How to Use United's Shopping Portal to Earn Miles [2023]

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!

Table of contents

How to Log in and the Basics of Using MileagePlus Shopping
Special Shopping Offers
Example Retailers
United MileagePlus Shopping Button
Earning In-Store Miles at Brick-and-Mortar Retailers
Using Credit Cards to Earn Extra Miles and Points
- Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards
- United MileagePlus Cards
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

How to Log in and the Basics of Using MileagePlus Shopping
Special Shopping Offers
Example Retailers
United MileagePlus Shopping Button
Earning In-Store Miles at Brick-and-Mortar Retailers
Using Credit Cards to Earn Extra Miles and Points
- Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards
- United MileagePlus Cards
Final Thoughts

How to Log in and the Basics of Using MileagePlus Shopping

MileagePlus Shopping home page — It’s easy to navigate your way around the shopping portal. Image Credit: MileagePlus Shopping

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.

MileagePlus Shopping login — MileagePlus Shopping uses the same login information as your United frequent flyer account. Image Credit: MileagePlus Shopping

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!

MileagePlus Shopping Macys — At the time of writing, it was possible to earn 8 bonus miles per dollar spent rather than the standard 1 bonus mile. Image Credit: MileagePlus Shopping

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.

Special Shopping Offers

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:

Spend $125 in the next 2 weeks and earn 500 bonus miles
Spend $150 and earn 500 bonus miles; spend $750 and earn 2,500 bonus miles; spend $1,500 and earn 5,000 bonus miles.

Example Retailers

MileagePlus Shopping top stores — Just a few more examples of stores you can shop through United MileagePlus Shopping! Image Credit: MileagePlus Shopping

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!

AT&T: 2,600 miles
ESPN+: 400 miles
Nike: 12 miles per $1
Florists.com: 10 miles per $1
Aveda: 9 miles per $1
Grubhub: 5 miles per $1

Hot Tip: If you are curious how these bonuses compare to other portals, use CashBack Monitor to easily check over 40 different shopping portals.

United MileagePlus Shopping Button

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!

Earning In-Store Miles at Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

MileagePlus Shopping in store set up — Click on “My account” and scroll down to “In-store preferences” to manage your cards and add a mobile number. Image Credit: MileagePlus Shopping

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.

MileagePlus Shopping Vera Bradley in store vs online — Image Credit: MileagePlus Shopping

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.

Using Credit Cards to Earn Extra Miles and Points

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.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

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.

United MileagePlus Cards

Final Thoughts

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!

Frequently asked questions

What kind of miles can I earn through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal?

The miles you earn through the shopping portal for United are the same rewards you would earn for flying United.

Do the miles earned through United MileagePlus Shopping count toward Million Miler status?

No, the rewards earned through the portal do not count toward Million Miler status.

What can I use my United miles for?

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!

Do I have to do anything to claim my miles?

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.

Is there a limit to the number of miles I can earn this way?

There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn through MileagePlus Shopping!

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?
Reply

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?
Reply

Betty H Maire February 6, 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 7, 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
Reply

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How to Use the United MileagePlus Shopping Portal to Earn More Miles [2023]

How to Log in and the Basics of Using MileagePlus Shopping

Special Shopping Offers

Example Retailers

United MileagePlus Shopping Button

Earning In-Store Miles at Brick-and-Mortar Retailers