Whether you fly with United or one of its partner airlines, United MileagePlus is a worthwhile loyalty program. You can begin accumulating miles immediately and it’s free to join. With more than 210 U.S. and 120 international destinations, you may utilize your United miles to get free flights through a broad variety of methods. The extensive reach of United and the extensive program benefits make the loyalty program very worthwhile. In addition to getting free flights, you may also receive services like free checked baggage, club lounge access, and upgrades that may make your travel experience more pleasurable. This article will inform you about the United Airlines rewards program and what it’s worth.
What are United Airlines Rewards?
United Airlines Star Alliance companion, United MileagePlus, is a frequent flyer program. In addition to having a wide range of award travel destinations, excellent economy award availability, and numerous ways to earn and spend miles, United’s frequent flyer program is well known. United Airlines operates from eight hubs and serves countries worldwide. Whether you want to earn or spend miles, United Airlines provides a range of benefits. You can earn more miles for every dollar spent on United flights by reaching one of four elite status levels. When you fly, you can receive these perks, which are offered at different status levels including:
- Travel upgrades
- Hotel upgrades
- Priority check-in
- Priority baggage handling
- And priority express baggage handling
How do you Earn United Airlines Miles?
There are numerous methods to accumulate United miles, which may be redeemed for free flights and other rewards. Buying plane tickets and opening a United credit card with a welcome bonus are two of the best ways to earn United miles. Here is a list of the top methods you can use to beef up your MileagePlus account balance.
MileagePlus X App
Using the MileagePlus X app, you can accumulate miles as you go about your daily routine. To earn as much as 12 miles per dollar or more when shopping or dining at hundreds of merchants, simply download the app from the App Store or Google Play, then log in and look for offers. United credit cardholders can also receive a 25% bonus. In addition, it’s a bit more legwork, but it might be worth it to earn extra United miles.
Vacations
United Vacations, an airline-owned firm, gives extra miles when you book a flight reward trip. You can accumulate miles for United Vacations’ vacation packages and activities in over 400 destinations by booking with United Vacations. United Vacations makes it easier to travel by offering airport transportation and other services. You can earn two miles for each $1 spent with your United℠ Explorer Card. United Vacations offers a best-price guarantee and a variety of vacation packages in addition to airport transportation. The United Package is a new collaboration with Priceline that gives 1,000 bonus miles on any package plus 2 miles per $1.
Buy Miles
Of course, the easiest way is to purchase them directly. You may purchase 1,000 United miles for $35, plus taxes and fees, to earn that dream trip quicker. The minimum purchase is 2,000 miles, and you may purchase miles for yourself or give them to a fellow MileagePlus member.
How Do You Use United Airlines Miles?
As many different ways there are to earn miles, there are equally enough ways to use them as well. These are the most common ways to use and enjoy them.
Upgrade Flights
Is it preferable to be stretched out in business class with a glass of champagne, or cramped in economy class? You can utilize your miles to upgrade to a premium cabin and make your upcoming flight more comfortable and luxurious. There are four methods to accomplish this: Get a Star Alliance upgrade, request a United upgrade after booking, get a United upgrade during booking, or choose a PlusPoints upgrade. Here you can find a detailed chart and instructions on how to do each upgrade.
Use Them for Flights
United Airlines and its 25 Star Alliance partners are among the best places to use your United miles. When it comes to booking with United, you first need to determine how many miles it takes to book an award ticket. With the introduction of dynamic pricing, you can find out how much an award ticket costs by visiting United.com and entering your destination, destination, and travel dates. You can book awards over the phone, but you’ll avoid the $25 phone booking fee charged to everyone except top-tier elite members by using United’s award search website.
Other Ways
- When you’ve collected enough miles, you can book an Avis or Budget car rental through the MileagePlus Car Award booking portal.
- You may book cruises to a variety of destinations using your United miles.
- Events and experiences can usually be booked using your miles, though the coronavirus pandemic may prevent certain experiences from being available.
- You can book hotels and resorts across the world using the United Hotels booking portal using your miles.
- Also, in-flight Wi-Fi may be purchased using your miles on United flights.
How Much are United Airlines Miles Worth?
The value of United Airlines miles is lower than those of several other airlines. United miles are worth about 1.2 cents per mile, which is above American but below United, American, Delta, and Southwest in our rankings.
How Do You Get Free United Airlines Miles?
You can get free United miles by placing them on your birthday or holiday gift list. Your loved ones or friends can send you free United miles or transfer miles from their account to yours. The recipient will have to pay a $30 transaction fee, but United may offer a discount. Members of the MileagePlus program may transfer up to 100,000 United miles a year to another member. It’s also possible to get free United miles by signing up for a United Airlines credit card and spending enough to get a sign-up bonus. This might be considered ‘free United miles’ if you would have spent that amount anyway, pay your credit card bill on time every month, and the miles’ value exceeds the annual fee on the card.
How Many United Airlines Miles Do You Need for a Free Flight?
To travel for free with United, you must accumulate at least 10,000 miles. The number of United miles required for a free flight depends on the length of the trip. To travel for free on United, you must accumulate at least 10,000 award miles for trips less than 700 miles. Longer trips will cost at least 12,500 miles.