If you like to travel and are a fan of flying with United Airlines, you may be looking for ways to maximize the airline miles you earn. Travelers like you can earn miles in various ways through the airline’s free loyalty program: United MileagePlus.
Once you have enough miles earned, one option is to redeem your rewards for flight bookings, which could help you travel more without draining your checking account balance. Let’s explore several ways to earn United miles to maximize the miles you earn.
1. Flying on United-operated flights
Whether you’re an occasional or frequent flyer, you can earn United miles when flying routes operated by United and United Express. United MileagePlus members earn 5 miles per $1 spent on base fare.
If you have status, you can earn bonus miles, depending on your membership tier. Members can earn a maximum of 75,000 miles per ticket — excluding purchases or bonuses from promotions.
Here’s a breakdown of how many United miles you can earn by membership tier:
2. Using United credit cards
Another way to earn miles is to use United credit cards to pay for flights, other travel purchases, and everyday expenses. The number of miles you can earn varies depending on the credit card you have and the types of purchases you make.
This strategy could help you maximize your miles if you’re a United loyalist. Many United credit cards include useful benefits that can improve your experience when flying with United. Examples include cash back discounts on in-flight purchases made with your card and free checked-bag perks.
Check out our list of the best United credit cards to learn more about the top features of each card on our list. Not loyal to one airline? You may benefit from a general travel rewards card instead. Here’s a look at a few of the best travel credit cards that earn rewards.
3. Booking travel with partners
You can also earn miles when you book travel arrangements with one of United’s many travel partners. The airline partners with various airlines, hotels, vacation rental companies, car rental companies, and more.
How many miles you earn varies depending on the partner and whether you have a United credit card or have achieved elite status through the United MileagePlus program.
Here’s a sampling of some of the travel partners you can earn United miles with:
- Air Canada
- Asiana Airlines
- Avis
- Budget
- Marriott Hotels and Resorts
- Renaissance Hotels
- Singapore Airlines
- TAP Air Portugal
- Vrbo
If you shop online, take advantage of the chance to earn United miles when you order from your favorite retailers. United partners with over 1,100 retailers through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal. You can earn miles by activating offers and making eligible purchases.
You can shop through the shopping portal website or download the United MileagePlus Shopping browser extension and shop directly on your favorite retailer’s websites. Participating retailers will display how many miles you can earn for eligible purchases.
Some participating brands include Adidas, Best Buy, H&M, iHerb, LOFT, Staples, The North Face, and Ulta. Here’s how to earn United miles when you shop online:
- Sign in to your United MileagePlus account at shopping.mileageplus.com.
- Click “Shop Now” to activate offers that interest you.
- Shop like usual and pay with a credit card.
- After making a purchase, miles will be added to your MileagePlus account.
Strategize to earn more miles
If you hope to book an award flight using United miles in the near future, it’s wise to strategize so you maximize the miles you earn. Don’t miss out on miles-earning opportunities like the ones mentioned above. Redeeming airline rewards can save you money on travel costs.