Using your United Airlines miles wisely can help you travel more and spend less. Imagine flying in business class, booking amazing vacations, or visiting family without paying full price!
This easy guide for 2026 will show you the best ways to use your United miles. You'll learn how to find "Saver Awards," book flights with partner airlines like Star Alliance, and use special perks like the "Excursionist Perk." We'll also explain when it makes sense to buy or sell miles with The Miles Market, so you can get the miles you need or turn extra miles into cash.
Whether you're new to MileagePlus or fly often, this guide will help you make every mile count and travel smarter in 2026.
What is the United MileagePlus Program?
How United miles work
United miles are like points you earn for flying with United Airlines, using their credit cards, or doing business with their partners. Your MileagePlus account keeps track of these miles. You can then use them for flights, upgrades, and other travel services.
Special perks for frequent flyers
Many people wonder, "How do I use my miles for plane tickets?" It helps to understand how the MileagePlus program works. If you fly a lot and reach "elite status" (like Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum, or 1K), you'll earn miles faster and find more flight deals. The more you fly, the better deals you can get when using your miles. Knowing about United's "dynamic pricing" (where mile costs change) and their many Star Alliance partner airlines is key to finding the best ways to use your miles.
Reaching United MileagePlus elite status gives you some great benefits when using your miles. You get better access to "Saver Awards" (cheaper flights), free upgrades on some flights, no fees for changing or canceling tickets, and a better chance of getting those upgrades.
For example, Premier Gold members can find more last-minute award seats and pay fewer extra fees. Premier 1K members get free "PlusPoints" upgrades and even more flight options. Elite status really helps you get better seats, like in first class, and often for fewer miles across United's huge network.
How Much Are United Miles Worth in 2026?
Figuring out cents per mile (CPM)
The value of your United miles is best shown by how much money they save you. We call this "cents per mile" (CPM). To figure it out, take the cash price of a ticket, divide it by the number of miles needed, then multiply by 100. For example, if a $600 business-class ticket costs 60,000 miles, your miles are worth 1.0 CPM.
What's a good deal for your miles?
Usually, you'll get about 1.2 CPM for fancy seats (like business class) and around 0.8 CPM for regular economy flights within your country. Keeping track of your CPM for different trips will show you the best deals. This helps you pick the flights where your miles are worth the most. This is super important for knowing how to use your United miles best. For more details, check out our Airline Miles Value Guide.
United Miles Don't Expire & How to Keep Them Active
Good news! Your United Airlines miles will never expire as long as your MileagePlus account stays active and in good standing. (ir.united.com) To keep your account active, just do something simple like earning or using miles. This could be flying, using your credit card, or dealing with partners.
If your miles do happen to expire, you can get them back by doing one of those qualifying activities. This basically restarts the clock. If you need more miles quickly, The Miles Market offers a safe way to buy United miles. This can help you get back expired miles or add to your balance so you don't miss out on great travel deals.
Best Ways to Use United Miles for Flights
Using your United miles for flights usually gives you the most bang for your buck. Especially if you're smart about "dynamic pricing," look for "Saver Awards," find great deals with Star Alliance partners, and aim for premium seats. By being flexible with your travel and using smart search tricks, you can find cheap flights even when mile prices change a lot. If you're asking how to use your United miles for plane tickets, these methods will help you get the most value.
Saver Awards
United Airlines Saver Awards are the cheapest way to use your miles for flights. They often cost 10–30% fewer miles than regular "Everyday Awards." While there aren't always a lot of them, you can easily find these awards using the "Flexible Dates" calendar on United.com.
To find these popular seats, try searching for one-way flights. Make sure "Search for award travel" is turned on, and use the "+/- 3-day" filters. Being flexible with your travel dates, flying in the middle of the week, or taking red-eye flights can often reveal hidden Saver Award seats. This really boosts the value of your miles for both economy and business class.
Dynamic Pricing
Dynamic pricing means that the number of miles needed for a United flight changes based on how much the cash ticket costs right now. When more people want to fly, the miles needed for a ticket go up. This can make your miles worth less. But if cash tickets are cheap, you might find surprisingly good deals on mile tickets.
To use this to your advantage, check the flight calendars for times when fewer people travel. Also, try booking either very early or very close to your travel date to catch good prices. United's calendar view is a great tool to see these changing mile costs and find the best days to book.
Star Alliance partner flights
Your United miles can open up a whole world of travel deals through the Star Alliance network. This includes 25 airlines and thousands of routes! By booking flights with partner airlines, you can fly in fancy seats on airlines like ANA, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines, often without paying big extra fees.
You can find partner flights by choosing "Partner Airlines" on the award search page. The mile costs usually follow United's dynamic pricing. This huge Star Alliance network gives you many more options, from short flights in Europe to luxurious first-class seats across the Pacific Ocean.
Top Star Alliance Partners for Getting the Most from Your United Miles
Remember that the number of miles needed and how many seats are available can be very different between partners. The table below shows three great Star Alliance partners that often give you excellent value:
These partner deals can make your miles worth 1.3 to 1.6 CPM for premium seats, which is much better than typical economy flights within your country. Looking at other airlines in the alliance can give you even more travel options and make your elite status upgrades even better.
Polaris business class
To book United Polaris business class with miles, first choose "Business or First" in the search filters. Look for "Saver Awards" that cost between 75,000–85,000 miles on major international routes. Booking up to a year in advance is your best bet to find seats.
Think about flying through big airports like Chicago or Newark, as these can sometimes have lower mile costs. If "Saver Award" seats are hard to find, Premier 1K members can use "PlusPoints" to upgrade paid tickets. This lets you combine miles and upgrade credits for a smooth, premium travel experience.
Good deals for flights at home & abroad
For short flights within your country, you can often find United flights for as low as 5,000 United miles one-way. This applies to certain routes, like Los Angeles to San Diego or Houston to Dallas. The mile cost goes up as the distance increases, usually topping out at 12,500 miles for regular domestic flights.
By focusing on flights under 800 miles, you can get a value of over 1.5 CPM for your miles. This makes these shorter trips a great way to use smaller mile balances that might not be enough for longer international trips.
International travel also offers some great deals for your United miles, especially for economy and business class plane tickets:
- Europe Economy: One-way flights during off-peak times for 30,000 miles can be worth over 1.2 CPM when cash tickets cost more than $400.
- Asia Economy: A one-way trip to Tokyo or Beijing for 35,000 miles is a great deal when cash tickets are over $500.
- Oceania Business: Flying to Australia or New Zealand in business class for 90,000 miles one-way can give you 1.4–1.7 CPM.
- Africa Business: Flights to Johannesburg in business class for 80,000–85,000 miles one-way offer a solid 1.3 CPM without big extra fees.
Finding these good deals in specific regions will help you plan trips that consistently give you more value for your miles than the average.
Smart Ways to Use Your Miles
Using the more advanced features of the United MileagePlus program can really boost the value you get from your miles. Things like the United Excursionist Perk, PlusPoints upgrades, smart use of United credit cards, and special search tools are powerful ways to get the most from your miles. This is true whether you earned them by flying, buying them from The Miles Market, or transferring points.
Excursionist Perk explained
The Excursionist Perk is a cool benefit that gives you one free one-way flight within a multi-city trip. You just need to start and end your trip in the same region. To use it, plan a round-trip flight with at least three parts that go through two or more MileagePlus regions. One of those parts needs to meet the perk's rules.
For example, a round trip from North America to Europe and back could include a free flight within Europe. This perk can often save you 10,000–20,000 United miles and make your overall miles worth a lot more by spreading the value across several places.
PlusPoints upgrades
Upgrades let you move from economy to fancier seats using either United miles or PlusPoints. You earn PlusPoints through your Premier status and United Airlines credit cards. Regular upgrades on tickets (whether paid with miles or cash) usually cost 10,000–20,000 miles one-way, depending on how far you're flying.
PlusPoints are used for upgrades on tickets you paid cash for, and they don't have extra fuel fees. For the best chance of getting an upgrade, aim for flights in the middle of the week on routes where upgrades are common, like long flights across the country.
Using credit cards & partner points
You can earn United MileagePlus miles faster by using United Airlines credit cards from Chase, as well as other points programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards. These cards often give big sign-up bonuses, sometimes 50,000 to 100,000 miles! Plus, you earn extra miles on things like dining, streaming, and travel.
You can transfer points from Chase or Bilt to United at a 1:1 rate. This can help you get enough United miles for your trips. When you combine these credit card tricks with special bonus offers from The Miles Market, you'll have a steady flow of miles.
Tools to find award flights
United's "Flexible Dates" calendar, ExpertFlyer, and SeatSpy are super helpful tools for finding new "Saver Awards." Set up alerts for the flights you want, and use multi-city searches to get the most out of the Excursionist Perk.
Checking often for available seats—especially around 330 days before your trip and again about 14 days before—can help you grab newly released seats. Using your browser's "incognito mode" can also help make sure you see the most up-to-date seat availability.
Other Ways to Use Your Miles (Hotels, Cars, Gift Cards, etc.)
While using miles for flights usually gives you the best value, the United MileagePlus program also lets you use your United miles for hotels, resorts, car rentals, cruises, stuff to buy, gift cards, and through the "Money + Miles" option. It's important to carefully check how much value you get (cents per mile) for each non-flight option. This helps you avoid using your miles for things that don't give you much back.
Flights vs. other ways to use miles: a quick look
Flights vs. Other Ways to Use Miles: Value Check
Newspaper and Magazine Subscriptions
While not the main way to use miles, United MileagePlus sometimes lets you use miles for newspaper and magazine subscriptions. These usually give you less value for your miles compared to flights, often around 0.3-0.5 CPM.
Only think about these if you have a small amount of miles that are about to expire and you can't use them for better flight deals.
Car Rentals
Using United miles for car rentals usually gives you about 0.5–0.8 CPM. This is much lower than what you get for flights. This option is usually only worth it if you have a small amount of leftover miles or if you're in a rush and can't pay with cash.
For most travelers, it's much better to pay cash for car rentals and save your miles for flights.
Shopping and Gift Cards
Using United miles for things to buy or gift cards usually gives you the lowest value, often around 0.3–0.5 CPM. These should be your very last choice. Only use them if you have so few miles that you can't even get the cheapest short flight, or if your miles are about to expire and you have no other good options.
The Rest of the Rest (Hotels, Cruises, Experiences)
Besides the specific categories, you can also use United miles for hotels, resorts, cruises, and different experiences (like tickets to events or tours). Like other non-flight options, these generally give you a low value for your miles. Hotels and cruises are typically 0.5–0.8 CPM, and experiences are 0.3–0.5 CPM.
It's almost always smarter to pay cash for these services and save your miles for flights, where you get much more value.
When Does the Money + Miles Option Make Sense?
The "Money + Miles" option lets you pay for a booking using both cash and miles. Usually, your miles are valued at about 1.0 CPM here. This can be helpful if you don't have quite enough miles for a full award ticket and want to avoid paying the full cash price.
Use this option carefully. It's best when your miles are valued close to 1.0 CPM, or when the cash price of the ticket is much higher than what you'd normally pay. This helps make sure you still get a fair deal for your miles.
Easy Steps to Book United Award Flights
Following a clear booking process is important to avoid mistakes and make sure you get the best "Saver Awards." This guide will show you how to use your United miles well on United Airlines.com and partner websites. You'll learn how to confirm your seats, understand fees, and check change rules before you finish booking.
Booking Saver Awards on United.com
- Log in to your MileagePlus account. On the main page, choose "Book with miles."
- Pick your trip type (one-way or round-trip). Then, enter where you're flying from, where you're going, and when you want to travel.
- Turn on the "Award travel" and "Flexible Dates" options. This will show you a calendar with the cheapest mile prices.
- Choose the date and seat type (like economy or business) with the lowest mile cost. Then, look at any extra taxes and fees.
- Check your passenger details, decide if you want to skip seat protection (if it comes up), and finish booking using your United miles.
Booking Star Alliance partner flights
To book a flight with a partner airline, choose "Partner Airlines" under the seat options. Enter your desired route and check the mile costs for each partner. If your trip has many partner flights, you'll need to do a multi-city search, adding each part of the trip separately.
Confirm that seats are available for each part of your trip before you finish booking the whole thing. Then, pay the total miles plus any taxes and fees. This way, you can use the worldwide network of partner airlines and still get good mile prices.
How to change or cancel award tickets
United Airlines usually lets most MileagePlus members change or cancel flights for free up to 30 days before the trip. To change your trip, go to "My Trips," pick the award booking you want to change, and choose "Change reservation."
If you cancel, your miles will go back into your account, and any taxes or fees you paid will be refunded to your original payment method. For tickets canceled within 30 days of flying, a small fee might apply to get your miles back, unless you have Premier status, in which case the fee is waived.
Common Questions About Using United Miles
Many United MileagePlus members often ask about how many miles are needed, giving miles to others, when miles expire, and how to use United airline miles. Answering these common questions will help you feel confident turning your miles into amazing travel experiences.
How Many Miles Do I Need for a Free Flight on United Airlines?
The number of miles needed for a United flight changes a lot. It depends on the route, the type of seat (like economy or business), and how many people want to fly. However, economy "Saver Awards" for flights within your country can start as low as 5,000 miles one-way.
Economy flights across the Atlantic usually start at 30,000 miles one-way during less busy times. International business class "Saver Awards" generally cost between 75,000 to 85,000 miles. Keep an eye on "dynamic pricing" to find the lowest mile costs for your desired trips.
Can I Use United Miles to Book a Flight for Someone Else?
Yes, absolutely! You can book flights for anyone in your reservation using your United miles. Just put their details in when you're booking. If you want to give miles to someone else after booking, you can add their MileagePlus number to the reservation.
Remember, the United miles used for the flight belong to the account holder. Services like The Miles Market’s secure transactions can be helpful if you want to give miles as a gift or combine balances to book flights for others.
Do United Miles Expire If I Don't Use Them?
Your United Airlines miles will not expire as long as your MileagePlus account stays active and in good standing. To keep your account active, just do something simple like earning or using miles. This could be flying, using your credit card, or dealing with partners.
If your miles do happen to expire, you can get them back by doing one of those qualifying activities, which restarts the clock. Since The Miles Market offers a safe way to buy United miles, members can quickly get back expired or nearly expired miles. This helps you keep the value you earned and not miss out on travel deals.
Is it smart to buy United miles?
Buying United miles can be a smart choice, especially if you need a few more miles to book a great flight deal or to stop your miles from expiring. But it's important to compare the cost of buying miles to the cash price of the ticket you want. Generally, aim for your miles to be worth 1.5 cents per mile (CPM) or more when you use them. If buying miles helps you get a deal better than this, or if there's a special bonus offer, it can be worth it. Always use trusted places like The Miles Market for safe transactions.
Can I send my United miles to another airline?
You can't directly transfer your United MileagePlus miles to other airlines' loyalty programs. However, you can use your United miles to book flights on any of United's Star Alliance partner airlines. This means you can still use your miles to fly with other carriers, giving you many more travel options around the world. Just search for award travel on United.com and look for flights run by Star Alliance partners.
What is the United MileagePlus redemption chart?
United Airlines no longer has a set chart that shows how many miles a flight costs. Instead, they use "dynamic pricing." This means the mile cost for a flight changes based on how many people want to fly, the route, and when you book. While this can make planning a bit harder, it also means you can sometimes find excellent deals during less busy times or by booking far in advance. The best way to check current mile costs is to use the 'Flexible Dates' calendar on United.com.
How do I book flights with United miles?
Booking flights with United miles is easy. Log in to your MileagePlus account on United.com, choose 'Book with miles,' enter your travel details, and turn on 'Award travel' and 'Flexible Dates.' The system will then show you available flights and how many miles they cost. For a detailed guide, check out our 'Easy Steps to Book United Award Flights' section above.
