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

- UPDATED: March 18, 2019

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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!

Table of contents

How To Log in & Basics of Using Program
Special Shopping Offers
Example Retailers
United MileagePlus Shopping Button
Using Credit Cards To Earn Extra Points
- Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards
- United MileagePlus Cards
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

How To Log in & Basics of Using Program
Special Shopping Offers
Example Retailers
United MileagePlus Shopping Button
Using Credit Cards To Earn Extra Points
- Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards
- United MileagePlus Cards
Final Thoughts

How To Log in & Basics of Using Program

United MileagePlus Shopping Homepage — It’s easy to navigate your way around the shopping portal. Image courtesy of shopping.mileageplus.com.

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.

united shopping login 2 — United Shopping uses the same login information as your United frequent flyer account.

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!

United MileagePlus Shopping Example Retailer — At the time of writing, it was possible to earn 4 bonus miles per dollar spent rather than the standard 2 bonus miles. Image courtesy of shopping.mileageplus.com.

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 More Retailers — Just a few more examples of stores you can shop through United MileagePlus Shopping! Image courtesy of shopping.mileageplus.com.

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 >	Biggest Bonus Ever! Earn 60,000 bonus points 2X points on travel and dining. Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) Annual Fee: $95
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	Earn 3% cash back on all purchases in your first year up to $20,000 spent. After that, unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 17.24-25.99%. Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) Annual Fee: $0
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	50,000 bonus points. $300 Annual Travel Credit 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on travel and dining. Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide. Excellent Credit Recommended (740-850) Annual Fee: $450

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 Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year Get up to $600 per claim in Cell Phone Protection against covered theft or damage. Excellent Credit Recommended (740-850) Annual Fee: $95
Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card	Earn $500 bonus cash back Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 15.49% - 21.49% Excellent Credit Recommended (740-850) $0 Annual Fee
Are you a business owner? 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
United^SM Explorer Card	40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus earn an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $8,000 total on purchases in the first 6 months your account is open. Free first checked bag — save up to $120 per roundtrip (terms apply) 2 United Club one-time passes each anniversary Annual Fee: $0 Intro for the first year, then $95
Chase United^SM MileagePlus® Explorer Business Card	Get 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Free first checked bag — save up to $120 per roundtrip (terms apply) 2 United Club one-time passes each anniversary — over a $100 value Annual Fee: $0 Intro for the first year, then $95

CREDIT CARD

BENEFITS & INFO

United^SM Explorer Card

40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus earn an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $8,000 total on purchases in the first 6 months your account is open.
Free first checked bag — save up to $120 per roundtrip (terms apply)
2 United Club one-time passes each anniversary
Annual Fee: $0 Intro for the first year, then $95

Chase United^SM MileagePlus® Explorer Business Card

Get 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Free first checked bag — save up to $120 per roundtrip (terms apply)
2 United Club one-time passes each anniversary — over a $100 value
Annual Fee: $0 Intro 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!

FAQ

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 a few weeks of completing a purchase through the shopping portal. If you don’t see your rewards, you can contact United for help.