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If you’re planning to shop online, what would you say if we told you you could earn extra miles just by clicking a few extra buttons? Pretty sweet, huh?
This article will teach you how to use the United Airlines MileagePlus Shopping portal to do just that!
You can view the bonus miles offered for shopping at various retailers without logging in, but you will need to log in to actually earn rewards when you’re ready to shop.
If you already have a MileagePlus frequent flyer account with United, you’re in luck! You won’t need to create a new account to log in and start shopping. The login details for the MileagePlus Shopping portal are the same as for your account on united.com.
Once you are logged in to MileagePlus Shopping, you just need to search for the retailer you want to shop with to see the number of bonus miles you can earn for purchases!
Let’s say you are interested in shopping at Macy’s. At the time of writing, we found a bonus of 8 United miles for each dollar spent on macys.com purchases, which is a huge bump over its usual offer.
To earn the bonus miles, click “Shop this offer” to be redirected to the Macy’s online store, then complete your purchase in the new window. You don’t need to do anything else to earn the bonus!
Hot Tip: Only coupon codes provided by MileagePlus Shopping will be eligible for your purchase to earn miles.
Occasionally the MileagePlus Shopping portal will offer bonus miles for spending various amounts of money. These offers come and go throughout the year.
You should keep an eye out for United’s special MileagePlus Shopping bonuses; they make it easy to earn even more miles!
Here are some examples of past bonuses to be on the lookout for:
The number of miles earned through the online shop and the available retailers change regularly. At the time of writing, here are some of the better bonuses being offered through MileagePlus Shopping!
Hot Tip: If you are curious how these bonuses compare to other portals, use CashBack Monitor to easily check over 40 different shopping portals.
Don’t miss out on extra miles by downloading United’s MileagePlus Shopping button.
If you’re the type of person that forgets to login to your account and click through via the normal shopping portal, download this browser extension for Chrome and you’ll never miss out on another mile again!
Every time you visit a retailer’s website that is part of the program you’ll get an alert telling you that can earn miles when shopping on the website. Everything then happens automatically when you purchase on the retailer’s website. It’s that simple!
MileagePlus members can also now earn miles when shopping at traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Login to your MileagePlus Shopping account, add 1 or more credit or debit cards to your profile, and link any desired in-store offers to your cards.
When browsing stores, in-store retailers will have a black store icon to indicate that the offer is in-store only. The earning rates can vary between in-store and online, so see which scenario works best for you before making your purchase.
When you make an eligible in-store purchase, paid for by a linked card, you will automatically earn miles on qualified purchases.
Every offer you link is only valid to redeem for 1 single in-store purchase. Members can even receive SMS notifications of their in-store purchase transactions.
Even though you’ll be earning bonuses through MileagePlus Shopping, that isn’t an excuse to put your charges on a debit card! You’ll want to make sure you’re paying with a credit card that will give you rewards for spending, too.
If your main focus is earning United miles, you should use cards that earn United miles directly or cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio.
Consider whether your earnings can be multiplied further by taking advantage of a specific credit card category bonuses, too!
Below you’ll find rewards cards that earn United miles as well as Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
If you’re a business owner, you could consider a Chase business credit card too.
Hot Tip: Don’t miss a chance to earn extra Ultimate Rewards points when you shop at a MileagePlus Shopping retailer! Check your Chase Offers before any online purchases to activate any special deals or discounts for popular online retailers.
With priority boarding privileges, no foreign transaction fees and more, MileagePlus members will definitely enjoy their partnered card.
You travel United all the time, but you have heard that there could be ways to make your travel experiences even better, including priority boarding, free bags, and more miles.
You should consider the United℠ Explorer Card, because this card does all that and more!
Perfect for frequent United flyers who want premium perks like United Club access and free baggage benefits.
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is a premium card designed for the most dedicated of United frequent flyers who are looking for a card that provides the opportunity to earn extra United MileagePlus miles and receive lounge access via a yearly United Club membership.
United frequent flyers will find that the United Club Infinite card provides an enhanced experience on their United flights thanks to the money saved on each flight and the conveniences it provides.
The United Quest card is a fantastic option for United flyers looking to earn more miles and enhance their flights.
The newest addition to United’s lineup of cards is the United Quest℠ Card. With it, you can bolster your United MileagePlus miles, thanks to the bonus categories, while enjoying the card’s many perks designed to help save you money on each United flight.
With an annual fee that falls between the United℠ Explorer Card and United Club℠ Infinite Card, the United Quest card makes for a fantastic card option for United frequent flyers.
The United Gateway card is a great option for those looking to earn more United miles without paying an annual fee.
The United Gateway℠ Card is a great option for those looking to earn more United miles without wanting to pay a credit card annual fee. Plus, the card offers other solid benefits like a 25% back on United inflight purchases, purchase protection, and rental car insurance.
The United Club Business card is a great option for frequent United flyers looking for United Club access.
The United Club℠ Business Card is a premium card option for dedicated United loyalists seeking a card that offers complimentary United Club access, helps them earn and retain status, and doesn’t skip on the benefits.
From free checked bags to upgrades on award tickets and the ability to earn Premier qualifying points, there is plenty to the United Club Business card that United flyers are sure to love.
Utilizing MileagePlus Shopping is an easy way to earn an extra mile or more per dollar spent on most of the purchases you’re already making online. You may also want to check out United’s dining program to really maximize your awards.
The more rewards you earn, the closer you will get to redeeming your United miles for a much-deserved vacation!
The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The miles you earn through the shopping portal for United are the same rewards you would earn for flying United.
No, the rewards earned through the portal do not count toward Million Miler status.
You’ll generally get the most value when redeeming them for flights. We have compiled a list of the best ways to redeem your United miles — check it out!
Your miles should post automatically within 3 to 5 days after completing a purchase through the shopping portal, though this can take up to 15 days. You’ll also get a confirmation email from United indicating the number of miles you’ve earned. If you don’t see your rewards, you can contact United for help.
There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn through MileagePlus Shopping!
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Caroline Lupini always enjoyed traveling, but it became her goal to do as much as possible after a 3-week trip around Europe in 2011. In March 2014, Caroline left her job and embarked on nearly full-time travels.
As a frequent traveler, frequent flyer miles have played a large role in planning her trips. Caroline has enjoyed discovering the ins and outs of how to maximize different types of miles, hotel points, and transferable points currencies.
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Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
6 comments
LaVeta Sergeant
June 24, 2019
I want to find how many miles I have so I can get magazines, but I cannot seem to get to my account.
Jarrod West
June 24, 2019
Hi LeVeta,
I am happy to help out with your issue, but keep in mind we are not affiliated with United so we are not able to access your account for you. Have you tried resetting your password?
Greta Watson
February 12, 2020
I have made three purchases through The MileagePlusX app, purchasing after it links through the app. None of my purchases have shown up in my miles. $155 at Macy’s. A small amount at Target (just as a test) and most recently around $150 at Walmart.com. What is going wrong? My miles haven’t changed at all.
Jarrod West
February 13, 2020
Hi Greta,
How recently did you make these purchases? Sometimes it can take a few weeks for your miles to show. Have you contacted United about the issues you’re having?
Betty H Maire
February 06, 2021
I can’t get into my MileagePlus account. Do I need to set up a new password? Please send me information on what I have to do.
Christine Krzyszton
February 07, 2021
Hi Betty. You can call MileagePlus at 1-800-421-4655, or use this link to retrieve your number. You can then use your number at sign-in and click on “forgot password”. https://www.united.com/en/us/forgot-mileageplus-number
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