United Airlines is among the largest airlines in the U.S. and the world, with domestic hubs in Chicago, Houston, Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles, Los Angeles and Guam. MileagePlus is the name of the airline’s loyalty program.

The airline operates 4,500 daily flights to more than 300 cities across five continents. In addition, United has partnerships with 14 airlines and is also a member of Star Alliance, which has 26 member airlines. These relationships mean you can earn and redeem miles on 39 airlines, and travel to so many destinations.

If your home airport is a United stronghold, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with its frequent flyer program so you can start reaping the benefits of the airline’s vast reach.

Follow along as we discuss ways to earn and redeem MileagePlus miles, elite status, the best United credit cards and the airline’s Star Alliance and other airline partners.

What is United MileagePlus?

MileagePlus is United Airlines' frequent flyer loyalty program. When you fly on paid tickets on United Airlines, its airline partners and its Star Alliance partners, you can earn MileagePlus miles. You can also earn miles in many other ways, including using a United credit card, transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards, dining, shopping and much more.

Once you’ve accumulated enough miles, you can redeem them for free flights in first, business class and economy seats on United and its partner airlines. You can also redeem miles for flight upgrades.

Get up to 80,000 miles with our favorite United cards

Check out our nerdy picks for the best United credit cards and find the right card for you.

BROWSE CARDS

United Airlines frequent flyer sign-up

Before you can start earning miles with United Airlines, you’ll need to sign up for a MileagePlus frequent flyer account. It’s free to join, and you can register for an account here.

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How much are United miles worth?

Based on our most recent analysis, NerdWallet values United MileagePlus miles at 1.2 cents apiece. To determine the value of reward miles, we compared cash prices and reward redemptions for economy round-trip routes across several destinations and dates. We divided the cost of the cash ticket by the cost of the reward ticket to determine a “cent per mile” value for each flight, then averaged this value across several flights and dates. Read more about how we arrived at these figures.

Therefore, this is a baseline value for United miles, based on real-world data collected from hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your United miles.

To determine the value of your miles for specific flights, divide the cash value of the ticket (less any applicable taxes/fees if you redeem miles) by the number of miles required for the flight. So if the ticket costs either $100, or 15,000 miles + $10 in taxes/fees, the math would be as follows:

($100 – $10) / 15,000 = 0.006, or 0.6 cent per mile.

United MileagePlus miles value over time

During NerdWallet's last valuation, United MileagePlus miles increased in value for the first time.

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United Airlines vs. competitors: How it stacks up in 2023

While United MileagePlus can pay dividends for some travelers, here’s the bad news: United Airlines came in seventh place out of nine in our most recent analysis on the best airline loyalty programs. Sure, it beat out notoriously controversial airlines like budget carriers Spirit and Frontier, but it’s the worst among the legacy carriers.

United came in last in two categories: basic economy tickets, and flying with pets. While United’s basic economy tickets are cheap, the extra fees are abundant, so you might pay just as much as a higher fare class anyway. United won’t let your pet fly in cargo, and it’s even restrictive (and expensive) if you bring your furry friend in the main cabin.

It did manage to make the podium for good elite status benefits. If you spend a lot or fly a lot, United can work for you, but it’s far from the best for infrequent or budget-conscious travelers.

Here's a closer look at how MileagePlus competed across categories:

Last in rewards (mile) value.

Second to last in operations.

Tied for second in elite status benefits.

Tied for third in terms of total fees.

United tied for last with Delta when looking closer at the best basic economy tickets.

Sixth in in-flight experience.

Last place in most pet-friendly airlines.

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How to earn United miles

You can earn miles when you fly on United or its partner airlines, by using a United Airlines credit card and by shopping and dining with partners.

MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for award flights and many other uses, though none of which are as fruitful.

Earn MileagePlus miles when you fly

The miles you'll earn for a flight depend on how much you spent on the ticket and your status level within the MileagePlus program. All statuses above basic membership earn mile bonuses.

For example, the basic member rewards rate is 5 miles per dollar. But at Premier Silver level, you earn a 40% bonus, which turns your rate into 7 miles per dollar. We'll have more on status levels below — or you can jump ahead to that part now.

NOTE: You earn miles only on airfare and airline fees. Government-imposed taxes and fees do not earn miles. Generally, the most you can earn on a ticket is 75,000 miles.

Earning on other airlines: When the ticket is issued by United (ticket number starting with 016), you’ll earn miles based on the cost of the fare. But if your ticket is booked through one of United’s partners, miles are awarded based on a calculation involving the price and class of the ticket and the flight distance.

Earn United MileagePlus miles with a credit card

United Airlines offers co-branded credit cards through Chase. Bonuses between cards vary, so if you’re considering a credit card, take a look at its bonus history to take advantage of a high welcome offer.

NerdWallet's favorite credit card for the MileagePlus program is the United℠ Explorer Card. It gives you 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants, on hotel stays and on purchases from United, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. You also get a great sign-up bonus to start. There's an annual fee, but the checked bag benefit on this card can make up for it quickly.

Here's a quick look at United card options:

United Gateway℠ Card

NerdWallet Rating

NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.

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on Chase's website

United℠ Explorer Card

NerdWallet Rating

NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.

Apply now

on Chase's website

United Quest℠ Card

NerdWallet Rating

NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.

Apply now

on Chase's website

United Club℠ Infinite Card

NerdWallet Rating

NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.

Apply now

on Chase's website

Annual fee

$0.

$0 intro for the first year, then $95.

$250.

$525.

Earning rates

• 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at gas stations.

• 2 miles per $1 on local transit and commuting.

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants.

• 2 miles per $1 on hotels (when booked directly with the hotel).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 3 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel (including other airlines, hotels, car rentals and more).

• 2 miles per $1 on dining (including takeout and delivery).

• 2 miles per $1 on select streaming services.

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 4 miles per $1 spent on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 on all other travel.

• 2 miles per $1 on dining.

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

Other benefits

• No foreign transaction fees.

• First checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• 2 United Club one-time passes each year.

• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.

• Priority boarding.

• No foreign transaction fees.

• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• $125 United purchase credit per year (good on airfare).

• Two 5,000-mile award flight credits per anniversary year.

• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.

• Priority boarding.

• No foreign transaction fees.

• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• Access to United Club airport lounges.

• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.

• Priority boarding.

• No foreign transaction fees.

Bonus offer

Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open..

Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Still not sure?

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Here are some more resources for shopping United credit cards:

The best benefits of United credit cards

Is a United credit card worth it?

Can you have 2 United credit cards?

» JUMP AHEAD to other credit cards that earn MileagePlus miles

Earn United MileagePlus miles through partners

Hotels. You can earn additional MileagePlus miles at most major hotel chains. In some cases, you earn 1 or 2 miles per dollar spent; in others, you earn a flat number of miles per stay. See partner hotels and the earning rules here.

Dining. Register a credit card with MileagePlus Dining, and every time you use that card at a participating restaurant, club or bar, you'll earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent. There are more than 11,000 participating locations.

Auto rentals and other transportation. Hertz-owned rental agencies, including Dollar and Thrifty, offer the option to earn MileagePlus miles. See the rules here. Amtrak rail service and select shuttles and car services are also partners.

Shopping. When you shop online through the MileagePlus Shopping mall, you earn miles for every dollar you spend at more than 850 retailers.

Financial partners. Earn miles when doing business with lending and insurance partners, among others. Details here.

Buy United miles

If you want to buy United miles, you can do so on the MileagePlus website, but this is generally not a good idea. You'll pay far more than the 1.2 cents per mile at which NerdWallet values MileagePlus miles. However, if you need a few thousand miles to top up your account for a valuable award, it could make sense.

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How to redeem United miles

MileagePlus miles are redeemable for flights on United Airlines, on Star Alliance airlines and on United’s independent airline partners. Star Alliance has 26 member airlines and United has partnerships with 14 airlines. All of this means that you can use United miles to fly on 39 airlines, creating so many opportunities for traveling the world.