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When flying in a United Polaris business class cabin, you’ll get a lie-flat bed, lounge access, two free checked bags and a bunch of other goodies. Polaris is available on United's long-haul international flights and select transcontinental routes. Here’s what to know.
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Basic overview
- Bag allowance: Polaris passengers can check up to two bags (weighing up to 70 pounds each) for free.
- Premier Access: Those flying in the Polaris cabin also get Premier Access, which includes priority check-in, access to exclusive security lines (where available), priority boarding and priority baggage handling.
- Seats: You’ll find Polaris cabin seats set up in a 1-2-1 or 1-1-1 configuration. Both versions of the seat recline to a full 180 degrees and feature 76 to 78 inches of sleeping space. The width of the seat varies by aircraft and ranges from about 20 inches to about 22 inches. A free seat selection comes with a Polaris ticket purchase.
- Lounges: Polaris lounges feature spa-like shower facilities, full-meal catering and Wi-Fi, and they're available at Chicago-O’Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington-Dulles airports. If your departure airport doesn't have a Polaris lounge, you can access a United Club or check with a United agent to see if there are other alternatives arranged by the airline.
- Entertainment: United Private Screening offers on-demand movies, TV shows and more on a large personal screen. Enjoy the selection with a pair of noise-reducing headphones.
- Amenities: United provides Saks Fifth Avenue bedding to Polaris passengers, a pair of slippers and an amenity kit, featuring skincare items, ear plugs and an eye mask. Flights longer than 14 hours also include pajamas on request.
- Food and beverages: When flying in Polaris business class with United, you’ll be presented with a menu featuring dishes from around the globe. Usually, a meal features a salad, an entrée, bread and a dessert, like an ice cream sundae. You should get stainless steel silverware, cloth napkins and glassware made of actual glass. All beverages, including alcohol, are complimentary.
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How to book a Polaris business class ticket with United
Go to United.com and enter your travel cities, dates, number of passengers and class of service. For Polaris, select “Business or First” from the drop-down menu.
You should be able to find Polaris flights under the “Business” column. Make sure it actually says “United Polaris business” when you select your flight options, especially when you try to redeem MileagePlus miles, as the options might include United partner airlines that don’t operate a Polaris cabin.
Also, flights with connections can be tricky and don’t display cabin information at first. Make sure to click on the “Details” dropdown arrow to see which flights do and don’t include a Polaris cabin.
After filling out your passenger details, you’ll have the option to select a seat at no additional cost.
Submit payment, and you’re now one of the lucky passengers to get a lie-flat seat in United Polaris business class.
» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now
🤓 Nerdy Tip
United will occasionally fly a plane with Polaris business class seats on domestic routes but market the fare as "United Business" or "United First." In these instances, you would get the benefits of a lie-flat seat, but you wouldn't get the extra amenities of United Polaris business class, such as access to the Polaris lounge. United Polaris vs. United Polaris Studio
United is debuting Polaris Studios on select Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners equipped with the airline's "Elevated" interior. While these seats aren't a separate cabin from Polaris business class, they do offer upgraded onboard catering and amenities. To buy a Polaris Studio seat, you need to be ticketed in United Polaris business class and pay a $499 seat selection fee.
You'll find Polaris Studios in the front rows of each business class section, which are the bulkhead seats of 1A, 1D, 1F, 1L, 9A, 9D, 9F and 9L. These seats are 25% larger than standard Polaris seats on the plane and they have a 27-inch 4K OLED screen (compared to 19 inches for standard Polaris seats on the same plane). Polaris Studio passengers also get perks typically reserved for United's ultra-top-tier Global Services elites, including a private check-in area and pre-boarding privileges. Onboard, you'll get a bite-sized caviar snack, elevated catering options and fancier amenities, including hooded pajamas and larger skincare amenities.
These planes are based in San Francisco, and you'll find them on United's international long-haul routes to destinations like Singapore and London. You can tell if you're flying on a plane with Polaris Studios by looking at the seat map on United's website.
If you are flying on a plane that does not have Polaris Studios, you can select a bulkhead seat in Polaris for free. These seats are typically more spacious than the others, but you won't get the extra perks of Polaris Studio.
A few years ago, United introduced the United Premium Plus cabin on some of the airline’s long-haul international flights and select domestic routes.
These seats are located behind Polaris business class seats in its own mini-cabin of just a few rows. United’s Premium Plus seat varies from 18.5 to 19 inches wide and offers passengers 38 inches of pitch and six inches of recline. Already, the biggest difference from the United Polaris seat is that a Premium Plus seat doesn’t make a bed in the sky. You simply get to recline several inches, but in terms of sleep on a long-haul flight, it’s not the same.
As for similarities, you also get to check two free bags, receive a blanket and an amenity kit and a premium meal service when flying United Premium Plus. You’ll also have Premier Access at the airport.
In short, the United Premium Plus offers more of a premium economy experience (it’s often compared to the Economy Plus ticket option), whereas United Polaris offers a true business class experience.
» Learn more: Is United Premium Plus worth it?
Ways to get good value
Book with United MileagePlus miles
Because of the premium on-the-ground and in-flight experience, United Polaris seats can cost thousands of dollars for a round-trip flight. Using your MileagePlus miles instead of cash to pay for these flights is a good way to get outsized value from the rewards you’ve accumulated.
For example, a one-way award ticket from the U.S. to Europe could set you back as few as 80,000 MileagePlus miles.
Let’s say you can book a one-way Polaris flight from Newark to Berlin for $3,254.
Subtract the tax of $6.20, and the value of your United miles comes to 4.1 cents per mile after redeeming 80,000 miles instead of paying cash.
NerdWallet puts an estimated value of United miles at 1.2 cents apiece, so the redemption above is a great one. Make sure you calculate the value on your specific tickets as it can vary significantly.
» Learn more: How to use your United miles for max value
United credit cards
Annual Fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $150
$350
$695
$0
Earning Rate
• 5 miles per $1 on prepaid hotels booked through United.
• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 5 miles per $1 on hotel stays through Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
• 3 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants, select streaming services and all other travel.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 5 miles per $1 on hotel stays through Renowned Hotels and Resorts.
• 4 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and all other travel purchases.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases, gas stations and local transit and commuting.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
United benefits
• First checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.
• 2 United Club one-time passes each year.
• $100 United Travelbank credits after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.
• 10,000-mile discount after spending $20,000 in a calendar year.
• Credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.
• $200 yearly United TravelBank credit.
• Yearly 10,000-mile discount.
• Another 10,000-mile discount after spending $20,000 in purchases per calendar year.
• 2 global Economy Plus seat upgrades after spending $40,000 in a calendar year.
• Annual 1,000 Card Bonus Premier Qualifying Points deposit.
• Credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.
• Access to United Club airport lounges.
• A 10,000-mile discount after spending $20,000 in purchases per calendar year (up to two times per year).
• Annual 1,500 Card Bonus Premier Qualifying Points deposit.
• Credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• 2 free checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year.
Bonus offer
Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Earn 80,000 bonus miles and 3,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Still not sure?
Use partner airlines’ miles to book the same tickets
If you don’t have United miles or don’t have access to any, you can redeem a partner program’s miles to book the same flights. United is part of the Star Alliance, so any member’s loyalty program should do the trick.
For example, you can book the same flight as in the example above for 80,000 Aeroplan points.
Although it costs the same amount in points, Air Canada points can be easier to earn thanks to their plethora of transfer partners.
» Learn more: The full guide to United partners
Pay for an upgrade to Polaris with PlusPoints
If you’re a top-tier elite member with United, specifically a Premier Platinum or a Premier 1K member, you can redeem PlusPoints toward an upgrade to United Polaris.
United elite flyers earn PlusPoints at the following rate:
- Premier Platinum: 40 PlusPoints.
- Premier 1K: 280 PlusPoints (in addition to the 40 PlusPoints earned after reaching Premier Platinum status) plus 20 PlusPoints for every 3,000 Premier Qualifying Points beyond 22,000 points.
So, if you’d like to upgrade yourself from economy class to Polaris business class on a long-haul flight, you can use 40 or 80 PlusPoints, depending on your purchased fare class. If you do the math, you’ll see that you receive such an upgrade once per year as a Premier Platinum member and up to eight times per year as a Premier 1K member.
Note that fare classes Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V and W are eligible for the cheaper 40 PlusPoints upgrade from United economy to Polaris on long-haul flights, while other fare classes will cost you 80 PlusPoints. Keep in mind that basic economy fares (which can be in any fare class) are ineligible for upgrades. Still, redeeming PlusPoints for an upgrade to Polaris business class yields more value than using your MileagePlus miles because miles don’t expire, but PlusPoints do.
United Polaris business class, recapped
When flying United Polaris, especially in one of the newly configured aircraft, prepare for a treat. The cabin offers a comfortable journey on a long-haul flight with premium lie-flat seats, bedding and in-flight meal service.
If you can redeem airline miles for one of these flights instead of paying a pretty penny, even better — you’ll save cash and get quite a bit of value in return.
Featured image courtesy of United Airlines.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
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