United MileagePlus is the loyalty program of United Airlines, one of the largest and most established global airlines. United operates an expansive route network spanning domestic and international destinations that cover all six inhabited continents from its key hubs: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Denver International Airport (DEN), Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
For francophone travelers, United offers flights to Brussels, Dakar, Geneva, Marrakech, Montreal, Nice, Paris, Quebec City, Saint Martin and Tahiti.
While United has devalued its miles by increasing award rates for flights without notice, MileagePlus remains valuable for members thanks to several unique features: United miles never expire, members can use PlusPoints and miles to secure Polaris upgrades on long-haul flights and MileagePlus now allows members to pool miles with others.
The program offers a range of rewards and perks designed to benefit both casual and frequent travelers. Today, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about United MileagePlus.
What started in 1981, United MileagePlus has grown to one of the largest airline loyalty programs with over 100 million members. It’s free to join and lets members earn miles on United, its Star Alliance partners and various non-flight partners like on rental cars and hotel stays. You can also earn United miles with its Chase cobranded credit cards. You can redeem your miles for a range of rewards, including flights, upgrades, hotel stays and merchandise.
The program offers tiered Premier elite status, which enhances the travel experience for frequent flyers with benefits like complimentary upgrades, priority boarding and extra baggage allowances.
As a MileagePlus member since 2008, I’ve experienced the program’s benefits both as a general and Premier 1K member. I’ve flown about a million miles with the airline on around 500 flights. I’ve also used the United Club Infinite Card, though I recently switched to the United Quest Card, finding it a better fit for my needs given that I no longer value United Club access as much.
As a founding member of Star Alliance, United Airlines lets MileagePlus earn and redeem miles across a broad network of international airlines. To earn miles on a Star Alliance partner, you must travel in an eligible fare class, and to redeem miles on a Star Alliance partner, partner award space must be available. Select Premier members also enjoy benefits such as lounge access and extra baggage allowance when flying with Star Alliance partners.
Here’s a list of United’s current 24 Star Alliance partners:
Juneyao Air is a Star Alliance connecting partner.
United also has some other non-alliance partner airlines:
United Airlines Premier status is the elite tier program for United’s MileagePlus loyalty members. It offers four published levels of elite status. The benefits increase as you progress up the tiers:
To qualify for Premier status, members must earn a combination of Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) within a calendar year. Alternatively, members can qualify by earning a higher number of PQPs alone. Key benefits of Premier status include:
The requirements to earn status for 2026 are:
United recently increased these requirements by around 25%. To qualify, you also must take at least four United or United Express flights.
PQPs are primarily earned through flight spending, while PQFs represent flight segments flown. Some United cobranded credit cards can also help earn PQPs through spending.
Premier status is valid for the remainder of the year in which it’s earned, the entire following year and through January 31 of the year after that.
If you fly one million miles or more with United, you’ll get Premier status for life.
There are numerous ways to earn United MileagePlus miles through flying and non-flying activities. Here are some of the most effective methods:
The primary way to earn United miles is by flying on United-issued tickets. As a MileagePlus member on most United-issued tickets, you’ll earn:
You earn miles on the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, excluding taxes and fees. You can also earn miles when flying on United’s Star Alliance and other airline partners, though earning rates vary, especially when you buy your ticket from a partner and credit it to United.
United offers several cobranded credit cards that allow you to earn miles on everyday purchases:
United also offers two business credit cards:
These cards typically offer sign-up bonuses and earn bonus miles on United purchases and other categories.
If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred card, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio.
Similarly, if you have the Bilt Mastercard®, you can transfer Bilt Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio.
And finally, you can convert between 3,000 and 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to United MileagePlus miles each day.
For every 3 Marriott points you transfer, you’ll receive 1 United mile. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, you’ll earn a bonus of 10,000 United miles. This means that transferring 120,000 Marriott points to MileagePlus will give you a total of 60,000 United miles.
You can use the United MileagePlus Shopping portal to earn miles on online purchases from hundreds of retailers.
You can register credit cards with MileagePlus Dining to automatically earn up to 5 miles per dollar when you dine at participating restaurants. Even if your credit card isn’t a United cobranded credit card, you can miles with MileagePlus Dining.
You can also earn miles by booking hotels through United’s hotel partners or renting cars from United’s car rental partners.
United has partnerships with various companies, including cruise lines, financial services and home services that allow you to earn miles for these purchases or activities.
If you’re looking for another easy way to earn United miles, the MileagePlus X app lets you purchase gift cards from select merchants, including popular brands like Walmart, Staples and Panera Bread. United credit card primary cardholders enjoy an extra 25% bonus on miles earned from these purchases.
While not always cost-effective, you can purchase United miles directly or transfer them from another member for a fee.
There are many ways to redeem your United miles, but the most valuable way is typically for flights. Here’s how to redeem your United miles:
When available, you can redeem miles for:
United uses dynamic pricing for awards, so the miles required can vary based on demand, date and route. Generally, long-haul international flights and premium cabin bookings offer the best value per mile.
For example, a one-way flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport is $210.
You can book this same flight for 18,100 miles plus $5.60.You’d be getting 1.1 cents per mile by using miles on this flight.
Meanwhile, you can book a one-way flight from Naples International Airport (NAP) to Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) via Zurich Airport (ZRH) on Swiss in business class for $5,056.You can book this same flight for 88,000 miles plus $5.60.You’d be getting over 17 cents per mile by using miles on this flight.When you have flexibility on your travel dates and airports, you’re more likely to find similar high-value redemptions.Leverage the Excursionist PerkWhile not most MileagePlus members will never use the Excursionist Perk, it’s a unique benefit that allows MileagePlus members to add a free one-way flight within a multi-city award itinerary.
Here are the key points about the Excursionist Perk:
For example, you could book a round-trip from the US to Europe, and add a free one-way flight within Europe (e.g., London to Brussels) as your Excursionist Perk.
This perk can provide significant value, especially when used creatively. It essentially allows you to add an extra destination to your trip without spending additional miles.
United occasionally offers discounted award flights. Keep an eye out for these deals, which can offer significant savings on mile redemptions. Historically, these promotions have only been on United metal in economy class.
For example, United normally charges at least 55,000 miles one-way on flights between the continental United States and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). In August 2024, the airline briefly offered a promotional price of 40,000 miles for primary cobranded card members and 45,000 miles for other members.
In March 2024, United Airlines introduced a new feature allowing MileagePlus members to pool their miles with friends and family.
Here’s how it works:
Some of the benefits include:
And here are some rules to keep in mind:
The pool leader creates and manages the pool through their United account, but members can contribute miles at any time.
Primary cardholders of the United Explorer Card, United Business Card, United Quest Card, United Club Infinite Card and United Club Business Card have access to expanded economy-class saver awards on United flights.
United Premier Silver and Gold members also enjoy the same expanded economy-class saver United metal awards. Premier Platinum, 1K, and Global Services members, however, have the added benefit of expanded business- and first-class United metal saver awards.
To see expanded award availability, be sure to sign into your MileagePlus account before searching.
United doesn’t charge close-in booking fees for award tickets, so redeeming miles can be a good option for last-minute travel when cash prices are high.
You can use your miles to purchase seat upgrades on select tickets, but since United often charges steep copays for upgrades, it’s usually a better value to redeem your miles for a premium cabin seat instead.
Additionally, United offers a variety of non-flight redemption options, including hotel stays, car rentals, merchandise, gift cards, experiences, charitable donations, magazine subscriptions, and United Club memberships. While these provide flexibility, they typically offer less than 1 cent per mile in value. As a result, redeeming your miles for flights is generally the best choice.
Just remember to compare the cash price to the miles required. Aim for redemptions that provide at least 1.3 cents per mile, which is the average valuation for United miles according to points and miles experts. But ultimately, the best redemption is one that aligns with your travel goals and preferences.
United Airlines miles do not expire, which is a significant benefit for MileagePlus members. United removed its expiration policy in August 2019.
With plenty of ways to earn and redeem, the United MileagePlus program provides no shortage of ways to maximize your travel. Its intricacies like the Star Alliance network, Premier status benefits and unique perks like the Excursionist Perk make it an attractive option for the airline’s flyers. While dynamic pricing and devaluation of miles may occasionally impact value, strategic use of miles for flights, especially international premium cabins, can still offer excellent returns.
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