Are United Miles Worth It?

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United Airlines miles are often praised by the MMS team due to their great number of award seats. However, how much are they worth now that they have moved to dynamic pricing?

Depending on the route you’re flying and the fees associated with it, the average fuel price will vary. In some cases, it will be more than 10 cents per mile.


Learn how to maximize your United MileagePlus miles by transferring them to a co-branded card or using them to purchase points with a different credit card.

How much are United miles worth? It depends on a number of factors, including how many miles you accumulated and what kind of award you got.

Learn how much miles are worth to maximize the value of your United MileagePlus account.

There are plenty of great rewards options when it comes to flying with United Airlines, such as the United ClubSM Infinite Card. It gives you access to a free first and second check bag, and it's also loaded with perks.

United is a Chase transfer partner, which means that you can earn miles from Chase's various credit cards.

United miles value and examples of what you can redeem

United Airlines has moved to a dynamic pricing system, but the calculation of the miles value remains the same.

Because there’s no chart showing the value of a certain route, it’s no longer guaranteed that you’ll get a certain amount of miles.

Some saver awards are still cheaper than the old award chart, but they also have lower prices. In addition, United no longer has Basic Economy award flights, which means that you will pay more for a more restrictive economy ticket.

Related: Why Airline Stocks Are Up Today?

Domestic flights (especially last-minute flights)

If you book a last-minute flight, you’ll get even more value for your miles.

If you were to use miles, you would spend 10,000 miles and pay $11 in taxes and fees. By using your miles, you would get a value of 1.4 cents per mile.

For this example, you would spend just 20,000 miles and pay $11 in taxes and fees. With a cash price of $408, you’ll get a value of 1.98 cents per mile.

Round-trip coach tickets to Europe

For flights from Chicago to Madrid in June 2020, I did a quick search for tickets using United Airlines miles.

United Airlines has 60,000 miles for round-trip tickets to Europe. They can be used to book tickets to top destinations like Paris, London, and Madrid.

Related: How Do I Upgrade to Class on United?

International business and first-class flights on partner airlines

If you take the average value of your United Airlines miles, you’ll get $12.44 cents per mile. This shows how much value they can fluctuate.

It’s hard to imagine taking a long-haul flight in coach once you’ve flown up front. But, using United Airlines miles to travel in first or business class can help save you money.

Doing the math, you’ll get a value of $12.44 cents per mile. That’s an incredible deal and shows how valuable United miles can be.

How to earn United miles

There are a couple of cards that offer great rewards and opportunities to earn miles. The United Explorer Card is one of these.

When planning on booking an award flight on United Airlines, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred instantly. This saves you time and helps make a purchase.

The Chase Ultimate Rewards Card can help you save thousands of dollars a year by transferring it to United Airlines. It can also help you book a stay at a top-rated hotel like the Park Hyatt Sydney.

With Chase's new bonus program, being able to save Chase points is even more valuable.

How much are United miles worth?

There is no set value for United miles. They can be earned and redeemed in various ways. The average redemption rate is typically 1.3 cents per mile.

Domestic flights typically cost less than international ones, and the number of miles required doesn't always increase at the same rate.

You'll usually get a better rate when booking first class or business class tickets over the main cabin.

New York City to Los Angeles

To find the redemption value of your miles, divide the cash price by 25,000. You'll get an average of 1.33 cents per mile.

For example, let's say that you live in New York and want to travel to Los Angeles.

San Francisco to Bangkok

If you have enough miles to cover the cost of the trip, then take the business-class ticket. Even if it costs double the amount of miles, you'll still get a better rate and more amenities.

For a business-class flight, the price would be $4,793 with Asiana Airlines instead of Thai Airways. With this deal, you'll get a 2.67 cent per mile boost.

A flight from San Francisco to Thailand would cost you around $1,380 or 80,000 miles. It would give you a 1.73 cent per mile redemption rate.

Use your miles with an airline partner

United doesn't add fuel surcharge to its award tickets, while other major carriers do. This saves you a huge amount of money.

You don't need to transfer your miles to a specific partner to book a flight. Instead, book flights through United's website.

For our second scenario, we booked a trip with Thai Airways and Asiana Airlines, which are both members of the Star Alliance.

Usually, you’ll be flying on a United flight. But there are also many international options that can be found through one of the airline's partners.

Use United’s Excursionist Perk

The Perk is a great feature of the United MileagePlus program. It allows members to get one free trip for booking multiple one-way trips.

Unfortunately, this perk only works if you travel within the US and not internationally. For instance, if you're flying from Chicago to San Francisco, you need to go to another country to get the perk.

Transfer credit card points to United

It’s important to remember that finding the best value isn’t always an easy task. There are plenty of ways to get the most out of your rewards program.

Before transferring points, make sure that you're leaving behind what's left on the table. For instance, if you're transferring points to Singapore Airlines, make sure that you're leaving behind what's left on the table.

You can also transfer points from Bonvoy to United MileagePlus with a 10% bonus.

You don't need a United credit card to get the most out of its loyalty program. If you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards card, transferring points to United can help boost your balance.

Shop sales

The lowest price that United has to offer is its basic economy fare. This means that if you're planning on buying a ticket, it's best to check the ticket's price before buying.

When it comes to choosing a flight, be sure to check both the price and the miles to see how much you'll get back. Also, be sure to check the average redemption rate.

Sometimes, it's worth taking advantage of special flight deals that United offers.

Conclusion

The value of United miles depends on a variety of factors, such as your trip duration, route, and class of service. Generally, you should be able to earn about 1.3 cents per mile for last-minute domestic flights and more for international flights.

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