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If you’re looking for an easy way to boost your United MileagePlus balance each month with minimal effort, a United Miles by the Month subscription could be the answer. Like other mileage subscription services, you simply choose a tier, subscribe, and watch your mileage balance grow.
While subscribing can be a convenient way to effectively buy United miles at a discount, you might wonder whether it’s actually a good use of your money. Here’s what you should know about Miles by the Month and how it stacks up against other methods of earning United miles.
How United’s Miles by the Month Subscription Program Works
Just like you can subscribe to meal kit delivery, TV streaming, or just about anything else these days, you can also subscribe to receive United MileagePlus miles in your account every month. With Miles by the Month, you can choose from three subscription tiers:
- 3,000 miles per month.
- 5,000 miles per month.
- 8,000 miles per month.
These packages start at $94.50 per month plus tax, but higher-priced tiers offer a better per-mile rate. Here’s a quick look at your options:
- Option 1: 3,000 miles per month for $94.50 plus tax
- Option 2: 5,000 miles per month for $140 plus tax
- Option 3: 8,000 miles per month for $210 plus tax
Each subscription stays active until you cancel it, and every three months you’ll earn a bonus on top of your monthly miles.
If you keep a United Miles by the Month subscription open for 12 months, factoring in a 7.5% tax recovery fee (Canadian taxes vary), here’s what you can get:
- Option 1: 43,200 miles for $1,219 — or 2.82¢ per mile
- Option 2: 72,000 miles for $1,806 — or 2.51¢ per mile
- Option 3: 120,000 miles for $2,709 — or 2.26¢ per mile
If you’re interested in signing up for a United MileagePlus Miles by the Month subscription, click here. You’ll be prompted to log in to your account before selecting the tier that works best for you.
Related: The (Unofficial) MileagePlus Award Chart for United and Partner Airline Flights
United Miles by the Month key terms
The United Miles by the Month program is incredibly straightforward by subscription service standards. However, like any other service, there are still terms and conditions you should pay attention to.
- You’ll be billed each month for the subscription tier you choose (including any applicable discounts and tax recovery fees) until you cancel, or for up to 12 months.
- Packages renew monthly, and you can cancel at any time — but you cannot pause, upgrade, or downgrade, and any purchased miles are nonrefundable.
- If you cancel before completing your 12-month term, you can’t sign up again for 90 days.
- You may only subscribe to one package per MileagePlus account at a time.
- Miles generally post within a few hours but can take up to 48 hours.
- Quarterly bonus miles are credited after every third payment.
- Miles purchased through this subscription do not count toward Premier status or other elite benefits.
- United may change prices or terms at any time, and taxes vary by country and province.
- If your payment fails and you don’t update your card within 30 days, your subscription will be canceled and miles will not be refunded.
- This subscription cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.
You can find the full terms and conditions at the bottom of the enrollment page.
Is United Miles by the Month Worth Subscribing To?
United’s Miles by the Month subscriptions are certainly interesting, and the effective rate for buying miles is pretty compelling. However, whether you should actually subscribe depends on a few important factors.
- How soon you need United miles to make a redemption. As the name suggests, you get a fixed amount of miles each month. If you need a large number of miles for an immediate redemption, you’re better off buying them outright. But if you regularly need miles to book trips, a subscription could be a convenient way to build your balance — especially if you keep it active for a full year.
- How many miles you need to make a redemption. Before buying miles or subscribing to them, it’s worth pricing out your intended redemption. That way, you know exactly how many miles you need and whether a subscription will help you reach your goal.
- What you’re willing to pay for United miles. There are plenty of ways to earn United miles. To get the best rate with Miles by the Month, you’d need to choose the most expensive tier and stick with it for 12 months. Other potentially cheaper options include buying only the exact number of miles you need or earning a credit card welcome bonus denominated in United miles (or points that transfer to United).
Are there cheaper ways to buy United miles?
The answer is straightforward: yes, there are cheaper ways to buy United miles. Every so often, United sells miles with a bonus or discount. The lowest rate we’ve ever seen is 1.75¢ per mile, though the most common promotional rate over the past year has been around 1.88¢ per mile.
By comparison, the cheapest rate you can get through Miles by the Month is 2.26¢ per mile — and that requires staying subscribed for 12 months and collecting all the bonuses. The difference is night and day.
That said, United miles aren’t always on sale at a discounted rate, and travel can be unpredictable. For example, if you suddenly need 3,000 miles to top of your account to book an award ticket and there’s no promotion running — and you don’t have transferable points — United would sell you 3,000 miles for $105 (at a 3.5¢ base rate) plus taxes and fees, for a total of $112.88. In that case, you’d save over 10% by subscribing for just one month and then canceling.
All things considered, there are situations where a subscription makes sense, others where buying miles outright is better, and still others where paying cash for your ticket might be the best option. Each circumstance is different.
Earn a lot of United miles at once with a credit card sign-up bonus
For some, breaking out the calculator to figure out whether it makes more sense to subscribe or buy miles outright might feel like a chore. In that case, you might prefer to earn a large sign-up bonus from a United credit card instead.
Chase issues several United credit cards, many of which come with big sign-up bonuses after you meet the minimum spending requirement. Here are some of the top offers available right now:
- The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- The New United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees): Best Offer Ever: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 3,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- The New United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees): Limited-time offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- 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
- 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
- 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
In addition, several credit cards earn transferable points that can be converted into United MileagePlus miles. Here are some great offers you might consider:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 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
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Related: Step-By-Step Instructions How To Transfer Chase Points to United MileagePlus
Bottom Line
With United’s Miles by the Month subscription program, you can buy MileagePlus miles for as little as 2.26¢ each. Whether you should subscribe depends on what you want to do with your miles, how soon you need them, and whether there are cheaper ways to reach your goal. In short, it depends on your specific situation.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that “investing” in United miles for the long term is generally a poor decision. For example, if you plan to keep your United miles subscription active until you have enough miles for a Polaris business class ticket to Europe, which currently starts at 80,000 miles, you run the risk of United devaluing its program while you’re subscribed — and watching the price of that ticket go up. That would be pretty disappointing.
Ultimately, if you redeem the miles you get every month within a reasonable timeframe, the risk isn't so bad. Still, United has devalued its program without notice in the past. So, if you are thinking about subscribing to get United miles every month, it pays to be strategic about how and when you plan to redeem them.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), The New United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), The New United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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