United Announces New Exclusive Dining Events for Cardholders

Co-branded airline credit cardholders can often take advantage of various card benefits when traveling, including priority boarding, complimentary checked bags, and access to airline lounges.

One perk that’s often overlooked by cardholders, however, is the opportunity to participate in exclusive dinners and private dining experiences.

If you hold a United co-branded card, you have an exciting opportunity. The airline has recently added several new dining experiences that are available for booking with miles, exclusively for its cardholders.

Let’s take a look at these dining events and determine whether they’re worth redeeming miles for.

Cardholder-Only Exclusive Dining Events With United Miles

United MileagePlus miles can be used to book award flights, upgrade seats, pay for hotels, and more. However, one of the most underappreciated ways to redeem United MileagePlus miles use them for an exclusive, private dining meal that’s only available to United co-branded cardholders.

We’re talking multi-course dinners, premium wine pairings, and a cocktail demonstration starting at just 17,500 miles.

United has launched its latest dinner series in partnership with Chase, and reservations are now open to cardholders.

Here’s what’s available:

El Five (Denver, Colorado)

This dinner event will take place at El Five in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood on Monday, April 7, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. MST. The multi-course affair will feature Spanish, North African, and Middle Eastern delicacies, premium wine pairings, and a cocktail presentation.

Formento’s (Chicago, Illinois)

This dinner event will take place at Formento’s in the red-hot West Loop district in Chicago on Tuesday, April 22nd, from 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. CST. The special evening includes a multi-course dinner with wine pairings and a cocktail presentation.

American Brass (New York, New York)

This dinner event will take place at American Brass in Long Island City on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. ET. The event includes passed canapés, a multi-course dinner with wine pairings, and a cocktail demonstration. 

The Bungalow Kitchen by Michael Mina (San Francisco, California)

This dinner event will take place at The Bungalow Kitchen by Michael Mina in Marin County, near San Francisco, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. PT. The event includes a multi-course dinner with wine pairings and a cocktail demonstration. 

As a reminder, you must be a United cardholder to book these private dinner events, and availability is limited. In addition, if you want to dine with a companion, you’ll need to buy 2 tickets for 17,500 miles apiece.

We value United MileagePlus miles at 1.2 cents each, meaning 17,500 are worth about $210. This is a pretty good value considering these meals feature multiple courses, wine pairings, and cocktail presentations. At restaurants of this caliber, it’s easy to exceed that amount per person when ordering à la carte.

If you have United miles to spare, this could be a fantastic way to have an excellent dining experience while keeping some serious cash in your pockets. You can reserve your seat(s) here.

Final Thoughts

It can be difficult to look beyond flight and travel perks when applying for a co-branded airline card. However, supplementary benefits such as exclusive dining events, like United’s dinner series, can greatly improve your experience as a cardholder and create some memories along the way.