Last week, after having hectic back- to- back meetings, as I stretched out in a plush business-class seat, at 35000 feet above ground, I found myself thanking not my stars but United MileagePlus.
Want to know the best part? I only spent 30,000 miles + $50 in taxes for a ticket that would have cost over INR 2,00,000 if I’d paid in cash!
And with Milesly, it’s not a secret anymore for a select few. Whether you’re eyeing a luxury upgrade, a free flight, or a dreamy vacation without breaking the bank, MileagePlus can make it happen. In this article, I’ll walk you through how to earn, redeem, and maximize your miles so you can start flying smarter, too.
Let’s learn how to take advantage of United’s extensive global network, unique partnerships, and exclusive member benefits to elevate your travel experience.
United Mileage Plus
With United Mileage Plus. you can make free travel a reality! With the added advantage of having to choose from 1300+ destinations, all thanks to the partnership between United Airlines and Star Alliance. This gives plenty of room to redeem your earned miles. There are tons of ways in which you can earn miles, including flights, shopping, car rentals, hotel bookings, and credit card bonuses.
MileagePlus is thus designed to reward every step of your travel journey, making it easier to explore the world in style. From flexible award redemptions to elite privileges, this program caters to travellers who want more out of every reward mile earned.
Here at Milesly, we’re all about making travel rewards work for you, and United MileagePlus is one of the best loyalty programs out there. Whether you’re a frequent flyer or just someone who loves and enjoys the thrill of a good travel hack, this guide will show you how to earn, redeem, and maximize your MileagePlus miles for amazing experiences.
Story Behind United Mileage Plus
United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world, with over 4500+ flights taking off each day to 300 cities across six continents. It has domestic hubs which are strategically located in Chicago, Houston, Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles, Los Angeles, and Guam, making it the first choice for Domestic travels within the United States.
United Airlines has partnered with 16 direct airlines along with 25 Star Alliance partners, which basically translates into that you get to choose from more than 40+ airlines and fulfill your travel dreams of roaming around the world while earning and redeeming miles through their mileage plus program.
United Mileage Plus is United Airlines’s frequent flyer program, which is one of the largest Loyalty Programs that boasts of 100 million members and counting. The best part about being a United Mileage member is that your miles never expire, even if you do not travel frequently.
Why Should You Choose Mileage Plus?
If you are looking for a single airline loyalty program for Domestic and International travels that will be easy to redeem and earn miles without the hassle of points expiring, Milesly,l highly recommend you to consider United Mileage Plus. Here’s why:
- Miles never expire: This could be the only reason for infrequent flyers to become a United Mileage member. As long as you have your account number and password, you can redeem your miles anytime.
- No Family Pooling or Nomination required: Another great perk of being a United member is you can book a ticket by using your miles for someone else without adding them to your Nomination list (many other frequent flyer programs have this feature, which makes it cumbersome to book tickets for someone else).
- Excursionist Perk: This is a USP of United Mileage wherein you get free one-way awards within select multi-city award itineraries. You just need to book three or more one way award tickets to get one segment ticket free of cost.
- Wide Range of Travel Partners: The list of 40+ travel partners gives the United Mileage Plus members a wide range of options to choose from. Also, the redemption rate for Partners is pretty decent compared to other Star Alliance partner programs.
The list of partners is as follows:
Star Alliance partners:
| Lufthansa (LH) | Aegean (A3), |
| Singapore Airlines (SQ) | Air Canada (AC), |
| Air India (AI) | Air China (CA) |
| Air New Zealand (NZ) | Austrian Airlines (OS) |
| ANA (NH) | Avianca (AV) |
| Asiana Airlines (OZ) | Brussels Airlines (SN) |
| Copa Airlines (CM) | Croatia Airlines (OU) |
| EGYPTAIR (MS) | Ethiopian Airlines (ET) |
| EVA Air (BR) | LOT Polish Airlines (LO) |
| Shenzhen Airlines (ZH) | South African Airways (SA) |
| Swiss Air Lines (LX) | TAP Air Portugal (TP) |
| Thai Airways (TG) | Turkish Airlines (TK) |
Non- alliance partners:
| Aer Lingus (EI) | Air Dolomiti (EN) |
| Airlink (4Z) | Cape Air (9K) |
| Azul (AD) | Edelweiss (WK) |
| Emirates (EK) | Eurowings (EW) |
| Eurowings Discover (4Y) | FlyDubai (FZ) |
| Hawaiian Airlines (HA) | JSX (XE) |
| Olympic Air (OA) | Silver Airways (3M) |
| Virgin Australia (VA) |
- Earn miles by combining Money+Miles: Whenever you combine Miles with money for booking a United Airlines flight, you automatically earn miles on the Cash that you spend.
- Additional perks which other Airlines do not give: Fuel surcharges are exempted in United MileagePlus partners like Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines. Also, one of the best features of booking with MileagePlus is that there is no date change or cancellation fees applicable on Award tickets.
How to Earn Miles
Here’s the list of things you can do to earn miles for your next trip:
Flying with United and Star Alliance Partners
There are two calculations for earning miles based on how you book your tickets:
- When you book a United Airlines flight directly from their website, the earnings will be calculated based on the ticket fare and your Mileage Plus Status. (The maximum one can earn via this method is 75000 miles)
- When you book a partner airline’s ticket via the United Airlines website (the ticket will have a 016 code), the earnings will be calculated based on the ticket fare and fees.
- Whereas, when you book a ticket directly from the United Airlines partner website, then the earnings will be calculated based on the ticket fare, class of flight ticket, and the distance travelled.
But one thing is guaranteed: whichever method you adopt to buy a United Airlines ticket, you will definitely earn miles. 👏
Using United Co-Branded Credit Cards
- Within India, you can opt for Axis Bank Magnus (5:2), Axis Bank Reserve (5:2), Axis Bank Atlas (1:2), Magnus Burgundy (5:4), Burgundy Private (5:4), HDFC Bank Infinia (2:1), HDFC Bank Diners Club Black credit cards(2:1), and Regalia Gold (2:1) to convert the points earned into United miles.
- United Explorer Card, United Quest Card, and United Club Infinite Card offer huge sign-up bonuses and extra miles on travel, dining, and everyday spending. For example: Let’s say you sign up for a United Explorer Card and spend $3,000 in the first 3 months; you score a 50,000 bonus miles, which is enough for a round-trip flight to Europe!
- Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United(1:1) for more mileage options.
Earn Miles on the Ground
United MileagePlus lets you earn miles even when you are not flying:
- Hotels: You can book your stay at partner hotels like Hilton, Marriott, Accor, Hyatt, IHG and many more to earn miles.
- Car Rentals: Booking with Avis, Budget or National can earn 500 miles per rental. United Mileage Card holders and Premier members can earn up to 1250 miles per rental.
- Shopping & Dining: Use the MileagePlus Shopping website(get 1000 miles as joining bonus) to shop from 1100 stores online (even offline shopping) for extra rewards. Shop from Brands like Adidas, Saks, Lenovo, Braun, Dior and many more with United Coupons and earn miles as well. You can use MileagePlus X app for the same purpose.
- MileagePlus Dining gives you 500 miles as a joining bonus and 30000+ restaurants to choose from for dine-in or takeaways. You earn (5 miles per dollar spent) when you spend $25 and write a review.
- United Cruises: You can earn up to 45000 miles depending on the Cruise and the Cabin booked, and if you are a United MIleage Plus credit card holder this can go up to 60000 miles.
Promotions & Bonus Opportunities
- United frequently offers flash deals and limited-time bonuses for flights,shopping, and partner transactions.For example, double miles on certain routes or extra miles for hotel bookings.
Pro Tip: Subscribe to Milesly’s newsletter to get all the deals right to your inbox or phone and supercharge your earnings.
It is like reward earnings on steroids! 😉
How to Redeem Your Miles
Each United Miles is worth approximately 1 INR (1.2 cents). Redeeming miles is quite simple and easy. United Airlines follow the dynamic pricing model and hence the miles required to book a ticket may fluctuate according to the demand.
Here are the ways you can redeem your miles:
Book Award Flights & Free Travel
- Redeem miles for flights on United & 40+ Star Alliance partners. The pricing of tickets is usually a little lower for United’s own fleet of airlines as compared to the partner airlines. For example, you can book a flight from the US to India via Asia/ Europe for approx 40000 miles (Economy) or 60000 miles(Business class).
- Take advantage of the Excursionist Perk for a free segment on multi-city award tickets. Example: If you book New York to Paris and Paris to Rome on miles, you could get Rome to New York for free. The catch here is that travel has to end in the same region where it starts.
Upgrades & Premium Travel Perks
- Use miles to upgrade Economy to Business or First Class. Especially for long haul flights this comes as a boon to travellers.
Experience United’s famous Polaris Business Class with lie-flat seats and premium services.
Beyond the Skies
United miles can also get you:
- Luxury hotel stays: A 3-night stay at the Hyatt Regency in New York can cost only 60,000 miles instead of ₹ 80,000 in cash.
- Car rentals with Budget, you can redeem your miles or combine cash with miles during booking.
- Exclusive experiences like Front row seats at concerts, as well as meet and greet backstage & VIP access to sporting events like Wimbledon, NBA Finals, and Super Bowl.
- Access United Clubs Day pass and Lounge access in airports like Chicago O’Hare, Newark, and Los Angeles, as well as Polaris and Partner Airlines lounges by using MileagePlus miles.
MileagePlus Money+Miles
- You can combine miles with cash to book flights when your balance isn’t quite enough. The best part is you will still earn some miles on the cash that you pay, so it’s a win-win situation for most.
Exclusive Perks for Members
Climbing the membership tier depends on two factors:
Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF): This is the number of flights you have flown on United Airlines and Partners in a year. You have to fly via United Airlines at least four times to qualify.
Premier Qualifying Points (PQP): This is based on the standard fare and carrier-imposed surcharges for flight purchases (which can also include seat purchases and paid upgrades).
The following are the requirements to earn the United Premier Status:
Premier 1K:
PQPs + PQFs Required: 18,000 PQPs + 54 PQF
PQPs Only Required: 24,000 PQPs
Perks:
- Top-tier perks including 280 PlusPoints upgrades.
- Dedicated phone support.
- Priority boarding.
- Extra award availability.
- 11X miles earned per flight.
- 3 free checked bag in economy.
- Free upgrades eligibility 96 hrs before flight.
Premier Platinum:
PQPs + PQFs Required:12,000 PQPs + 36 PQFs
PQPs Only Required: 15,000 PQPs
Perks:
- Star Alliance Gold status.
- Enhanced upgrade priority.
- Fee waivers.
- Free upgrades eligibility 72 hrs before flight.
- 3 free checked bag in economy.
- Group 1 boarding,9X miles earned per flight.
Premier Gold:
PQPs + PQFs Required: 8,000 PQPs + 24 PQFs
PQPs Only Required: 10,000 PQPs
Perks:
- Priority services.
- Group 1 boarding.
- Lounge access on international itineraries.
- Free upgrades eligibility 48 hrs before flight.
- Increased bonus miles.
- 2 free checked bag in economy.
- 8X miles earned per flight.
Premier Silver:
PQPs + PQFs Required: 4,000 PQPs + 12 PQFs
PQPs Only Required: 5,000 PQPs
Perks:
- Group 2 boarding.
- Complimentary free day of departure upgrades on select flights.
- 1 free checked bag in economy.
- 7X miles earned per flight.
Status Match:
- Having a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite / Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite membership can give you a United Premier Silver Status match.
- Having United Premier Gold/Platinum/1K membership membership will give Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status match.
Exploring Partnerships
Airline Partners:
| Star Alliance Partners | Non – Alliance Partners | Star Alliance Connecting Partner |
| Lufthansa (LH) | Aer Lingus (EI) | Juneyao Air (HO) |
| Singapore Airlines (SQ) | Air Dolomiti (EN) | |
| Air India (AI) | Airlink (4Z) | |
| Air New Zealand (NZ) | Azul (AD) | |
| ANA (NH) | Cape Air (9K) | |
| Asiana Airlines (OZ) | Edelweiss (WK) | |
| Aegean (A3) | Emirates (EK) | |
| Air Canada (AC) | Eurowings (EW) | |
| Air China (CA) | Eurowings Discover (4Y) | |
| Austrian Airlines (OS) | FlyDubai (FZ) | |
| Avianca (AV) | Hawaiian Airlines (HA) | |
| Brussels Airlines (SN) | JSX (XE) | |
| Copa Airlines (CM) | Olympic Air (OA) | |
| Croatia Airlines (OU) | Silver Airways (3M) | |
| EGYPTAIR (MS) | Virgin Australia (VA) | |
| Ethiopian Airlines (ET) | ||
| EVA Air (BR) | ||
| LOT Polish Airlines (LO) | ||
| Shenzhen Airlines (ZH) | ||
| South African Airways (SA) | ||
| Swiss Air Lines (LX) | ||
| TAP Air Portugal (TP) | ||
| Thai Airways (TG) | ||
| Turkish Airlines(TK) |
Credit Card Partners:
The credit cards available in India to earn United Miles are, Axis Bank Atlas (1:2), Axis Bank Magnus(5:2), Axis Bank Reserve(5:2),Magnus Burgundy (5:4), Burgundy Private (5:4), HDFC Bank Infinia(2:1), and HDFC Bank Diners Club Black credit cards(2:1), Realgia Gold(2:1).
You can earn reward points on your card spends and then convert the points to United Miles(transfer ratio mentioned in the brackets above).
Having a Marriott Bonvoy membership also helps as Marriott regularly comes up with bonuses(up to 30% extra) to transfers point to United. The transfer ratio usually is 3:1.1.
Hotel Partners:
- Marriott: Transfers Marriott Bonvoy points at a rate of 3 Bonvoy points to 1 MileagePlus mile. Additionally, get an extra 10,000 miles when transferring 60,000 Bonvoy points. MileagePlus Premier members can convert their miles at a rate of 1:1, up to 100,000 a year.
- Hyatt: World of Hyatt points transfer at a rate of 2.5 World of Hyatt points to 1 MileagePlus mile. Members can receive a 5,000-mile bonus when converting 50,000 World of Hyatt points into 20,000 MileagePlus miles.
- Accor: Transfers ALL-Accor Live Limitless Rewards points at a rate of 2,000 Rewards Points to 1,000 MileagePlus miles.
- Choice Privileges Rewards: Converts Choice Privileges Rewards points into MileagePlus miles at a ratio of 5,000 points to 1,000 miles.
- Hilton: Transfers Hilton Honors points at a rate of 10,000 Hilton points to 1,000 MileagePlus Miles.
- IHG: Members of IHG One Rewards can convert their points to United MileagePlus at a rate of 10,000 points to 2,000 miles.
- Shangri-La: Transfers Shangri-La Circle points at a rate of 1 point to 1 MileagePlus mile.
- Wyndham: Wyndham Rewards points transfer at various rates – 6,000 Wyndham Rewards to 1,200 MileagePlus miles, 16,000 Wyndham Rewards to 3,200 MileagePlus miles, and 30,000 Wyndham Rewards to 6,000 MileagePlus miles.
Maximizing Your Rewards
- Book 6 – 12 months in advance to secure the best award availability and redemptions. Especially if you are flying to Delhi to New York or Mumbai to San Francisco, the award seats are usually limited and get filled fast.
- Leverage the Excursionist Perk for free one-way flights on multi-city bookings. For example, Delhi -Chicago-Cancun -Delhi will get you a Chicago-Cancun one-way ticket for free.
- NRIs can use their Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to boost their MileagePlus balance since the transfer ratio is pretty good (1:1)
- Monitor MileagePlus sales and flash deals for discounted award flights. For example, A Delhi to Chicago Economy ticket was available for 42000 miles in the recent past.
Why MileagePlus Stands Out for Indian Travelers
- The strong Star Alliance connections of United MileagePlus help in redeeming United miles to enjoy seamless domestic and international travel with Air India ( for short haul dometic travel), Singapore Airlines (known for its luxurious cabins and services), and Lufthansa (Premium cabins can be redeemed via the award flights option).
- NRI can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, making it easier to accumulate miles and book one-way tickets to India or abroad. For example, a one-way business class ticket from India to Europe can be booked at 60000 Chase rewards transferred to United Mileage.
- Frequent award sales on key routes like India-US routes, offering great value for miles. For Example, you can get Mumbai to Newark at as low as 55000 miles for business class, which usually is priced at 75000 miles.
- Business and First Class availability to North America, Europe, and beyond at competitive mileage rates, making luxury travel accessible for all members. For example, you can get a Singapore to Mumbai Business class ticket for 43000 miles, which, according to Milesly, is a steal!
Clearing Common Myths
Myth 1: Award flights are impossible to find
Fact: While some routes and peak seasons may have limited availability, award flights are very much bookable – if you know where to look! United even has a flexible “Saver Awards” chart that lets you redeem flights for fewer miles. Plus, MileagePlus has no blackout dates on United-operated flights.
Myth 2:You have to fly a lot to earn meaningful miles
Fact:You don’t need to be a frequent flyer to rack up MileagePlus miles. You can earn them through credit card spending, dining programs, hotel stays, car rentals, shopping portals, and even online surveys. Everyday purchases can quickly add up to free travel.
Conclusion
United MileagePlus opens up a world of possibilities for you to travel and explore the world of your dreams. It doesn’t matter whether you are a frequent flyer or just starting to explore; United gives you ample space to grow, earn miles at your pace, and enjoy the perks whenever you are ready to plan your itinerary.
This philosophy resonated with Milesy, and we too believe that travelling should be fun, rewarding as well as affordable for all. That’s why our newsletter will cover all the tips, hacks and best mileage deals for you to grab in time and make the most of it.
So, when is your next trip planned? Let us know in the comments if you will try out United MileagePlus for your international destination, and we will share with you the best ways to get there faster!
Until Next time! Keep taking Happy and fulfilling Journeys in your life!
