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United MileagePlus is the frequent flyer program for United Airlines, which is among the largest airlines in the U.S. and the world.
The airline operates 4,500 daily flights to more than 300 cities across five continents. As a founding member of Star Alliance, United has partnerships with dozens of airlines, including some outside of the alliance. These relationships mean you can earn and redeem United miles on more than 40 airlines while traveling to almost anywhere in the world.
To get the most out of the United MileagePlus program, you’ll likely want a United credit card, which can unlock perks like free checked bags, lounge access and higher mileage earning rates when you fly with the airline.
On this page
How to join United MileagePlus
To earn miles with United Airlines, you’ll first need to sign up for a MileagePlus frequent flyer account. It’s free to join. With a MileagePlus account, you'll also get access to free Starlink Wi-Fi on United, when available.
And if you’re an infrequent United flyer, relax: Your United miles will not expire, as long as your account remains open.
How much are United miles worth?
Based on our most recent analysis, NerdWallet values United MileagePlus miles at 1.2 cents apiece. To determine the value of reward miles, we compared cash prices and reward redemptions for economy round-trip routes across several destinations and dates.
We divided the cost of the cash ticket by the cost of the reward ticket to determine a “cent per mile” value for each flight, then averaged this value across several flights and dates. Read more about how we arrived at these figures.
NerdWallet’s valuation is a baseline value, based on real-world data collected from hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, aim for award redemptions that offer at least 1.2 cents or more in value from your United miles.
Use our United miles calculator to determine the value of your miles.
By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
United Airlines vs. competitors
United Airlines came in fifth place among overall airlines in NerdWallet’s most recent analysis of the best airlines.
Its rewards program, MileagePlus, came in fourth place in an analysis of the best airline loyalty programs.
How to earn United miles
You can earn miles when you fly on paid tickets with United or its partner airlines, by using a United Airlines credit card, and by shopping and dining with partners.
MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for award flights and many other uses, though flight redemptions typically offer the most value. United miles do not expire, as long as your account remains open and in good standing.
Earn MileagePlus miles when you fly
The total miles you'll earn for a United flight depends on how much you spent on the ticket, your status level within the MileagePlus program, the fare you purchased and whether you hold a United credit card.
When you purchase a United flight, United MileagePlus members without elite status will earn 0 miles on basic economy fares. Main cabin and premium fares will earn a base 3 miles per $1 spent on airfare and airline fees.
NOTE: You earn miles only on airfare and airline fees. Government-imposed taxes and fees do not earn miles.
That base number can increase (or decrease) depending on several factors:
1. Whether you hold a United credit card
If you hold a United credit card, you will earn at least 6 miles per $1, regardless of whether you pay with the card. That means eligible cardholders earn at least double the number of United miles compared to non-cardholders.
However, if you have the United Gateway Card or the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards card, you’ll need to spend $10,000 in a calendar year to unlock the higher cardmember earn rate. (More on the different credit and debit card options below.)
| Status | Earn rate without a United card | Earn rate with a United card |
|---|---|---|
| General member (no elite status) | 3 miles per dollar. | 6 miles per dollar. |
| Premier Silver | 5 miles per dollar. | 8 miles per dollar. |
| Premier Gold | 6 miles per dollar. | 9 miles per dollar. |
| Premier Platinum | 7 miles per dollar. | 10 miles per dollar. |
| Premier 1K | 9 miles per dollar. | 12 miles per dollar. |
If you have children under 18, you can share your cardmember earn rate with them by linking your MileagePlus accounts. Authorized users and other people traveling on the same reservation will not earn the cardholder earn rate unless they are the primary cardholder of their own United cards.
2. Your Premier elite status level
United’s Premier elite status members earn additional miles based on their status level. The higher your status, the more miles you earn.
3. Your purchased fare
If you purchase a basic economy fare, you will earn 3 fewer miles per $1. That means a MileagePlus general member without a United credit card will earn 0 miles on basic economy fares.
However, if you have elite status, a United credit card or both, you will still earn miles. To calculate how many miles you will earn on a basic economy fare, use the table above and subtract three to get your earn rate.
Earning on other airlines: When the ticket is issued by United (ticket number starting with 016), you’ll earn miles based on the cost of the fare. You can earn up to 75,000 miles per ticket. But if your ticket is booked through one of United’s partners, miles are awarded based on a calculation involving the fare class of the ticket and the flight distance. One exception is flights operated by JetBlue, which will earn based on how much you spent, the fare type and United elite status, thanks to the airlines' Blue Sky partnership.
Earn United MileagePlus miles with a credit card
United Airlines offers co-branded credit cards through Chase. Bonuses between cards vary, but you can generally expect cards with the highest annual fees to have the best welcome offers.
For casual United flyers, NerdWallet's favorite United credit card is the United℠ Explorer Card. It earns 3 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, 2 miles per dollar at restaurants and on hotel stays, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
Here's a quick look at United card options:
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?
There are also two United business cards:
- Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on restaurants, gas stations, office supplies stores, transit and United purchases.
- Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Annual fee: $150.
- 2 miles per dollar on United ticket purchases.
- 1.5 miles per dollar on every purchase.
- Access to United Club airport lounges.
- Annual fee: $695.
Cardholders who hold both a United personal and business credit card will receive a 5,000-mile bonus on their business cardholder anniversary.
Here are more resources for shopping United credit cards:
Transfer credit card points to United
Sometimes, the best credit card for earning United miles might not even be a United credit card. That's because some credit cards earn flexible rewards that you can transfer to different airline and hotel loyalty programs. To rack up United miles, you'll need a credit card that earns either Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Bilt Points, since United is a transfer partner of both. Keep in mind these cards won't be able to offer you airline perks, such as a free checked bag.
If you don't qualify for or want a United credit card, another option to consider is the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card. This is a debit card that doesn't require a credit check and allows you to earn miles when you spend with the card and when you maintain certain amounts of money in your account balance.
However, the earning rates are poor (1 mile per $1 spent on United purchases and 1 mile per $2 spent on all other purchases) compared to what you would get with a United credit card, and you need to keep a balance of at least $2,000 to get the $4 monthly fee waived.
Earn United MileagePlus miles through partners
- Hotels and Vrbo. You can earn additional MileagePlus miles at most major hotel chains and Vrbo. In some cases, you earn 1 to 3 miles per dollar spent; in others, you earn a flat number of miles per stay. See partner hotels and the earning rules here.
- Dining. Register a credit card with MileagePlus Dining, and every time you use that card at a participating restaurant, club or bar, you'll earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent. There are more than 11,000 participating locations.
- Auto rentals and other transportation. Avis and Budget offer the option to earn MileagePlus miles on car rentals. See the rules here. Car-sharing service Turo is also a partner, as well as ridesharing platform Lyft.
- Shopping. When you shop online through the MileagePlus Shopping mall, you earn miles for every dollar you spend at more than 1,100 retailers.
- Financial partners. Earn miles when doing business with lending and utilities partners, among others. Details here.
Buy United miles
If you want to buy United miles, you can do so on the MileagePlus website, but this is generally not a good idea. You'll pay far more than the 1.2 cents per mile at which NerdWallet values MileagePlus miles. However, if you need a few thousand miles to top up your account for a valuable award, it could make sense.
United miles pooling
United’s miles pooling feature allows you to combine and share your miles with the miles of up to four other MileagePlus members, including children. These miles can then be redeemed for only United and United Express flights; you won’t be able to redeem them for anything else like upgrades, seat assignments or flights on partner airlines.
Any MileagePlus member can create a pool and be the pool leader as long as they are at least 18 years old. You can only be part of one pool at a time, but if you decide to leave your pool, you forfeit any miles that you contributed to the pool.
United mileage pooling is a much better alternative to transferring your miles to someone else’s account, which incurs hefty fees of $7.50 per 500 miles transferred and a $30 processing fee.
» Learn more: How to earn United MileagePlus miles
How to redeem United miles
MileagePlus miles are redeemable for flights on United Airlines, on Star Alliance airlines and other airline partners. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines and United has partnerships with 16 airlines. All of this means that you can use United miles to fly on 40-plus airlines, creating many opportunities for traveling the world.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
MileagePlus members can pay for United and select partner airline flights using a combination of miles and cash, called Money + Miles. You'll earn miles on the cash portion of the payment, excluding taxes and fees. United award tickets
United offers several levels of award seats, requiring more miles for more desirable seats and cabins. Flights can be booked as one-way tickets or round trips; if you’re seeking maximum flexibility, it can be better to book a one-way ticket vs. round trip.
Generally, there are two kinds of award redemptions:
- Saver awards are cheaper in terms of miles required to book them. But they are scarcer and might not be available for the flight you want. Select Chase United cardholders and United elites are eligible for discounts on saver awards.
- Everyday awards allow all MileagePlus members to book any open seat on a flight, even if it’s the last one available. However, these cost significantly more than saver awards.
Generally, prices that are cheaper with cash will also be cheaper with miles. It’s best to compare the cost of each before booking.
Eligible United cardmembers get at least 10% off when booking United award flights, while Premier members with a card get a minimum discount of 15% on the award price.
Note that if you pay for a flight with miles, you won’t earn frequent flyer miles for that flight.
Good redemption options
- Award flights. Aim for redemptions worth at least 1.2 cents per MileagePlus mile, NerdWallet’s baseline value. It's even possible to find redemptions worth much more than that. United has many opportunities for sweet spot redemptions.
- Upgrades. Upgrading to premium economy, business or first class with miles can also return a value greater than 1.2 cents per mile. Some upgrades require a cash co-pay as well as miles. The price of an upgrade depends on the fare class of your current ticket — upgrading from a cheaper fare will generally cost more.
» Learn more: How the United upgrade clearing order works
Bad redemption options
Other redemption options include United Club membership fees, hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and gift cards. These options tend to offer a lower value than 1.2 cents per mile, so we recommend avoiding them.
» Learn more: The complete guide to redeeming United MileagePlus miles
United elite status
There are four levels of United MileagePlus elite status, which are (in order from lowest to highest):
Here’s what each level entails, and what it takes to get there:
MileagePlus elite levels and benefits
On United, elite statuses are called Premier levels.
With Premier status, you’ll qualify for mileage bonuses, seat upgrades, priority check-in, complimentary checked baggage, better award seat availability, discounted and waived fees, and other benefits. And if you get Gold status or higher, you’ll have lounge access when traveling internationally. Premier Platinum and 1K members also get access to PlusPoints, which can be used to request upgrades to United Polaris business class. Here’s a full list of the perks at each level.
If you want elite perks but can’t qualify for Premier status, consider getting one of the airline’s co-branded credit cards. They offer many of the same benefits, including free checked bags, priority boarding, better access to award seats and even United Club airport lounge access.
» Learn more: 7 things to know about United Airlines lounges
How to get elite status on United
To earn MileagePlus Premier elite status, you need to do things the airline cares about as a business: fly often and spend a lot of money. This will earn you a combination of Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF).
- PQP are earned on the base fare, carrier surcharges, Economy Plus seats or subscriptions, preferred seat purchases, upgrade award co-pays, paid upgrades, and flights ticketed and operated by Star Alliance partners.
- A PQF is one flight. Each segment flown will count as one PQF. Flights taken in basic economy will not earn any PQF.
» Learn more: Guide to United Airlines Premier elite status
PQP and PQF are all credited to the person flying, not the person paying for the tickets. If you fly award flights on United booked with MileagePlus miles, you will earn 1 PQP for every 100 miles redeemed and PQF.
You can also earn PQP through spending on a United credit card. You'll earn either 1 PQP per $15 or $20 spent, depending on which card you hold. Some cards like the United Club℠ Card and the United Quest℠ Card even come with annual PQP deposits just for holding the card.
United elite status requirements
To become an elite member, you need a specific number of either PQF and PQP or PQP only. Here are the requirements to earn status in 2026 (unchanged from 2025):
| MileagePlus Premier level | Status requirements |
|---|---|
| Premier Silver | 15 PQF and 5,000 PQP, or 6,000 PQP. |
| Premier Gold | 30 PQF and 10,000 PQP, or 12,000 PQP. |
| Premier Platinum | 45 PQF and 15,000 PQP, or 18,000 PQP. |
| Premier 1K | 60 PQF and 22,000 PQP, or 28,000 PQP. |
For flights with Star Alliance partners that are not ticketed by United (ticket number does not start with 016), PQP will be earned based on the fare class, the flight distance and an airline’s designation as a “Preferred” or “MileagePlus” partner. There is a cap on the number of PQP you can earn for each segment, depending on the cabin class and the airline’s designation.
Star Alliance partner flights ticketed by United will earn based on the fare paid. This can significantly affect the number of award miles and PQP you earn, so it’s worth calculating whether it makes more sense to book through United or a partner airline if prices are similar.
Earning Premier status is based on flying and spending during the previous calendar year. Once you qualify for a Premier status, it is valid from the date you qualified through the end of the following program year (elite status levels reset at the end of January). For example, if you qualify for Premier Silver status in June 2026, you’ll keep your status through Jan. 31, 2028.
You can also request a United status match challenge. Based on your eligible status with another airline, you'll typically match to one of United's Premier status levels and need to complete a set of requirements within 120 days to retain the status.
United Airlines partners
Star Alliance members
In general, you can earn MileagePlus miles on flights with Star Alliance partners and redeem your miles for flights on Star Alliance airlines.
United Star Alliance airline partners
- Aegean Airlines.
- Air Canada.
- Air China.
- Air India.
- Air New Zealand.
- All Nippon Airways (ANA).
- Asiana Airlines.
- Austrian Airlines.
- Avianca.
- Brussels Airlines.
- Copa Airlines.
- Croatia Airlines.
- EgyptAir.
- Ethiopian Airlines.
- EVA Air.
- ITA Airways.
- Lot Polish Airlines.
- Lufthansa.
- Shenzhen Airlines.
- Singapore Airlines.
- South African Airways.
- Swiss.
- TAP Air Portugal.
- Thai Airways.
- Turkish Airlines.
Other partner airlines
On airlines outside the Star Alliance, your ability to earn and/or redeem miles is more limited. For example, you may be able to earn miles but not redeem them, or you may be able to redeem only for certain flights.
United Airlines non-alliance airline partners
- Aer Lingus.
- Air Dolomiti.
- Airlink.
- Azul.
- Cape Air.
- Discover Airlines.
- Edelweiss.
- Emirates.
- Eurowings.
- Flydubai.
- Hawaiian Airlines.
- JetBlue Airways.
- JSX.
- Olympic Air.
- Virgin Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I redeem my United miles?
The simplest way to redeem United miles is to use them for award flights on United and its partner airlines. You will need to log in to your United MileagePlus account to search for available flights. Other ways to use United miles include flight upgrades, hotel bookings, shopping and gift cards.
Can United miles be transferred to partner airlines?
No, you cannot transfer your United miles to other airlines. However, you can use your United miles to book flights on partner and Star Alliance airlines.
Can you use United miles to pay for part of a flight?
United has a Money + Miles payment option, giving flyers the ability to pay for United and select partner flights using a combination of miles and cash. Even though you pay partly with miles, these are not award flights, so you will earn miles.
When should you use miles instead of paying?
NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each, which means that 10,000 United miles are worth $120. Although there is no hard and fast rule that applies in every instance, generally it makes sense to use your miles when you can extract a value greater than 1.2 cents from each mile. So, if a flight costs 10,000 miles or $50, you’d be better off paying cash. However, if that same 10,000-mile flight costs $200, it would be preferable to use your miles.
Is United MileagePlus free?
It's free to join United’s MileagePlus loyalty program. All you need to do is head over to United’s website and sign up for an account.
The information related to the United Club℠ Business Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
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:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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