United Airways MileagePlus program provides some nice redemption choices on United and associate airways. United’s Star Alliance membership lets you earn and redeem miles on Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airways and extra.
Not solely is the airline loyalty program free to hitch, however United miles by no means expire. Even for those who do not usually earn or redeem miles, you do not have to fret about dropping your account stability attributable to inactivity.
Incomes United miles is only one a part of the puzzle, however realizing which redemptions to focus on and understanding this system’s perks can make sure you get probably the most worth out of your United miles.
Listed here are a number of the finest methods to maximise the MileagePlus program.
Save with United MileagePlus award gross sales
There was loads of doom and gloom information about devaluations, decreased award availability and the stripping of advantages from award tickets. Nevertheless, one constructive development over the previous couple of years has been the launch of limited-time, discounted award gross sales — and MileagePlus has joined the celebration.
For instance, in 2024, the MileagePlus program supplied the next flash gross sales:
- Fly to Hong Kong from the U.S. beginning at 40,000 miles (plus taxes and costs) every manner for United cardholders or 45,000 miles for non-cardholders.
- Fly to the Caribbean and Hawaii from the mainland U.S., beginning at 12,000 and 13,000 miles, respectively, every manner (plus taxes and costs) for United Chase cardholders.
E-book United Lie-flat premium cabin redemptions
United has invested closely in its worldwide premium expertise by increasing Polaris lounges, including new planes with smooth Polaris cabins and retrofitting its long-haul fleet. Enterprise-class passengers flying United Polaris can take pleasure in direct aisle entry, lie-flat seats and multicourse meals with Champagne, spirits and fantastic wines.
MileagePlus costs redemptions dynamically, so charges rise according to money fare demand. Nevertheless, on lower-demand dates, you’ll be able to fly enterprise class to Europe or South America for simply 80,000 miles and to Australia for 100,000 miles every manner. You may wish to use an award search app like Seats.aero that can assist you discover the bottom MileagePlus costs.
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Associated: Is United Polaris enterprise class price it to Singapore?
E-book United home flights with miles
Whereas some applications have repeatedly elevated the costs of home award flights inside the U.S., it’s nonetheless attainable to guide short-haul flights with United miles for as few as 4,500 miles every manner, plus solely $6 in taxes and costs.
You possibly can strive looking out the featured awards web page on the MileagePlus web site to seek out the bottom home fares out of your most popular airport.
No gas surcharges on United flights
The thrill of snagging a “free” journey utilizing your miles might be dampened by a three- and even four-figure money fee required because of pesky gas surcharges. Different Star Alliance applications, like Lufthansa’s Miles & Extra program, can tack on a whole lot of {dollars} in gas surcharges to its award tickets. Fortunately, when reserving by means of MileagePlus, it can save you on further charges because it’s one of many few applications that does not add gas surcharges.
Associated: Dynamic pricing vs. gas surcharges — which is the lesser of two evils in your subsequent redemption?
United Excursionist Perk
United MileagePlus would not supply an unrestricted stopover like another frequent flyer applications, but it surely does supply the Excursionist Perk. This perk lets you add a qualifying, one-way flight to a round-trip award ticket with out further miles. Listed here are the foundations United lists on its web site:
- The Excursionist Perk can’t be within the MileagePlus-defined area the place your journey originates. For instance, in case your journey begins in North America, you’ll solely obtain the Excursionist Perk if journey is inside a area outdoors of North America.
- Journey should finish in the identical MileagePlus-defined area the place journey originates.
- The origin and vacation spot of the Excursionist Perk are inside a single MileagePlus-defined area.
- The cabin of service and the free one-way award sort are the identical or decrease than the previous one-way award.
- Solely the primary incidence can be free if two or extra one-way awards qualify for this profit.
This perk’s easiest and most blatant use could be for a round-trip award from the U.S. to Europe or Asia. You possibly can fly from Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA), use the Excursionist Perk for a free flight from FRA to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) after which full your round-trip award reserving with a flight again to IAD.
On this case, you’d pay the conventional award charge for a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Europe, whereas the leg from FRA to CDG could be “free.”
In fact, you possibly can get way more artistic than this. Possibly you add an open jaw and fly again to O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) as an alternative of IAD.
You might be much more artistic with this perk. To study routing prospects like “the unbiased Excursionist,” take a look at TPG’s full information to the Excursionist Perk.
Save money with last-minute United award redemptions
It is likely to be price preserving a wholesome “simply in case” sum of miles in your MileagePlus account for last-minute conditions. A couple of years again, a former TPG staffer traveled to Belgium and needed to return instantly to the U.S. attributable to a household emergency. The pressing nature of the scenario meant that they wanted to be on the primary flight dwelling to San Francisco.
They discovered a United flight in Polaris enterprise class for simply 62,800 miles, connecting by means of Chicago. Miraculously, this flight was scheduled to depart Brussels in two hours and had the soonest arrival in San Francisco. The money worth was over $8,000, in order that they averted paying for an costly last-minute fare and will instantly return dwelling.
Although an itinerary like this could now probably price at the least 80,000 miles, you’ll be able to nonetheless save 1000’s of {dollars} on last-minute bookings by redeeming United miles.
Associated: Is United Airways premium financial system price it to Europe?
Find out how to earn United miles
United is a 1:1 switch associate of Chase Final Rewards and Bilt Rewards. Which means you’ll be able to switch factors to your United MileagePlus account — a course of that needs to be accomplished inside minutes.
Marriott Bonvoy factors switch to United at a 3:1 ratio due to United and Marriott’s RewardsPlus partnership. You may get 10,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 factors transferred to United MileagePlus. Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to United MileagePlus can take as much as three days.
In case you’re ranging from scratch or seeking to save up, contemplate including a United bank card to your pockets. You may have your selection amongst entry-level and premium playing cards, in addition to private and enterprise choices:
- United Membership℠ Card (see charges and costs): Earn 95,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- United Quest℠ Card (see charges and costs): Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- United℠ Explorer Card (see charges and costs): Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- United Gateway℠ Card (see charges and costs): Earn 30,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening
- United℠ Enterprise Card (see charges and costs): Earn 125,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
United’s cobranded playing cards are issued by Chase, that means they’re topic to the 5/24 rule for brand spanking new candidates.
Backside line
Regardless of some damaging modifications to the United MileagePlus program over time, loads of high-value choices stay for redeeming your miles.
Realizing which award varieties, cabins and routing guidelines to make the most of can assist you increase your redemption values each time. Lastly, overview the Excursionist Perk so as to add a free second vacation spot to your subsequent trip booked with United MileagePlus miles.
