These are the 7 greatest methods to make use of your United MileagePlus miles

CNN Underscored critiques monetary merchandise akin to bank cards and financial institution accounts based mostly on their total worth. We might obtain a fee by means of the LendingTree affiliate community if you happen to apply and are accredited for a card, however our reporting is at all times impartial and goal.
In the event you’ve been dreaming of a trip, racking up journey rewards could make quite a lot of sense to assist get you there whereas spending much less. Significantly, if you happen to’re planning to journey by air, airline miles can be utilized to pay for home or worldwide airfare, which may unlock your trip funds for different features of your journey — and United MileagePlus miles will be particularly helpful right here.
The present bank card bonus presents with United Airways are an excellent place to start out incomes miles. The United MileagePlus program can be a part of the Star Alliance together with greater than two dozen airways around the globe, which opens the door to flight awards to virtually any vacation spot. In different phrases, you should use United miles to fly with United and companions akin to Air Canada, Lufthansa, Turkish Airways and extra.
It’s additionally value mentioning that United MileagePlus is a switch associate of Chase Final Rewards — in different phrases, your Chase Final Rewards factors can turn into United MileagePlus miles at a 1-to-1 ratio. So, it’s extremely simple to get the United miles you want for a visit you need to take, whether or not you earn the miles with United playing cards immediately or switch them from an eligible Chase bank card.
In the meanwhile, there are six United-branded bank cards obtainable to new candidates — 4 playing cards for customers and two enterprise bank cards. These playing cards can earn you as much as 80,000 United miles inside a couple of months of account opening offered you possibly can meet a minimal spending requirement.
Right here’s an summary of the United Airways bank cards which can be obtainable for brand spanking new sign-ups.
- United℠ Explorer Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
- United Quest℠ Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles plus 500 Premier Qualifying Factors (PQPs) after spending $5,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
- United Gateway℠ Card: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
- United Membership℠ Infinite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
- United℠ Enterprise Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
- United Membership Enterprise Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
With as much as 80,000 bonus miles in your United MileagePlus account from these bank card presents, you should use them to take you on adventures throughout the globe. And, as an added bonus of holding a United-branded bank card, the airline opens up expanded award availability to United bank card holders (excluding the United Gateway Card) and to these with Premier elite standing, that means you can discover further choices for redeeming your miles only for holding on to considered one of these playing cards. Listed here are seven nice methods to redeem 80,000 United MileagePlus miles for almost free journey.
Like many different airline loyalty applications within the US, the United MileagePlus program makes use of dynamic pricing for its awards. This implies free flights can fall inside a spread of redemption prices, relying on demand and different elements. It additionally means you may get a greater deal to your miles if you happen to’re versatile on the place you journey and when. Finally, you’ll get the perfect offers along with your miles if you happen to’re versatile along with your journey plans.
With that in thoughts, it’s not tough to search out award availability to Europe from many US cities from 30,000 miles a technique or 60,000 miles spherical journey, plus taxes and costs.
To search out these flights, you’ll have to seek for award availability on United’s web site. For instance, you possibly can journey from Chicago (ORD) to Rome, Italy (FCO) for 30,000 miles, plus $23 in taxes and costs for a one-way flight in April.

Seeking to spend a while within the Metropolis of Mild? You possibly can fly from Dallas (DFW) to Paris, France (CDG) for 30,000 miles, plus $5.60 in taxes and costs a technique in April.

Finally, if you happen to’re seeking to journey in intervals of excessive demand — assume summer season journey and across the December vacation season — you’ll have a tougher time discovering award flights for 30,000 miles a technique. Nevertheless, it’s potential with some looking and suppleness within the dates and locations you’re seeking to journey.
With 80,000 United miles in your MileagePlus account from the United Membership Infinite Card, you can fly your self from the US to Europe on a round-trip ticket and simply pay the taxes and costs out of pocket.
United Airways presents a premium business-class product generally known as Polaris. In Polaris, vacationers profit from roomy lie-flat seats, Saks Fifth Avenue luxurious bedding, elevated meals and beverage service and entry to the United Polaris Lounge in some airports.
You possibly can redeem miles for a United Polaris business-class ticket on a spread of long-haul itineraries inside the US, between the mainland US and Hawaii and on trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and long-haul flights to South America.
For instance, you possibly can fly nonstop from San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) in United Polaris for 60,000 miles, plus $5.60 in taxes and costs. In the event you earn the 80,000 bonus miles from the sign-up bonus on the United Membership Infinite Card, you’ll have sufficient miles in your account to redeem for a one-way award itinerary from the West Coast to London in Polaris. Earn simply 40,000 extra miles and also you’ll rating your self a round-trip ticket. Or, the 80,000 miles earned is sort of sufficient so that you can deal with your self in enterprise class one-way and an financial system ticket on the return.

One other nice choice for utilizing your United miles for a flight in United Polaris is flying from Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo (HND). You possibly can fly a technique on this route for 70,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and costs — an incredible deal for a lie-flat seat on a flight that totals greater than 13 hours within the air. From a single sign-up bonus, akin to that from the United Quest Card or United Membership Infinite Card, you can end up touring to Japan in enterprise class for simply $5.60 out of pocket.

You can too use United miles to search out candy flight offers throughout the US — as few as 3,000 miles a technique — however it’s possible you’ll have to do some digging and worth purchasing earlier than you e-book. In any case, the price of an award can range by location and the date of journey. Luckily, the United MileagePlus program presents a helpful search calendar that lets you simply examine the most affordable award worth throughout each date of the month directly.
For instance, you can fly from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) from 9,100 miles a technique, plus $5.60 in taxes and costs throughout many dates all through the early summer season.

Alternatively, you can plan a heat climate escape from Newark (EWR) to Miami (MIA) from 8,200 miles, plus $5.60 in taxes and costs a technique. With 60,000 miles in your United account from the United Quest Card, you’d have sufficient miles to fly a household of three between New York and Miami for simply the price of the taxes and costs out of pocket.

As a result of Lufthansa is a Star Alliance associate, you should use your United miles to e-book a First Class award within the airline’s most celebrated cabin. In truth, Lufthansa presents probably the greatest first-class merchandise on this planet, and it’s obtainable to e-book for a fraction of the value, due to journey rewards.
In the event you’re eager about utilizing your United MileagePlus miles for a seat in Lufthansa’s first-class cabin, notice that award house will be extraordinarily restricted. In truth, Lufthansa sometimes doesn’t launch first-class award house to United till round 15 days out from departure. So, if you happen to’re versatile along with your journey plans and prepared to e-book a comparatively last-minute journey, this could possibly be an incredible choice.

Yow will discover Lufthansa first-class awards booked by way of United for as few as 121,000 miles, plus taxes and costs. In the event you’re capable of finding availability, that is actually a superb deal if you wish to fly on a long-haul worldwide route in fashion.
If you wish to get away someplace sunny and heat, your United miles may also help get you there. In truth, utilizing United miles to fly to a spread of locations within the Caribbean and Mexico may also help you get outsized worth to your rewards.
Award costs to locations within the Caribbean and Mexico range relying in your departure metropolis, the place precisely you need to journey and the dates you hope to fly. Nevertheless, there are many good offers available if you happen to’re versatile and prepared to buy round.
For instance, you can fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (SJD) for as few as 6,400 miles, plus $38.32 in taxes and costs a technique. With 60,000 miles in your United account from incomes the sign-up bonus on the United Quest Card, you can fly you and 4 further mates or household spherical journey on this route — offered there’s award availability for all of you on the identical flight — and simply pay the taxes and costs.

Alternatively, you can fly from Newark (EWR) to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ) from 19,300 miles, plus $46.90 in taxes and costs on quite a few dates in Might and into June 2023.

In the event you’ve been dreaming of a bucket record getaway to South Pacific islands like Bora Bora, step one of your journey will doubtless contain a flight to Tahiti. From there, you possibly can board a airplane (or a ferry, in some instances) to a spread of locations like Bora Bora, Raiatea, Tūpai or Teti’aroa, amongst others.
You probably have United miles, you’ll be joyful to know you should use them to pay to your preliminary far-flung journey — and you may even fly direct from the US. That’s as a result of United Airways flies nonstop on the almost nine-hour flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Papeete, Tahiti (PPT).
Award costs on this route range broadly, so that you’ll need to store round for availability and prices by date. Nevertheless, you will discover award flights from 35,000 miles a technique in financial system or 70,000 miles a technique in Polaris enterprise class, plus $5.60 in airline taxes and costs.

In different phrases, for 70,000 miles you can fly spherical journey between San Francisco and Tahiti in financial system on the journey of a lifetime. The 80,000 miles on provide with the United Membership Infinite Card will get you there.
You possibly can simply use United miles to fly to a spread of locations in South America, together with Ecuador, Brazil and Peru, amongst others. Flights may even be downright low cost in financial system, though you’ll need to be sure you examine journey dates to get the perfect deal.
For instance, you can fly nonstop in financial system from Houston (IAH) to Quito, Ecuador (UIO) from simply 20,000 miles and $15.60 in taxes and costs.

You can additionally fly nonstop in financial system from Houston (IAH) to Lima, Peru (LIM) from simply 20,000 miles, plus $20.60 in taxes and costs.

Simply as simply, you can pay as few as 20,000 miles, plus $20.60 in taxes and costs to fly in financial system from Houston (IAH) to Bogata, Colombia (BOG).

Alternatively, you can fly in financial system from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (SDU) from simply 33,000 miles, plus $11.20 in taxes and costs.

Total, United miles can will let you journey across the globe whereas saving some money. From French Polynesia to Europe and even short-haul hops across the nation, there are many methods to make use of 80,000 United MileagePlus miles. And, even higher, due to the United bank cards on provide, there are many methods to earn United miles rapidly.
In search of a brand new journey bank card? Try CNN Underscored’s record of the greatest bank cards presently obtainable.