Whether you’re hoping to fly United Polaris to Europe or book a lie-flat seat on a Star Alliance partner like ANA or Lufthansa, using United MileagePlus miles can be one of the best ways to book business class.
The number of miles you’ll need, however, isn’t fixed. United no longer publishes an award chart, and award prices can vary significantly depending on your destination, travel dates, demand and whether you’re flying United or a partner airline.
Although there’s no single answer to how many United miles you’ll need, we searched award availability across a range of dates and regions to show what you can expect to pay for business class, along with strategies for finding lower-priced awards.
» Learn more: United MileagePlus: what you need to know
What affects the number of United miles you’ll need?
Several factors determine how many MileagePlus miles you’ll need for a business class flight. Understanding them can make it easier to identify lower-priced awards.
Saver vs. Everyday Awards
Saver Awards require fewer miles than Everyday Awards, but they’re only available in limited quantities. Once Saver Awards are gone, you’ll need to redeem substantially more miles for the same flight.
For example, the 30-day calendar below shows one-way business class award prices for a flight from Washington, D.C., to Paris. While most dates cost an astronomical 200,000 miles, some dates are available for 80,000 or 88,000 miles. Although United doesn’t identify these lower-priced business class awards as Saver Awards in the calendar view, comparing prices across an entire month makes it easy to spot them.
United vs. partner-operated flights
In addition to United-operated flights, MileagePlus miles can be redeemed on more than 20 Star Alliance carriers, including Lufthansa, ANA, Swiss and Air Canada, as well as several non-alliance partners. Partner-operated flights may require a different number of miles than a comparable United flight.
A sample flight search from Washington, D.C., to Paris demonstrates this point. It would cost you 80,000 MileagePlus miles to fly business class on United or 88,000 MileagePlus miles to fly the same route on Lufthansa.
Holding a United co-branded credit card
Eligible United credit cardholders receive a discount of 10% or more on award flights operated by United. For example, in the search results above, those who have a United credit card would only need to pay 72,000 miles for the United flight. Cardholders may also see lower prices for partner-operated flights, such as 80,000 miles for the Lufthansa flight above.
🤓Nerdy Tip
If you have an eligible card and United Premier elite status, you'll receive an award discount of 15% or more on United award flights. However, Premier members without a card aren't eligible for these discounts.In some cases, the savings can be large enough to push the award ticket into Saver territory. The flight below shows a United Polaris ticket costing 200,000 miles for non-cardholders but only 72,000 miles for eligible United cardholders.
The following three personal and two business United credit cards can reduce the mileage cost of eligible award flights by 10% or more:
If United is your primary airline, one of these cards can help you save miles on award flights while also providing benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding.
» Learn more: Is a United credit card worth it?
Typical United business class award prices by region
Since United doesn’t publish an award chart, we searched for award availability across a range of dates, including up to a full year where necessary, to find the lowest one-way business class prices for each region.
Destination | Lowest price found | United cardholders |
|---|---|---|
Europe | 80,000 | 72,000 |
Japan | 110,000 | 90,000 |
South America | 60,500 | 55,000 |
Australia/New Zealand | 300,000 | 270,000 |
Africa | 88,000 | 80,000 |
The data above reflects flights that could be booked with United miles, whether the flight was operated by United or one of its airline partners. Although United has access to an extensive network of partner airlines through Star Alliance, you may be able to find cheaper award tickets on other airlines.
Australia and New Zealand are the clearest examples of this. After searching award availability across an entire year, we couldn’t find a single business class ticket bookable with United miles for fewer than 300,000 miles. Comparatively, we found business class availability from Dallas to Melbourne for 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles on Fiji Airways. Since both airlines are Oneworld alliance members, you can book award tickets on Fiji Airways using AAdvantage miles.
Examples like this highlight one of the biggest perks of earning transferable credit card rewards rather than committing all of your spending to a single airline program. When you earn transferable points, you can transfer them to different airlines, making it easier to compare award prices before deciding which airline you want to book.
For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards® points transfer to United MileagePlus, while Citi ThankYou® Rewards points transfer to American AAdvantage. If you earn points with both programs, you’ll have more options when award prices vary significantly across loyalty programs.
How to find lower-priced United business class awards
Finding the lowest-priced business class awards often takes more than searching your preferred departure date. If your schedule is flexible, a few simple strategies can significantly reduce the number of miles you’ll need.
Use the 30-day award calendar
United’s 30-day calendar lets you compare award prices across an entire month at a glance. Rather than searching one day at a time, you’ll quickly identify dates with the lowest mileage requirements.
Be flexible with your travel dates
Flying a day or two earlier or later and avoiding peak travel periods can improve your chances of finding lower-priced awards.
Consider itineraries with connections
While nonstop flights are often the most convenient, itineraries with one connection sometimes require fewer miles than nonstop flights.
Be flexible to get the best deal on United business class
United doesn’t publish an award chart, so the number of miles you’ll need for business class depends on factors like your destination, travel dates, airline and whether you qualify for discounted award pricing. While flexibility and an eligible United credit card can help lower the mileage cost, it’s also worth comparing other airline loyalty programs before transferring your points. Doing so can help you find the best award availability and potentially save thousands of miles on your next business class flight.
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