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

BY 

Caroline Lupini

- April 11, 2017September 13, 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 how to earn extra miles jusbyor 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 extra United miles for each dollar spent on Macys.com purchases.

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:

• Spring 2017 Bonus: Spend $150, Earn 300 Bonus Miles; Spend $350, Earn 1,000 Bonus Miles
• Holiday 2016 Bonus: Spend $150, Earn 500 Bonus Miles; Spend $350, Earn 1,500 Bonus Miles; Spend $650, Earn 3,000 Bonus Miles; Spend $1,250, Earn 6,000 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: 15 mi/$1
• Saks OFF Fifth: 10 mi/$1
• JCPenney: 8 mi/$1
• Coursera: 5 mi/$1
• eBags: 4 mi/$1
• …and many more!

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	50,000 bonus points 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 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 16.74-25.49%. Annual Fee: $0

Recommended Chase Cards (Business)

CHASE CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Card	Earn 80,000 bonus points 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
Chase Ink Business Cash℠ Card	Earn $500 bonus cash-back Earn 5% cash back in select business categories 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 14.99%-20.99% $0 Annual Fee
Chase Ink Business Unlimited℠ Card	$500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. Unlimited 1.5% cash back 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 14.99%-20.99%. $0 Annual Fee

United MileagePlus Cards

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!