United’s MileagePlus program has made some latest adjustments, similar to devaluing first-class accomplice redemptions in 2024 and overhauling its cobranded bank cards earlier this yr. Nonetheless, since United miles by no means expire, PlusPoints and miles can be utilized to verify long-haul Polaris upgrades and MileagePlus now enables you to pool miles, this system nonetheless has many vivid spots.
This information will give you all the mandatory data on this system, together with learn how to earn United miles and standing and learn how to maximize your miles for award journey.
Associated: Greatest frequent flyer packages for US vacationers
United MileagePlus overview
With over 100 million members, United MileagePlus is among the largest loyalty packages on this planet.
MileagePlus members can earn miles by flying United and its companions, in addition to by spending on their bank cards, purchasing and eating. You’ll be able to redeem your miles for award journey on the airline in addition to its Star Alliance companions.
MileagePlus members also can earn United elite standing by assembly a sure threshold of Premier qualifying factors. Elite standing consists of further advantages, similar to upgrades, most popular and Financial system Plus seating, precedence boarding and free checked luggage. Moreover, United gives varied cobranded bank cards that may assist members earn miles extra rapidly and revel in further perks.
Associated: get most worth from the United MileagePlus program
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 additional baggage allowance when touring with these companions.
Here is a take a look at United’s present Star Alliance companions:
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- 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 Airways (a connecting accomplice)
- LOT Polish Airways
- Lufthansa
- Shenzhen Airways
- Singapore Airways
- South African Airways
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airways
United additionally companions with a number of airways exterior 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
- Silver Airways
- Virgin Australia
Companions can have their very own limitations concerning MileagePlus members — together with relevant bonuses, eligible fare lessons and excluded routes — so make sure you evaluation United’s airline companions web page for full particulars of every one.
Associated: The perfect web sites to seek for Star Alliance award availability
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 International 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 mixture of Premier qualifying factors and Premier qualifying flights or by incomes PQPs alone. To earn any stage of standing, you will need to additionally take a minimum of 4 United or United Specific flights.
You’ll be able to earn PQFs and PQPs by flying United or its companions. You may also 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 + Premier qualifying flights | Premier qualifying factors solely |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 5,000 PQPs + 15 PQFs | 6,000 PQPs |
| Premier Gold | 10,000 PQPs + 30 PQFs | 12,000 PQPs |
| Premier Platinum | 15,000 PQPs + 45 PQFs | 18,000 PQPs |
| Premier 1K | 22,000 PQPs + 60 PQFs | 28,000 PQPs |
United Premier members take pleasure in perks like bonus miles on paid tickets, free checked luggage and complimentary waitlisted upgrades on most United-operated flights.
Larger-tier members have entry to extra beneficial perks like complimentary Financial system Plus seating, PlusPoints (which can be utilized to verify upgrades), Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite standing and Star Alliance Gold standing (which gives advantages like lounge entry, precedence boarding, further luggage and extra if you fly on different Star Alliance carriers).
Associated: United unveils huge Premier standing, PlusPoints adjustments for 2025
earn United miles
You’ll be able to discuss with our information on learn how to earn United miles for the entire image, however listed here are a number of the hottest methods to spice up your MileagePlus steadiness.
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 value minus taxes and your MileagePlus standing fairly than the space you fly.
Here is what number of miles you will earn per greenback spent based mostly in your stage of standing:
- Normal member: 5 miles
- Premier Silver: 7 miles
- Premier Gold: 8 miles
- Premier Platinum: 9 miles
- Premier 1K: 11 miles
For instance, suppose you purchase a one-way United ticket from San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) with a base fare of $200 and $30 in taxes and costs. In that case, you’d earn 1,000 miles as a daily MileagePlus member however 2,200 miles should you’re a top-tier Premier 1K member.
These incomes charges additionally apply should you ebook United’s primary economic 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 will earn miles based mostly in your ticket fare and elite standing.
However should you ebook on accomplice ticket inventory, you will earn miles based mostly on the size of your flight and fare class. Typically, you may see your fare class when reserving your flight or in your affirmation e mail. Mileage-earning charges range by airline, so examine your reserving class and use United’s accomplice airline listing to find out your award miles. As anticipated, premium cabin tickets earn extra miles than economic system tickets, and Premier members are eligible for bonus miles on choose companions.
Associated: United’s best-kept elite standing secret: earn PQPs quicker with accomplice flights
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). Here is a take a look at the present welcome bonuses on a few of our favorites:
Associated: Why somebody in your loved ones wants a United bank card
Switch bank card factors
There are two 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, and transfers normally occur immediately — making this a simple solution to increase your steadiness for a United redemption.
Associated: switch Chase Final Rewards factors to United
Extra methods to earn United miles
Like most airways, United has an on-line purchasing portal the place you may earn miles to your on-line purchases. The MileagePlus X app gives 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 if you dine at collaborating eating places and use a linked bank card.
Different methods to earn United miles embody shopping for miles and transferring Marriott Bonvoy factors, in addition to reserving resorts, automobile leases and cruises by way of the United journey portal.
Associated: Earn MileagePlus miles with United’s airline, resort and bank card companions
United Miles pooling
In 2024, United introduced the addition of miles pooling, which is able to permit MileagePlus members of all ages to 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 pooling, you have to be a minimum of 18 years outdated to create a pool and grow to be the “pool chief.” You will then have the facility so as to add different members and determine which members have redemption privileges.
There are a number of stipulations. Whenever you’re contributing miles to a pool, you might have 24 hours to reverse a transaction, after which you can not get your pooled miles again. You may also 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 part of one other pool or earlier than a brand new member can be part of your outdated pool.
Lastly, you can not pool Premier qualifying factors, and pooling miles doesn’t have an effect on your Premier standing.
Associated: Airways that permit households to pool miles
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.
Typically, you will get essentially the most worth out of your miles if you redeem them for flights, which is straightforward to do on United’s web site or app. United bank card holders and Premier members can entry further award area on United flights, so make sure you log into your MileagePlus account earlier than trying to find award flights should you fall into these classes.
United additionally has a cost choice referred to as Cash + Miles. Nonetheless, we do not advocate this as a result of it gives a hard and fast price of 1 cent per mile — effectively under our April 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 will get from these redemptions is sort of all the time considerably decrease than what you will get on an award ticket.
Associated: trade your undesirable reward playing cards for United miles
Greatest makes use of of United miles
You may discover award choices beginning round 5,000 miles on high-frequency, short-haul flights. Though these flights nearly all the time value lower than $100, these awards may be a good way to maintain your journey plans versatile since United not fees redeposit charges if you cancel award flights.
You may also discover transcontinental flights beginning at 15,000 miles in economic system class or 30,000 miles in enterprise class when there’s saver award area. You may contemplate preserving a wholesome “simply in case” stash of miles in your MileagePlus account for last-minute conditions.
For one thing a bit extra complicated, the United Excursionist Perk is a good way to maximise your United miles when reserving multicity journeys. Principally, the primary flight inside a area completely different out of your departure and vacation spot area is free in the identical class because the previous flight. For instance, should you ebook a round-trip business-class flight from Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) and again, you may as well get a “free” business-class flight from London to a different European airport, similar to Brussels Airport (BRU).
Lastly, you may think about using United miles to fly on prime accomplice carriers — together with these with merchandise like ANA’s “The Room” enterprise class or EVA Air’s enterprise class, which supply high-end facilities however include excessive award charges.
Associated: Superb first-class seats you may ebook with factors and miles
Backside line
Since United has a large community — and provides new routes incessantly — it is simple to earn and redeem MileagePlus miles on flights. In the event you reside 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 should 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 kind of United flyer you’re, understanding the intricacies of the MileagePlus program may be rewarding.
