Best Ways To Redeem United Miles
United's MileagePlus program is front and center for a lot of people due to United's large footprint and many Star Alliance partners. Like other US airlines, United has plenty of personal co-branded credit cards that make earning miles quite easy. Especially with those increased personal card offers and that best ever 125K business card offer. Throw in the bananas 100K Sapphire Preferred offer going on right now, which transfer to United, and you can see why United is a big ToPic of consideration right now. To help everyone out with all of these newly minted miles and points we wanted to share some of the best ways to redeem United miles.
Using United Miles
United is a member of Star Alliance, which has more airline members than all other alliances. United miles are pretty easy to earn since United is a Chase transfer partner. In addition, United offers multiple personal and business co-branded credit cards issued by Chase.
Unfortunately, United has a mostly dynamic award chart. This means most award prices vary widely, instead of following a published award chart. On the positive side of things, some saver awards still have fixed pricing, and these are some of the best ways to redeem United miles, as we show below.
Now, let's check out some of the best ways to redeem United miles.
1. Business Class to Africa with Star Alliance Partners
United has one of the best prices for business class awards between the US and Africa. Business class on flights operated by Star Alliance partners cost 88,000 miles each way. Star Alliance partner options include Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir. The price remains the same even if you include a connection in Europe with a Star Alliance partner, giving you even more options to fly to Africa at a great price. This is cheaper than what most other programs charge for flights between the US and Europe.
2. US to Tahiti in Business Class for 85,000 Miles
Very few airlines offer non-stop flights between the US and Tahiti, but United is one of them. United offers year-round non-stop flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Papeete, Tahiti (PPT). Polaris business class costs 85,000 miles each way (economy is just under 45,000 miles). Availability is hard to come by, requiring some diligent searching. When you can find it is easily one of the best ways to redeem United miles.
By comparison, you can expect to pay at least 95,000 Flying Blue miles to fly Air France business class between Papeete and Los Angeles.
3. Cheap Flights to the Caribbean
Flights between the US and the Caribbean on United start at just 9,000 miles in economy each way. Taxes and fees can vary widely among different Caribbean destinations, so make sure to compare the full cost of an award against a cash ticket. The affordably makes these one of the 5 best uses for United miles in my book.
4. Business Class to Peru for 55,000 Miles
United splits South America into two regions, with Peru being part of northern South America. A one-way seat on United’s Polaris business class from the U.S. to Lima, Peru costs just 55,000 miles (30,000 in economy). Another great way to redeem United miles if you wanted to head to South America.
With Air Canada Aeroplan having adopted dynamic pricing for United awards, United’s own pricing can be a cheaper option.
5. Intra-Europe Flights in Economy
Last up on our best ways to redeem United miles is short-haul economy flights throughout Europe, which cost just 6,000 miles. Given the number of Star Alliance airlines operating throughout Europe, you can reach pretty much any hub in the old continent for just 6,000 United miles. This can be a great way to save yourself some cash when relocating during a trip, or for positioning for your next long-haul flight. What makes this an even better deal is that United does not pass on fuel surcharges for any of its partners. Just remember to compare the award price to the cost of a cash flight.
Bonus: United Featured Awards
United’s Featured Award page lists flight award deals in all three cabins. This page is updated regularly, and you can search by city pairings, class of service, or the maximum number of miles you want to spend. In a way, this page is a tool for finding saver availability on United’s website.
5 Best Ways to Redeem United Miles: ToP Thoughts
United's MileagePlus program still offers some sweet deals despite a mostly-dynamic award chart. You may have noticed we didn't mention the Excursionist Perk, but that option is nowhere near as good as it once was. These options are particular useful right now with the increased offers on the personal and business United cards.
What is your favorite way to redeem United miles? Come share your thoughts in our Facebook Group!
