United MileagePlus: Guide to earning and redeeming miles, elite status and more

United MileagePlus is a great program for travelers loyal to United Airlines or based near a United hub. The program overhauled its cobranded credit card lineup and announced some big changes that benefit cardholders, making it even more appealing to travelers ready to double down on United.

Whether you're already a frequent United flyer or curious about dipping your toes into the program, this guide will answer all your questions about earning and redeeming miles, Premier elite status, United credit cards and more.

Related: You can now book United's first Polaris Studio suites flights

United Airlines partners

United is a member of Star Alliance, meaning you can earn and redeem miles with various international airlines through United MileagePlus. United Premier Gold, Platinum and 1K members can enjoy perks such as lounge access and an extra baggage allowance when traveling with these partners.

Here's a look at United's current Star Alliance partners:

• Aegean Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways
• Asiana Airlines (leaving Star Alliance on Dec. 16)
• Austrian Airlines
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Egyptair
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Air
• ITA Airways
• Juneyao Air (a connecting partner)
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Lufthansa City Airlines
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines

United also partners with several airlines outside of Star Alliance:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Dolomiti
• Airlink
• Azul Brazilian Airlines
• Cape Air
• Discover Airlines
• Edelweiss
• Emirates
• Eurowings
• Flydubai
• JetBlue
• JSX
• Olympic Air
• Virgin Australia

Some partners have their own limitations regarding MileagePlus members — including applicable bonuses, eligible fare classes and excluded routes — so be sure to review United's airline partners page for the full details on each one.

United and JetBlue also introduced reciprocal elite benefits on May 14, including priority services, preferred or extra-legroom seating and baggage benefits for eligible members.

Related: JetBlue and United expand Blue Sky partnership with new reciprocal elite perks

United Airlines Premier status

MileagePlus has four levels of elite status: Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K. There's also an exclusive Global Services tier for flyers who spend a significant amount with the airline and receive a personal invitation.

Premier status is earned through a combination of Premier qualifying flights and Premier qualifying points, or a higher number of PQPs alone. Members must also complete at least four paid flight segments operated by United or United Express. Select United credit cards can earn PQPs but not PQFs.

This is what it takes to qualify for United status in 2026 (valid through Jan. 31, 2028):

All United Premier members enjoy perks like bonus miles on paid tickets, free checked bags and waitlisted upgrades. Higher-tier members have access to more valuable perks like complimentary Economy Plus seating, PlusPoints (which can be used to confirm upgrades), Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Star Alliance Gold status.

Related: How Marriott and United elite members can use RewardsPlus to status match and convert rewards

How to earn United miles

There are many ways to boost your MileagePlus balance. Some methods, like flying, are obvious, while others don't even require setting foot on a plane. MileagePlus miles never expire.

Fly on United Airlines

For eligible United-issued tickets, including partner-operated itineraries ticketed by United, redeemable miles are calculated from the base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges, excluding government taxes and fees.

After United's recent earning shake-up, the number of miles you can earn depends not only on your Premier status level but also on whether you hold a United cobranded credit card.

Here's a breakdown of how miles are awarded on standard fares:

As for basic economy and base-option fares (including United Premium Plus Base and United Polaris Base), here are the lower rates you can expect to earn:

On top of these earning rates, cardholders get even more miles when paying for a United flight with their card:

• United Gateway℠ Card (see rates and fees): 2 bonus miles per dollar spent
• United℠ Business Card (see rates and fees): 2 bonus miles per dollar spent
• United Club℠ Business Card: 2 bonus miles per dollar spent
• United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees): 3 bonus miles per dollar spent
• United Quest℠ Card (see rates and fees): 4 bonus miles per dollar spent
• United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees): 5 bonus miles per dollar spent

The information for the United Club Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

United Gateway Card holders must spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year to unlock the enhanced MileagePlus cardmember earning rates shown above. The Gateway card's separate 2 miles per dollar on eligible United purchases applies without meeting this threshold.

As you can see, earning miles with United just got more complicated. Earning rates now vary widely, from no miles for members without status and a United card flying on a basic economy or base-option fare to 17 miles per dollar for Premier 1K members paying with the top-tier United Club Card.

This new earning structure gives United flyers yet another reason to add a MileagePlus card to their wallets.

Related: Complete guide to United's revenue, award and upgrade fare classes

Fly on United partner airlines

United also awards MileagePlus miles on partner flights, but it works a little differently. If you book a partner flight through United (indicated by a "016" ticket number), you'll earn miles based on your ticket fare and elite status per the guidelines above.

Most eligible tickets issued by partner airlines earn MileagePlus miles based on the distance flown and the booking class, though carrier-specific rules, exceptions and exclusions apply. Mileage earning rates vary by airline, so check your booking class and United's partner airline list to determine your award miles. As you might expect, premium cabin tickets earn more miles than economy tickets, and Premier members are eligible for bonus miles with select partners.

Spend on United credit cards

Another way to rack up miles is by spending on United's cobranded credit cards, issued by Chase. These cards earn bonus miles on United purchases, as described above, but they also earn miles whenever you swipe (or tap) them. Some of them earn PQPs as well to get you closer to elite status.

Here are some of the best United cards and their current welcome bonuses:

• United Quest Card: Earn up to 70,000 bonus miles and 500 PQPs: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 PQPs after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
• United Explorer Card: Earn up to 60,000 bonus miles: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
• United Business Card: Earn up to 110,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
• United Club Card: Earn up to 90,000 bonus miles: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.

Transfer credit card points

Beyond earning a credit card welcome bonus, you can also easily boost your MileagePlus balance by transferring points from one of the program's transfer partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt.

You can transfer points from either program to your MileagePlus account at a 1:1 ratio, or get an even better ratio if you find a transfer bonus. Transfers usually happen instantly, making this an easy way to get the miles you need for an upcoming United redemption.

Related: How to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus

More ways to earn United miles

To earn more miles on everyday spending, you can leverage United's shopping portal and the MileagePlus X app for online and in-store purchases. Or, sign up for MileagePlus Dining to earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent when you dine at participating restaurants and use a linked credit card.

If you're going to make these purchases anyway, you may as well maximize your rewards on them, right?

You can also earn miles by booking hotels and cruises through United's portals or by booking travel with United's hotel and rental car partners. Other ways to earn more include buying miles and transferring Marriott Bonvoy points, though these rarely offer the best value.

United miles pooling

One handy feature of MileagePlus is that members of all ages can share and redeem miles in one account. This is especially useful for families since kids and their parents can team up to book a larger redemption.

Pooled miles can be redeemed for flights operated by United, United Express and more than 40 MileagePlus partner airlines. Pooled miles cannot currently be used for upgrades or other nonflight redemptions.

How to redeem United miles

Although United has retired its award charts in favor of dynamic pricing, there are still ways to maximize your miles.

Generally, you'll get the most value out of your miles when you redeem them for flights, which is easy to do on United's website or app. You can use the advanced search feature to open a fare calendar and pinpoint the best deals, or start your search with a tool like Seats.aero to narrow down your dates. MileagePlus does not charge surcharges on redemptions operated by United or its partners, which is a great perk of this loyalty program.

Eligible primary United cardholders receive award pricing requiring at least 10% fewer miles on United- and United Express-operated award flights. Cardholders who also have Premier status receive pricing requiring at least 15% fewer miles. These discounts do not apply to partner awards or Money + Miles tickets. United Gateway Card holders must first spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year to unlock this benefit.

United also offers a payment option called Money + Miles on all fares, though we don't recommend it because it gives you a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile, below our August 2026 valuation of 1.25 cents per United mile.

The same goes for most other ways to redeem United miles, such as United Club memberships, TSA PreCheck fees, car rentals, hotel stays, retail products and gift cards. The value you'll get from these redemptions will typically fall far short of what you could get on an award ticket.

Related: How to exchange your unwanted gift cards for United miles

Best uses of United miles

One way to spend your United miles — even if you haven't amassed many yet — is on short-haul flights, where you can find award rates starting around 5,000 miles each way. These flights usually cost less than $100, so you may not get spectacular value from your miles, but booking them with miles can give you more flexibility. That's because you'll generally get a refund in the form of a future flight credit when canceling a flight booked with miles, as United doesn't charge cancellation fees on most fare classes (except basic economy and other base fares).

Most eligible nonrefundable paid tickets can be canceled before departure for a future flight credit, although fare-specific restrictions apply, particularly to basic economy and base-option fares. Award tickets canceled before departure can generally be redeposited without a fee, with eligible taxes and fees returned; United charges a $125 redeposit fee following a no-show.

You can also find low rates for transcontinental flights when there's saver award space. TPG writer Rachel Craft has personally booked partner business-class flights to Africa for 88,000 miles each way — a stellar price for 15-plus hours in a lie-flat seat and lounge access during her layovers. And with United's recent shake-up, Premier members and credit card holders may be able to unlock even better deals.

If you want to fly to Europe, United offers one-way, saver-level flights for just 20,000 miles in economy, 50,000 miles in Premium Plus (premium economy) and 80,000 miles in Polaris business class. All of these are great ways to travel across the pond.

Lastly, you might consider using United miles to book top partner products like ANA's "The Room" or EVA Air's business class. These award flights don't come cheap, but they make up for it with luxurious amenities you may not find anywhere else.

Related: 13 travelers each did 15 United MileagePlus award searches: Here's how pricing differed across accounts

Bottom line

United's MileagePlus loyalty program makes a lot of sense for travelers who live near a United hub or fly United often enough to earn status. But even if you rarely fly United or don't care about elite status, you may still want to transfer miles from Bilt or Chase when you spot a great redemption. Since United has a wide route network — and frequently adds new routes — it's easy to earn and redeem MileagePlus miles on a variety of flights.

In light of United's new guidelines favoring cardholders, if you fly the airline at all, you may want to consider adding a cobranded card to your wallet to maximize the program's perks.