What’s the Value of United Miles? (Calculator)

The United MileagePlus program is one of the largest, and most complicated, airline rewards systems in the world. Learning how to navigate it starts with knowing how much its miles — are worth.

Based on our analysis completed in August 2026, United MileagePlus miles are worth 1.2 cents each.

This value is drawn from real-world pricing data for Main Cabin economy tickets, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for reward redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your United miles.

What does this value mean?

Our estimated value of 1.2 cents per MileagePlus mile provides a median value you can use to determine the relative value of your own redemptions. It is based on comparing main cabin fares using both cash and points, across several dates and destinations.

There are ways to get more value from your miles, starting with understanding the intricacies of the United MileagePlus program. For example, eligible United credit card holders get at least 10% off all awards for United flights, making it an easy way to save. They also earn more miles than non-cardholders when flying with United. You can also get solid value from booking with United's partner airlines or by booking business class flights (see below).

A word of warning: You can also get considerably less value by using your United miles carelessly. Just like real money, there are better and worse ways to use award miles.

» Learn more: How to earn more United miles

Earning United miles with credit cards

One of the easiest ways to amass United miles is to get a United credit card and earn its sign-up bonus. You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Bilt Rewards to United at a 1:1 ratio.

» Learn more: The best United credit card offers

How to get the most out of your United miles

Not all redemptions are equal, so we compared the redemption rates for Delta awards using four specific time frames:

• Awards booked 15 days to departure.

• Awards booked 60 days out.

• Awards booked 90 days out.

• Awards booked 180 days out.

Across our study, the best median and maximum value for your United miles is on flights booked 15 days before departure, particularly on international flights. For example, a flight from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport booked 15 days before departure had the highest redemption value in our study at 2.3 cents per mile.

Calculator: Convert United miles to dollars

With the calculator below, you can quickly figure out how much your United miles are worth based on our estimated value.

United MileagePlus Miles value over time

United miles rose in value during the past several years of NerdWallet's analysis.

How do United miles compare with other airlines?

United falls to the bottom of the airline pack — tied with Delta Air Lines — with its mile value.

» Learn more: How much are your airline miles and hotel points worth?

Can United miles be used on other airlines?

Yes. United miles can be used to book flights on United and dozens of partner airlines (through the United search tool, not by transferring to partners). They can also be used to upgrade to premium cabin seats and even upgrade Star Alliance partner flights.

You can also use these miles for unusual purchases such as magazine subscriptions and rental cars, but in general these redemption options don’t offer great value.

» Learn more: All the ways you can redeem United miles

How did we determine the value of United miles?

We analyzed the cash and points prices of 80 flights bookable with United miles across a range of domestic and international routes. A regular economy fare class was used for all pricing data to be able to compare the valuations of similar Main Cabin-type fares that are bookable with points or miles on other airlines.

Departure dates were selected at 15, 60, 90 and 180 days from the day of the analysis. Return dates were chosen eight days after the departure date. This process allowed us to analyze a wide combination of days of the week and not bias the data towards expensive (i.e. weekend) or cheaper (i.e. midweek) flights. We used the median value of the dataset as the average.

This method differs from others in that it looks at actual redemptions rather than hypothetical, maximized redemptions. The advantage of this approach is that it provides a real-world indication of how much these miles are worth under typical circumstances.

Wondering what you can do with those miles? Check out our guide to booking award flights with United.

» Learn more: How much are your airline miles and hotel points worth?