23 Best Ways To Earn Lots of United MileagePlus Miles

United Airlines has one of the most popular frequent flyer programs in the U.S., and there are some great ways to earn United miles for award flights.

In fact, the number of ways to earn miles with the United MileagePlus program is almost overwhelming, but the following is a simplified list to get you moving in the right direction.

Sign Up for a United Airlines MileagePlus Account

Unlike transferable points programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, you do not need a particular credit card to participate in United’s MileagePlus program.

Your MileagePlus account is your key to earning United miles whether you’re dining out, shopping, flying, or spending with a United co-branded credit card.

To sign up and start earning miles, simply visit United’s website and create your account.

Once your account is set up, you’re ready to go. So let’s dive into the best ways to earn United miles!

Earn MileagePlus Miles With Credit Cards

If you really want to earn tons of United miles, the strategic use of credit cards is going to be your key to success. From transferable points to earning United miles directly through co-branded credit cards, you have several options.

1. Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards (Best Option)

Without a doubt, your best option to accumulate United miles is to transfer Chase points to United. Points are transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio, they’re easy to earn, and there’s no limit to how many you can transfer.

To earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, you just need a card that’s linked to the program. Whether you’re looking for a personal card or a business card, Chase has you covered with multiple ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Business owner? See our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

Regardless of your spending habits, you’re bound to find a Chase card or 2 that work for you. Many Chase cards also come with hefty welcome bonuses and bonus-earning categories to get you started quickly.

Hot Tip: Find out how you can earn 100,000+ Ultimate Rewards points in just 90 days!

2. Chase United Co-branded Credit Cards

After cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, the next best option for earning United miles are Chase’s co-branded United cards:

While these cards don’t have as many bonus categories as Ultimate Rewards cards, some do provide a complimentary checked bag, priority boarding, and other perks when flying on United.

Additionally, if you fly United regularly, some of these cards can help you earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) through your annual credit card spend.

These cards are more useful for the perks than their earning potential, but they are still a solid way to earn United miles.

Hot Tip: Check out the valuable benefits of the United Explorer card for a deeper insight into this rewards card.

3. Refer a Friend for Bonus Miles

Chase allows United cardholders to refer a friend to apply for United co-branded cards. Sending a referral link to your friends is very simple and just requires you to enter a few personal details.

If the person you refer is approved for any United card, even if it’s not the same card you hold, then you will earn 10,000 bonus miles. You can earn up to 100,000 bonus miles per year through referrals.

You can enter your card details on the Chase website to get your referral link.

4. Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to United at a transfer rate of 3:1.1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 United miles.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

5. Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card

Bilt Rewards is a rewards program aimed at those who pay rent. You can earn Bilt points and transfer them to United at a ratio of 1:1 with a minimum of 2,000 points transferred. The Bilt card is the main avenue to earn Bilt points and allows renters to pay rent with their credit card with no fees and earn points in the process.

However, the card lacks a welcome bonus and requires a monthly minimum transaction requirement to earn points for paying rent.

Earn Miles Through Shopping and Dining

Before you get any of these credit cards, you can start earning United miles by shopping online and dining out. However, using one of the cards above can really boost your earnings!

6. MileagePlus Shopping

Shopping portals are a great way to earn extra miles on purchases you were going to make anyway. You can earn United miles through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal. All you have to do is log in and start shopping.

There are hundreds of MileagePlus retailers participating in the portal. Below is an example of a few of retailers and the kinds of earnings you can expect to find:

Occasionally, a retailer will have a special bonus. For example, the Wall Street Journal once offered 800 miles for any order placed online at the WSJ store. With subscriptions starting as low as $12, that was a good offer!

The portal is very easy to use. Follow these steps before you begin shopping at a participating online store (or before you check out):

1. Go to MileagePlus Shopping.
2. Sign into your United MileagePlus account.
3. Search for a product or store.
4. Click on the store’s bonus miles offer (e.g. Earn 3 miles/$).
5. Select Shop Now.
6. After a few seconds, you’ll be able to shop on the store’s website.
7. Ensure you are still logged into the portal before you purchase through the store to be absolutely certain you will receive the extra miles.

Keep an eye out for limited-time promotions that offer even more bonus miles at your favorite stores. They will be featured rather prominently on the site and under the Offers section. Take special note of the ones listed as expiring soon!

7. MileagePlus X App

There is a bonus shopping mall tool with United called MileagePlus X. Smartphone users can stack miles by using the MileagePlus X app on purchases. The app offers exclusive bonus earnings of up to 5 miles per $1 at stores and restaurants.

Miles earned through the app are in addition to bonus miles you earn in other ways. When you make a purchase in the app using your United MileagePlus credit card, you will earn miles from your card and from the app.

The MileagePlus X App is downloadable through the iTunes and Google Play stores.

If you have one of the MileagePlus credit cards, you will get a 25% boost to the miles you earn through the MileagePlus X app!

8. MileagePlus Dining Program

Dining programs offer bonus miles when you dine at participating restaurants. You can sign up for the MileagePlus Dining program for free.

To start earning MileagePlus miles on dining out:

1. Go to MileagePlus Dining.
2. Register/log in with your MileagePlus account number.
3. Select Add a card in your account and enter the details of any credit or debit card you want to use at restaurants.
4. Use the location search at the top to look for restaurants near you.
5. Start using the credit card you registered at participating restaurants to earn miles.

You’ll earn up to 5 miles per $1 you spend at the restaurants through the MileagePlus dining program. You can also earn miles for special bonus offers (usually offered at sign-up).

If you have a big group outing coming up, pay the bill on your registered credit card at a participating MileagePlus restaurant. This strategy will help you reach the additional spending bonus in no time!

Hot Tip: Once you’ve signed up through the portal, you can register any credit card (not just a United one)! By using the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll earn the most points (that can be converted to United miles) as possible.

9. Rewards for Event Tickets

If you like going to music or theater events, then MileagePlus has a great way to earn miles when you buy tickets for events. With Audience Rewards, you can earn 50 to 2,000 miles per ticket.

Just register with the program using your MileagePlus number, search for tickets, and make your purchase to earn bonus miles right away.

10. Other Retail Purchases

The following are other ways to earn MileagePlus miles through retail partners and online shopping centers:

Earn United Miles Through Travel

If you happen to have paid flights or hotel stays in your future, you can, of course, earn United miles on them, too!

11. Airfare and Airline Purchases

Not surprisingly, you can earn miles by flying on United. Maximize the number of miles you’ll earn when you fly with these tips.

Even without these cards, you’ll earn miles for flying as MileagePlus member. If your flights are operated by United/United Express or your tickets are issued by United (ticket number starts with 016), then you will earn miles based on the fare.

The base miles you earn will always be 5x the fare. If you have reached a MileagePlus Premier membership status, then the award miles you earn based on the fare will be even greater. Here’s the Premier status breakdown:

• Premier Silver: 5x fare + 2x fare = 7x fare total
• Premier Gold: 5x fare + 3x fare = 8x fare total
• Premier Platinum: 5x fare + 4x fare = 9x fare total
• Premier 1K: 5x fare + 2x fare = 11x fare total

All flights operated by partner airlines or Star Alliance members with tickets issued by an airline other than United will earn award miles based on the flight distance.

The following airlines are all partners with United:

The award miles earned on these tickets will also depend on the fare class. Go to United’s website to view United MileagePlus miles earned on each partnering airline.

There are only a few restrictions to earning miles on flights. Miles cannot be earned on MileagePlus award travel, charter flights, or reduced-rate tickets (see United for more restrictions).

Hot Tip: For more information on earning miles for paid flights, check out this in-depth guide to help you know where to credit your airline miles.

12. Car Rentals and Other Ground Transportation

Flying is not the only way to earn United MileagePlus miles when you travel.

13. Book With United Hotel Partners

United MileagePlus has a tremendous number of hotel partners. All of these offer varying amounts of bonus miles calculated by each dollar or night spent.

You can find all hotel partners listed on United’s site, but here’s a consolidated list and how many miles you’ll earn:

Hotel Transfer Partners

If the list above does not suit you, perhaps one of the partnering rewards programs will. MileagePlus has partnered with numerous hotel rewards programs covering hundreds of other hotels and resorts around the world.

As a member of any of the following hotel rewards programs, you can opt to earn United miles instead of the hotel’s own loyalty currency, though we would not recommend this due to poor value:

14. Book Vacation Rentals through Vrbo

United MileagePlus members can earn 3x United miles per $1 spent booking a Vrbo vacation rental through the United Vrbo portal. United miles are awarded after the stay is complete and are based only on the rental amount. Taxes, cleaning fees, and any other service fees or extra charges won’t earn you miles.

The last name of the primary traveler on the Vrbo booking must match the last name on the United MileagePlus account in order to receive miles.

The bonus miles are not associated with having a United co-branded credit card so you can stack these bonus miles with any credit card to earn even more miles on your Vrbo purchase.

15. Book With United Vacations or United Packages

Search for great vacations combining flights, hotels, transportation, and activities at United Vacations. Use your United credit card when you purchase your vacation and earn a total of 2 miles per $1 spent.

Miles earned from these packages vary depending on the combination, location, and dates you desire. There’s a great list of vacation ideas with promotional codes aimed to earn you a set number of miles on the offers page.

With United Packages, you can earn 1,000 bonus miles when you book your flight, hotel, and car together.

16. Book United Cruises With Partners

Cruises all over Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and off the coasts of the U.S. earn some huge miles bonuses. You can earn up to 45,000 miles by booking a single cruise if you’re a United co-branded cardholder or 25,000 miles for non-cardholders!

Scroll down on the main page of the United Cruises website to find a list of special deals that will add even more miles to the normal amount offered. Some cruise lines will tack on up to 10,000 miles extra when booking through them!

Hot Tip: If you’ve opted to earn miles through an adventure on the open seas, don’t miss this ultimate cruise packing list to help you prep for your trip.

17. Special Travel Partners

The following company offers unique services and products related to your travel experience. It has bonus miles offered in partnership with MileagePlus and is worth taking a look at (especially if you’re a frequent traveler).

18. Fly Semi-private

While flying private or even semi-private isn’t something that the majority of us can do, it’s good to know that it’s another way to earn United miles.

Passengers flying on JSX flights can earn 50% to 100% of the miles flown, depending on the fare class booked, in the form of United MileagePlus miles.

Specialty Earnings for United MileagePlus Miles

United MileagePlus has partnered with lots of other companies and non-profits to give you different ways to earn extra miles.

19. Make a Donation

The National Foundation for Cancer Research was started in the 1970s to support cancer research and educate the public about cancer prevention, early diagnosis, better treatments, and finding a cure for all types of cancer.

MileagePlus participates in the “Fly to Find a Cure” program to encourage members to donate to the cause. You can donate to this wonderful organization and earn MileagePlus miles in return.

Donations of $25 or more will earn 10 miles per $1 spent. Make a donation and the miles will post to your account in 4 to 6 weeks!

20. Home and Energy Services

The following are some great ways to earn additional miles through services for your home.

Be careful: the cost of these services may not outweigh the benefits in the end! Figure out what better offers you can get for similar services in your area, and then decide which one makes the most sense for you.

21. Financial and Security Services

United MileagePlus often has partnerships with companies in the personal finance and security services world. These services can help you earn extra miles when you sign up via the links provided or mention your MileagePlus number to an agent.

Consult a financial advisor before making any decisions, especially with any providers that are connected to your personal finances. It’s one thing to earn lots of extra miles using these options, but quite another to end up with a new account or loan for which you could have gotten a better rate elsewhere!

22. Fill Out Surveys for Miles

Did you know there are data collection companies out there eager to get your marketing opinion in return for miles? All you have to do is sign up for free and fill out a few surveys or watch a few advertisements and give your opinion.

United MileagePlus has teamed up with Opinion Miles Club to offer you this simple way to earn a few extra miles. You can earn 300 miles for joining and completing your first survey (600 miles for MileagePlus cardholders), then 50 to 70 miles per survey.

23. Buy United Miles

Buying United miles should be left for times when you need to top off your MileagePlus account to book an award ticket. United occasionally offers bonuses for purchased miles, and if you can get them for a lower cost than their redemption value, you’ll come out ahead.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is the best way to earn United miles thanks to its higher-earning rate and 1:1 transfer ratio. Paired with a MileagePlus credit card, you can earn some serious miles and fun perks.

To top it all off, you can earn tons of extra miles shopping and dining out thanks to United’s partnerships. Before you know it, you’ll be booking your next award flight with United miles!

The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
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The information regarding the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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