United Airlines has launched a new promotion offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased MileagePlus miles through September 23, 2025. This brings the cost down to 1.88¢ per mile—a significant discount from the standard rate, though still higher than what we typically value these miles at.
While this promotion might offer value for specific high-end redemptions like business class flights to Europe, there are often better options for purchasing Star Alliance miles through programs like Air Canada Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles. Let’s explore whether this deal makes sense for your travel plans.
The current United MileagePlus miles promotion runs through September 23, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT. This is a targeted offer, so different members may see different bonus levels when they log into their accounts. The standard offer appears to be a tiered bonus structure as follows:
Some members may instead see a discount offer rather than a bonus, with discounts of up to 50% off the standard price. The end result is similar, with the best offers bringing the cost down to around 1.88¢ per mile.
United MileagePlus normally charges 3.5¢ per mile for purchased miles, plus a 7.5% federal excise tax, bringing the standard cost to approximately 3.76¢ per mile.
With the current 100% bonus at the highest tier, if you purchase 100,000 base miles for $3,762.50 (including tax), you’ll receive a total of 200,000 miles, which works out to 1.88¢ per mile.
This is significantly better than the standard rate but still higher than what we typically value United miles at (approximately 1.1-1.2¢ each).
United MileagePlus limits members to purchasing 200,000 miles per account per calendar year. Unlike some other programs, this limit applies to the total miles received, including any bonuses. This means that with a 100% bonus, you can only purchase 100,000 base miles to receive a total of 200,000 miles.
According to United, purchased miles may take up to 48 hours to post to your account, though they often appear much faster.
United MileagePlus miles purchases are processed through Points.com rather than directly by United. This means these transactions don’t code as airfare or travel purchases for the purposes of earning bonus points on your credit card.
Your best options for purchasing United miles are:
United MileagePlus uses dynamic pricing for award tickets, which means there’s no published award chart and prices can vary significantly based on demand, seasonality, and cash fares. This makes it challenging to provide a fixed value for United miles, but there are specific scenarios where purchasing miles during this promotion might make sense:
Let’s look at a couple of specific examples:
A one-way first class flight from Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO) might cost 66,100 United miles. Purchasing these miles during the promotion would cost approximately $1,243, while the cash fare might be only $665. In this case, buying miles would be a poor value.
A one-way business class flight from the US to Europe typically costs 80,000-88,000 United miles. Purchasing these miles during the promotion would cost approximately $1,504-$1,654, while cash fares often exceed $3,000. In this case, buying miles could save you $1,300+ per ticket.
Before purchasing United miles, consider these alternative Star Alliance programs that often provide better value:
United MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for flights on:
Before purchasing miles, consider these alternative methods of earning United MileagePlus miles:
United offers several co-branded credit cards that provide substantial welcome bonuses and ongoing earning opportunities:
United MileagePlus is a 1:1 transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you have cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points directly to United.
United offers both a shopping portal (MileagePlus Shopping) and a dining program (MileagePlus Dining) that allow you to earn miles for everyday purchases.
United MileagePlus miles do not expire, regardless of account activity. This is a positive policy change that United implemented in 2019, removing the previous 18-month inactivity expiration policy.
This United MileagePlus promotion offering miles for as low as 1.88¢ each represents a significant discount from the standard rate, but still exceeds what we typically value these miles at. While there are specific scenarios where buying United miles can provide good value—particularly for business class flights to Europe—there are often better options available through other Star Alliance programs.
Before purchasing United miles during this promotion:
Remember that this promotion ends on September 23, 2025, so if you’re planning to take advantage of it, make sure to finalize your purchase before then.
You can change your preferences or opt out at any time by clicking on one of the hyperlinks available at the bottom of each newsletter.
If you are already a subscriber and would like to unsubscribe, you can click on the link at the bottom of any of our e-mails.
