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Despite changes in the past few years, United MileagePlus remains one of the most accessible and easy to use frequent-flyer programs. In recent years, United has changed how you earn Premier elite status and increased award prices to many destinations. Nevertheless, the program has retained 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.
Page Contents
- Why Join United MileagePlus?
- MileagePlus Partner Airlines and Destinations
- How to Earn United Miles
- Earn MileagePlus Miles with a United Credit Card
- Transfer Flexible Rewards to United
- Earn Miles on United Flights
- Earn Miles with MileagePlus Partner Airlines
- MileagePlus Travel Partners
- United Airlines Shopping Portal
- Earn Miles Through United Airlines Dining
- Buying United MileagePlus Miles
- Can you Transfer MileagePlus Miles to Other People?
- Redeeming United MileagePlus Miles
- How Many Miles Do You Need for a Flight?
- Finding United MileagePlus Awards
- Mixed Cabin Awards
- United Award Availability
- Extra Award Options for MileagePlus Elites and Chase Cardholders
- United's Excursionist Perk
- Best Ways to Use United MileagePlus Miles
- MileagePlus Upgrade Awards
- Other Ways to Redeem United Miles
- How to Earn United Elite Status
- Final Thoughts
- United MileagePlus FAQ
- Is United MileagePlus free to join?
- How do you find your United MileagePlus number?
- Can I buy United Airlines miles?
- Do United Airlines miles expire?
- What points can I transfer to United?
- How long does it take to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to United miles?
- How long does it take United Airlines miles to post after a flight?
- How long does it take for United shopping portal miles to post?
Why Join United MileagePlus?
MileagePlus members earn frequent-flyer miles for flights on United and more than three dozen partner airlines. Even if United isn’t your favorite airline, it's a great idea to create a free account to make sure you don’t miss out on any rewards.
You can create your United MileagePlus login using this link. After you've entered all your 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 us to check your balance automatically through its website. The best way to ensure all your account details are tracked is to link the email that is associated with United to your AwardWallet account.
Read more: How to Track Delta, Southwest, United Accounts in AwardWallet
MileagePlus Partner Airlines and Destinations
United is one of the biggest U.S. airlines with service to 78 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 coverage of international routes. United is a founding member of Star Alliance. That's the largest airline alliance with 26 members.
Star Alliance Partners
Independent Partners
In addition to its Star Alliance partners, MileagePlus partners with a dozen independent airlines. This means even more options to reach destinations that are further off the beaten path using United miles.
With so many partners, it helps to organize them by geography. Compared to other programs, United MileagePlus is particularly strong in Europe and Africa, but you can find a partner in every region in the world.
Here's our guide for beginners on airline alliances and partnerships.
How to Earn United Miles
Years ago, the primary way to earn United MileagePlus miles was by flying. These days, there are lots of ways to accrue miles without spending time on airplanes. We'll cover the most important strategies—including earning with a United credit card, transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, and making purchases with United’s shopping, dining, and travel partners.
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 has partnered with Chase bank to offer a full lineup of co-branded cards for both personal and business use.
These cards often come with a lucrative signup bonus that can help you accumulate enough miles for your next trip in a hurry. Offers for new cardmembers typically range from 30,000 up to 100,000 points depending on the card and whether there is a limited-time-offer currently available.
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, these co-brand credit cards come with some great perks that should make it easy to come out ahead after paying the annual fee.
Here are the United cards that are currently accepting new applications:
- Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United® purchases
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- 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 Explorer Card
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Member FDIC
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent at restaurants and on hotel stays
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
The United℠ Explorer Card is the most popular, and arguably the best value for your money. Benefits include:
- Free first checked bag on United flights
- Two United Club one-time passes per year
- Priority Boarding
- Up to $100 reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees
- Access to more award availability on United flights
- United elites are eligible for upgrades on award tickets
We've covered this card's benefits in our United Explorer Card review.
- Earn 70,000 bonus miles + 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $250 Annual Fee
- Earn 3x miles on United® purchases, 2x miles on dining, select streaming services & all other travel, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn 3x miles on United® purchases
- Earn 2x miles on dining including eligible delivery services, select streaming services, and all other travel
- Earn 500 Premier qualifying points for every $12K you spend on purchases, up to 6,000 PQP in a calendar year.
- Earn 1x mile on all other purchases
- Each year, receive up to a $125 United® purchase credit and two 5K-mile anniversary award flight credits. Terms apply.
- Member FDIC
- 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 latest addition to the United stable of co-brand cards, the United Quest℠ Card features some unique benefits including a $125 annual credit on United purchases and two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits each year. If you are chasing elite-level United benefits without the premium price tag of the United Club℠ Infinite Card, the United Quest Card strikes the perfect balance of utility, luxury, and affordability.
- Earn 80,000 bonus miles +1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases including tickets, Economy Plus®, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges.
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services
- Earn 500 Premier qualifying points for every $12K you spend on purchases, up to 8,000 PQP in a calendar year.
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Member FDIC
- 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 United Club℠ Infinite Card comes with a higher price tag, but it also delivers some elite perks for frequent travelers—including United Club membership for as long as you hold the card. Check out the rest of the benefits in our United Club Infinite card review.
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles 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 $99.
- 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.
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent 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.
- Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
- $100 United® travel credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more each anniversary year.
- Member FDIC
- 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 United℠ Business Card is another great option with many benefits in common with the United Explorer Card. Small business owners can earn a $100 United travel credit by making at least seven United purchases of $100 or more each year. Even better, if you also hold a United personal card, you'll earn 5,000 bonus miles each year. Here's our full United Business Card review.
Transfer Flexible Rewards to United
United is also one of the 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 the long-term benefits 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 cards that earn 1.5X points on all purchases, and others that earn two or three points per dollar on popular categories like travel and dining.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
- 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
In short, you can supercharge your earning by using a combination of Ultimate Rewards cards. And since Chase points transfer directly to United, you can always top up your MileagePlus account when needed. 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 the right program.
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, but it's great to have another option if you come up just short of the miles you need for an award ticket.
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. This revenue-based system is relatively new at United. While revenue-based earning programs are common in the U.S., it differs from many international frequent-flyer programs that award miles based on the distance you fly.
MileagePlus members earn a base rate of 5X 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:
The revenue-based earning system is to your advantage for shorter and more expensive itineraries. However, it isn't very rewarding if you find yourself flying long and inexpensive United flights.
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. (Some partner flights have a United ticket number starting with “016”—which means you'll need to use the revenue-based chart above.)
Generally, partner flights receive anywhere from 25% 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 an example, here is the Lufthansa partner accrual chart:
As you can see, first-class tickets earn the highest multiplier (200%), and the deepest discount-economy tickets earn the lowest (25%). On Luftansa'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.
If you have United elite status, you'll earn even more redeemable miles. Just multiply the base mileage earnings by the elite-status bonus (above, right) and add that to the total.
If you don't like the earning rates offered by MileagePlus, consider crediting your flight to another frequent flyer program. Every program has it's own earning rules for partner flights, so you might end up with more miles through another program.
Related: How to Credit Miles to Partner Frequent-Flyer Programs
MileagePlus Travel Partners
Flights aren't the only way to earn United miles on travel; you can also build your MileagePlus balance with car rental and other transportation partners. United's best car rental partner is Hertz, and they have often run promotions where you could earn over 2,000 MileagePlus miles per rental. Premier members and United credit cardholders often enjoy an additional bonus to the number of miles earned through Hertz. The other car rental partners are Dollar and Thrifty, which offer earning rates of 50 miles per day.
United Cruises offers yet another way to earn. 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 25,000 United miles per cruise, while United credit card holders can earn up to 45,000 miles per cruise.
Lastly, you can earn United miles on travel with Amtrak. When you connect an inbound United flight at Newark Liberty airport with onward travel to select destinations in the Northeast, you will earn either 250 or 325 award miles, depending on the fare class. Additionally, you can earn either 500 or 750 award miles when crediting Acela business or first-class trips between New York Penn Station and either Washington D.C. or any of three Boston stations. The Acela accrual does not require a connecting ticket with a United flight.
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, but you may see some specialty retailers or promotions with rates as high as 20 miles per dollar.
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!
Earn Miles Through United Airlines Dining
You can also 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, earning 5x United miles per dollar on each subsequent dine within the program.
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. You'll also typically be awarded 10 miles for completing a survey of your dining experience.
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. For example, if you pay for dinner with one of the best credit cards for restaurants, you'll earn bonus miles from your bank. If that credit card is also registered with MileagePlus dining, you'll also earn bonus miles from United.
Related: Beginners Guide to Dining Programs
Buying United MileagePlus Miles
You can also buy United miles. With so many easy ways to accumulate miles, we don't recommend this option in most situations. However, it does sometimes make sense 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 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 United buy miles sale, 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 are some situations where buying miles is cheaper than buying airfare—such as for international business- and first-class tickets or one-way international flights.
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—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 her name. Just book the ticket from your account and enter your friend's name as the passenger!
Redeeming United MileagePlus Miles
You can redeem MileagePlus miles to fly with United and 36 partner airlines. The sheer number of partners is a big reason why United miles are so useful for getting you wherever you need to go.
While it is possible to redeem miles for experiences and other perks, you'll get the most value by using them for airfare.
How Many Miles Do You Need for a Flight?
United no longer publishes an official award chart that lists the exact number of miles you need for 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 other frequent-flyer programs, MileagePlus now uses a dynamic pricing model where the number of miles you'll need for a trip is variable. So far, dynamic pricing only affects United-operated flights; partner flights still use the more transparent, region-based award prices. However, there is no longer an official record of what those prices should be. That said, at least for now, we've cracked the code to put together an unofficial United award chart.
United's move towards dynamic pricing doesn't make us especially happy. However, we have found you can still get exceptional value when redeeming with MileagePlus.
Related: Beginner's Guide to Award Pricing
Finding United MileagePlus Awards
The best way to search for awards with United Airlines and their 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 search, 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” link near the bottom of the form. The advanced search also lets you include nearby airports, choose 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 one of 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.
Mixed Cabin Awards
When searching for awards with United miles, you may occasionally see “mixed-cabin” awards displayed. These are tickets where some flights will be booked in a lower class of service. For example, you may have a business-class award with one or more flights in the economy cabin.
United MileagePlus charges you the number of miles based on the highest class of service on your itinerary. 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. Since you'll pay the same number of United miles either way, it's best to avoid mixed-cabin awards when possible.
While mixed-cabin awards might sound like a bit of a rip-off, we think it's a good 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.
Another 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—like Alaska's Mileage Plan program—tease you by showing business class results that are mostly in economy. 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.
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 flights you can book with miles will be a small subset of those you can buy.
One of the positive aspects of MileagePlus' dynamic pricing for United-operated flights is that you can almost always find award space as long as you're willing to pay more miles. This is because United Airlines reserves more award seats for MileagePlus members than it offers to those redeeming miles from partner programs—such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, or Singapore KrisFlyer.
Across the top of the award search results, you'll see that some itineraries are labeled as “saver awards” while others are labeled “everyday awards”. Saver awards are the lowest priced option and should always be the first thing you look for when redeeming United miles. However, sometimes the higher-priced options are worth the extra cost in miles when you have limited flexibility.
For partner-operated flights, the options available with United miles are determined by the airline operating the flight. Some MileagePlus partners offer lots of awards, while others are highly restrictive. But thanks to the fact that United has so many partners, you'll find that MileagePlus gives you more choices than many other frequent-flyer programs.
Related: Beginners Guide to Award Availability
Extra Award Options for MileagePlus Elites and Chase Cardholders
United MileagePlus opens up additional award inventory to elite members and non-elites with a United co-branded credit card. In short, these are extra award seats not available to the general public.
This unique feature can be a trip saver. Often, there won't be a saver award available for the flight 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 co-brand cardholder or Premier elite member.
If an award is exclusively available to Premier members or cardholders, you'll see it noted as such in the award search.
Related: United Credit Card Award Space
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 in a simple stopover to your itinerary, it's a whole lot more powerful than that.
The Excursionist Perk is 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 receive one of those one-way awards 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 travel originates.
- The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk are within a single MileagePlus defined 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, London to Copenhagen, and then Copenhagen to New York, 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 Europe (LHR-CPH), this segment is free.
For reference, here are the MileagePlus region definitions.
Best Ways to Use United MileagePlus Miles
The sweet spot for United miles is typically for premium cabin awards, although 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, there are many more options.
Here are some of our favorite United MileagePlus redemption opportunities:
- United States/Canada to Europe for 60,000 miles in United Polaris business class
- U.S./Canada to Europe for 77,000 miles in business class with partner airlines
- U.S. to Australia in business class for 80,000 miles (88,000 miles with partner airlines)
- U.S./Canada to Europe in Lufthansa first class for 121,000 miles (without nasty fuel surcharges!)
- Los Angeles to Bogota in Avianca lie-flat business class for 38,500 miles (you can connect from another U.S. airport at no extra cost)
Related: Best redemptions for United award travel
MileagePlus Upgrade Awards
In addition to booking standard award tickets, you can also 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, and the miles will only be deducted from your account if your upgrade is confirmed. 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, it may be a better value to redeem for a saver award ticket (rather than buying a cash fare to upgrade with miles). So make sure you do the math before you book.
Other Ways to Redeem United Miles
You can also redeem United miles for hotel stays, car rental, cruises, merchandise, gift cards, and experiences. You can even use your miles for a United Club membership, in-flight WiFi, or to apply for TSA PreCheck.
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.
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 United Club℠ Infinite 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.
How to Earn United Elite Status
United MileagePlus made some big changes to its elite program in early 2020. The new system is mainly focused on how much you spend on flights with United. The rules are complicated enough that we'll be dedicating a whole post to the topic. For now, here is the simple version:
- You'll 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 can achieve elite status by reaching the PQP requirement alone, or with a combination of PQPs and PQFs
MileagePlus has four elite status levels:
United Premier Benefits
Once you achieve elite status, you'll have access to some great benefits that can make your travel experience more enjoyable. The table below shows some of the most popular benefits for each status level:
Final Thoughts
United MileagePlus remains one of our favorite frequent-flyer programs. United miles are easy to accumulate by using a Chase United card or one of the many Ultimate Rewards cards for your everyday purchases. If you want to take your earning to the next level, you can also build your MileagePlus balance with United dining, shopping, and travel partners.
When it comes time to redeem, MileagePlus offers global coverage through its network of three dozen 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 that fly often, MileagePlus Premier elite status does a pretty good 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-brand credit card holders 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
Is United MileagePlus free to join?
Yes, anyone can join. You can sign up at United.com.
How do you find your United MileagePlus number?
You can find your MileagePlus number in the initial email you received when you signed up for the program. If you have forgotten it, you can head to united.com and click the "Forgot MileagePlus number?" link, input your name and birthday, and United will email it to you.
Can I buy United Airlines miles?
Yes! You can normally buy 1,000 United miles for $35. MileagePlus also occasionally runs promotions where you can buy United miles at a significant discount.
Do United Airlines miles expire?
No. United Airlines changed their program so that MileagePlus miles never expire.
What points can I transfer to United?
United MileagePlus is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to MileagePlus in increments on 1,000 via Chase's website. You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to United MileagePlus. It's best to transfer in increments of 60,000 Marriott miles to 20,000 United MileagePlus miles because you will receive 5,000 bonus miles for a total of 25,000.
How long does it take to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to United miles?
Marriott Bonvoy point transfers typically take 24-48 hours. Officially, Marriott states that all transfers to airline programs may take longer.
How long does it take United Airlines miles to post after a flight?
Miles from flights typically credit the same day, often within an hour after your flight.
How long does it take for United shopping portal miles to post?
Shopping portal miles typically post within 3-5 business days but can take up to 15 business days.
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.
If I’m planning to earn MileagePlus miles on Air Canada four international flights, would it be better to buy those tickets from United, or Air Canada?
That’s a complicated question. The best answer will depend on the flight’s length, the flight, the cost of the flight before government taxes/fees, and the booking fare class. I’d recommend checking the booking fare class and then heading to https://wheretocredit.com/
El programa de United resulta ser uno de los mejores.
I agree that United MileagePlus is the best airline program in the world.
Reward points continue to be more and more complex. I’ll just take cash back.
Looking forward to getting back in the air. It seems that United has been making an effort to be more customer friendly. I’ve always liked the mainline flights, but my experience in small airports with their contractor flights has ranged from horrible to just OK.
Those award change fees, though … 😮 It’s especially tough to swallow given that these days travel plans can change dramatically overnight, for a variety of reasons. If United could change just ONE thing, that would be a good place to start.
Note that United’s free luggage allowance apparently does not apply if the first leg on the trip is with “a partner”(ie codesharing).
This is confusing, because when choosing flight options these additional charges payable at boarding are nowhere mentioned when buying the ticket.
I did pay the luggage fees with my United credit card at boarding and then appealed the luggage charge to United, which they declined based on the fact that it was in the fine print.
So sad to see the airline employees losing jobs during the pandemic. Many of them worked for the low-paying regional airlines for years before moving up to the majors. It is beginning to look like a long ridge before travel gets back to normal.
I was pleased by an immediate positive response for mileage request for my flight with Turkish (Star Alliance member).
It’s really stark to read through all this at once and realize the crazy devaluations they’ve made in recent years to earning miles on flights, spending miles on awards, and award ticketing rules.
I agree that United MileagePlus is the best airline program in the world. I want to flight to somewhere soon.
Muy interesante el amplio menú de opciones presentadas, es una información muy bien sistematizada, para los interesados en el uso de programas de millas, es para estudiarlo con detenimiento y tenerlo como guía a mano.
Singapore airlines is currently not accepting United award bookings due to Covid-19. Turkish Airlines covers a lot of the same routes and has good availability. I suggest you look at this option for award flights from the US to destinations in Asia.
I used to credit to COPA but will keep this in mind, I’ve always found United to have good service
Many of the benefits of the Explorer credit card make United a good option to consider. Unfortunately though, the PQP requirement puts elite status out of reach for most casual travelers.
United seems having most partners than other airlines
I agree that United miles are valuable because of their many partnerships thru the star alliance. This is one of the more robust alliances.
Good chance for transfer Marriott Bonvoy points . Or it’s better to expect any incentive! I am asking
I was generally a free agent for many years until I discovered the points/miles hobby, and hadn’t flown United since 2012. Thanks to 5/24, I started with the Chase trifecta, and my brother extolled the value of his United elite status & flying Polaris transatlantic. Based on his recommendations, I discovered how easy it was to earn miles with United, competitive flight prices, and expansive destinations/partner airlines. I decided to give United loyalty a try, mostly as a matter of convenience since I’m banking lots of Chase UR during the pandemic & card SUBs, and would rather start out with clear-cut redemptions. In one aspect it could either be a great time for me to come into the credit card sphere in the middle of the pandemic, or terrible timing. United is surely going to be a shadow of its former self as COVID-19 continues to be a marathon.
Thanks for the guide – I’ve bookmarked this as a primer on the program!
I guess I never really looked at everyone they partnered with! Wow. I am hoping that I’ll be able to redeem for a trip to Australia. I have yet to see the lower amount even though I have the credit card. I am just assuming that I will have to go with the highest and hope the lower amount may be there when I book. I know it’s hard to use miles to Australia so always plan for the worst and hope for the best :o)
I wonder if going forward for the next couple years availability might be better until numbers for fliers come up?
Try booking a flight to Australia from Honolulu + take a cheap flight to HNL.
These are good offers, even in this context of crisis. Thank you!
This post prompted me to check what’s happening at United’s invitation-only CLASSIFIED restaurant, at EWR.
Here’s the message on their web page:
“CLASSIFIED is not currently taking reservations
We’ve temporarily closed CLASSIFIED due to government orders and to help keep our customers safe. We appreciate your interest and look forward to serving you in the future. While CLASSIFED is closed, other concession locations in the airport continue to offer food, drinks and travel essentials.”
https://classified.united.com/dining/Home?code=c088a0e8432b36032b84ee3c634ade6cb05c7d7cc59e8e110562922ddbb32d4a&challengeToken=0rEGrufQfor4wcuR6n~iNSywiNQMTaoE7-Btzs6pmWQ_
I have had many wonderful years with MileagePlus, but I can see that writing is on the wall because of the permanent changes bought by the coronavirus.
With these award flights the taxes usually cost more than the ticket fare itself, which you still must pay out of pocket. So I think using miles for upgrades is far better.
Kudos! This is a great refresher and base guide. Inspires me to go looking fir some award flights.