Overview
United Airlines sits at the heart of the U.S aviation network. With hundreds of daily flights connecting every corner of the country and more of the globe every year, it’s a household name. Because of this, its loyalty program, United MileagePlus, is also one of the most popular miles systems on the planet.
It’s not the flashiest system on the market, but despite a slow devaluation, it retains a solid amount of value compared to some of its direct competitors and boasts some of the coolest sweet spots around. Utilizing it well can lead to countless travel opportunities, from free flights and upgrades to outstanding lounge experiences. It’s still a powerhouse in the right hands.
And don’t worry if you don’t ever fly United, it’s part of a broader alliance boasting some of the best airlines in the world.
Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of United MileagePlus.
The Bottom Line:
MileagePlus stands out for its global reach and Star Alliance access. While dynamic pricing has made award rates less predictable, the airline’s lack of fuel surcharges on partner awards, strong 1:1 transfers from Chase, and a deep partner network keep it consistently valuable for both frequent and casual travelers.
If you fly internationally even once or twice a year, learning the basics of MileagePlus can unlock outsized value. And don’t forget to take advantage of some of its more unique quirks, the Excursionist.
United MileagePlus High-Level Overview
At its core, United MileagePlus has a straightforward setup, similar to other airlines: fly with United and its partners, spend using its affiliated cards, earn miles, and redeem them on flights. The airline is part of Star Alliance, giving customers access to more than 25 partners around the globe, too.
Its award chart is long gone, which sucks, and has been replaced by a dynamic pricing model. This is never good news, as reward rates fluctuate based on a number of factors, from the popularity of the route to the date being flown. Honestly, the airline can bump rates when it feels like it.
But, it’s not all doom and gloom. MileagePlus still boasts some solid off-peak rates and lower points redemptions for those with flexibility, and it doesn’t pass on carrier-imposed fuel surcharges on award flights either, so your out-of-pocket expenses can be super lower here. It also has some interesting quirks that can be wrangled to your benefit.
Of course, it also has an elite tier system, which rewards regular (or high-paying) customers with additional benefits, from lounge access and upgrades to elevated earning rates and extra checked luggage.
How to Earn United MileagePlus Miles
As with other airlines, there are multiple ways to earn MileagePlus miles. How you do this will depend on several factors, including:
How much you fly with United and its partners
What your goals are
How much do you spend
In general, unless you’re a business flyer using United multiple times a month, we don’t recommend putting all your effort into one airline. It’s better to have transferable points (which we’ll come to). But if you know you’ll find use for them, have at it.
Flights
The simplest way to earn MileagePlus miles is to fly with the airline or its partners. Depending on how much you fly, this could be incredibly lucrative, or no more than a few points a year. Whatever your situation, always make sure you’re signed up for the program. You never know when an extra thousand can get you over the line for a solid redemption.
How much you earn is dictated by your elite status tier. It’s also calculated by the amount you spend, not, as was the case previously, by distance flown. For example, one person flying on an insanely expensive flight from New York to Miami on the day before Thanksgiving, may earn more than someone flying to Australia on a good deal.
Here are all the earning tiers:
General members: 5 miles per $1 spent on base fare and carrier-imposed charges
Premier Silver: 7 miles per $1
Premier Gold: 8 miles per $1
Premier Platinum: 9 miles per $1
Premier 1K: 11 miles per $1
The exception to the dollar-to-mile earning rate is when flying with Star Alliance partners (e.g., Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, Air Canada). In this case, accrual is based on distance flown and fare class. Discount economy may earn as few as 25% of miles flown, while full-fare economy and premium cabins can earn 100% to 200% of the distance. Always include your MileagePlus number on partner bookings so the credit posts correctly.
Credit cards
Arguably, the easiest way to earn a lot of MileagePlus miles is to open a United co-branded card. These products are tied to the airline and allow you to earn miles on your daily spending — often at an elevated rate. On top of this, many come with perks like lounge access and free checked bags, and offer huge intro bonuses, allowing customers to get a sizeable injection of miles that would require dozens of flights to achieve traditionally. Spending also counts towards Premier Qualifying Points, the metric that determines your elite status tier.
United℠ Explorer Card: 2x miles on United, dining, and hotel stays; first checked bag free for you and a companion.
United Quest℠ Card: 3x on United; up to $125 in annual statement credits for United purchases; 5,000-mile award flight rebates several times per year.
United Club Infinite Card: 4x on United purchases; United Club lounge access and full Premier Access benefits.
- Best for: Travelers near a United hub
- Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- APR: 20.24% - 28.74% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 2X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
United℠ Explorer Card
Earn 60,000 bonus miles
Offer Details:
Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Why we like it
The United℠ Explorer Card is a strong card for its price point. No other comparably priced card includes lounge access along with the more typical free checked bags, a solid offer of 60,000 bonus points, and priority boarding. Considering the $150 annual fee is waived for the first year, if any United or Star Alliance flights are on the horizon, it could be worth giving a test drive.
Reward details
2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
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Cardholders enjoy two one-time passes to the United Club a year, usually worth $59 each. *Cardmember or authorized user must be present when they are redeemed.
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Priority boarding privileges.
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Access to expanded award availability makes booking United flights with miles easier and cheaper.
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Free first checked bag for the cardholder and a companion can justify the annual fee with one roundtrip flight.
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A year’s membership to DoorDash’s DashPass is a nice addition for those who use the food delivery service.
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The up to $120 credit for Global Entry/TSA Precheck® pass is great for regular travelers.
Cons
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The DashPass and Global Entry/TSA perks are great, but only helpful for some and overlap with other cards.
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Without using the perks available, the fee can become harder to justify unless you’re a regular United flyer.
Terms Apply
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers
Lastly, the most hands-off way to earn United MileagePlus miles is to transfer them from a Chase account. If you own the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve® cards, you’ll have the ability to convert Ultimate Rewards points into MileagePlus miles at a rate of 1:1. This is a great strategy, as it allows you to use United’s miles only when there is a solid redemption, and focus your broader tactics on more valuable points.
- Best for: Beginner Travelers
- Annual Fee: $95
- APR: 19.74% - 27.99% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 5X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
75,000 Bonus Points
Offer Details:
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the ultimate all-around travel credit card—it fits perfectly into almost any points-earner’s wallet. Points novices can enjoy a significant intro bonus and easy to grasp spending categories with an approachable annual fee. The more experienced can utilize its high value earning potential as a secondary card and also gain access to Chase’s strong travel booking portal.
Reward details
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.
2x on all other travel purchases.
1x on all other purchases.
Pros & Cons
Pros
The $50 dollar hotel credit for stays purchased on the Chase Travel Portal already cuts the already approachable $95 annual fee significantly.
10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
Along with all of the above, cardholders also have access to a string of travel protections like rental coverage, cancellation insurance, and purchase protection.
Cons
It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So, if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
Competing cards like the Capital One Venture have a better earning rate for non-bonus spend.
Chase has a once-per-lifetime rule for sign-up bonuses on their Sapphire cards, including the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Sapphire Reserve for Business. So, once you’ve earned a welcome bonus on any of these cards, you’ll never be eligible for the bonus again on the same card.
Terms Apply
Everyday partners
You can also earn a steady trickle of miles with:
Hotels: Book through MileagePlus Hotels & Cars or partner directly with Marriott, IHG, and others.
Car rentals: Partnerships with Avis, Hertz, and Budget often include bonus-mile promos.
Shopping & Dining: Use the MileagePlus Shopping and MileagePlus Dining portals to earn miles on regular purchases. Activate offers before checkout and link a card to dining.
Again, these are good options, but far more situational. You’re not always guaranteed the best prices on the car rentals or hotels, so be aware that you may be sacrificing value for a few miles.
United MileagePlus Elite Status
MileagePlus currently offers four elite tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Premier 1K. You can qualify for these tiers using a combination of Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs). PQPs are earned in higher numbers through paying for flights, using co-branded cards, and buying flights with partners. PQFs are much simpler. You’ll earn 1 PQF for every flight you take with United. You can see how they can be combined below.
Premier Silver: 5,000 PQPs + 4 PQFs, or 7,000 PQPs total
7 miles per dollar on United flights, Group 2 boarding, one free checked bag, and space-available Complimentary Premier Upgrades on most domestic routes.
Premier Gold: 10,000 PQPs + 12 PQFs, or 12,000 PQPs total
8 miles per dollar, higher upgrade priority, extra baggage, and Star Alliance Gold benefits (including worldwide lounge access on international itineraries).
Premier Platinum: 15,000 PQPs + 24 PQFs, or 18,000 PQPs total
9 miles per dollar, Economy Plus access for you and companions at booking, and 40 PlusPoints (upgrade credits usable on domestic first or long-haul Polaris).
Premier 1K: 24,000 PQPs + 54 PQFs, or 36,000 PQPs total
11 miles per dollar, 320 PlusPoints, the highest upgrade priority, specialized phone support, and enhanced fee waivers.
PlusPoints are a key differentiator. Unlike fixed upgrade certificates, PlusPoints can be flexibly applied across cabins and routes, which is great for targeting long-haul business-class upgrades when availability opens. You can only earn them once you’re in the premier tiers, but they can be exchanged for anything from upgrades to bonus miles or even gifting elite status to a friend or family member.
How to Redeem United Miles
Redeeming MileagePlus miles is straightforward. Generally, you can follow these steps.
Go to united.com and tick “Book with miles.”
Search as usual; results show both cash and miles.
Filter by “Saver Award” to surface lower-mileage options when available.
Book, and pay only taxes/fees (often ~$5.60 each way in the U.S.).
It’s important to remember that pricing is dynamic, so you should check the value of your redemption before pulling the trigger. The best way to do this is to find the cash price of your flights, subtract the fees, then divide by the number of points. Multiply that figure by 100 to find the cost per point of your flight.
Generally speaking, you’ll find lower-end flight redemptions in these ranges. You always want to be on the lower end where possible.
U.S. domestic economy: 10,000–20,000 miles one-way in Saver space
U.S. → Europe: 30,000–70,000 miles one-way in economy; premium cabins vary widely
U.S. → Asia: 40,000–80,000 miles one-way in economy; premium can be 80,000–200,000+
United does not add partner fuel surcharges, and award tickets can be changed or canceled without redeposit fees. The former is great news, and the latter is helpful.
Sweet Spots, Perks, and Strategy
While United’s system can seem limited, it does come with a few sweet spots that can be used for maximum value. One in particular shines above the rest. Everything else is just good practice.
The Excursionist Perk
On multi-city awards, you can add a free one-way within a single region on an itinerary that starts and ends in the same region. For example, if you fly from New York to Paris and book a flight from Istanbul to New York, you could book the flight from Paris to Istanbul for free.
This might feel very specific, but with some thought, it can be an amazing perk, as some of the regions are huge.
Book early and check again
We already mentioned that there are no cancellation fees for award flights. Because of this, it’s a good idea to book early, then check again closer to the departure date. Saver awards often appear 11 months out, then again close in as unsold seats open for awards. If a price drops after booking, simply cancel and rebook to get miles back. Obviously, this won’t always be successful, but it’s a good thing to keep in your repertoire.
Stay away from weak redemptions
We say this all the time, and we’ll see it again. Merchandise, gift cards, and many hotel/car awards often return less than 1x cent per mile. Save miles for flights. United has solid redemptions.
Mind mixed cabins
United will sometimes price an itinerary attractively when one segment is in a lower cabin. What looks like a flight from Atlanta to Munich in business class is actually an economy flight to Zurich with a business class flight to Munich. Double-check everything.
The Point
MileagePlus isn’t the easiest program to predict, but it’s one of the most useful once you learn its levers. With global Star Alliance coverage, simple earning via Chase transfers and co-branded cards, and no fuel surcharges on partner awards, United miles remain a strong currency.
Be flexible, work the Excursionist Perk, and keep checking for saver space, and you might be surprised how far a well-timed stash of MileagePlus miles can take you.
- Best for: Occasional United customers
- Annual Fee: $0
- APR: 20.49% - 28.99% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1%-2%
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
United Gateway℠ Card
Earn 30,000 bonus miles
Offer Details:
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases.
Why we like it
The United Gateway Card fits a specific customer profile, but serves them well. Its 2x miles per dollar earning rate and 30,000 mile bonus will help give infrequent United flyers a little boost and potentially cover a flight or two. Regular travelers might want something more comprehensive, but for a no-annual fee product, the Gateway pulls its weight.
Reward details
2x miles on United® purchases, at gas stations, and on local transit and commuting.
1x mile on all other purchases
Pros & Cons
Pros
Solid intro bonus
No annual fee
Strong earning in high-spend categories
Earn 2 checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year
Cons
Regular flyers can do better
Miles aren’t transferable
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
