In this post, we'll cover the key rules for United award travel so that you have the necessary tools to book your next trip.<\/p>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- Overview of Booking, Change and Cancellation, and Itinerary Rules<\/a><\/li>
- United Award Travel Costs and Partner Airlines<\/a>
- United award chart<\/a><\/li>
- United Airlines partners<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- United Airlines Award Booking Rules and Fees<\/a>
- Can I use my miles to book for another person?<\/a><\/li>
- How far in advance can I book my ticket?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I put a United award travel reservation on hold?<\/a><\/li>
- Does United charge a close-in booking fee?<\/a><\/li>
- Does United charge a phone booking fee?<\/a><\/li>
- How much does it cost to include a lap infant?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- United Airlines Award Travel Change and Cancellation Rules<\/a>
- How much does United Airlines charge to change or cancel an award ticket?<\/a><\/li>
- Does United Airlines allow free changes within 24 hours?<\/a><\/li>
- How can I track award flight changes?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- United Airlines Award Travel Itinerary Rules<\/a>
- Can I book a stopover with United miles?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I book one-way travel with United miles?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I book an open jaw with United miles?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I fly with multiple partner airlines on the same trip?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I book an itinerary with multiple classes of service?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I book a round-the-world ticket with United miles?<\/a><\/li>
- United Excursionist Perk regions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Itinerary Rules for Complex United Award Bookings<\/a>
- Published route requirement<\/a><\/li>
- Maximum Permitted Mileage (MPM)<\/a><\/li>
- United Airlines award segment limits<\/a><\/li>
- Married segment logic<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n
Overview of Booking, Change and Cancellation, and Itinerary Rules<\/span><\/h2>\n
- \n
- Booking rules<\/strong>\u00a0are broad policies about how you can use miles. This includes how far in advance you can confirm flights, whether you can use your miles to book travel for family and friends and the fees you can expect to pay out-of-pocket when you book an award.<\/li>\n
- Change and cancellation rules<\/strong><\/a> apply when a trip can no longer be made as originally planned. Understanding these from the get-go can help you determine how flexible your plans can be without incurring too much extra cost.<\/li>\n
- Itinerary rules<\/strong> determine what types of trips you can structure with your miles. How many stops can you make? How many partners can you include on a ticket? Do you get a discount if part of your flight is in the economy cabin?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Aerial](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
Credit: Chris Leipelt\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n United Award Travel Costs and Partner Airlines<\/span><\/h2>\n
Before we discuss the rules, you should familiarize yourself with two additional topics to make the most of your United miles.<\/p>\n
United award chart<\/span><\/h3>\n
MileagePlus no longer publishes its award pricing, but AwardWallet has compiled an unofficial United award chart<\/a> to help you plan for upcoming trips. The miles you'll spend is key in deciding whether to book with United<\/a> or another frequent-flyer program, but it won't always be the only consideration. Sometimes, United's rules and policies confer advantages that make it worth spending more miles to get the itinerary or flexibility you want.<\/p>\n
Additionally, our post on the best uses of United miles<\/a> highlights awards where United outshines the competition.<\/p>\n
Related: How and Why You Should Use the United Airlines Expert Mode Feature<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
United Airlines partners<\/span><\/h3>\n
United miles can be redeemed for flights with over 20 Star Alliance partners and more than a dozen non-alliance partners. Here are the United partner airlines:<\/p>\n
Star Alliance member airlines<\/strong><\/h4>\n
- \n
- Aegean Airlines<\/li>\n
- Air Canada<\/li>\n
- Air China<\/li>\n
- Air India<\/li>\n
- Air New Zealand<\/li>\n
- All Nippon Airways (ANA)<\/li>\n
- Asiana Airlines<\/li>\n
- Austrian Airlines<\/li>\n
- Avianca<\/li>\n
- Brussels Airlines<\/li>\n
- Copa Airlines<\/li>\n
- Croatia Airlines [effective December 2024]<\/li>\n
- Egyptair<\/li>\n
- Ethiopian Airlines<\/li>\n
- EVA Airways<\/li>\n
- Juneyao Air \u2014 Star Alliance connecting partner<\/li>\n
- LOT Polish Airlines<\/li>\n
- Lufthansa<\/li>\n
- Shenzhen Airlines<\/li>\n
- Singapore Airlines<\/li>\n
- South African Airways<\/li>\n
- SWISS<\/li>\n
- TAP Air Portugal<\/li>\n
- Thai Airways<\/li>\n
- Turkish Airlines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Non-alliance partner airlines<\/strong><\/h4>\n
- \n
- Aer Lingus<\/li>\n
- Air Dolomiti<\/li>\n
- Airlink<\/li>\n
- Azul Brazilian Airlines<\/li>\n
- Cape Air<\/li>\n
- Discover Airlines<\/li>\n
- Edelweiss Air<\/li>\n
- Emirates<\/li>\n
- Eurowings<\/li>\n
- Flydubai<\/li>\n
- Hawaiian Airlines<\/li>\n
- JSX<\/li>\n
- Lufthansa City Airlines<\/li>\n
- Olympic Air<\/li>\n
- Silver Airways<\/li>\n
- Virgin Australia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Related: How To Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
United Airlines Award Booking Rules and Fees<\/span><\/h2>\n
Can I use my miles to book for another person?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Absolutely, you can redeem your United MileagePlus miles to book an award for anyone<\/a>.<\/p>\n
However, be aware that selling miles is explicitly prohibited in the terms and conditions of the United MileagePlus program. From a practical standpoint, the most significant risk is selling your miles to a stranger. MileagePlus isn't likely to find out that your friend gave you some money or bought you dinner in exchange for booking their flight, but United might ask a passenger to identify the owner of the loyalty account used to book their trip.<\/p>\n
Credit: United Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n How far in advance can I book my ticket?<\/span><\/h3>\n
United opens its schedule 337 days out from departure<\/a> for revenue and award flights. Some partners of United, like ANA, make awards available further out than this, but you'll need to wait until United releases its schedule if using United miles to book your award.<\/p>\n
Can I put a United award travel reservation on hold?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Unfortunately, you cannot place most United award reservations on hold. The exception is that United does offer a paid add-on called FareLock, which allows you to hold some award itineraries where the flights are operated exclusively by United Airlines. FareLock generally costs $10-30, depending on how long the hold is put on the ticket.<\/p>\n
For comparison, American Airlines offers a complimentary 5-day hold on any award ticket<\/a> booked more than 7 days before departure. If you don't want to pay for United's FareLock or the option isn't available for your trip, you can book an award ticket using the miles in your account and cancel within 24 hours for free. You can buy United miles<\/a> if you need to top up your balance to book your award.<\/p>\n
Does United charge a close-in booking fee?<\/span><\/h3>\n
MileagePlus eliminated its cash fee for close-in bookings in 2019 but compensated by increasing the number of miles required for awards booked within 30 days of travel. Don't be deceived by the sleight of hand. The extra miles required can be significant, so avoid booking within 30 days if at all possible.<\/p>\n
Does United charge a phone booking fee?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Yes, United does charge a $25 phone booking fee, $10 at a city ticket office, and $50 at the airport. However, if you have United Premier Platinum or Premier 1K status, the $25 phone booking fee is waived.<\/p>\n
It's worth noting that most reservations agents will waive the phone booking fee if it isn't possible to book your award online. If booking by phone is the only option because United's website can't handle your request, ask (nicely) for a fee waiver and escalate to a supervisor if necessary.<\/p>\n
How much does it cost to include a lap infant?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Lap infants<\/a> are children under two traveling with an adult who booked with points or cash. If flying domestically within the United States, there's no cost to add a lap infant to your United award. For flights between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, parents traveling with a lap infant will need to pay the applicable taxes and fees.<\/p>\n
For other international flights, United charges 10% of cost to buy an adult ticket to add a lap infant. Fortunately, the 10% fee is now capped at $250 plus taxes. Under the previous policy, the 10% was uncapped, making adding a lap infant to premium cabin awards quite expensive.<\/p>\n
Credit: Paul Hanaoka\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Related: Airline Award Sweet Spots for Families<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
United Airlines Award Travel Change and Cancellation Rules<\/span><\/h2>\n
One great thing about United Airlines is that, like its competition, it has eliminated change and cancellation fees in recent years.<\/p>\n
How much does United Airlines charge to change or cancel an award ticket?<\/span><\/h3>\n
It's completely free of charge to change or cancel a United award ticket<\/a>. If canceling an award, miles are redeposited into your account, and taxes are refunded to the card used to make the transaction. If making an award-ticket change, there's no cash “fee” involved per se, but remember that you'll be responsible for the difference in miles and taxes when you rebook. Or, if the price of the new flight is lower than your original award, you'll receive a refund in miles to your account.<\/p>\n
Does United Airlines allow free changes within 24 hours?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Yes, United allows free changes up until your flight departs. However, if you “no-show” for a flight, it will cost you $125 to redeposit miles from your award into your account. That's not cheap, but United is still relatively generous here; most frequent-flyer programs won't refund awards cancelled after departure.<\/p>\n
How can I track award flight changes?<\/span><\/h3>\n
AwardWallet automatically tracks all your travel plans<\/a>\u00a0(and alerts you to any changes) by importing reservations from your email or connected accounts. I recommend linking the email<\/a> you use for reservations to your AwardWallet account to make this service nice and seamless.<\/p>\n
Don't have an AwardWallet account yet?<\/strong> Sign up for free<\/a> and track unlimited rewards programs and travel plans.<\/p>\n
United Airlines Award Travel Itinerary Rules<\/span><\/h2>\n
Can I book a stopover with United miles?<\/span><\/h3>\n
United MileagePlus offers one of the most unique award booking benefits out there \u2014 the Excursionist Perk<\/a>. It's a very convoluted perk with lots of rules and caveats, but essentially, the United Excursionist Perk is designed to let you visit two different destinations on the same award ticket with no additional mileage cost between them. You'll need to be flying on a round trip or “open jaw” itinerary to utilize this perk.<\/p>\n
Credit: U\u011furcan \u00d6zmen\/Pexels<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Related: What Is the Difference Between a Layover and a Stopover?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Can I book one-way travel with United miles?<\/span><\/h3>\n
You absolutely can! United awards can be booked one-way, round trip, or as two separate one-ways. United prices one-ways as half the price of the round-trip award. Keep in mind that United uses dynamic pricing for most of its awards, so your award will price according to the flights you select.<\/p>\n
Can I book an open jaw with United miles?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Yes, open-jaw awards are allowed under the United MileagePlus rules. To learn more, check out our guide to stopovers and open jaws<\/a>!<\/p>\n
Can I fly with multiple partner airlines on the same trip?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Yes, United MileagePlus allows you to book an award with multiple partners on the same reservation.<\/p>\n
Can I book an itinerary with multiple classes of service?<\/span><\/h3>\n
United allows you to book itineraries that combine two or more classes of service, but this generally means you'll be overpaying in miles. This is because MileagePlus sets the award price based on the highest class of service on your itinerary. In other words, if you book an award with a short flight in business- or first class that connects to a long-haul flight in economy, you'll spend the same number of miles as an itinerary with all flights in the higher class of service.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, United clearly labels these itineraries as “mixed-cabin” awards in the online search results.<\/p>\n
Avianca LifeMiles<\/a> is a good alternative to United when booking a mixed-cabin award because LifeMiles charges a pro-rated price based on the distance flown in each cabin. It's a member of Star Alliance, so you might be able to book the same mixed-cabin itinerary at a much lower price.<\/p>\n
Can I book a round-the-world ticket with United miles?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Unfortunately, there's no “round-the-world” ticket option with United miles. If you're looking to book a round-the-world ticket with Star Alliance airlines, consider a program like ANA Mileage Club<\/a>, or Lufthansa Miles & More<\/a>, which specifically offer those types of tickets.<\/p>\n
- Change and cancellation rules<\/strong><\/a> apply when a trip can no longer be made as originally planned. Understanding these from the get-go can help you determine how flexible your plans can be without incurring too much extra cost.<\/li>\n
- Maximum Permitted Mileage (MPM)<\/a><\/li>
- Can I book one-way travel with United miles?<\/a><\/li>
- Does United Airlines allow free changes within 24 hours?<\/a><\/li>
- How far in advance can I book my ticket?<\/a><\/li>
- United Airlines partners<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- United Award Travel Costs and Partner Airlines<\/a>
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/United-Airlines-Featured-Chris-Leipelt-Unsplash.png\")
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![\"a](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Paul-Hanaoka-Unsplash-lap-infant-on-plane-featured.png\")
![\"United](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/United-Featured-Ugurcan-Ozmen-Pexels.png\")
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