United’s Website Might Make You Log In To Search for Award Flights

Updated: August 8, 2025, 3:52pm CDT

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United’s New Trial of a Log-In Requirement
Final Thoughts

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It’s not happening to everyone, but United appears to be testing a log-in requirement before you can search for flights with miles.

Previously, you could ignore the offer to log in to your account, understanding that any perks you might have to find cheaper award seats — for example, with elite status or a credit card — wouldn’t be offered if you didn’t log in.

Now, United is forcing some users to log in if they want to search for awards, following overseas airlines that have increasingly required users to log in. Here’s what we’re seeing and why it matters.

United’s New Trial of a Log-In Requirement

United Airlines provides a pop-up message if you aren’t logged in to your account but search for flights using miles. However, award search results will appear in the background while the website waits for you to log in. Alternatively, you can close this window without logging in and view the results anyway.

United award search not loggd in permitted — Image Credit: United Airlines

The benefit of logging in to your MileagePlus account is finding better award space that’s available to those with select United Airlines credit cards or United elite status.

The downside, however, is that United’s website doesn’t respond well if you search for awards repeatedly. For example, the site might think you’re a bot if you’re running numerous searches for flights from Newark (EWR) to various cities in Europe. That happens if people have flexibility in their travel plans and are just seeking a good deal, relying on trains or budget airlines to reach their final destination after crossing the Atlantic. In this situation, not logging in can make sense.

Now, United isn’t allowing some members to view the results, as first reported by Dan’s Deals. Attempting to close the pop-up window returns a new message, saying you can only view cash fares if you don’t log in. While prompting you to log in, United’s website blurs the search results in the background.

United award search not loggd in blocked — Image Credit: United

We tested this feature across multiple browsers, using both standard and incognito windows. We only saw this pop-up message requiring a user to log in on 2 of our 15 searches. Thus, it’s not yet widespread.

Bottom Line:

United appears to be testing a requirement for some users to log in before displaying search results for award flights. This could slow down the search process if you’re looking for flights across numerous dates and routes to find the best deal.

Final Thoughts

United may require that you log in to your MileagePlus account before you can see award search results. Numerous airline programs outside the U.S. require this, and it’s been creeping closer to home with Air Canada’s Aeroplan program recently adding a requirement to log in before searching for award flights.

The good news is that this isn’t widespread yet, and it won’t slow down your searches. Until things change, you should be able to open a new browser or clear your cookies to resume your searches at full speed.