United MileagePlus is an airline rewards program known for its ease of use and numerous travel benefits. Whether you fly thousands of miles per year or just a few times, the program is free to join and easy to earn.
You’ll earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) for every dollar you spend on fares, carrier-imposed surcharges and seat purchases. You’ll also get PQPs on upgrades, Economy Plus seating and flights ticketed and operated by Star Alliance partners.
Earn Miles
United mileageplus is one of the most rewarding loyalty programs around. It offers a variety of elite travel benefits, partner bonuses and co-branded credit cards that can help you earn miles quickly.
The easiest way to earn MileagePlus miles is by signing up for a credit card that has a generous welcome bonus. These offer an easy way to rack up a substantial number of United miles within a few months, which can be a huge boost when it comes time to book an award flight.
For example, Chase currently offers six United credit cards that offer up to 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months of opening your account. These cards also offer a number of other rewards and travel benefits, including a United Club membership.
In addition to airline-affiliated credit cards, Chase also offers a handful of hotel-branded cards that let you transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to 38 airline partners — including United — at a 3:1 ratio. Some of these cards even offer exclusive travel perks and discounts on hotel stays, so they’re worth considering.
Redeem Miles
United MileagePlus is a loyalty program that lets you earn miles for everyday activities such as flying, shopping and dining. You can also transfer these miles to family members.
United is one of the largest airlines in the United States, serving 78 hub airports. It is a founding member of Star Alliance and has extensive international service.
You can redeem United MileagePlus miles for a variety of awards, including flights, merchandise and perks like TSA Precheck(r). The most valuable award is an award flight on United or its partner airlines.
The cost of a United award ticket is generally 12,500 miles for an Economy ticket and 25,000 miles for Business or First Class tickets. There are also Featured Award Deals that can be found between certain destinations for as low as 5,000 miles per way.
The most important thing to remember when you’re earning miles is to make sure your tickets are a good value. For example, a Basic Economy fare on Lufthansa doesn’t earn any miles at all. However, a First Class ticket on Lufthansa will earn you 200% of your base mileage earnings, making it an excellent award redemption.
Transfer Miles
United is a member of the Star Alliance, which includes a number of different airlines from around the world. As a result, you can use your MileagePlus miles to book flights on these partners as well.
The airline also partners with hotels, cruise lines, vacation rental companies, and car rentals. You can even earn miles when you shop online or dine out.
However, when it comes to redeeming your miles, the value can vary significantly. As a rule of thumb, you should try to get at least 1.21 cents per mile when redeemed for flights.
Another way to maximize your miles is to transfer them to others. This is a quick and easy process.
You can do this by logging into your account and selecting the “Transfer Miles” option. You’ll be prompted to enter your name, email address, and MileagePlus membership number. The recipient’s name and MileagePlus number will then be displayed. After entering these information, click “Submit transaction.” You’ll then have to pay the $7.50 per 500 miles plus a $30 processing fee to complete the transfer.
Shopping with Miles
If you’re a savvy consumer, there are lots of ways to earn miles on everyday purchases. For example, you can earn miles when you use a United credit card and shop with more than 900 partners through the MileagePlus shopping portal.
You can also redeem your miles for a variety of experiences, from newspaper subscriptions to shopping credits and gift card purchases. While these options aren’t as valuable as redeeming for an award flight, they can be worth the effort to save cash.
If you’re looking to get the most value out of your United miles, it’s best to hold on to them for an award flight redemption rather than a gift card or merchandise award. Redeeming for gift cards will give you a measly 0.3 cents per mile in value, while a flight reward will provide far more.