Summary

  • Book partner airlines directly to earn more miles based on distance - good for long-haul flights.
  • Search flexibly for Saver Awards and take advantage of partner airlines for best-value redemptions.
  • To best achieve elite status, look at the rules for earning from partner airlines and from linked credit cards.

MileagePlus is one of the world's largest frequent flyer programs, with over 100 million members. There have been major changes to MileagePlus (and other loyalty programs) in recent years - making it more important to understand the best ways to earn and spend miles. This guide looks at some of the best value within the MileagePlus program, arranged as a series of tips related to earning and redeeming miles, and elite status.

Earning MileagePlus miles

Book partner airlines through the airline direct. All tickets issued by United Airlines will earn miles based on the ticket cost. Especially for lower-priced, longer flights and international travel, earning miles based on the flight distance can be more lucrative. This is possible by simply booking the flights with the airline operating them.

A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 in Star Alliance livery flying in the sky.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

For long-haul premium cabins, check partner airlines. Again if looking at lower-priced tickets, the mileage earning rates for premium cabins will be much higher with partners (Star Alliance partners and others). For example, for flights to Europe, check prices and earnings with Lufthansa as an alternative. To Asia, look at Singapore Airlines or Korean Air.

An All Nippon Airways ANA in Star Alliance livery being pushed back at Noi Bai International Airport.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock

Make use of the MileagePlus X app. Most airline loyalty programs offer some way to earn miles. MileagePlus has a retail portal like many others, and this allows instant earning on lots of shopping you are doing in any case.

A screenshot of a MileagePlus X advertisement.
Photo: United Airlines

Spending MileagePlus miles

Search for Saver Awards. These are the lowest-priced options on all United Airlines routes. The search engine will show when Saver rewards are available, and these are worth hunting for to get the best value out of miles.

Take advantage of the range of partners. Mileage Plus probably offers the largest number of partners of any airline loyalty program. You have access to all Star Alliance airlines (already the largest alliance by number of airlines), plus many other partners. At the lowest saver rates, awards tend to be priced lower on United Airlines flights, but as dynamic pricing increases these, partners can offer better value.

Thomas-Boon-Lufthansa, Star Alliance-5
Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying.

Good value awards. Under dynamic pricing, rates are not fixed or guaranteed on any route. In practice, however, the lowest-priced awards tend to follow standard rates (particularly with partners). Some of the best value ones that stand out include:

  • Domestic flights within the US, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Awards start at 5,000 miles for short-haul trips, 15,000 miles for longer journeys within the US in economy, and 30,000 miles for first class. MileagePlus has a 'Featured Awards' page that shows some of the best rates available at any time.
United Saver Awards
Photo: United Airines
  • Economy class flights between the US and Europe. These start at just 30,000 miles with United and 43,000 miles with partner airlines. Crucially, there are no fuel surcharges to pay, making these much better value than you will find with other US airline loyalty programs. If you can take advantage of a stopover using the Excursionist Perk benefit, you can get even better value here.
Lukas Souza 01-02-23 LAX -270
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
  • Lufthansa first class tickets. Using miles for first class travel is one of the best value uses. Lufthansa offers an excellent first class cabin, and award pricing starts at 121,000 miles each way. These may be easier to book closer to departure when seats are released to alliance partners.
Inside the Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 First Class Cabin.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
  • Short-haul flights with partners. Saver awards on the shortest routes are priced as low as 6,000 miles each way. For short flights in Europe or Asia, this can be excellent value on routes where ticket prices can be high.

Use miles for upgrades. Unlike the dynamic pricing for awards, upgrades are offered at fixed prices. For flights within the US, upgrades start at 7,500 miles (for O and Y class tickets) and head up to 20,000 miles with a $250 co-pay (from the lowest S, T, L, K, and G classes on transcontinental flights).

An overview of the United Airlines Polaris Business Class cabin.
Photo: United Airlines

Upgrades are possible as well on many partner airlines. These are also fixed-priced and can be excellent value. With all upgrades, you need to be very clear about which classes can be upgraded, and what is available. But this can be checked in advance on the MileagePlus website.

Read more in our guide to upgrading United flights

There are no fuel surcharges on award tickets with MileagePlus. This is a major advantage over some other loyalty programs, where high cash surcharges can be added for own or partner flights. In economy class, in particular, this can make them prohibitively expensive.

Take advantage of stopovers with Excursionist Perk. This feature allows a connecting flight (with stopover) for no extra mileage on international return flights. Being able to add a stopover is unusual among loyalty programs and can represent excellent value if used well.

An ANA Boeing 777-200 with a Star Alliance livery
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

As an example, consider taking a flight from New York to Paris. The flights could be booked directly on both legs. Alternatively (using the Excursionist Perk benefit), you could fly from New York to London, stopover in London, continue on another flight to Paris, and then return directly to the US.

Love learning about points and miles? Read more of our loyalty news and guides here.

Earning elite status with MileagePlus

Understand the qualification options. Like many airlines, United Airlines has made many changes over the years to how elite status is earned and retained. There is now a relatively complex system of PQP and PQF in place. Planning your bookings and working out the best way for you to reach status can pay off.

United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 taxiing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport ORD shutterstock_2347230081
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock

Flights with partner airlines still earn PQP based on the flight distance and cabin. This can work out more lucrative for some tickets and is worth considering. Remember, though, that you will still need at least four segments with United or United Express to qualify for elite status.

Earn through credit card spending as well. Earning status from methods other than flying is increasingly important in loyalty programs. With Mileage Plus, this is possible through co-branded credit card spending. The contribution levels for this were raised for some cards in 2023. If you value elite status, consolidating spending to help achieve higher levels can be worthwhile.

A screenshot of the different United Airlines co-branded credit cards.
Photo: United Airlines

This has just been a short guide to some of the differences and the best value options with the United MileagePlus program. Feel free to discuss these further or share some other areas you know about in the comment section.

  • MileagePlus Tall
    MileagePlus
    Participating Airlines:
    United Airlines
    Owner:
    United Airlines
    Region:
    North America
    Countries:
    United States
    Established Date:
    1981-05-00