United Excursionist Perk: Journey extra for fewer miles

One beneficial function of the United MileagePlus program is the Excursionist Perk, which lets you add a one-way flight to a round-trip award ticket with out utilizing additional miles. The principles for this perk usually are not effectively outlined, however it’s a particularly beneficial software for award journey.

Understanding and utilizing the Excursionist Perk could also be difficult for freshmen and even some superior award vacationers. It requires effort and time, however it might mean you can redeem United miles for incredible award itineraries at a low value — and see extra of the world for fewer miles. Here is all the things you have to know to make the most of this uncommon perk.

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What’s the United Excursionist Perk?

At its core, the Excursionist Perk is supposed to provide a free one-way phase to vacationers on round-trip itineraries between two totally different areas as outlined by the MileagePlus program. The United web site is extremely imprecise when defining the Excursionist Perk, which leaves ample room for inventive minds to stretch the bounds of this perk. Listed below are the foundations revealed by United for the Excursionist Perk:

• Your journey begins and ends in the identical MileagePlus-defined area.
• The free Excursionist Perk flight begins and ends in the identical area.
• Your journey begins in a unique area than the free Excursionist Perk flight.
• The free Excursionist Perk flight have to be in the identical (or a decrease) award tier or cabin than the flight earlier than it.

To paraphrase: The primary route inside a single MileagePlus-defined area that is totally different from the area by which your itinerary begins and ends is free, so long as it is in the identical class (or decrease) because the previous leg.

For an instance of the best (and certain supposed) use of the Excursionist Perk, think about a round-trip economy-class award flight between Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) and London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), which on this case prices 55,200 miles and $204 in taxes and costs.

By invoking the Excursionist Perk, you may get a free phase inside the area you are visiting (so long as it is a totally different area than the place you are beginning). This implies you possibly can e-book the next itinerary for a similar variety of miles as a easy round-trip award (although you will nonetheless must pay taxes and costs on the free center phase):

• Newark to Heathrow
• Heathrow to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
• Berlin to Newark

Here is the itinerary priced out utilizing United’s multicity search perform.

You pay no further miles for the center phase, however you will additionally get to see Berlin and conveniently return residence straight from there. You will even save a number of miles as a result of award flights from Berlin are barely cheaper than from London, and you will avoid wasting money by avoiding the UK’s excessive departure taxes in your ticket.

While you e-book the London to Berlin phase, you will discover United costs zero miles for it.

The method is fairly easy, and at face worth, United may win clients over with this unusual profit. Nonetheless, the worth you may get out of the Excursionist Perk will depend on the MileagePlus-defined area you go to. Europe is a good one, since you possibly can plan a visit one of many dozens of nations in that area. Japan, however, is assessed as its personal area, so the one Excursionist flights you will have to select from will probably be from one Japanese metropolis to a different.

Learn how to e-book United Excursionist itineraries

You may (and may) e-book United Excursionist itineraries on-line. All you have to do to make use of the Excursionist Perk is use the “Superior search” software on the United homepage.

On the subsequent web page, choose the “Multi-city” choice and plug within the dates and locations you need to e-book. It’s essential to examine the field to point out the value in miles, because the Excursionist Perk does not apply to paid tickets.

In case your itinerary follows the Excursionist logic, it would value accurately. There isn’t any additional button to pick out or low cost code to enter; the free Excursionist leg will routinely seem for zero miles (plus taxes and costs). You may mix United flights with companion airways, and there isn’t any minimal or most keep requirement for the stopover.

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United Excursionist examples

Under are 4 examples of Excursionist itineraries by which we apply the perk’s base logic to real-world award itineraries. These are simply examples that will help you perceive the Excursionist Perk; there are many different choices to discover when you get the dangle of it.

The East Asian Excursionist hopper

Beginning in South Korea, you may see numerous cities and nations on a single ticket. For instance, you possibly can fly between the next airports:

• Seoul’s Incheon Worldwide Airport (ICN) to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
• BKK to Manila’s Ninoy Aquino Worldwide Airport (MNL)
• MNL to Taiwan Taoyuan Worldwide Airport (TPE)

Since South Korea and Taiwan are each in the identical area (North Asia) and Thailand and the Philippines are in a unique area (South Asia), the center leg from BKK to MNL qualifies for the Excursionist Perk.

Should you’re already visiting South Korea, you possibly can use the Excursionist Perk to see three extra nations for as little as 35,000 miles and $51 earlier than you head residence from Taiwan.

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The Ecuadorian and Galapagos Excursionist turtle

If seeing the Galapagos turtles is close to the highest of your to-do listing, you may additionally need to go to different locations within the area. With this itinerary, you may cowl Ecuador’s two main cities and the Galapagos Islands for a minimal outlay of miles:

• Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Mariscal Sucre Quito Worldwide Airport (UIO)
• Jose Joaquin de Olmedo Worldwide Airport (GYE) in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to the Galapagos’ Seymour Airport (GPS) on Baltra
• GPS to IAH by way of UIO

For this itinerary, you begin in Houston (or wherever within the U.S.), go to each Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, for so long as you need, then go to the turtles (and different wildlife) within the Galapagos earlier than flying again to the U.S. The GYE-GPS phase will value at 0 miles — you will solely be topic to $18 in taxes and costs.

This complete itinerary will set you again 63,000 miles (should you discover saver availability) and $125. The one different step you are accountable for is getting from Quito to Guayaquil, a straightforward proposition.

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Dynamic pricing equals dynamic worth for the United Excursionist

The consensus is that dynamic pricing is a horrible growth for award vacationers in search of outsize worth for his or her miles. Nonetheless, there are occasions when it will possibly work to your benefit. One such manner is with the Excursionist Perk.

Take into account this state of affairs: You are based mostly in California and have already got a visit booked to Thailand and Indonesia. You want a one-way flight from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Worldwide Airport (CGK) to Bangkok, which usually would set you again at the very least 17,500 United miles in economic system.

Nonetheless, quite than leaping to e-book that choice, think about the next:

• San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
• CGK to BKK
• LAX to SFO

SFO-LAX is offered from 6,800 miles every manner. So, should you nested your one-way CGK-BKK flight between journeys to Los Angeles, you possibly can get the entire itinerary for simply 13,600 miles, saving you a number of thousand miles — because the CGK-BKK leg is $0 plus $18 in taxes and costs.

All you’d have to do is go residence from Los Angeles the primary weekend after which right down to Los Angeles the second weekend (probably utilizing an alternate type of transportation). You’ll thus get a round-trip flight from SFO to LAX and your required CGK-BKK flight for fewer miles than should you booked the CGK-BKK flight alone.

That is one inventive manner to make use of the Excursionist Perk to avoid wasting your self much more miles. Simply remember that you need to fly the primary leg; should you do not, the remainder of your itinerary will probably be canceled.

The impartial Excursionist

You may take this concept even additional should you prefer to plan and are keen to have three or extra journeys at a time on the books. As an instance you are based mostly in Boston and also you need to plan three separate journeys: a February ski journey to Denver, an April getaway to Africa and an early-fall jaunt to New Orleans. With a little bit extra effort, you might be able to avoid wasting miles by reserving components of those journeys collectively and utilizing the Excursionist Perk.

On this instance, you’d fly the next itinerary (however spaced out as far aside as you want):

• Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) to Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN)
• Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo Worldwide Airport (JNB) to Kotoka Worldwide Airport (ACC) in Accra, Ghana
• BOS to Louis Armstrong New Orleans Worldwide Airport (MSY)

The itinerary begins and ends in the identical area (mainland U.S., Alaska and Canada), with the center phase wholly inside one other area (Central and Southern Africa) — and is thus eligible for the Excursionist Perk.

On this case, the entire itinerary prices 23,400 miles and $52.80.

Buying the Excursionist leg by itself would truly value extra miles than the above multicity reserving.

On this case, you are successfully getting three flights for lower than the value of 1.

In fact, you will nonetheless must e-book the opposite legs of those three journeys individually, which requires extra effort and time. And just like the SFO-LAX instance above, you need to take the BOS-DEN flight first; in any other case, the remainder of the itinerary will probably be canceled. However this exhibits how one can probably save miles by reframing how you consider the Excursionist Perk.

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United Excursionist ideas

Listed below are some further ideas and tips we have realized concerning the Excursionist Perk which will assist you to in your search:

• After a number of searches, chances are you’ll have to clear your cookies and begin over on United.com. The search engine can begin displaying errors and no outcomes after a number of queries.
• Through the multisegment search, the seven-day and 30-day choices might error out and say nothing is offered even when flights have award area. On this case, you need to change your search dates within the multicity search perform to search out accessible dates.
• There are not any most phase or most permitted mileage limitations on United Excursionist itineraries.
• Remember about open jaws, that are potential when utilizing the United Excursionist Perk. Should you can journey by yourself to get to the subsequent metropolis the place your ticket picks up, you’ve got added yet one more vacation spot to go to for no additional miles.
• You can even combine courses, so long as the Excursionist Perk flight is in the identical (or a decrease) cabin than the flight earlier than it. For instance, should you discover a business-class flight from the U.S. to Europe, you may then e-book a free intra-Europe flight in enterprise class earlier than flying again to the U.S. — even should you can solely discover economic system award availability on that final leg.
• Research the areas of the United MileagePlus award chart. Giant areas sometimes maintain probably the most potential worth, as these longer interregional segments will probably be free. Reserving the most affordable intraregional routes (e.g., Japan to Japan) means you continue to get the dearer Excursionist leg free. It does not matter if the Excursionist leg prices twice as a lot because the intraregional flights (see the dynamic pricing instance above).
• Do not name United. One TPGer spoke with 5 brokers on United’s Premier 1K line, and just one knew concerning the United Excursionist Perk (and never by title). Your agent might do not know what you are attempting to do, and should you get an ill-informed one, you possibly can be on maintain for hours and nonetheless find yourself with unhealthy info. We suggest solely utilizing United.com when researching and reserving Excursionist itineraries.

Lastly, chances are you’ll think about including a cobranded United bank card to your pockets should you’re severe about reserving these itineraries. Playing cards just like the United℠ Explorer Card can present discounted award availability on United-operated flights, which may noticeably influence the ultimate value you pay.

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Backside line

After studying this text and seeing some examples, we hope you see the potential worth of the United Excursionist Perk. Take what you be taught right here and mix a United Excursionist reserving with different nested award itineraries, every with its personal candy spots. You may probably go to 5 – 6 totally different locations on a single journey for only a few miles.

The Excursionist Perk requires some planning and analysis, but it surely stays a strong software to get phenomenal worth out of your United miles.