MileagePlus partners) and 1 PQF per segment, if the ticket is eligible for award miles accrual.
- Earn PQP for some incidental purchases, including Economy Plus seating or Economy Plus subscriptions, Preferred seat purchases, paid upgrades on flights operated by United and United Express, and MileagePlus Upgrade Award co-pays.
- Achieve elite status by reaching the higher PQP requirement or with a combination of lower PQPs plus PQFs
MileagePlus elite tiers
MileagePlus has four Premier elite status levels. The current qualification requirements are:
- Premier Silver: 4,000 PQP plus 12 PQF OR 5,000 PQP
- Premier Gold: 8,000 PQP plus 24 PQF OR 10,000 PQP
- Premier Platinum: 12,000 PQP plus 36 PQF OR 15,000 PQP
- Premier 1K: 18,000 PQP plus 54 PQF OR 24,000 PQP
United also awards a limited number of Premier 1K members with Global Services elite status. This is an invitation-only status and comes with some exclusive benefits. You need to spend heavily with United Airlines to get an invitation. Only a small fraction of Premier 1K members are invited to become Global Services members.
Earning PQP through credit card spending
You can earn PQP through spending on several United credit cards.
The United Quest Card is one of the better options for earning PQP, if you want to go this route, as it allows you to earn an annual maximum of 18,000 PQP (1 PQP for every $20 you spend on purchases). The United Explorer Card and United Business Card each let you earn a maximum of 1,000 PQP and 4,000 PQP, respectively.
The premium The New United Club℠ Card can earn you up to 28,000 PQP per year (1 PQP for every $15 you spend on purchases).
While you'll get a better return for your spending using other credit cards, it may be worthwhile to earn some PQP this way if it lets you achieve a higher level of Premier elite status.
United Premier benefits
Once you achieve elite status, you'll have access to some great benefits that can make your travel experience more enjoyable. Here's what you can expect at each Premier level:
| Benefit | Premier Silver | Premier Gold | Premier Platinum | Premier 1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complimentary Economy Plus Upgrade | At check-in (if available) | At booking | At booking | At booking |
| Complimentary First Class Upgrades | Day of departure | 48 hours | 72 hours | 96 hours |
| Companion Economy Plus Upgrades | 1 companion | 1 companion | 8 companions | 8 companions |
| Free Checked Bags | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Priority Check-In | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority Boarding | Group 2 | Group 1 | Group 1 | Pre-board |
| Additional award miles | 7 x fare | 8 x fare | 9 x fare | 11 x fare |
| Star Alliance status | Silver | Gold | Gold | Gold |
| CLEAR Plus discounted annual membership | $149 | $149 | $149 | Complimentary |
| PlusPoints | +40 | +280 | ||
| Phone Booking Service Fee | $25 | $25 | Waived | Waived |
| Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Better premium cabin award availability | Yes | Yes | ||
| Free snack and drink in economy | Yes |
United PlusPoints allow you to request and confirm premium cabin upgrades. You can use these online or in the United app, and the PlusPoints only come out of your account when the upgrade is confirmed.
United MileagePlus Million Miler
United offers a Million Miler program that rewards loyal MileagePlus members with lifetime Premier Gold elite status after they hit one million miles. You can earn a higher lifetime status as you hit additional million-mile milestones. One fantastic aspect of United's Million Miler program is that you can designate a companion to share your status each year.
These numbers are based on lifetime flight miles, awarding the following lifetime status:
- One million: Premier Gold
- Two million: Premier Platinum
- Three million: Premier 1K
- Four million: Global Services
Final Thoughts On United MileagePlus
Even with its recent devaluations, United MileagePlus remains one of our favorite frequent flyer programs. United miles are easy to accumulate by using a United credit card, or by using one of the many Ultimate Rewards cards for your everyday purchases and transferring the points to your United account. If you want to take your earning to the next level, you can build your MileagePlus balance with United dining, shopping, and travel partners.
When it comes time to redeem, MileagePlus offers extensive global coverage through its network of over 40 airline partners. Award travel is subject to availability, but if you’re willing to invest a little time to learn about this program, you’ll find excellent value.
For those who fly often, MileagePlus Premier elite status does a decent job of rewarding its most loyal members. But you don’t need to pursue elite status to get outsized value from this program. Many of the benefits offered to Chase co-branded credit cardholders can make your airport and travel experience feel a lot like having elite status — without the need to spend so much time flying.
United MileagePlus FAQ
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 Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), The New United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees), The New United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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