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United’s Money + Miles option lets you redeem your MileagePlus miles toward the cost of a paid ticket — giving you the flexibility to reduce out-of-pocket costs while still earning miles and elite status credit on the flight. Sounds great, right?
Not so fast. The redemption rate is often weak, and you lose some of the flexibility that makes traditional award tickets so valuable. Still, for certain travelers — especially Premier elites or United credit cardholders who get a higher redemption rate — there are a few scenarios where Money + Miles could be worthwhile. Here’s when it makes sense — and when it definitely doesn’t.
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What Is United Money + Miles?
United MileagePlus launched the Money + Miles redemption option in 2021. Unlike standard award tickets — which depend on origin, destination, cabin class, and United’s dynamic pricing — Money + Miles directly ties the number of miles needed to the cash price of the ticket.
That gives you the flexibility to redeem miles for most flights, but the value is far lower than what you can typically get with a traditional award. You'll get around 0.75¢ per United mile (give or take a bit on the margins) on these redemptions, which pales in comparison to what AwardWallet users redeem MileagePlus miles for.
However, if you have United Premier status or a United credit card with an annual fee, like The New United℠ Explorer Card or The New United Quest℠ Card, you’ll get 1¢ per United mile when using Money + Miles.
That's a 33% boost to the redemption rate from general members. However, that’s still only half the value I typically get from my miles. But if you usually redeem for domestic economy tickets, there may be cases where it makes sense.
- 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
United Money + Miles restrictions
United Money + Miles tickets are governed by the same fare rules as standard cash tickets. That means they aren’t fully refundable like award tickets. If you need to cancel a Money + Miles ticket, you'll receive a future flight credit in the amount of the cash fare (for which you redeemed miles to cover a portion of the price).
This makes Money + Miles less flexible than United award tickets.
These mixed currency tickets earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) on the cost of the fare, excluding taxes, fees, and the portion paid with miles. You’ll also earn one Premier Qualifying Flight (PQF) per segment, and the cash portion still earns redeemable miles.
That creates a small opportunity to “double dip” — using miles to discount a ticket while still earning elite-qualifying credit.
Related: Do United Miles Expire? An Overview of United Mileage Expiration Rules
How to Book Using United Money + Miles
Booking with United Money + Miles is straightforward. Start by searching for flights on United’s website or mobile app, just as you would for a regular award.
On the search results page, look for the Money + Miles toggle just above the fare class headers. You can also use the drop-down menu to switch between Money, Miles, and Money + Miles. If you’re not logged in, you’ll be prompted to log in at this point. On the mobile app, though, you’ll need to log in before beginning your search.
Once you enable the Money + Miles filter, United will show prices that include both a cash and miles component. What’s displayed is the maximum number of miles you can apply, but you can adjust that number during checkout.
If you compare the two images of this search, you'll notice that using 11,000 miles for the Basic Economy ticket for the cheapest option takes off exactly $110. Similarly, the standard Economy option has 15,000 miles at the maximum, which takes off $150. These are both exactly 1¢ per mile, which is expected since I have the United Business Card.
If you're happy with your flight selection and the United Money + Miles price, simply finish checkout as normal. You can adjust the number of miles redeemed in the final step. They will be worth the same, no matter how few you choose to redeem.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Travel Purchases
Is United Money + Miles Worth It?
Most of the time, no. In recent redemptions, AwardWallet users have redeemed United miles at an average of 1.94¢ per mile. Even when you only consider domestic United economy flights, that redemption rate is still 1.3¢ per mile.
Comparatively, redeeming United miles for just 0.75¢ each is a poor redemption rate. Even the 1¢ per United mile redemption rate that cardholders and elites receive is well below what you can expect to redeem United miles for.
So when can it make sense?
Say your schedule is restrictive and United redemptions only offer 1.15¢ per mile. That’s not far off from the 1¢ per mile elites and cardholders get with United Money + Miles. And since you’ll also earn award miles on the cash portion with mixed currency tickets, the value between these two options gets even closer.
I could see a situation where you want to redeem miles using Money + Miles to cut down on out-of-pocket costs and continue earning toward United Premier status. This is the main situation where it makes sense. I also could see it making sense for someone who needs to book a ticket but is short of the miles needed for an award, but reducing out-of-pocket costs is a critical factor.
But make sure you consider the reduced flexibility. One of the great features of United award tickets is that they are fully refundable. This has allowed me to speculatively book many itineraries, which I end up canceling and redepositing my miles over the past few years. I wouldn't be able to do this using United Money + Miles.
Bottom line: If you are a Premier elite and get 1¢ per mile using Money + Miles, it may be worth using this option to renew your status, or if you're a United credit cardholder trying to earn Premier status. It may also be worth using United Money + Miles if you are short on miles for an award ticket and really need to save the out-of-pocket costs of a ticket. However, it won't be worth buying United miles to book via Money + Miles.
Final Thoughts
At first glance, United’s Money + Miles redemption option might seem like a convenient way to cut down on your next airfare bill. And in limited situations — like topping off a fare when you're short on cash or earning PQP for Premier status — it can offer just enough value to consider.
But in most cases, you’re giving up too much for too little. With weaker redemption rates and less flexibility than most award tickets, Money + Miles is best viewed as a last resort — not your go-to way to spend miles. If you're sitting on a healthy MileagePlus balance, traditional awards and partner redemptions will almost always deliver more bang for your buck.
Related: The Best Uses of United MileagePlus Miles
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees)
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