17 Best Ways To Redeem United MileagePlus Miles [for Max Value]

The United MileagePlus program has a couple of good things going for it: It doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges to award tickets, and you can use United miles to book award flights with its Star Alliance partners (the largest airline alliance in the world).

To capitalize on what United offers for award tickets, you need to know the right strategies for booking flights, including its stopover and open-jaw rules.

Remember to consider its Star Alliance members, as some have fantastic products in business and first class!

Some of the worst ways to use your United MileagePlus miles are for products through the United shopping portal or other forms of travel. Instead, stick to redeeming for award travel on airlines — these are the best ways to use United MileagePlus miles.

In this post, we’ll discuss methods to use your miles for maximum value on MileagePlus award flights.

How To Earn United Miles

There are many ways to earn United miles, but the quickest and easiest way is through spending on credit cards that earn transferrable rewards points or United miles.

Though miles can be earned by signing up for United’s cobranded credit cards, like the United℠ Explorer Card, United Quest℠ Card, or the United℠ Business Card, you can also transfer miles to your United MileagePlus account from the Chase Ultimate Rewards program and Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 rate.

Once you have earned enough United miles, you can use your miles to book award tickets on united.com.

Earn Points With Chase Credit Cards (Recommended Strategy)

We really like collecting Chase Ultimate Rewards points. That’s because these points are flexible (making them extra useful) and can be transferred to Chase’s travel partners — and Chase has lots of partners, including United. (Chase points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to United.) Chase points are also easy to earn.

This is far better than just collecting United miles — you simply don’t have as many options when it comes redeeming United miles for awards.

Hot Tip:

Business owner? See our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

To transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards to United, go into your Ultimate Rewards account, then click Use Points > Transfer to Travel Partners. That’s how you get the miles into your United MileagePlus account!

Bottom Line:

Collect Chase Ultimate Rewards points and then transfer them to United. Ultimate Rewards points offer you many transfer partners, whereas United MileagePlus miles are highly restrictive. Plus, Ultimate Rewards points are easy to earn.

Bilt Rewards

Bilt Rewards allows you to earn points for paying your rent and by spending on the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card. You can transfer your Bilt points to a number of partners, including United. Bilt points transfer to United at a 1:1 ratio, and you need to transfer a minimum of 2,000 points at a time.

United MileagePlus Credit Cards

There are several MileagePlus credit cards that help you to directly earn United miles. Each of them has slightly different benefits — click the links below to find out more about them.

These cards have other benefits besides earning points. For example, the United Explorer card benefits include 1 free checked bag on United flights, priority boarding, and 2 United Club passes,

The Best Ways To Use Your United MileagePlus Miles

Grab your passport and travel the world! United has a bunch of great ways to redeem miles.

There are 2 types of award tickets: Saver and everyday. Saver tickets are the cheapest, so want to book these tickets as often as possible.

You’ll want to stick with the Saver award level to get the most value when redeeming your United miles.

Saver award flights are available on flights operated by both United and its partner airlines, and these are the MileagePlus award types we’ll address in this post.

Travel partners often max out the value you can obtain when redeeming for flights, particularly in business and first class. However, economy tickets will also get you where you want to go for far fewer miles across the board.

United Dynamic Award Pricing 

In 2019, United got rid of its award chart and introduced dynamic pricing for award flights booked with United miles. That means that there are no longer fixed award prices between certain regions and that prices can vary based on a multitude of factors.

The prices listed below are generally what you should expect to see when looking for saver level awards. You may sometimes spot Saver award pricing for more or less than what’s listed below.

Additionally, United charges more for award flights that are booked within 30 days of departure. Normal Saver-level awards cost about 5% to 10% more if booked this close in, both on United and partner flights.

Using United MileagePlus Miles With Airline Partners

You can redeem miles with United and its partner airlines through a normal search on United.com. Simply check the box next to “Book with miles” when searching for your flight.

United isn’t just a part of the Star Alliance, as it also partners with other airlines outside of any alliances. This means you have lots of options for turning your United miles into award tickets on a variety of carriers, like Lufthansa and Avianca, for flights all around the world.

Hot Tip:

New to travel? Make sure you grab your passport if this is your first international trip, or get it renewed before traveling! You won’t be able to visit another country without it. If you want to save time and you think you’ll be traveling a lot, check out the Global Entry program, as well.

1. Lufthansa First Class From the U.S.

Lufthansa’s first-class product has long been one of the most sought-after seats in the sky. But let’s be honest, a one-way ticket for over $8,000 isn’t in everyone’s budget.

Fortunately, United miles provide an opportunity to take part in this amazing experience. From 121,000 miles, you can book a one-way, first-class award flight on Lufthansa.

This is not the cheapest way to get to Europe on miles or even to fly Lufthansa first class, but United does not pass on fuel surcharges. If you booked this flight with Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program, Miles & More, you’d expect to pay over $400 in fuel surcharges.

Hot Tip:

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide to booking Lufthansa first class with points.

An important point to remember when using United miles to book this flight is that Lufthansa only releases first-class award space to its Star Alliance partners 14 days before departure.

Though this leaves booking until later than most of us are accustomed to, there is often open award space.

Hot Tip:

Keep in mind that although United has technically eliminated its close-in booking fee, it has also increased the number of miles you need for flights within 30 days. Unfortunately, this means anytime you want to redeem United miles for Lufthansa first class you’re subject to the “not-a-close-in-booking-fee” booking fee. Costs vary, but we’ve seen anywhere from 1,000 to 9,000 additional miles tacked on. 

If you want to take your Lufthansa experience to the next level, make sure you have a connection in its hub, Frankfurt Am Main Airport (FRA). There you can visit the First Class Terminal, considered one of the best airport lounges in the world. You can enjoy a relaxing bath or shower and take home perhaps the most famous collectible among frequent flyers, a Lufthansa rubber duck.

You can even take a nap in one of the relaxation rooms, complete with beds.

Finally, when it’s time to head to the gate for your connecting flight, you won’t have to worry about rushing to boarding. Since the First Class Terminal is not connected to the gates, staff will drive you over in a Porsche.

Bottom Line:

United miles can help you snag the elusive and sought-after Lufthansa first class, as long as you don’t mind waiting to book until 2 weeks before your flight.

2. The Excursionist Perk

United has a special bonus you can tack on to some award flights that are essentially free flights within in an award flight. The Excursionist Perk’s an exciting way to stretch your miles value and to turn a trip into an adventure with a bonus stopover.

But there are rules you need to know first.

United requires stopovers to be in the same region as a destination. They can’t take place in the region where you started your travel. Additionally, you must have a round-trip itinerary, but that only means you must end your journey in your region of origin.

For example, you could fly from the U.S. to Stockholm with a stopover in Frankfurt, since both the stopover and destination are in Europe.

This seems pretty straightforward, but there’s a twist that you take advantage of to put together interesting journeys. In practice, United’s stopover rules allow you to take a free, one-way segment within a single region, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take that free segment in the region of your final destination — it only has to be your first intraregion flight on the itinerary.

The rules also require you to end your trip in the region of origin, but that doesn’t necessarily require a simple round-trip booking! A great way to take advantage of this is by booking open-jaw flights.

You could, for example, book a flight from Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt, then book your own connection to Addis Ababa (ADD). A one-way ticket from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa can be had for a little over $300. From Addis Ababa, you can access anywhere in Africa for free. Want to head to Cape Town (CPT)? Great — that 6.5-hour flight can be the segment included in your Excursionist Perk. You can then continue home from Cape Town to complete your journey.

This is a less common way to use the Excursionist Perk, but using this strategy correctly could yield great value! Of course, if that’s not your style, there are plenty of simple stopovers and open-jaw bookings that can still maximize your United miles.

Bottom Line:

Savvy customers can take advantage of the Excursionist Perk to get free segments on their qualifying award bookings.

3. Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner to Africa

Although United technically pulled its award chart in 2019, the price for Saver award flights doesn’t vary much — generally speaking, you can reliably find availability priced at fixed amounts.

For example, flights from the U.S. to any African country in business class on a Star Alliance partner price out at 88,000 miles one-way.

This is true as long as you’re booking more than 30 days out, of course. If you’re booking an itinerary that mixes cabins, the price will also change.

Many people immediately default to checking out partners Ethiopian Airlines or South African Airways. These might be solid choices for your needs, but we suggest routing through Europe for an even better experience.

SWISS, for example, has a great business class that you can get by routing through Zurich (ZRH). Additionally, Austrian Airlines has a solid business class and fantastic catering service. If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ll definitely want to try a cup of Viennese coffee.

While they might not be your first instincts, give SWISS and Austrian Airlines a try if you’re looking for a fun experience in the sky on your way to Africa.

Bottom Line:

Business class to Africa on a Star Alliance partner can be a good way to spend 88,000 United miles, especially if you choose to route via Europe. 

4. Semiprivate Domestic Flights on Boutique Air

If you’ve ever wanted the experience of flying privately but, like most of us, can’t afford to shell out for it, consider Boutique Air. It’s a small domestic airline with an unusual route map — most of its flights connect otherwise hard-to-find airports. The most remarkable thing about the carrier is that all of its aircraft feature just a handful of seats for a truly private experience.

Since Boutique Air is a United partner, you can redeem United miles for Boutique Air flights. Though award availability can be hard to come by, we’ve found the pricing to be reasonable. For example, you can book a one-way flight between Boston (BOS) and Massena International Airport (MSS), near the New York-Canada border, for 16,500 miles.

5. Turkish Airlines in Business Class From the U.S.

Turkish Airlines flies to more destinations than almost any other airline in the world (it’s third behind American and Delta), giving you ample opportunity to use MileagePlus award miles for a great business class product.

Getting from the U.S. to Europe starts at 88,000 MileagePlus on Turkish. It’d cost the same to see Africa.

Alternatively, you could just fly to Istanbul and enjoy an amazing city! If your connection gap is long enough, you could get out of the airport for a few hours. If you have a short connection that doesn’t give you time to leave Istanbul Airport (IST), you can experience Turkish Airlines’ amazing business class lounge.

Hot Tip:

Enjoy hotel elite status and airport lounge perks when traveling if you have The Platinum Card^® from American Express (enrollment required).

6. United Polaris Business Class

In 2017, United launched a revamped business class product called Polaris. As of late 2023, United has the new Polaris seat on all of its long-haul international flights and many of its wide-body aircraft that fly within the U.S., including the Boeing 777-300, 777-200, 767-300, 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10.

Every Polaris seat has aisle access, which is particularly nice for solo travelers who don’t want people climbing over them while they sleep.

If you’re looking for an excuse to redeem United miles, you can try the new Polaris business class on a trip from the U.S. to Europe from 80,000 miles one-way. If Asia is more your style, you have options starting at 100,000 United miles. However in our searches we found that it’s hard to come by that level of pricing, as most flights across the Pacific come in around 170,000 or more miles one-way. 

Here are some great routes you can take to Europe:

• Chicago (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA)
• Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA)
• San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) 

Not only has United revamped its business class to compete with airlines like Delta and American on international routes, but it’s also stepped up its lounge game, as well.

With Polaris lounges at United’s hub airports, you can experience a new level of flying with United. So far, there are Polaris lounges in Houston (IAH), San Francisco (SFO), Newark (EWR), Los Angeles (LAX), Washington Dulles (IAD), and Chicago (ORD).

Bottom Line:

United’s amazing new Polaris business class is a great way to spend your miles if you can find availability on one of the planes featuring its new seats. 

7. Fly The Room on ANA to Japan

In 2019, ANA gave its business class a massive upgrade. The airline rolled out a new seat dubbed The Room, which features significantly more space than many other carrier’s business seats — in fact, the seat’s comparable to some first-class suites.

What really puts ANA on the map, though, is its amazing flight attendants. They have a well-deserved reputation for great service that helps set ANA apart.

You can book ANA business class from the U.S. to Japan starting from 110,000 United miles. Note that The Room is only installed on certain aircraft right now, like the Boeing 777-300ER. Make sure the flight you book features the new seats.

However you look at it, experiencing an ANA premium cabin should be on your must-fly list. Whether or not it’s on ANA, you should check out our guide to the best ways to fly to Japan using points and miles.

Bottom Line:

Business class flights from the U.S. to Japan on ANA start at 110,000 United miles. With superior service and seats, ANA beats United’s business class to Japan. 

8. Flights Within Oceania in Economy Class

Once you’ve flown to the other side of the world, you might want to spend some time visiting different islands. United operates its famous Island Hopper route among these islands, which is an AvGeek bucket-list item. The problem is that many of these intraregion flights are pretty pricey.

A one-way flight in economy class can be booked from 20,000 United miles for flights under 800 miles. Flights over 800 miles start at 30,000 miles. Though this might seem like a lot of miles to redeem for a short flight, keep in mind that the cash rates can also be quite high.

Alternatively, business Saver award tickets are 50,000 miles for flights under 800 miles and 85,000 miles for flights over 800 miles in this region.

9. Cheap Flights to Europe in Economy Class

If you’re concerned about the cost of travel to Europe, United miles can be an easy way to keep costs low.

Starting from 30,000 United miles, you can fly one-way in economy class on United. If you’d prefer a Star Alliance partner airline, such as Turkish or Lufthansa, you can book a flight from 43,900 miles.

Since award flights booked with United miles do not incur fuel surcharges, this can be a great way to keep your out-of-pocket costs down.

Hot Tip:

Make stopovers even better with the Amex Platinum card and get access to airline lounges around the world, as well as up to $200 in airline fee credits you can use on United!

10. Travel Throughout Central and Southern Africa in Business Class

Thanks to Star Alliance partners Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways, United miles are a fantastic way to travel in central and southern Africa.

Beginning at 33,000 United miles, you can fly one-way in business class throughout the region. Having 2 major airline partners in the region means you can go almost anywhere there you can imagine!

11. See the Caribbean in Economy Class

If you want to check out the Caribbean, you can sometimes book a round-trip ticket in economy class from the U.S. to the Caribbean for as low as 13,200 miles (or 6,600 miles one-way).

Prices on these routes vary significantly, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what a traditional Saver award costs these days. If you want to find the lowest price, take advantage of United’s flexible date search function to find the best deal.

Savvy travelers can also take advantage of the Excursionist Perk to tack on a visit to a different island without additional cost. It’s not the cheapest way to use your miles, but the free stopover allows you to see more of a beautiful part of the world.

12. Fly to the Galápagos on Avianca

The Galápagos are notoriously expensive to reach. Fortunately, one of United’s partners, Avianca, operates nonstop flights to both Galápagos airports, Baltra Island (GPS) and San Cristóbal Island (SCY):

• Guayaquil (GYE) to Baltra Island (GPS)
• Guayaquil (GYE) to San Cristóbal Island (SCY)
• Quito (UIO) to Baltra Island (GPS)
• Quito (UIO) to San Cristóbal Island (SCY)

Clocking in at just under 2 hours, one-way Galápagos economy flights start at 8,800 United miles.

13. Fly From the U.S. to Northern South America

United breaks South America down into 2 separate regions, meaning you can save miles by choosing to land in the northern half rather than the southern.

From 28,300 miles, you can fly in economy on United from the U.S. to the northern part of the continent. Flying with its Star Alliance partners starts at 33,000 miles in economy.

If you’d prefer a more comfortable flight, you can book from 55,000 United miles to fly in business class on United metal, or 60,500 miles on a partner airline.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Houston (IAH) to Lima (LIM) 
• Houston (IAH) to Panama City (PTY) or Georgetown (GEO)
• Houston (IAH) to Quito (UIO)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Bogotá (BOG)

14. Fly Business Class From Europe to Central Asia

American travelers don’t often visit Central Asia from Europe, but United miles provide a great way to do it.

Beginning at 60,500 United miles, you can fly business class one-way on a Star Alliance partner such as Lufthansa or Austrian. You can also fly economy class one-way from 33,000 miles.

This gives you access to amazing destinations including India, the Maldives, and Nepal. So, if you’re looking for ways to create an exciting adventure around the world, don’t forget to check out how United can help you make it happen.

Here are some great route ideas to inspire you:

• Vienna (VIE) to Male (MLE)
• Zurich (ZRH) to Delhi (DEL)

15. Fly on United to Africa

In recent years, United has launched a number of direct flights to Africa. Currently, the airline flies to Cape Town (CPT) and Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa; Accra, Ghana (ACC); and Lagos, Nigeria (LOS).

You can find United’s Polaris seats on these routes, but prices aren’t cheap — you have to shell out 190,000 United miles for a one-way business-class ticket. Otherwise, you can fly in economy from 45,000 miles.

16. Fly to Any of the 48 Continental States, Alaska, or Canada

Sometimes, domestic flight costs are simply unbearable, so it can be useful to redeem United miles for these flights. Since ditching its award chart, United has shown fluctuations in pricing for domestic flights.

It used to be that, for 12,500 miles, you could get anywhere in the continental U.S. in economy class. If your flight were less than 700 miles, you only needed to use 10,000 United miles.

Now, however, you can now find flights as low as 5,000 miles, though more desirable flights, such as nonstops, can cost more than that with stopovers.

Starting at 13,000 United miles, you can fly in economy class to Alaska or Canada for a quick adventure to colder climates.

While these redemptions don’t bring the glamour of Lufthansa first class, they are quite useful when traveling domestically and can still provide above-average value for your miles.

Bottom Line:

United’s dynamic pricing is most visible on domestic U.S. flights, where you can now score flights for as few as 5,000 miles. 

17. Flights Under 800 Miles Outside of the U.S.

Points and miles travelers love to talk about using British Airways Avios to take short flights while abroad. The thing is, Star Alliance carriers may actually be more convenient for your itinerary. United MileagePlus allows you to book flights under 800 miles in economy from 8,800 United miles.

This means you can book one-way awards between cities, such as from Johannesburg to Cape Town or between a number of European cities. Keep in mind these awards are only good on nonstop routes when traveling within a region.

Bottom Line:

Redeeming your miles for short-haul flights overseas is a cheap, easy way to get around. 

List of Star Alliance Airline Partners

Aegean	Ethiopian
Air Canada	EVA Air
Air China	LOT Polish Airlines
Air India	Lufthansa
Air New Zealand	Scandinavian Airlines
ANA	Shenzhen Airlines
Asiana Airlines	Singapore Airlines
Austrian	South African Airways
Avianca	SWISS
Brussels Airlines	TAP Air Portugal
Copa Airlines	Thai Airways
Croatia Airlines	Turkish Airlines
Egypt Air	United Airlines

United Airline Partners Outside an Alliance

Other Partners
Aer Lingus	Eurowings
Aeromar	Eurowings Discover
Air Dolomiti	Flydubai
Airlink	Hawaiian Airlines
Azul	JSX
Boutique Air	Olympic Air
Cape Air	Silver Airways
Edelweiss	Virgin Australia
Emirates	Vistara

Final Thoughts

We’ve talked about a good number of great premium cabin redemptions on both United and its partner airlines to get you around the world. These are some of the best ways to use United miles right now.

Additionally, you can use your United MileagePlus miles for solid redemptions and amazing experiences in first class and business class on partner airlines (with low fuel surcharges, of course).

Before you go, you probably want to check out the baggage rules on United.

Happy redeeming!

The information regarding the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.