The Mileage Plus program, United Airlines loyalty program, has undergone several recent changes. One of these changes was the move to dynamic award pricing. Instead of an award chart for United Airlines flights, the number of miles required will be driven by the cash cost of the flight. This certainly effects how to use United miles, which we’ll cover in detail in this article.
It’s not all bad news with United Airlines. You can still redeem United miles for partner airline flights using an award chart. This is great news for those of you looking to fly to Europe. Not only can we use an award chart for these flights, but United Airlines doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges.
Best Credit Cards to Earn United Miles
Chase Ultimate Rewards will be the most efficient way to earn points that can be transferred to United Airlines. You can also earn miles directly with your spending. With that said, let’s dive into the credit cards to keep on your radar.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred are the 2 personal cards to check out. The Reserve earns 3X on dining and travel. As a Preferred cardmember, you’ll earn 2X on dining and travel. The Ink Business Preferred is great for business owners. This card earns 3X on travel, among other bonus earning categories.
If you have any of the Chase Ultimate Rewards cards mentioned above, you can convert cashback earned on other Chase cards into Chase points. The Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited are great no annual fee cards to consider. On the business side, the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited will help you to earn points with your business spending.
Now let’s focus on United Airlines cards. The United Explorer Card, United ClubSM Card, Unite Business Card, and United Club Business Card are cards that you can apply for. I would recommend starting with the Chase credit cards above first and then move onto the United Airlines cards.
Other Ways to Earn United Miles
There are other ways to earn United miles in addition to transferring Chase points and earning miles from United credit card spending. Flying on United or crediting a partner flight will help you to earn miles. You can also shop through United’s shopping portal. Another way to earn miles is by enrolling in the MileagePlus Dining program. Using United’s hotel and transportation partners is the last way to earn miles.
As you can see, not only can you earn miles from credit cards but there’s a handful of other ways to pad your mileage balance. By focusing your flying and spending in these ways, you’ll have no problem earning the miles that you need.
Basic MileagePlus Redemption Rules
As with all award programs, it’s helpful to have a pulse on the program rules. For simplicity, below are some of the most important rules to keep in mind:
- Fuel surcharges are not added to award flights
- United has the best website to search for Star Alliance flights
- Excursionist Perk allows you to book a free flight on your itinerary
- United charges a $25-$75 close-in booking fee
How to Use United Miles to Fly to Europe
The Star Alliance is well-represented with airline partners based in Europe. This means that you can use your miles to fly on any of these European airline partners. Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, and SAS are the partners you’ll want to focus on.
With 70,000 United miles, you can book Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, and SAS one-way business class to Europe. Based on research, Austrian, SWISS, and SAS are the airlines you’ll want to fly. Lufthansa will come into play in a second.
How to Use United Miles to Fly First Class to Europe
Speaking of Lufthansa, this is the airline you’ll want your miles on to fly first class to Europe. From everything I’ve read, Lufthansa provides an excellent onboard experience. In addition, the first-class lounge in Frankfurt is something every traveler should experience.
With 110,000 United miles, you can book a Lufthansa one-way first-class flight to Europe. Lufthansa has high fuel surcharges, so what makes using United miles great is that you will not pay fuel surcharges. You’re instantly saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars in surcharges.
Conclusion on How to Use United Miles to Fly to Europe:
Even with the changes to the UnitedPlus program, there’s value to be had. For travelers who want to fly to partner airline flights to Europe, using United miles is compelling. While its award pricing is not the lowest, you will save a boatload on taxes and fees.
What about you? How do you use United miles? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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