How To Use the United MileagePlus Shopping Portal to Earn More Miles

BY 

Caroline Lupini

- April 11, 2017November 14, 2018

1. Earn Points  / 
2. Shopping & Dining

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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 shopping portal to do just that!

How To Log in & Basics of Using Program

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 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 United shopping portal uses your frequent flyer information as login information.

Once you are logged in to the shopping mall, 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 2 United miles for each dollar spent on Macys.com purchases which is double their usual offer.

In order to earn the bonus points, click “Shop now” to be redirected to Macy’s online store, and then complete your purchase in the new window. You don’t need to do anything else to earn the bonus!

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 shopping mall bonuses; they make easy ways to earn even more points! Here are some examples of past bonuses to be on the lookout for:

• Autumn 2018 Bonus: Spend $125 in the next two weeks and earn 500 bonus miles.
• Holiday 2018 Bonus: 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

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 United Airlines Shopping!

• 1-800-Flowers.com: 30 mi/$1
• Norton: 12 mi/$1
• Shoes.com: 5 mi/$1
• Dun & Bradstreet: 8 mi/$1
• Vinesse: 5 mi/$1
• …and many more!

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 then 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 points when shopping on their website. Everything then happens automatically when you purchase on the retailer’s website. It’s that simple!

Using Credit Cards To Earn Extra Points

Even though you’ll be earning bonuses through the shopping portal, 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 Ultimate Rewards points, which 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’s category bonuses too!

Below you’ll find rewards cards that earn United miles as well as Ultimate Rewards points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

CHASE CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card How We Get $1k+ Value From Just 60k Pts >	Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months That's worth $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide. $0 foreign transaction fees Annual Fee: $0 the first year, then $95
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	Earn $150 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase - it's automatic. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases & balance transfers, then a variable APR of 16.99% - 25.74%. Annual Fee: $0
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants. Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select Annual Fee: $450
Not Sure? See The Top 5 Rewards Cards For Intelligent Travelers >>

Recommended Chase Cards (Business)

CHASE CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card We Get $1,600+ of Value Using This Card >>	Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year: Travel, Shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines. Annual Fee: $95
Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card 21 Benefits This Card Offers Biz Owners >>	Earn $500 bonus cash-back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases Earn 2% cash-back on the first $25,000 (combined) spent at gas stations and restaurants each year 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 15.24% - 21.24% $0 Annual Fee
Business owners: For more detail, see our Chase business credit cards article, or in-depth business credit card guide to make an ideal choice for your situation.

United MileagePlus Cards

CREDIT CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
UnitedSM Explorer Card	Limited time offer! Earn up to 65,000 Bonus Miles. Check your first bag for free (a savings of up to $120 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your ticket Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ Fee Credit Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Final Thoughts

Utilizing United Shopping is an easy way to earn an extra mile or more per dollar spent on most of the purchases you’ve already made online. You may also want to check out their 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!