United Airways’ MileagePlus program has made some current adjustments, similar to devaluing first-class accomplice redemptions in 2024 and overhauling its cobranded bank cards earlier this yr. Nevertheless, since United miles by no means expire, PlusPoints and miles can be utilized to substantiate long-haul Polaris upgrades, and MileagePlus now helps you to pool miles, this system nonetheless has many brilliant spots.
This information will offer you all the mandatory data on this system, together with the right way to earn United miles and standing, in addition to the right way to maximize your miles for award journey.
United Quest ℠ Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and three,000 Premier qualifying factors after spending $4,000 within the first three months from account opening. (See charges and costs.)
United MileagePlus overview
With over 100 million members, United MileagePlus is among the largest loyalty packages on the planet.
MileagePlus members can earn miles by flying United and its companions, in addition to by spending on their bank cards, buying and eating. You’ll be able to redeem your miles for award journey on the airline in addition to its Star Alliance companions.
United Airways companions
You’ll be able to earn and redeem miles with varied worldwide airways by way of United Airways’ membership in Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance. United Premier members can usually take pleasure in perks like lounge entry (relying on standing) and further baggage allowance when touring with these companions.
This is a take a look at United’s present Star Alliance companions:
- Aegean Airways
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airways
- Austrian Airways
- Avianca
- Brussels Airways
- Copa Airways
- Croatia Airways
- Egyptair
- Ethiopian Airways
- EVA Airways
- Juneyao Air (a connecting accomplice)
- LOT Polish Airways
- Lufthansa
- Shenzhen Airways
- Singapore Airways
- South African Airways
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airways
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United additionally companions with a number of airways outdoors of Star Alliance:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Dolomiti
- Airlink
- Azul Brazilian Airways
- Cape Air
- Uncover Airways
- Edelweiss
- Emirates
- Eurowings
- Flydubai
- Hawaiian Airways
- JSX
- Lufthansa Metropolis Airways
- Olympic Air
- Virgin Australia
Companions can have their very own limitations relating to MileagePlus members — together with relevant bonuses, eligible fare lessons and excluded routes — so remember to assessment United’s airline companions web page for the total particulars on every one.
United Airways Premier standing
MileagePlus has 4 ranges of elite standing: Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K. There’s additionally an unique World Providers tier, which you’ll solely earn after finishing 4 million flight miles or receiving a private invitation.
There are two methods to earn United Premier standing: with a mix of Premier qualifying factors and Premier qualifying flights, or by incomes PQPs alone. To earn any degree of standing, you have to additionally take at the very least 4 United or United Specific flights.
You’ll be able to earn PQFs and PQPs by flying United or its companions. You can too earn PQPs by spending on most of United’s cobranded bank cards.
That is what it takes to qualify for United standing in 2025 (legitimate by way of Jan. 31, 2027):
| Tier | Premier qualifying factors plus Premier qualifying flights | Premier qualifying factors solely |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 5,000 PQPs plus 15 PQFs | 6,000 PQPs |
| Premier Gold | 10,000 PQPs plus 30 PQFs | 12,000 PQPs |
| Premier Platinum | 15,000 PQPs plus 45 PQFs | 18,000 PQPs |
| Premier 1K | 22,000 PQPs plus 60 PQFs | 28,000 PQPs |
United Premier members take pleasure in perks like bonus miles on paid tickets, free checked baggage and complimentary waitlisted upgrades on most United-operated flights.
Increased-tier members have entry to extra invaluable perks like complimentary Economic system Plus seating, PlusPoints (which can be utilized to substantiate upgrades), Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite standing and Star Alliance Gold standing (which supplies advantages like lounge entry, precedence boarding, additional baggage and extra whenever you fly on different Star Alliance carriers).
Methods to earn United miles
Beneath are a number of the hottest methods to spice up your MileagePlus stability.
Fly on United Airways
When flying on United-marketed and -operated tickets, you earn MileagePlus miles (as much as 75,000 miles per ticket) based mostly in your ticket’s worth minus taxes and your MileagePlus standing fairly than the space you fly.
This is what number of miles you may earn per greenback spent based mostly in your degree of standing:
- Common member: 5 miles
- Premier Silver: 7 miles
- Premier Gold: 8 miles
- Premier Platinum: 9 miles
- Premier 1K: 11 miles
These incomes charges additionally apply in case you ebook United’s fundamental financial system fare class.
Fly on United accomplice airways
You’ll be able to earn MileagePlus miles when flying with United’s companions, however it may be difficult. In the event you ebook a accomplice flight by way of United (indicated by a 016 ticket quantity), you may earn miles based mostly in your ticket fare and elite standing.
However in case you ebook by way of a accomplice, you may earn miles based mostly on the size of your flight and fare class. Usually, you may see your fare class when reserving your flight or in your affirmation e mail. Mileage-earning charges range by airline, so verify your reserving class and use United’s accomplice airline checklist to find out your award miles. As anticipated, premium-cabin tickets earn extra miles than financial system tickets, and Premier members are eligible for bonus miles on choose companions.
Get and use United Airways bank cards
United’s cobranded bank cards issued by Chase are among the many hottest methods to earn MileagePlus miles (and, on some playing cards, PQPs). This is a take a look at the present welcome bonuses on a few of our favorites:
- United Quest Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and three,000 PQPs after spending $4,000 within the first three months from account opening.
- United℠ Explorer Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening (see charges and costs).
- United℠ Enterprise Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles and a pair of,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening (see charges and costs).
- United Membership℠ Card: Earn 90,000 miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening (see charges and costs).
Associated: Why somebody in your loved ones wants a United bank card
Switch bank card factors
There are two packages with transferable currencies that accomplice with United MileagePlus: Chase Final Rewards and Bilt Rewards. You’ll be able to switch factors from both program to your MileagePlus account at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers often occur immediately, making this a simple solution to increase your stability for a United redemption.
Associated: Methods to switch Chase Final Rewards factors to United
Extra methods to earn United miles
Like most airways, United has a web-based buying portal the place you may earn miles to your on-line purchases. The MileagePlus X app supplies one other solution to earn bonus miles on on a regular basis purchases, each in-store and on-line.
In the meantime, MileagePlus Eating awards as much as 5 miles per greenback spent whenever you dine at taking part eating places and use a linked bank card.
Different methods to earn United miles embrace shopping for miles and transferring Marriott Bonvoy factors, in addition to reserving motels, automobile leases and cruises by way of the United journey portal.
United miles pooling
MileagePlus members of all ages can share and redeem miles in a single account.
That is particularly helpful for households. Since there is no such thing as a age restriction on becoming a member of MileagePlus, children can earn miles and pool them with their mother and father’ miles towards a bigger redemption. A pool can have as much as 5 members. You’ll be able to select what number of of your miles to place in a pool, and there’s no restrict to what number of miles you may contribute.
To get began, you have to be at the very least 18 years outdated to create a pool and develop into the “pool chief.” You may then have the ability so as to add different members and determine which members have redemption privileges.
There are a number of stipulations. Once you’re contributing miles to a pool, you may have 24 hours to reverse a transaction, after which you can’t get your pooled miles again. You can too solely function in a single pool at a time. In the event you exit a pool, there is a 90-day “cooling” interval earlier than you may be a part of one other pool or earlier than a brand new member can be a part of your outdated pool.
Lastly, you can’t pool Premier qualifying factors, and pooling miles doesn’t have an effect on your Premier standing.
Methods to redeem United miles
United has retired its award charts and now makes use of dynamic award pricing. Nonetheless, there are methods to maximise this system.
Usually, you may get essentially the most worth out of your miles whenever you redeem them for flights, which is simple to do on United’s web site or app. United bank card holders and Premier members can entry extra award house on United flights, so remember to log in to your MileagePlus account earlier than looking for award flights in case you fall into these classes.
United additionally has a fee possibility referred to as Cash + Miles. Nevertheless, we do not advocate this as a result of it provides a set charge of 1 cent per mile — effectively under our June 2025 valuation of 1.35 cents for United miles.
The identical goes for many different methods to redeem United miles, similar to with United Membership memberships, inflight Wi-Fi purchases, TSA PreCheck charges, automobile leases, resort stays, retail merchandise and reward playing cards. The worth you may get from these redemptions is nearly at all times considerably decrease than what you may get on an award ticket.
Associated: Methods to change your undesirable reward playing cards for United miles
Finest makes use of of United miles
You may discover award choices beginning at round 5,000 miles on high-frequency, short-haul flights. Though these flights nearly at all times price lower than $100, these awards may be a good way to maintain your journey plans versatile since United now not fees redeposit charges whenever you cancel award flights.
You can too discover transcontinental flights from as little as 11,900 miles in financial system class or 30,000 miles in enterprise class/home first when there’s saver award house. For last-minute conditions, you may take into account retaining a wholesome “simply in case” stash of miles in your MileagePlus account.
If you wish to fly to Europe, United provides saver-level flights for 20,000 miles in financial system class, 50,000 in Premium Plus premium financial system or 80,000 miles in Polaris enterprise class. All of those are nice methods to journey to Europe.
You’ll be able to think about using United miles to fly on high accomplice carriers — together with these with merchandise like ANA’s “The Room” enterprise class or EVA Airways’ enterprise class, which provide high-end facilities however include excessive award charges.
Associated: Methods to get most worth from the United MileagePlus program
Backside line
Since United has a large community — and provides new routes steadily — it is easy to earn and redeem MileagePlus miles on flights. In the event you dwell close to a United hub or need to benefit from the perks of elite standing, sticking with the MileagePlus loyalty program might make sense. Even in case you do not fly United fairly often or do not care about elite standing, you should still discover it helpful to switch miles from this system’s bank card switch companions.
Whichever sort of United flyer you might be, realizing the intricacies of the MileagePlus program may be rewarding.
