Tracking Points & Transfer Options
#3 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.3 ¢
Program Score
8
United is a solid option for international flights, especially for business class.
United MileagePlus associated alliance is Star Alliance
Visit Star Alliance
United is no different from most airlines. Your best bet for accruing United miles is to fly on the airline (or one of its partners) or to open a co-branded credit card. United also partners with Chase and Bilt, so you can transfer miles from either program. There are a few other ways to earn miles, but they aren’t worth extra effort.
You earn miles each time you purchase an eligible United ticket. Your earnings depend on factors like MileagePlus status, whether you hold a United credit card, the ticket type, and the ticketing and operating airlines.
You can earn miles on the base fare, up to 75,000 miles per ticket, on flights operated by United, United Express, Star Alliance carriers, and MileagePlus partners (when ticketed by United).
Holding a United credit card (other than the United Gateway card) increases your earn rate. United status also boosts earnings, and having both provides the highest return per flight.
Here’s how it works:
Note: United Mileage Debit Rewards and United Gateway cardholders can unlock these rates after spending $10,000 on their cards in a calendar year.
If you fly basic economy, the earn rates are quite low. If you don't have status or a United credit card, you won't earn any miles on a basic economy flight:
United offers six co-branded credit cards that earn MileagePlus miles: four personal and two business cards. Each comes with different sign-up bonuses, benefits, perks, and annual fees. If you want to build your MileagePlus balance, there are solid options depending on your loyalty to United and upcoming travel.
United overhauled its earn rates and award pricing in 2026, placing greater importance on holding a United card. Cardholders earn more miles when flying United and gain access to more award flights at lower redemption rates.
Chase and Bilt are the only two credit card programs that transfer to United. Points earned in either system can be used to top off or fully book United flights. Chase, our favorite rewards ecosystem, offers many cards that make it easy to build a large balance to transfer. Bilt only has one card as of now, but that is changing in February, 2026, where they will revamp the Bilt Mastercard and add two more cards. Renters can currently earn meaningful points by paying rent with the Bilt Mastercard and later transferring those points to a high-value partner like United. Bilt has confirmed that customers will also be able to earn points by paying their mortgage with the upcoming revamp.
You can also earn MileagePlus miles when flying on a partner airline, but how much you earn depends on several factors and can be complicated. Booking a partner flight through United earns miles based on fare class and your elite status. If you book directly through a partner, you’ll earn miles based on distance flown/strong> and the fare class you book in. You can see how much you’ll earn with each partner airline here.
Every United card has some type of big spend bonus tied to it. We don’t recommend trying to earn these perks by diverting spend from a welcome offer on a different card.
United Gateway
Spend requirement: Earn 2 free checked bags after spending $10,000 in a calendar year. A first checked bag is $40 and a second is $35.
Our take: Not a good perk for the required spend.
United Explorer
Spend requirements: Earn a $100 United travel credit at $10,000 in spend, and a 10,000-mile award discount at $20,000.
Our take: Neither bonus is worth the extra spend.
United Quest
Spend requirement: Earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in spend.
Our take: Not worth putting spend on the card.
United Club
Spend requirement: Earn All Access membership to the United Club after $50,000 in spend.
Our take: Not worthwhile given the high spend and the option to buy membership for $750 (or 94,000 miles).
United Business
Spend requirement: Earn 2 continental U.S. Economy Plus seat upgrades after $25,000 in spend.
Our take: Not a worthwhile return for that spend.
Annual bonus: Earn a 5,000-mile “better together” anniversary bonus when you hold both a United business and personal card. This is a nice perk with no spend requirement.
United Club Business
Annual bonus: Earn a 5,000-mile “better together” anniversary bonus when you hold both a United business and personal card.
Spend requirement: Earn All Access United Club membership after $50,000 in spend.
Our take: Like the personal Club card, the spend is too high to justify the perk.
Special Offers Related to United MileagePlus. Click the arrow to see more.
United Airlines has introduced more restrictive “basic” fare classes for its premium economy and business class cabins. There are now three fare types: basic, standard, and flexible, with basic fares removing perks typically expected in premium cabins. Basic fares charge for seat selection, do not allow ticket changes, and limit upgrade opportunities from premium economy. Basic business class fares also do not include Polaris lounge access, though United Club access remains. This is a disappointing shift, as premium cabins are now seeing the same unbundling as economy, though it reflects the broader trend of airlines maximizing revenue.
United Airlines has made changes to both earning and redeeming miles, placing a greater emphasis on holding a co-branded credit card. Cardmembers (above the Gateway card) will earn more miles on paid flights and receive a 10% discount on award bookings, while elite members receive a 15% discount. Cardmembers and elite members will also have expanded access to Polaris business class saver awards. United is clearly incentivizing co-branded card ownership, so if you frequently redeem miles for United flights and don’t currently hold one, it may be worth considering.
Limited Time Offers Going on NOW:
- United Explorer Chase Card - 60,000 Miles after spending $3000 in 3 Months - $95 Annual fee (waived the first year).
- United Quest Chase Card - 70,000 Miles after spending $4000 in 3 Months - $250 Annual fee (card comes with 5000 PQP).
- United Club Infinite Chase Card - 90,000 Miles after spending $5000 in 3 Months - $525 Annual fee (card comes with lot's of extras to off-set the annual fee).
- Elite Status requirements for United will be increasing starting in 2023. Be on guard as they are increasing the number of PQFs and PQPs to earn MileagePlus status. Their cards offer PQPs based on spendings pay attention to that part of the application before you apply if status is what you're going for.
The best way to use United MileagePlus miles is to book award flights on United or one of its partner airlines.
Searching on United’s site or app is straightforward:
United has increased incentives for holding a co-branded card. Cardholders receive 10% off award flights, while elite members with a card get 15% off. Search results show both regular and discounted pricing, highlighting the benefit of having a card.
United has also expanded saver award availability for Polaris business class for cardholders and elite members. Without a card, saver space is more limited.
You can still find strong value on United and partner flights, especially if you hold a United card or status, which unlocks additional award space.
You can also redeem miles for:
These options usually give you a 1 cent per point redemption at best, so we don’t recommend them.
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
United doesn’t have a fuel surcharge with their partner airlines, so you can get outsized value when booking international flights with a partner (instead of booking directly through Lufthansa, Swiss, or TAP Portugal, all of which have notoriously high surcharges on their award flights)
Utilize the calendar search function and partner award booking function when searching for award flights on United. You can find the lowest prices this way if you have date flexibility
United ranks in the top third of airline reward programs. They fall behind American, Delta, Alaska, and Southwest, mainly for domestic flights. But the ease of searching and booking award flights is seamless, which makes the experience more enjoyable than with many competitors. With the elimination of award charts, sweet spots are harder to find, but they still exist, especially with partners.
United also doesn’t pass along fuel surcharges on partner redemptions, which gives the airline an advantage. You can often find good sweet spots on premium cabin redemptions, particularly on long-haul flights. Pricing consistency can be frustrating, but since United is a Chase partner, it’s a convenient option for people in the hobby.
There are four levels of United MileagePlus Premier status. You earn status by flying on United or its partners and by collecting qualifying points. You must also take at least four United or United Express flights. To qualify, you need a set number of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) and Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs). You earn lifetime Premier status if you fly one million miles with United.
PQFs
PQPs
PQPs are earned based on spending:
Star Alliance Status
Premier members also get Star Alliance status. Premier Silver members are Star Alliance Silver, and all other Premier members are Star Alliance Gold.
Chase issues all United credit cards, so they largely follow the same rules. You can receive a refund if you cancel or downgrade within 30 days of the annual fee posting. After that window, Chase is unlikely to issue a refund.
Miles earned from United credit cards are deposited into your MileagePlus account and do not expire. You can transfer miles to another MileagePlus member for a fee, but United also offers a better option through MileagePlus miles pooling.
