What are the good points of United Airlines

United Airlines Points

Category : Airlines / Posted on: January 23, 2023 / Author: Admin

What are the good points of United Airlines

United Airlines Points

United Airlines (UA), one of the largest airlines in the world, is actually the third largest by both fleet size and number. United Airlines is based in Chicago, Illinois and operates hundreds of flights to destinations around the globe.

United's frequent flyer loyalty programme MileagePlus, is available to all members. MileagePlus miles can be earned by members who enrol in the program. These miles can then be used to book flights with United or any of their partners.

MileagePlus points can be earned through shopping, flying, staying in hotels, dining, and many other activities. Although the loyalty program is complex and vast, we will break it down for your benefit.

How to earn United Miles

To begin earning United Mileage Plus points, register for a free MileagePlus Account. Some basic information will be required, such as your name, address, and phone number. You should ensure that your information matches your government-issued ID.

Once your enrolment has been completed, you will be eligible to start earning MileagePlus points immediately. Let's learn how.

Flying United

MileagePlus miles can be earned when you fly on eligible tickets with United's Star Alliance and MileagePlus partner airlines. The amount of MileagePlus points you earn while flying depends on a few factors: how much you spend on your base ticket, whether you fly with United or a Partner, and your elite status at the time of flight. The higher your elite status, you will earn more miles per dollar. The base price does not include any taxes or fees imposed by the government, such as those for checked baggage selection and seat selection.

MileagePlus Premier status can also earn Premier Bonus award miles. We will explore this further below.

Status Miles

Airlines reward loyal customers with elite status. You can earn status tiers by spending more and flying more with an airline.

United Airlines offers four levels in elite status, known as Prime status and a basic member status. This is the default status for anyone signing up to a MileagePlus account.

Every Premier status level earns a certain number of MileagePlus points when you spend money on a ticket. In addition to the base earning, Premier Bonus miles can be used for United Express, United Express, and selected partners such as Air Canada, ANA and Azul.

Below are the miles that Basic Members can earn and each level of Premier Status members can earn:

Basic Member--5 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent
Premier Silver--7 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent
Premier Gold--8 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent
Premier Platinum--9 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent
Premier 1K--11 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent

Earning Status

To earn Premier status with United, you must fly a lot and spend a lot. However, these requirements are somewhat lower due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are several ways to achieve Premier status with United.

Premier Qualifying points or PQP - This is the money spending portion. United issues PQPs that are based on the flight purchase price and any surcharges charged by the carrier. In addition, seat purchases and paid upgrades count towards your PQPs.
Premier Qualifying Flights - This is the flying requirement. PQFs can be described as flight segments. Each flight segment is equal to 1 PQF. Basic economy tickets do not qualify for PQF.

There are specific requirements for each Premier status level regarding the number of PQPs or PQFs that you must have. These are the requirements to earn and keep your status throughout 2023:

United offers another bonus for earning status. It's credit card spending. MileagePlus members who use their co-branded United credit cards can earn the required PQP for all 2022.

How do I redeem United Miles

MileagePlus miles can be used to redeem for United Airlines flights, Star Alliance airlines, and United's independent airline partner flights. Star Alliance has 26 members airlines, and United has 14 airline partnerships. This means you can use United Miles to fly on 39 airlines. It opens up many possibilities for travel around the globe.

United offers a user-friendly search engine that allows you to redeem miles on United's website in most cases. You can choose a flight and see the price in both cash and miles.

United award tickets

United offers a variety of award seating levels. You will need more miles to get more luxurious seats and cabins. You can book one-way or round-trip tickets. There is no advantage to booking a round-trip flight.

There are generally two types of award redemptions.

Saver Awards seats cost less in miles, ranging from 5,000 to 12,500 for domestic economy. They are less common and may not be available for you flight.
Everyday Awards seats have more availability than Saver Awards, but they require more miles. United calls elite status Premier Flyers and eligible MileagePlus card holders have unlimited access to book seats at the Everyday Awards level.

United has discontinued publishing its award chart for flights, effective Nov. 15, 2019. It no longer requires a certain number of miles for each flight. It is common to expect that the prices you pay with cash will be lower than those paid with miles. Before you book, compare the costs of each.

You don't get frequent-flyer points if you pay for a flight using miles.

Redeemable options

Fly for free. Redemptions that provide at least that amount of value are an acceptable option, as we value MileagePlus points at an average of 1.25 cents per mile. Break-even is a flight that costs $480, or 40,000 miles (40,000 mile *.012/mile). You can book a flight at $480 for 25,000 miles. That's 1.9 cents per mile more efficient. United offers many sweet spots redemptions.
Upgrades. Upgrades to premium seats can also be a good use of miles. This can bring you a return value higher than 1.2 cents per kilometre. Upgrades to business or first class may require payment in cash co-pay in addition to miles. Upgrades are only available for one-way flights, just like award seats. An upgrade will cost you more depending on which fare class you are currently flying. Generally, a lower fare flight will result in a higher price.

Redeemable for bad credit

Redeemable with a value less than 1.2 cents per miles are generally not good. You also have the option to redeem United Club membership fees, hotel stays and car rentals as well as gift cards. We recommend that you avoid these options as they offer lower mileage than 1.2 cents per miles.

Bottom line

United is the largest airline in the world and can fly you anywhere, whether it's via their own fleet or through one of their partners. The deal is even sweeter when you can use MileagePlus miles to pay for your travels instead of cash.